Okay,
Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 1
first Samuel, we'll just read chapter one, probably won't do any work in chapter one this evening, as is our custom when we start a new book, we typically use the first session for matters of introduction. So tonight, specifically, I want to look at the title author. and date of the book. Secondly, the movement to monarchy, because that's what's going on in the books of 1 and 2 Samuel. Thirdly, we'll look at the theological themes of the book.
And then fourthly, I'll provide an outline via Dale Ralph Davis and another commentator named David Samora. Probably I'll be using these men the most. Davis is very popular and very readable. I'm sure I've mentioned it many times.
If you can, get Davis's commentaries. on what are called the former prophets, and that's what we're studying. The former prophets are Joshua, Judges, 1st and 2nd Samuel, and 1st and 2nd Kings. They're just paperbacks, two 300-page paperbacks. As I said, very readable, Christian-focused publications.
This other one I'm using is David Samura. It's a larger volume. He's a Japanese scholar, and it looks promising and to be a good one. Of course, you can't go wrong using John Gill.
If you don't have Gill, sell your car and buy John Gill. Actually, you can get him free online. It's better to have the books, though, so sell your car and buy John Gill. Calvin didn't do it, didn't comment on 1 and 2 Samuel, so if he did, I would use him as well.
Anyways, let's go ahead and look at chapter 1, beginning in verse 1. Now there was a certain man of Ranathame, Zophim, of the mountains of Ephraim. And his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuth, and Ephraimite. And he had two wives.
The name of one was Hannah, and the name of the other, Penanah. Penanah had children, but Hannah had no children. This man went up from his city yearly to worship and sacrifice to the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. Also, the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, were there.
And whenever the time came for Elkanah to make an offering, he would give portions to Penanah, his wife, and to all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah, he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, although the Lord had closed her womb. And her rival also provoked her severely to make her miserable, because the Lord had closed her womb. So it was, year by year, when she went up to the house of the Lord that she provoked her.
Therefore, she wept and did not eat. Then Elkanah, her husband, said to her, Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? And why is your heart grieved?
Am I not better to you than ten sons? So Hannah arose after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli, the priest, was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the tabernacle of the Lord. And she was in bitterness of soul and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish.
And she made a vow and said, O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your maidservant and remember me, and not forget your maidservant, but will give your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head. And it happened, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli watched her mouth. Now Hannah spoke in her heart. Only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard.
Therefore, Eli thought she was drunk. So Eli said to her, how long will you be drunk? Put your wine away from you. But Hannah answered and said, no, my Lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit.
I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord. Do not consider your maid servant a wicked woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief, I have spoken until now. Then Eli answered and said, go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of him. And she said, let your maidservant find favor in your sight.
So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad. Then they rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord, and returned and came to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah, his wife, and the Lord remembered her. So it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son and called his name Samuel, saying, because I have asked for him from the Lord.
Now the man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and his vow. But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, not until the child is weaned, then I will take him, that he may appear before the Lord and remain there forever. So Elkanah, her husband, said to her, do what seems best to you. Wait until you have weaned him.
Only let the Lord establish his word. Then the woman stayed and nursed her son until she had weaned him. Now when she had weaned him, she took him up with her with three bowls, one ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh. And the child was young.
Then they slaughtered a bull and brought the child to Eli. And she said, O my Lord, as your soul lives, my Lord, I am the woman who stood by you here praying to the Lord. For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of him. Therefore, I also have lent him to the Lord.
As long as he lives, he shall be lent to the Lord. So they worship the Lord there. Amen. Well,
Introduction
just by way of a summary statement concerning the book as a whole, the purpose of the book, again, this is Samara, says the book of 1 Samuel is to highlight two major events. First, the establishment of the monarchy in Israel, that's chapters 8 to 12, and then the preparation of David to sit on the royal throne after Saul, and that's chapters 16 to 31. That's the primary emphasis in the book of Samuel. I've already mentioned the move to monarchy.
Up to this point, there has been no king in Israel. In fact, that was one of the refrains in the time of the judges. Everyone did what was right in their own eyes. There was no king in Israel.
Well, here now, We have a king instituted in Israel. First is Saul, and then David. Of course, David is the major player in terms of Israel's history. I'm not saying that Saul is insignificant in history, but it's the Davidic dynasty, or it's the Davidic house, that ultimately would be the line from which the Lord Jesus would come.
