First Samuel Overview

RECAP

God has brought His people (Israel) out of bondage in Egypt through the Exodus.

God entered a covenant with Israel at Mt. Sinai, complete with covenant stipulations, before Israel entered in the Promised Land.

Once entering the Promised Land, Israel entered a cycle of sin —> slavery —> supplication —> salvation.

CHAPTERS 1-7

Hannah’s Song and Samuel’s Birth (1-3)

God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

Despite man’s wickedness, God is at work.

God WILL raise up a Messianic King.

This is placed at the beginning of Samuel (originally one work…was separated due to scroll length) to set the tone and introduce key themes that run through the book. As we read 1-2 Samuel, we should look for these key themes, paying attention to how we see God relating to His people through this lens.

Philistines -VS- Israel

Israel trots out the Ark of the Covenant thinking it will automatically give them the victory.

Israel is defeated and the Philistines steal the Ark!

They place the Ark in the temple of Dagon, only to find Dagon’s statue broken and bowed down before the Ark.

Then, God sends plagues among the Philistines, anywhere that they house the Ark of the Covenant.

Finally, the Philistines return to the Ark.

God has defeated the Philistines, and guess what! He did it without the help of Israel or a human army!

Is there a point? It seems to be this:

Good is not Israel’s trophy and the Ark of the Covenant is not a good luck charm.

God opposes the proud, no matter who they are.

Israel must remain humble.

CHAPTERS 8-31

Israel Demands a King (8-10)

Samuel is angry at first,

But God says give the people what they ask for.

Saul is called to lead Israel.

Saul’s Character:

Dishonest

Prideful

Lacks Integrity

The culmination of this is seen when an elderly Samuel confronts Saul because of Saul’s disobedience to God (chps.13 & 15). Proud Saul is brought low, and the whole confrontation seems to be a reminder that God’s people need a king who is humble and faithful.

This leads to David being anointed as king (chp.16). There are some interesting notes in David’s anointing:

1 Sam.16:7 “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.””

1 Sam.16:11 “Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.””

1 Sam.16:12 “And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.””

David’s character is shown when he confronts Goliath (chp.17). The narrative points back to Hannah’s song because:

Proud Goliath (and Saul for that matter) have been brought low.

Humble David is exalted.

A new narrative arc is then introduced (chps.18-31) in which David begins to rise in fame and influence and Saul continues on this downward trajectory that ends in his horrific death.

The people love David which ignites a fury inside of Saul.

1 Sam.18:7 “And the women sang to one another as they celebrated, “Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands.””

1 Sam.18:8-11 “And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands, and what more can he have but the kingdom?” And Saul eyed David from that day on. The next day a harmful spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he raved within his house while David was playing the lyre, as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand. And Saul hurled the spear, for he thought, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David evaded him twice.”

Saul eventually begins to hunt David (chps.21-26).

David trusts God through this entire ordeal, believing that even though Saul acts wickedly, God will one day raise up a king.

Some of David’s well-known Psalms come from this time (Ps.18, 52, 53, 57).

If David’s character was shown when he confronted Goliath, it is proved during his escape from Saul.

He trusts God’s promises.

He worships God through the difficulties.

Even when he has a chance to kill Saul, he does not.

Short Summary:

Samuel judges Israel, but the people want a king. Saul is first chosen to be king over Israel, but because of pride and disobedience, he is replaced by an unlikely candidate: David. Initially, David’s character proves to be humble as he trusts in God.

First Samuel in the Canon:

Samuel continues to story of God working and establishing a people as His own. Samuel first appears as a judge over Israel. Much like Moses was a powerful, God-sent leader for Israel after a time of difficulty, so Samuel proves to be a powerful, God-sent leader as well. And, just as Moses led Israel in receiving the law, so too Samuel will lead Israel in receiving her king, a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam.13:14).

God in 1 Samuel:

We see the unique interplay between the sovereignty of God and the consequences of man’s choice. Israel wanted to Saul to be their king, but God judged Saul for his failure. God sends a “harmful spirit” into Saul, cementing his rebellion against God. But, God’s Spirit also enables both Saul and David for their service.

Christ in 1 Samuel:

First Samuel emphasizes the anointed king of Israel. This is important because Messiah/Christ means “anointed one.” We are introduced to David, and Christ will be the Son of David, a term that becomes synonomous with Messiah. David, in 1 Samuel, is presented as a humble leader of God’s people who displays full trust in God. In the same way, Jesus will be fully committed to God’s will as the Messiah.

Samuel functions as a prophet, priest, and political leader for Israel, foreshadowing Jesus’ role as prophet, priest, and king.

Major Messages:

Consider the grand, over-arching narrative presented in 1 Samuel. Israel is moving beyond on the time of the Judges as Samuel is the last to serve this role. The desperation of Israel is epitomized by the closed womb of Hannah. However, she cries out to God and Samuel is born. It is as if the last cycle of judges is summarized through Hannah’s life. Samuel will eventually anoint a king over Israel to lead YHWH’s people, flawed as he will prove himself to be. This provides a foreshadowing of the True Messiah, the Better David.

The people’s desire for a king, and the subsequent kings that would rule over God’s people, is another major theme. Judges 8:23; 1 Sam.8:7; 12:12 all point to the fact that YHWH was to be Israel’s king, but the people rejected God’s rule. A king’s function was to maintain justice in a society, both domestically and internationally. But, the people grew tired of waiting on the Lord to raise up a deliverer. The people’s choice was Saul, but Saul forsakes his calling by refusing to fight for Israel (1 Sam.17). David, in contrast at least at first, realizes that it’s Israel’s True King’s responsibility to fight His peoples’ battles

1 Sam.17:37 “And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!””

1 Sam.17:46 “This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel,”