Get Ready
Samuel is the last judge and the first Jewish prophet (after Moses). He led the nation during the transition from a collection of tribes to a nation under a king – first Saul then David, both of whom he anointed at God’s direction. He also established the tradition of prophets guiding Israel’s civil leaders.
Author
Even though the author is anonymous, Samuel probably wrote the first part of the book (see Notes, below), although he could not have written about the incidents that occurred after he died. Most Biblical scholars believe that Gad, a “seer” and companion of David during his feud with Saul [1 Sam 22:5], and Nathan, a prophet during David’s reign
[1 Chron 29:29] completed the book.
Context
The two books cover roughly 150 years, from 1100 BCE through David’s reign (1010–971 BCE). The period begins when the tribal system could no longer keep the Philistines from invading and occupying parts of Israel. The people saw the Philistines’ military success under a single ruler and told Samuel, the last judge, they wanted a king so they could be strong as well.
There was no dominant political or military power in the region during this time. Egypt’s influence had waned and the Babylonian and Assyrian kingdoms were just forming. There was, however, plenty of fighting among smaller groups for the prime land in Palestine and control of the primary trade routes through the country.
Samuel ends with Israel a strong, united and secure nation at David’s death.
Structure
Samuel is the first of the historical books of the Jewish nation. It is a narrative of the origin and beginning of the kingdom. But it is also a record of the relationship between God and his people during this time. There are three primary sections:
- Samuel’s personal history, including his birth and training as a judge under Eli, and anointing Saul and David [1 Sam 1–12].
- Saul’s history, including his anointing and initial victories as king, his subsequent sin and rejection by God, and his fruitless battles to prevent David from becoming king [1 Sam 9–31].
- David’s history, including his anointing, his victory over Goliath, his friendship with Jonathan (Saul’s son) and his eventual success uniting Israel and building his capital at Jerusalem [1 Sam 16–2 Sam 21].
The book ends with an appendix of sorts that includes David’s “mighty men” and his last oracle. The final chapter records David’s sin of conducting a census and then having to choose the punishment God will inflict on the nation [2 Sam 22-24].
Major Themes
Samuel is primarily a record of the development of Israel as a nation-state and a history of its first two kings. The first, Saul, was a failure personally and militarily. David, the second, was a military and political success, but he also failed to live up to God’s standards in his personal life. The successes and failures of Israel’s leaders are markers for the people’s successes and failures in living according to their covenant with God.
The book also recounts several relationships between the two kings and their followers. The most notable is David’s relationship with Saul’s son, Jonathan. Their covenant of friendship and support endured even through Saul’s attempts to find and kill David. In fact, one of the last incidents in the book recounts David’s retrieval and burial of Saul and Jonathan’s bones with the bodies of Saul’s descendants [2 Sam 21].
Get into the Word
1. What do we know about the author of this book? What clue helps us understand who probably wrote the book? What was the original form of the book? How did it change over time? (See Notes)
2. What time period does this book cover? What was the political and military situation during this time? Who were the major nations or kingdoms? How did the situation change by the end of the book?
3. What are the major parts of this book? Who is the primary person in each part? What are the major events in each person’s life?
4. How are Saul and David alike according to Samuel? How are they different? Who do you think faced the greater challenges during his life? Why do you think the one succeeded when the other did not?
5. What makes David and Jonathan’s relationship unique in the book? Why do you suppose it endured in spite of Jonathan’s father?
Notes . . .
How many books? Originally the Hebrew Bible had three major “history” books: “Samuel,” “Kings” and “Chronicles.” When the seventy scholars translated these books into the Greek Septuagint [see Lesson 2], they broke each book into two: 1 and 2 Kings, 3 and 4 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles. Jerome used the same division and titles in his Latin translation. In 1448 the Hebrew Bible restored Samuel’s name to the first two books – which all English translations follow.
Transition: Samuel is a seminal figure in Israel’s history for several reasons:
- He is the last of the judges to lead Israel. He was trained by Eli, the previous judge; but he watched Eli and his sons use their office for personal gain. He became Israel’s judge when Eli and his sons died as a result of Philistine victories over the Israelites.
- He tells the people – at God’s direction – all the reasons why having a king is not a good political option,
- but then he anoints both Saul and David to be the nation’s leader.
- He is the first Jewish prophet after Moses. His mother dedicated him as
a Nazarite to God’s service. He relays God’s direction and judgment to both Saul and David and establishes the pattern of providing a moral compass for the nation. He reminds the nation that the real leader is still God, not the human who may be ruling them at the time.