So in many respects, 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings all have as sort of their central theme is the life and the ministry of David, king of Israel. So as I said, we'll look first at the title, the author, and the date. The
Title, Author, and Date
title is obvious. It is the first book of Samuel. In the Hebrew Bible, 1 and 2 Samuel initially were one book. It wasn't until the Hebrew was translated into the Greek that it was then put into two books.
Now you need to understand that if you read Bible commentaries outside of Protestantism, or you're familiar with Bibles in the Roman Catholic tradition, the Septuagint, which is the Greek translation, of the Old Testament broke Samuel into two books. So you had 1st and 2nd Samuel, but together with 1st and 2nd Kings, they were called the Books of Kingdoms. So you had 1st and 2nd Kingdoms and 3rd and 4th Kingdoms. The Latin Vulgate did essentially the same thing, but instead of the Books of the Kingdoms, it was the Books of the Kings.
So 1st and 2nd Kings and 3rd and 4th Kings. If you're reading, again, outside of Protestant literature, you happen to find yourself in a Roman Catholic Bible, do not immediately conclude that there's differences here. It's just a difference in terms of the names. So in the Septuagint, you had the four books of kingdoms. 1st Kingdom, 2nd Kingdom, 3rd Kingdom, and 4th Kingdom.
In the Vulgate, you had 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th kings. They weren't called Samuel in those particular traditions. As far as the author, probably it wasn't Samuel. He could have written some of it, but of course Samuel dies in 1st Samuel Chapter 24.
The Talmud, which is the Jewish sort of commentary on the Bible, ascribes the authorship to Samuel up to Chapter 24 when he died, and then Chapter 25 and following were ascribed to Nathan and Gad. If you look for just a moment at 1st Chronicles 29-29, this is why they argue in this particular way. 1 Chronicles 29 and verse 29. It says, now the acts of King David, first and last, indeed, they are written in the book of Samuel the seer, in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Gad the seer, with all his reign and his might and the events that happened to him, to Israel and to all the kingdoms of the land. So that's more than likely where the Talmud got the idea that it was Samuel, Nathan, and Gad in terms of the authors.
Some have said that that's probably not a reference to what we call 1 and 2 Samuel. Be that as it may, it may be the case like the Book of Judges. We don't know specifically what human author penned it, though I don't think it's wrong to conclude that Samuel wrote some of it. but we know ultimately the Holy Spirit is responsible for giving us the books of 1st and 2nd Samuel, 1st and 2nd Kings. Samora said this with reference to the title.
Nevertheless, the Hebrew title Samuel most likely refers to Samuel not as the author but as the key figure, the one who established the monarchy in Israel by anointing first Saul and then David. Many respects, Samuel is a king maker. Now, obviously, it's God who's sovereign that selects Saul and that selects David. But look at the place or the role that Samuel has.
He's the one that anoints Saul, and he is the one that anoints David as well. So Murug continues, Samuel was the king maker in the history of Israel, thus it was reasonable to name the book after him." I don't think that's a stretch. That is a good observation concerning this particular book. The first section deals primarily with Samuel the prophet, and then Saul the king, and then David the king.
So we've the title, we've got the author, what about the date? As far as the date of composition, we don't know specifically. But the
Date of Composition
references in 1 Samuel specifically, and in 2 Samuel as well, to the divided kingdom would indicate that the author wrote after the division of the kingdom. The division of the kingdom occurred in 931. After the death of Solomon, under his son Rehoboam, there was a revolt by Jeroboam, and the kingdom split in two. You had the northern tribes of Israel, you had the southern tribes of Judah.
That was the divided monarchy. That occurred in 931. If you look specifically at 1 Samuel 27, you'll see an indicator that the author is conscious of that split in the kingdom. So that would indicate to us that he wrote sometime after the split in the kingdom.
Doesn't mean he wrote a long time after the split, he's still near to the events of the particular books 1st and 2nd Samuel. But notice in 1st Samuel 27.6, so Achish gave him Ziklag that day. Therefore, Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day. You see, there's the specific reference to the kings of Judah.
Well, those were only extant or only existent after 931, after the division of the kingdom. You see, that's how you can try and nail down the date of composition. Again, It doesn't put us at the actual date, but it hopefully gives us a bit of time frame. It's after 931, but it's not so far after 931 that the author isn't conscious and close to the actual occurrence of the events in the books.
