1st and 2nd Samuel

Overview of the Book

According to Hebrew Scripture, the books of First and Second Samuel were counted as one book and placed under the division of Nevi’im (The Prophets).

The Title, Author, Date, Recipients, and Context

There are several reasons why these books were named after Samuel: 

      1. the Israelites loved and honored him as one of the most powerful spiritual leaders in Israel
      2. he was the one whom God used to set in order the theocratic monarchy in Israel
      3. it is believed that part of the book was written by Samuel (1 Samuel 10:25)
      4. the early part of the book focuses on the birth, life, and ministry of Samuel

It is not very clear that who wrote the books of Samuel.  However, it is commonly accepted that the early part of the book was written by Samuel, however there is no evidence regarding the authorship of the remainder of the book.  The date of writing is believed to be sometime between BC 950 and 930.  The book is written to the Israelites and to the rest of the world.

Throughout their lives (especially during the time of the Judges), the children of Israel failed to obey God’s commandments although they had vowed obedience before God after occupying the promised land during the time of Joshua (Joshua 24:16-24; Nehemiah 9:26-28).  Therefore, the Lord God stopped communicating with the Israelites consistently during the time of Judges (1 Samuel 3:1).

The Highlights of the Books

  1. The book of Judges ends highlighting that the children of Israel, as a nation, ignored God’s law and His standards for them but lived their lives based on what was right in their own eyes (Judges  17:6, 21:25).  However, the gracious Lord never destroyed them entirely, He always preserved a remnant in order to fulfill His promises (Nehemiah  9:31)
  2. The book of First Samuel covered about 100 years of the Israelites’ history (c.  1105 – 1010 B.C.).  That is, from the birth of Samuel (the last Judge in Israel), to the death of Saul (he first king in Israel)
  3. Important episodes happened for Israel as a nation during the life and ministry of Samuel:
      1. the end of Judges’ rule over Israel, 
      2. the Israelites’ demand for a human king to reign over them rather than the Kingship of the Lord God Almighty (1 Samuel 8:6-8).  
      3. outlining of the details regarding the beginning of a new era in Israel – the era of kings’ rule over Israel

The Person and Ministry of Samuel in Israel

The name Samuel originates from the Hebrew term שְׁמוּאֵל (Shmuel) means ‘Heard of God’ or ‘Appointed by God.’ However, according to 1 Samuel 1:20, Hannah named her son – ‘Samuel’ saying, “Because I asked the Lord for him.”  Samuel faithfully served God and His people throughout his life and became one of the most powerful leaders in the history of Israel.  It is possible that the Children of Israel have placed Samuel as the most authoritative leader after Moses (Jeremiah 15:1).  Just as Moses obeyed God fully at the time of Exodus (transitioning the Israelites from physical bondage to physical and spiritual freedom), Samuel acted precisely according to the will of God during the period of political and spiritual change in Israel’s history – transitioning from Judges’ rule to kings’ rule.

Samuel’s Offices and Responsibilities in Israel

The Bible says Samuel served the Lord and His people all his life (1 Samuel 7:15).

Samuel’s Key Responsibilities:

  1. Priest: Samuel was approved by God as a faithful Priest (1 Samuel 2:35)
      1. He was trained under the leadership of Eli, the high priest, for the sacred service (1 Samuel 3)
      2. Samuel served as a Priest/High priest and offered sacrifices (1 Samuel  7:10)
  2. Prophet: Samuel served as a Prophet in Israel.  Samuel was the first person to occupy a Prophetic Office – a new order in Israel (1 Samuel 3:20; Acts 3:24, 13:20) because of the corruption of the priesthood in Israel.  Prophets recognized by God in Israel prior to Samuel were:
      1. Abraham was called as a Prophet (Genesis 20:7)
      2. Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15, 18)
      3. Deborah (Judges  4:4)
  3. Judge: Samuel served as a Judge and protected the Israelites from their enemies throughout his life (1 Samuel 7:15-17).  His Judge’s offices in Israel were located at:
      1. Bethel (7:16)
      2. Gilgal (7:16)
      3. Mizpah (7:16)
      4. Ramah, his hometown (7:17)
  4. Leader: Samuel continued as Israel’s Leader all the days of his life (1 Samuel 7:6)

Samuel’s other Responsibilities included:

  1. Mediator: Samuel served as a Mediator before God for His people (1 Samuel 7:9-10)
  2. Intercessor / Prayer Warrior: Samuel was considered as one of the most effective intercessors in Israel (Psalm 99:6; Jeremiah 15:1)
      1. He was born as answer to his mother’s prayer (1 Samuel 1:10-20)
      2. He prayed and God delivered the Israelites from their enemies (1 Samuel 7:5-14)
      3. He prayed when Israel rejected God (1 Samuel 8:6)
      4. He understood the nature, significance, and power of prayer and believed it to be sin if he stoped praying/interceding for others (1 Samuel 12:23)
      5. He was a man of Prayer just as Moses had been (Exodus 32:9-14)
  3. Anointer of kings: Samuel anointed the first two kings in Israel:
      1. Saul, from the tribe of Benjamin, as the first king (1 Samuel 9:16, 10:1)
      2. David, from the tribe of Judah, as a king after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 16:1, 10-13)

Three major national leadership transitions in Israel

  1. From Eli to Samuel (1 Samuel 2:27-30, 35)
    1. Reasons: 
      1. Eli’s troubled sons (1 Samuel 2:12-17) 
      2. Eli’s sons’ disobedience to their father’s instructions (1 Samuel 2:22-25)
      3. Eli honored his sons more he honored God (1 Samuel 2:28-29)
  2. From Samuel to Saul (1 Samuel 8:4-5) 
    1. Reasons: 
      1. Samuel’s self-interested act (1 Samuel 8:1-2)
      2. Samuel’s troubled sons (1 Samuel 8:3)
        1. They did not walk in the ways of Samuel
        2. They turned aside after dishonest gain
        3. They accepted bribes
        4. They perverted justice
  3. From Saul to David (1 Samuel 15:26, 35)
    1. Reasons: 
      1. Saul acted unwisely by offering sacrifice (1 Samuel 13: 5-10; 13-14)
      2. Saul’s deliberate defiance and disobedience of God’s command (1 Samuel 15:1-3; 13-23) 
      3. Thus, the Lord grieved for making Saul king over His people Israel (1 Samuel 15:35)

[From David to Christ: David was a man after God’s own heart and God established his throne forever (2 Samuel 7:16) through Christ Jesus.  Reasons: David was born by the will of an earthly father to rule an earthly kingdom for a temporary period but Jesus was born by the will of the Heavenly Father (by the Holy Spirit) to rule the God’s eternal kingdom forever.  John 3: 5-6 states, “Jesus answered, Very 1truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.”  I Corinthians 15:50 says, … flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God …].

King’s rule had been foretold in Israel

Kingship was part of God’s promise when He made a covenant with Abraham.  Therefore, God Himself was not against kings and their leadership over His inheritance (1 Samuel 10:1) because:

  1. God Himself promised them that kings will rise from among them (Genesis 17:6), 
  2. Particularly, a perpetual kingship had been assigned to the tribe of Judah (Genesis  49:10)
  3. Moses foretold the appointment of Kings in Israel due to their discomfort of God’s reign over them (Deuteronomy 17:14)
  4. God’s Recommendations or Standards for kings (Deuteronomy 17:15-20)
  5. The Advantages and Disadvantages of kings’ rule:
    1. The Advantages –  
      1. The Israelites believed that they will have a leader to lead them like other nations (1 Samuel 8:5 & 20)
      2. They believed that the kings will protect them from their enemies (1 Samuel 9:16)
    2. The Disadvantages – 
      1. A long list of disadvantages is recorded in 1 Samuel 8: 9-18 
      2. The kings will take your sons as servants (v. 11-12)
      3. The kings will take your daughters as perfumers, cooks, and bakers (v.13)
      4. The kings will take your fields, vineyard, olive groves, and grain (v. 14-15)
      5. The kings will take your men & maid servants, cattle, donkeys, and a tenth of your flocks (v.16-17a)
      6. The Israelites will become the kings’ slaves (v. 17b)
      7. Israelites will cry out for relief from the kings’ troubles but God will not answer them on that day (v. 18)