Covenant: God makes a covenant with David, who is called a person “God exalted” and “a favorite of the Strong One of Israel,” [2 Sam 23:1]. But he is a human, with all the complexity and sin that we have. God prevents him from building the temple in Jerusalem because he has killed many people. He also betrays Uriah by sleeping with his wife and then arranging his murder in battle to cover up the sexual crime. Through Jesus God keeps the covenant but David’s sin brings a great deal of trouble to his family and his kingdom.
17: A king’s value & David and Goliath — 1 Samuel 8:4-22, 17:24-37
Get Ready
What is one thing about our current government that you definitely want to maintain? What is one thing that your would change if you could? What would the change look like? How do you think others would respond to your idea about change?
The Word
84 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, 5 and said to him, “You are old and your sons do not follow in your ways; appoint for us, then, a king to govern us, like other nations.” 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to govern us.” Samuel prayed to the Lord, 7 and the Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 Just as they have done to me, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so also they are doing to you. 9 Now then, listen to their voice; only — you shall solemnly warn them, and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.”
10 So Samuel reported all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen, and to run before his chariots; 12 and he will appoint for himself comman-ders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his courtiers.
5 He will take one-tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and his courtiers. 16 He will take your male and female slaves, and the best of your cattle and donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take one-tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18 And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves; but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”
9 But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel; they said, “No! but we are determined to have a king over us, 20 so that we also may be like other nations, and that our king may govern us and go out before us and fight our battles.” 21 When Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the Lord. 22 The Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice and set a king over them.” Samuel then said to the people of Israel, “Each of you return home.”
Get into the Word
1. What kind of meeting opens this section? Who is involved? What is the purpose of the meeting? What are the people demanding? How does Samuel react to this? How does God react?
2. What does Samuel do in response? How does he depict a king? What does he say the king will do? What does he warn the people about? How do the people respond to Samuel’s warnings?
3. What does Samuel do in response to the people’s demand? What does God tell Samuel to do then?
Bible Trivia:
Samuel includes several poems, beginning with his mother’s prayer when she finally becomes pregnant [1 Sam 2]. It also provides a first look at David’s creativity in “The Song of the Bow,” when he laments over the death of Saul and Jonathan, and his “Song of Thanksgiving” at the end of his life.
David volunteers to fight Goliath
17 24 All the Israelites, when they saw the man, fled from him and were very much afraid. 25 The Israelites said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel. The king will greatly enrich the man who kills him, and will give him his daughter and make his family free in Israel.”
26 David said to the men who stood by him, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine, and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” 27 The people answered him in the same way, “So shall it be done for the man who kills him.” . . .
31 When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul; and he sent for him. 32 David said to Saul, “Let no one’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 33 Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth.” 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father; and whenever a lion or a bear came, and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after it and struck it down, rescuing the lamb from its mouth; and if it turned against me, I would catch it by the jaw, strike it down, and kill it. 36 Your servant has killed both lions and bears; and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 David said, “The Lord, who saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine.” So Saul said to David, “Go, and may the Lord be with you!” NRSV
4. Who is “the man” in 17:24 [see Notes]? How do the Israelite soldiers react to his challenge? Why do they react this way? How does David respond to the man’s challenge? How does he describe the man?
5. Who wants to talk with David? Why? What does David say about Goliath? How does Saul respond to David? What does David tell Saul about his abilities? Where does David get his confidence?
Get Personal
1. How do you think about the role of government in your life? How do think God views governments? How does God help you deal with your relationship with government?
2. How confident are you in God’s promises about protection and security? How does he help you understand his protection in everyday things? In the “big” things?
Notes . . .
8:5. Sons do not follow — Samuel’s two sons “took bribes and perverted justice,” [8:3].
Like other nations — for more than 300 years the Israelites had watched other nations with a strong king and standing army defeat them and take their land; they concluded they would be better off if they were like them. The irony is that when they followed God they were safe and secure; they got beat when they ignored God’s law (which God knows – check verses 7-8).
8:11. The ways of the king — Samuel describes a very common and realistic political and military system to govern a country and protect it with a trained, equipped standing army.
8:17. One tenth — the Mosaic Law required a tithe (one tenth) to support the Levite priests, who did not have land of their own; here it is a tax to support the king and administration.
17:24. The man — Goliath – sometimes battles were decided by a fight between two “champions” as representatives of each army. Goliath had been issuing his challenge for forty days.
17:34. Lion or bear — there is evidence for both in the region in ancient times.
17:37. The Lord will save me — divine protection was a common concept throughout the region, but David probably was also aware of his people’s history.
Memory verse
The Lord will save me from the hand of this Philistine,
[1 Samuel 17:37].
Next Lesson
2 Samuel 7: God’s covenant with David.