In terms of the dates covered. That's a bit easier to nail down. Other than the specific birth of Samuel, we have a target date we can pretty much estimate with reference to the birth of Samuel. He probably, at least by a couple of different reckonings, probably was born in 1105.
David dies in 971. So that's the span that 1st and 2nd Samuel occur in, between 1105 and the birth of Samuel and 971 and the death of David. So we see that this two books covers the span of about 135 years. And basically, if you're wanting this information, I think it's actually very helpful.
I think it's good to have a timeline, at least somewhat. It's good to be able to hang your hat on certain pegs in Israel's history, because I think it helps you to approach particular books, like we discussed a few weeks ago in our studies in Voss's Biblical Theology. When you come to the prophets, It is absolutely crucial that you know when those prophets prophesied, you know to which kingdom they prophesied, whether to the north or to the south. It's good to know what king was sitting on the throne at the time of the prophecy.
It's good to know what the political climate was. It's good to know what the religious climate was. It's good to know some of the background information, because if you just sort of parachute in to the prophet Isaiah and you don't know what's going on around the prophet Isaiah, you're not going to be able to interpret the prophecy correctly. So it's good to have some dates with reference to Israel's history, specifically as you read through the Old Testament so that you know how to interpret it accordingly.
It's also good to know the dates in the New Testament. with a lot less time in the New Testament, so it's really quite simple compared to the Old Testament. But if you just get some of the major dates, 1405 was the exodus, and the 1300s is the conquest period of the judges, till around this particular time in the 10th century, Then we have the period of the kings. We have the northern tribes being carried off into exile, excuse me, in 722. You've got the southern tribes being carried off into exile in 586.
Those are some basic crucial dates that you should keep in mind as you read through your Bible. But the life of Samuel, 1105 to 1030, died in 1030. So 1105, 1030 is when Samuel lived. Saul reigned from 1051 to 1011.
None of these dates are absolutely certain, give or take a year, at least with the reigns of Saul and David. But that is a specific time frame. So Saul was 1051 to 1011. And then David, as I said, 1011 to 971.
Now, if you know that, then you certainly know when Solomon began his reign, right? I hope everybody would say 971. Yes, you'd be absolutely right. And then you just trace the biblical data to determine when Solomon died and when the kingdom split and all that sort of thing.
So if you have a few key dates in the Old Testament, you should be able to do quite well in terms of, you know, other dates. The prophet Ezekiel, for instance, is very detailed in terms of the dates. The prophet Zechariah, I mean, we can nail down the day and the month and the year concerning his night visions. I mean, that's pretty cool. when you stop and think about it.
I think it was October of whatever year he was in that he had these night visions. We can think back to that, and that's all helpful information. So that's the basics in terms of introduction. Title, author, and date.
The Movement to Monarchy
Notice, secondly, the movement to monarchy. The movement to monarchy.
Deuteronomy 17: Principles for Kingship
It's helpful to turn back for just a moment to Deuteronomy 17. Deuteronomy 17. We mustn't ever disconnect the rest of the Old Testament from the Pentateuch. We mustn't forget about the books of Moses because they are foundational and central to Israel's both political and religious life.
And Deuteronomy 17 was the first statement concerning the monarchy or principles governing kings. So it's going to help us to just work through this particular section in Deuteronomy 17, 14 and following. We'll just review what we studied when we were there probably a year or two ago now. But notice first the request by the people in verse 14.
When you come to the land which the Lord your God is giving you, and possess it and dwell in it and say, I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me. In this context, that's not bad. In fact, what we find in Deuteronomy 17 is a statement concerning the future kingdom. or the future monarchy. God is not anti-monarchy.
God established the monarchy. It's not wrong for Israel to want a king. Probably what's going on in 1 Samuel chapter 7 is that their motivation is wrong. The idea of having a monarchy is not bad, but the reason why one wants a monarchy, that's bad. 1 Samuel 8, remember when they tell Samuel, we want a king, just like the nations around us.
And then Samuel is a bit perturbed by this. He's put off by this. And God tells Samuel, it's not you they've rejected, it's me that they have rejected. I think Davis kind of summarizes this difference or this idea that their desire was in the wrong direction.
He said, their help now was not in the strong name of Yahweh, but in a new form of government. It is not monarchy, but trust in monarchy that is the villain. That's probably what's driving that statement in 1 Samuel 8, when God says, they've rejected me. They've rejected me in this desire for kings.