Highlights of the Book of First Samuel

  1. The book set forth God’s standards for Israel’s kingship: According to it the kings need to be leaders who:
    1. Submit to the will of God
    2. Obey His Laws fully 
    3. Follow Prophets’ guidance and correction
  2. The book describes establishment of Prophetical school in Israel (1 Samuel 10:5; 19:18-24)
  3. The book stresses on the importance of 
    1. Prayer (1 Samuel 1:10-28)
    2. Word of God (1 Samuel 1:23)
    3. Prophecy (1 Samuel 2:27-36)
  4. The book highlights the importance of biographical information:
    1. Samuel (1 Samuel 1-7)
    2. Saul (1 Samuel 8-31), 
    3. David (1 Samuel 16-31)
  5. The book describes some of the top stories of their generation:
    1. Hannah’s prayer (1 Samuel 1-2)
    2. Birth, childhood and God’s call of Samuel (1 Samuel 3)
    3. The Captured Ark of the Lord returned to Israel (1 Samuel 4-6)
      1. Death of Eli and his sons and the capture of the Ark of God from Ebenezer by the Philistine army (1 Samuel 4:17-18)
      2. God’s judgement upon the Philistines – the Ark of God strikes back at Ashdod, Gath, and Ekron (1 Samuel 5:1-5; 9-10)
      3. The Ark of the Covenant returned to Israel:
        1. with 5 gold tumors and 5 gold rats according to the five rulers of Philistines – Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron (1 Samuel 6:4-5, 17) 
        2. on a new cart hitched with two cows that have calves and have never been yoked (1 Samuel 6:10-11)
        3. With cows (1 Samuel 6:12-14):
            • going straight up toward Beth Shemesh (1 Samuel 6:12)
            • keeping on the road (1 Samuel 6:12), 
            • lowing all the way (1 Samuel 6:12)
            • have not turned to the right or to the left (1 Samuel 6:12) 
            • faithfully finishing the task (1 Samuel 6:14a)
        4. sacrificing of the cows – the carriers of the Ark of the Lord (1 Samuel 6:14b) 
        5. God’s judgement on the men of Beth Shemesh (1 Samuel 6:19-20)
    4. Samuel’s farewell Speech (1 Samuel Ch.12) 
    5. The war between David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17) 
      1. Goliath challenges Israel army for 40 days (1 Samuel 17:8-10)
      2. Israel’s Reaction (1 Samuel 17:11 & 24)
      3. David’s Response (1 Samuel 17:26b)
      4. Goliath to David (1 Samuel 17:44)
      5. David to Goliath (1 Samuel 17:46)
      6. David’s victory (1 Samuel 17:50-51)
    6. The noteworthy friendship between David and Jonathan (1 Samuel 18-20)
    7. vii.Saul’s enmity with David (1 Samuel 18-30)
    8. viii.Saul’s meeting with the witch of Endor (1 Samuel 28)

Highlights of the Book of Second Samuel

The second book of Samuel continues the narration that started in the first book of Samuel regarding the theocratic monarchy in Israel and its kings.  The book begins with Saul’s death (the first king of Israel) but continues by describing the rule of David (the second king of Israel).  The book covers 40 years of David’s personal life and kingship in Israel (c. 1010 to 970 B.C).  David’s life and kingship illustrate that obedience to God’s covenant brings God’s blessings but disobedience results in curses and judgement based on the teachings of Moses (Deuteronomy 27-30).  The major foci of the book are as follows:

  • David’s Lament for king Saul & Jonathan (2 Samuel 1:17-27)
  • David’s second Anointing as King over Judah (2 Samuel 2-4 {Key Verse: 2 Samuel 2:4})
  • David’s third anointing as king over Israel (2 Samuel 5 – 24 {Key Verses: 2 Samuel 5:1-5}) 
  • Capture of Jerusalem and naming it ‘The city of David’ (2 Samuel 5:6-10
  • The Ark of God was brought to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6)
    • Uzzah, son of Abinadab, killed (2 Samuel 6:6-7)
  • God’s Promise to David (2 Samuel 7:16)
  • Sins of David: Adultery with Bathsheba, Murder of Uriah (2 Samuel 11) 
  • The tragedy begins in David’s life due to his sins against God:
    • within his family (2 Samuel 12-17): 
      • Amnon and Tamar (2 Samuel 13)
        1. Amnon’s plot against Tamar (2 Samuel 13:1-7)
        2. Amnon defiles his Tamar (2 Samuel 13:8-14)
        3. Amnon hates Tamar (2 Samuel 13:15-22)
        4. Absalom kills Amnon (2 Samuel 13:23-29)
      • Son [Absalom] rebelled against his father [David] (2 Samuel 5)
      • David asks God for forgiveness (2 Samuel 12:13; Psalm 51)
    • the entire nation (2 Samuel 18 – 20)
  • David’s praise to the Lord Almighty (2 Samuel Ch.22) 
  • David built an altar at the threshing floor of Araunah for sacrifice (2 Samuel 24:18-25)

Elaboration

  • 1 Samuel 3:19-21, “The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground.  And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the LORD.  The LORD continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.”
  • 1 Samuel 15:22-23, “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams…”
  • 1 Samuel 16:7, “But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him.  The LORD does not look at the things people look at.  People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.””
  • 2 Samuel 22:47, “The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock!  Exalted be my God, the Rock, my Savior!”
  • 2 Samuel 7:8, “Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel.”
  • 2 Samuel 22:2-3, “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation.  He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior – from violent people you save me.”
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