It's not monarchy, but it's trust in it. It's finding our sufficiency in it. It's thinking that this form of government will alleviate all our problems and solve all our difficulties. Well, no government can ever do that.
Our trust, our hope, our help is always in the strong name of God Most High. If he chooses to use a monarchy and it's a blessing, then good. But if not, then we still trust in the Lord. So back to Deuteronomy 17.
So the fact that they would have a kingdom or a monarchy is not a bad thing. Notice the choice would be of the Lord. Verse 15, you shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses. It wouldn't be a foreigner, it would be someone from within.
One from among your brethren you shall set as king over you. You may not set a foreigner over you who is not your brother. Notice that it would be God that would select, it would be God that would choose, and it's interesting with reference to both Saul and David. Both men are selected by God.
Saul in chapter 9, verse 16. David in chapter 16, verse 1. Both men are anointed by Samuel. uh... saul chapter ten verse one and david sat uh... chapter sixteen verse thirteen both men are endowed by the spirit or they are filled with the spirit for their work of ministry now we need to understand the ministry of the spirit in that context was primarily political we're not to understand that saul had the filling of the spirit in a redemptive salvific way and then god took the spirit from him and sent him off to hell. There is a bit of a difference, though some parallel, but there is a difference between the spirit coming upon Saul for his role as monarch in Israel, contra the spirit coming upon us, in Ephesians 1, 13 and 14 sort of language, the seal and guarantee.
I mean, that's caused some people to wonder. When the spirit departed from Saul, some have concluded, well, the spirit must be able to depart from the people of God. No, it's a bit of a different story. When the Spirit seals and guarantees us, we are sealed and guaranteed to the very end, salvificly or redemptively or with reference to our eternal bliss in heaven.
There was a sort of political emphasis there where the Spirit ruled over Saul in terms of his administration in Israel. So the Spirit comes upon Saul, 10, 6 to 13, and of course the Spirit comes upon David in chapter 16 and verse 13. And then both men are publicly affirmed after this happens. So they're selected, they're anointed, they're endowed by the Spirit, and then they both engage in victory.
So after the Spirit comes upon Saul, what's the next scene? Saul saves Jabesh Gilead. Saul is responsible for killing Ammonites until the heat of the day. These were the two enemies of Israel during 1st and 2nd Samuel, Philistines and the Ammonites.
Saul brings victory to the people of God by killing Ammonites. Well, what happens after the Spirit comes upon David in 1st Samuel 16? What is his public affirmation or vindication in chapter 17? Remember?
He takes down Goliath. So there is that public confirmation or affirmation or vindication of his choice by God Most High. So back to the text in Deuteronomy.
What the King Must Not Do
Notice in verses 16 to 17, there are specific instructions for the king. And certainly Israel's history would have been a lot different if every king obeyed verses 16 and 17. If every king would have done what every king was supposed to do, then things would have looked a lot better in Israel. Notice, verse 16, he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the Lord has said to you, you shall not return that way again.
Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself." First, he shouldn't multiply weapons, horses. This idea of military power. Again, it's not wrong for a king to have a standing army, but it's wrong for a king to trust in that standing army. The Proverbs say the horse is prepared for battle, but victory is of Jehovah.
When we trust in the means rather than God Most High, that is misplaced. When a king looks to the abundance of his weaponry or he looks to his military power, he's in a bad state. He needs to be trusting in God the Lord. He shall not multiply wives, probably hearkening back to Deuteronomy 7.
What happens when a king multiplies wives? Yes, it's adulterous. Yes, it's wrong. Yes, there's a lack of self-control, but probably he's multiplying wives for political alliances, and that is bad.
The king of Israel ought not to politicize with the nations around them via taking on additional wives. As well, he shall not multiply wealth, silver and gold, superiority. A certain measure of wealth would no doubt come to a king. I mean, the king is the king.
He's going to have a nice palace. He's going to have, you know, sort of the niceties that go along with being a king. You don't find in the Bible that, you know, save the Lord Jesus Christ, the King Christ, he is lowly and humble and he rides upon a donkey. But for the most part, the kings don't live in poverty.
But again, he ought not to trust in that silver or gold. He ought not to put his confidence in the things that he has. Christopher Wright summarizes, clearly the issue is not merely if Israel should have a king or not, but what kind of king that should be. And when we get to 1 and 2 Samuel, we see a negative example in Saul.
We see a positive example in David. But even in David, we don't see a perfect example. One of the functions of the kings in the time of the monarchy is typical. They point forward to the Lord Jesus.
The wretched, miserable kings cause us to see our need for a king who reigns in righteousness and justice. The good kings point forward to the Lord Jesus, typical of that rule and that reign that will come. when the Lord's Christ comes to save his people from their sins. So what Wright says is true. Clearly the issue is not merely if Israel should have a king or not, but what kind of king that should be.
What matters fundamentally for Deuteronomy is whether or not the whole covenant people of Israel will remain wholly loyal to Yahweh their God. The value of a king is assessed solely by the extent to which he will help or hinder that loyalty. It's not how the kings are measured. I mean, Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, set the benchmark for wickedness in Israel because he departed from the Lord.
Then you get to the man Ahab and it says, you know, what Jeroboam did was basically chump change. You know, Ahab institutionalized wickedness on a scale that no other king had done before him. So each of these kings are held to the standard, not of the political agency surrounding Israel or the kingdoms of this world, but God's holy law, God's standard and God's word. And that's the measure of a great king.
You read about Josiah, you read about the godly kings of Judah. What does it say? They were wholly inclined to follow the Lord. they did what God said. So a successful monarch in Israel was not the one who extended the land.
The successful monarch was not the one who had peace with the surrounding nations. The successful monarch in Israel was the one who obeyed God the Lord. And interestingly, when they obeyed God the Lord, typically that's when their boundaries were extended. That's when they did have at least a peaceful coexistence, probably because they were the upper hand in terms of the nations around them.
So back to right. A king who will not trust in God but in his own defenses, a king whose heart turns away because of many wives, a king whose great wealth leads to the snares of pride. Such a king will lead the people in the same disastrous directions. That is the reality of it, which is interesting.
What was the problem in Judges, specifically in chapter 17 to 21, which we've argued is probably appendices, so that predated the institution of Othniel? Why did people do what was right in their own eyes? Because there was no king in Israel. Then we get to the monarchy and what happens?
There is a king in Israel and what do the people do? They still do what is right in their own eyes. What's the answer? The Lord Jesus Christ.
You see earthly judges, earthly kings are men at best. It is the Lord Christ that we wait for. I was quite encouraged in Roger's prayer, I don't mean to put you on the spot, But to speak of Christ as our champion, to speak of Christ as our hero, I think that is what is being set before the people throughout the Old Testament era. There's a hero coming.
There's a champion coming. There's a deliverer coming. There's one who is antitypical of the judges, antitypical of the monarchy, the one in whom the righteousness of God dwells inherently. And he will come to vindicate his people.
So in sum, the good king was to guard his heart against an attachment to weapons, women, and wealth. The three W's that'll sink a good king. Weapons, women, and wealth. Again, he can have weapons.
He shouldn't trust in that. He can have a wife. He shouldn't let her lead his heart astray to other gods or to political alliance. And he can have wealth, but he must not trust in it.
These were the means by which many a man entered into apostasy. Now,
The King's Primary Orientation
notice the primary orientation of the king. in verses 18 to 20. This is actually what I meant. If the monarchs in Israel would have taken heed to 18 to 20, things would have been a whole lot different. Notice his first priority.
Also it shall be when he sits on the throne of his kingdom that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book from the one before the priests, the Levites. Before he appoints his cabinet, before he starts looking at policy, before he starts having coffee with the judges and the kings around Israel, the first order of business is to take out his own pen, to take out his own piece of paper, and to write the law himself. This is a good thing. Writing something at times helps to get it into our minds and our hearts.
And this is what the king of Israel was supposed to do. Before, as I said, he appoints his cabinet, deals with his enemies, or determines his to-do list with reference to the kingdom itself, he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book from the one before the priests, the Levites. Notice, he shall possess this law and it shall be with him, verse 19, and he shall read it all the days of his life. You know, sometimes I think we fool ourselves when we say, you know, I'm so busy, I don't have time to read the Bible.
Well, the king of Israel was supposed to be a man who read the Bible often and frequently. That was part of his job. That was part of his role. That was what was the foundation to the throne that he sat upon.
He was to possess it. He was to study it. It shall be with him and he shall read it all the days of his life that he may learn to fear the Lord as God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes. that his heart may not be lifted above his brethren, that he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, and that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children, in the midst of Israel, so that his heart be not lifted up." What's another perennial problem with political leaders? They end up proud and arrogant, and they end up entitled.
I mean, politicians today think they're entitled to summer homes. They think they're entitled to big salaries. They think they're entitled to women and to wealth and to weapons and all these things. Well, the law of God was to humble the monarch so that he would not have his heart be lifted up.
The monarch ultimately is a servant of the people. He is the one that comes to serve and help the people and to be a shepherd to them. See, our experience with monarchy is just this top-down imposition of power. And while it is a top-down imposition of power, it is with servanthood.
It is with a desire to shepherd and a desire to care for the people. It is modeled in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is a king that ultimately is a servant and a shepherd to his people. Again, Christopher Wright, with reference to the study of the law.
As is so often the case, Deuteronomy mentions only what matters. In this case, it avoids the small print of an exhaustive job description for royalty and concentrates on the fundamental priority. The law is to permeate the king's behavior in every sphere, whether political, administrative, judicial, or military. And if he takes this seriously and he obeys these statutes, then he will prosper.
This is what it says, that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children, in the midst of Israel. There will be success. There will be prosperity. There will be good things.
It's not through political savvy. It's not through your ability to engage in good domestic and foreign policy. But it's in the degree by which or to which you obey the law of the Lord." And so this is the paradigm or the example or the pattern that the kings of Israel were to follow. So
From Judges to Monarchy
going back to 1 Samuel, the period of the judges I've already mentioned. The judges served in a kingship type of a role, as did Joshua. Joshua was a military leader. He was a general, if you will, but he served sort of as a king.
He was the leader. He was the shepherd. He was the one that led Israel on the conquest. When we get to the time of the judges, everyone's doing what is right in their own eyes because there's no king in Israel.
Ophiel and Ehud and Barak and Samson and Gideon and Jephthah, these men were kingly figures. They were not kings strictly identified, but that was their function or that was their role. And so we have this transition from this period of judges to this monarchy. In fact, Eli and Samuel functioned as judges as well.
Eli was a priest, and Samuel was a prophet. But they both sort of functioned in that capacity, though not like a Samson or Gideon in terms of breaking the back of foreign oppressors. But nevertheless, they served in sort of this capacity in Israel at this particular time. So we've got a movement. from this judgeship or this movement from sort of a leader like Joshua into an official monarchy into an official kingdom.
That's the point in 1st and 2nd Samuel. The first king, Saul, chapter 9 verse 1 to chapter 15 verse 35. David is from 16-1 all the way through 2nd Samuel. Now of course they run side-by-side in the latter part of 1st Samuel, but they're not running side-by-side happily ever after.
Saul wants to kill David. David's a man who's got to run for his life. It's interesting, all of the troubles start for David as soon as the Spirit of the Lord comes upon him in chapter 16. You'd think, oh, that the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, now he can go golfing.
Now he can go put his feet up. Now he can enjoy his wealth and his women and his weapons. He can just do those things that kings do. No, as soon as the Spirit of the Lord comes upon David, his life is radically altered.
Probably when he was out tending the sheep, he didn't have the sorts of problems that he did once he was anointed by Samuel and anointed by the Holy Spirit. And then, so we've got Saul, we've got David, and then I've already mentioned after David comes Solomon, after Solomon comes Rehoboam. During Rehoboam's reign, Jeroboam rebels against Rehoboam. That's the division of the kingdom beginning in 931.
Then you've got the north and the south. You've got the kings in the north, and none of them are ever good. There's not one of them in the north that it ever says that they did good. There are a few in the south that did good.
These were the ones, of course, in the house or in the line of David. The northern kingdom I've already alluded to ends in 722 BC. Assyria was the empire at that particular time. They come in and they decimate the northern tribes.
Second Kings reports this, and then the Southern tribes fall to Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon in 586. And the end of 2 Kings indicates this as well. Several of the prophets also indicate it also. We've already alluded to the fact or mentioned the reality that the time when there were no kings in Israel meant idolatry and depravity.
Judges 17 to 21. You remember those scenes? Judges 17 and 18, there was idolatry with the tribe of Dan. and then 19 to 21, you had the mess with the Benjamites. I mean, 19 to 21 could make the crudest among us blush because it's so brutal and so horrific.
And so what we have is no king on the throne of Israel, so idolatry and depravity run rampant. But when we get a king on the throne of Israel, if he's godless, then idolatry and depravity run rampant. So it's not just having a king that is the satisfying requirement, but it's having the right king. And David is the man after God's own heart.
Now, David wasn't a perfect king. David certainly had his trials and his difficulties and his issues. But by and large, the scriptures can declare that David was a man after God's own heart. So when we compare and we look at the period of the monarchy and prior to that, the period when there was no monarchy, I think we can conclude reasonably
Israel's Rebellion and God's Faithfulness
two things about Israel. One, they were rebellious. And two, their God was nevertheless faithful. I mean, if the history of the Old Testament teaches us anything, it ought to teach us that.
Israel rebelled consistently and continuously, and God was consistently and continuously faithful to his people. You know, when you meet people in the world, or you meet other Christians that perhaps aren't as in tune with the Old Testament as they ought to be, they have this idea that the God of the Old Testament is this wrathful, vengeful, angry, mean, and vicious God. Nothing could be further from the truth. I mean, the fact that God bears long with these people several hundred years before bringing judgment to bear upon them, one must ask themselves, if they were God, how long would they have borne up with Israel?
How long would you have continued to see your people reject and rebel and not bring judgment upon that? The history of Israel evidences the rebellion of Israel and the faithfulness of our covenant God over and over and over again. And then
Theological Themes of 1 Samuel
thirdly, the theological themes. Interestingly, if you turn to 1 Samuel 2 for just a moment, 1 Samuel 2, Hannah's prayer sets forth several of the themes that the book certainly picks up. Hannah's prayer is akin to Mary's prayer when Mary finds out she is pregnant with the Christ. Hannah prayed and said, and then she goes into this beautiful description, first, concerning God's sovereignty.
God's sovereignty or his kingship. That is certainly a theme in the books of 1st and 2nd Samuel. Yes, there's a monarchy, but that monarchy is subject to the God of Israel, the God of heaven and earth. This monarchy is not an end in and of itself.
This monarchy finds its place under the rule and authority of God. That's why the monarch in Israel must heed the prophet. When Samuel comes to Saul, and Samuel indicts Saul for not listening and not receiving the word of God, but rather rejecting it, and instead of killing Agag and healing him to pieces like he was supposed to do, rather Saul spared him. What does Samuel say to Saul?
He doesn't say, well, you are the monarch, do whatever it is you want. No, rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft. The monarch in Israel had to listen to the prophet of God, which indicated something. It indicated, yes, the prophet should be listened to, but the idea was is that God rules the monarchy, and the prophet needs to be heeded.
And when the prophet comes and the king receives, blessings typically flow. When the prophet comes and the king refuses or rejects, then curses typically flow. And so God is Lord, God is sovereign, God is exalted in these books of 1st and 2nd Samuel. As well, it's interesting, the
Providence and the Typical King
providence of God in these books. We saw that in the book of Ruth. We didn't see miracles. We didn't see grand displays of God's sovereign might and power.
We saw God the Extraordinary One working through the ordinary lives of Ruth, Boaz, and Naomi. Consider some of the situations that go on. in 1st Samuel and the way things happen. Saul's out looking for donkeys when he finds out he's going to be a king. David goes to take food to his brothers when he sees Goliath on the field of battle that begins his ultimate ascension to the throne.
This very beginning chapter, Hannah's hardship, brings forth Samuel, the prophet, the king maker, in these books of 1st and 2nd Samuel. David, in 2nd Samuel 7, wants to build a house for God. I mean, that's an ordinary sort of a request. I mean, it's an extraordinary thing, building a house for God, but David's sitting, musing in his house, a panel, and he says, wait a minute, I'm dwelling in this beautiful place, and God's living in a tent.
I want to build the Lord a house. And so what happens? God says, you're not going to build me a house, I'm going to build you a house. What does he do?
He promises a dynasty from David. This is the first statement concerning the Davidic kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ in 2 Samuel 7. So what we find is a lot of ordinary and a lot of normal, but God behind the scenes is working out extraordinary and abnormal sorts of things. Providence is conspicuous throughout this book.
As well, and I've just alluded to this, the sovereign will of God. It is God's will, it is God's word, it is God's rule that reigns supreme. And the kings of Israel must submit. If they submit, they will prosper.
If they reject, then they will suffer. Saul is a classic example of a bad king, a classic example of a king that let it get to his head. He didn't do what the Lord said. He disregarded the prophet of God.
He took matters into his own hand, and it did not end well with him. David, conversely, is a man after God's own heart, and he does, albeit imperfectly, he does the will of the Lord. And then thirdly, as I've already mentioned as well, the typical role of the king. Everybody knows what a type and an anti-type is.
A type is something in the Old Testament that points forward to something else. Samson is a type of our Lord Jesus Christ, at least in two ways. His own countrymen deliver him up. And he saves people through his death.
Well, when we get to the New Testament, Jesus is the antitype. That means he fulfills that for which Samson lived. Samson points forward to the Lord Jesus, and the Lord Jesus certainly fulfills those things. Well, the same is true with the kingdom or the monarchy.
It doesn't mean all the sins and all the idolatry and all the depravity of these kings of Israel are going to be modeled in our Lord Jesus Christ. Rather, it means that as the king rules in righteousness and he reigns with justice and he does his thing with equity, it points forward to the one who will come to do this completely and perfectly and do so forever and ever, world without end, amen. And then
Outline of 1 Samuel
in terms of the outline, a broad outline at least for just 1 Samuel, 1 Samuel, Davis offers a threefold outline and I think the book does break down this way. Again, it's very broad but very helpful. Chapters 1 to 7, a prophet of God's grace. Samuel is the emphasis in chapters 1 to 7.
Secondly, a king in God's place. chapters 8 to 14. That's Saul. And then thirdly, A Man After God's Heart, chapters 15 to 31. So you've got Samuel, Saul, and David.
You won't go wrong if you approach 1 Samuel in that manner. Samuel, Saul, David. That's how the book flows. Samora gives a more detailed outline, but very similar.
First is the story of Samuel, 1 Samuel 1.1 to 7.17. He says embedded in there, however, is the story of the ark of God. That plays heavily in chapters four to six, the story of the Ark of God. Remember, they think that the Ark is like a big four-leaf clover, or they think that the Ark is like a holy horseshoe.
They think that if we just take the Ark out into battle, well, then we'll get blessing. I mean, that's exactly what they do. Let's trot the Ark out into the field of battle with the Philistines, and its presence will ensure victory. God would rather suffer defeat for his people than to allow himself to be manipulated.
That's the story in that story of the art. God will let the Ark be captured by the Philistines and taken to the very house of Dagon before he'll let his people actually think that we just need to trot this box out and we'll get blessing. That's how they treated the Ark of the Covenant of Yahweh. They treated it like a holy horseshoe or a holy four-leaf clover.
So the story of Samuel, chapters 1 to 7. The transition to monarchy, that's chapter 8, verses 1 to 22. The refrain there is, appoint us a king. So you see movement.
You've got Samuel 1 to 7, transition, chapter 8, when the people demand a king. And then you've got, thirdly, the story of Saul, 1 Samuel 9.1 to 1 Samuel 15.35. Fourthly, you've got the story of Saul and David, and that goes from 1 Samuel 16, 1 all the way to chapter 31 and verse 13. And then the book of 2 Samuel is the story of David.
I mean, 2 Samuel is all about David, from chapter 1 all the way to chapter 20. And then the last few chapters are sort of epilogues, or appendices, or things that the reader needs to learn concerning this period and this era. So that's a broad outline, a threefold, and then a more detailed outline. We'll probably follow that detailed outline as we go through the book.
God willing, starting chapter one next Wednesday night. So I'll close in prayer, and if anyone has any questions or comments, we can do that.
Closing Prayer
Our Father, we thank you for your word and we thank you for this history that is not only facts related, but it's theology as well. It teaches us about God, it teaches us about the things that you are pleased with and the things that you reject. And we pray that you'd help us to see in this book the many lessons that we need to take hold of. Give us grace to be men and women after your own heart.
Help us to be faithful to the Word of God as it's revealed to us in the Old and New Testaments. Give us grace, Father, to receive these things with thanksgiving. Give us grace to be students of your law. Father, as the king was to write this law and to study it daily, may we indeed study your Word daily.
We ask that you would go with us now and watch over us. Be with our brothers and sisters in our local church. Bring us together on the Sabbath day that we may worship you. And we pray through Christ our Lord.
Amen.