Join Dr. Marty Baker as we introduce our series, Spiritual Snapshots in 1 Samuel.
During the Conquest Period of Israel’s history from 1406 B.C. to 1399 B.C., God fulfilled His covenantal promises to Abraham by giving the Israelites the land of Canaan. Under the leadership of Joshua, Israel’s forces, with minor moments of unfaithfulness, seized and then divided up the land among the twelve tribes. The general tenor of this time of the newly formed nation revolved around fear of God, respect and obedience to His life-giving Law, and peace between the tribes.
However, this changed during the Cycles Period, or the Period of the Judges. From Judges chapter one, we discover Israel failed to drive out all of the wicked inhabitants from the Promised Land per God’s command. This wilful sin on their part, in turn, plagued them for roughly 340 years (1390-1050 B.C.). The nation fell apart spiritually, financially, economically, and socially. What all the chaos when they had enjoyed peace?
- Enemies with plans of eradicating the Israelites, as I said, were permitted to remain in pockets throughout the land (Judges 1). Anytime a nation permits large groups of people to live among those who hold to different political and religious ideologies, trouble will soon arise as they seek to dominate.
- Permitting a plethora of people to dwell among them who held to the worship of other gods served as a constant temptation for Israelites to join them. After all, who would want to appear judgmental? Who would want to appear xenophobic? Who would want to appear as one who thought your worship of Yahweh, the God of the Exodus, was the only God? How exclusive and narrow-minded was the thinking of the day. Judges chapter two captures this reality: 10 And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel.11 Then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served the Baals,12 and they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed themselves down to them; thus they provoked the LORD to anger(Judges 2). Note to self: When true religion based on the God disclosed in the Holy Scriptures is driven from society, society begins to balkanize and fracture. Sin explodes as well because the new religions devise their versions of truth so wickedness can be rationalized.
- It was an easy step from tolerating and participating in false systems of worship to rejecting absolute truth altogether. This whole concept that the Lord is one Lord (Deut. 6:4) left no room to seek truth in other belief systems, so it had to go. The absolute truth of the Mosaic Law cramped the people’s thirst for unchecked sin, so they disregarded it and invented their laws that constantly changed, I am sure. The book ends with this verse as a summary of this sad, tragic time: “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). With no leader in charge who led based on a fear of God coupled with a respect for His inspired Law and Word, the people embraced relativism. Naturally, this tendency pitted Israelites against each other, as one “truth” system bumped into another “truth” system. This resulted in a nation known for internal feuding and fighting. Sound familiar?
During this terrible time, as the nation experienced a death spiral, the people did occasionally repent of their sins, turn to God, and seek His deliverance. Seven cycles of sin, repentance, and deliverance are noted in the book (3:7-11; 3:12-30; 4:1-5:31; 6:1-8:32; 8:33; 10:5; 10:6-12:15; 13:1-16:31). Within these cycles, God lovingly forgave His people and sent Judges like Deborah, Gideon, and Samson to bring restoration and freedom from slavery. However, sadly, the people returned to their old wicked ways in time.
At a time when it did not look like the nation would make it, one man stepped onto the scene by God’s design and not only held back evil but served to turn his country back to a vibrant walk with the living God. His name? Samuel. According to the Lexham Bible Dictionary, his name is most interesting:
The Hebrew name Samuel (שְׁמוּאֵל, shemu’el) comes from the words for “name” (שֵׁם, shem) and “God” (אֵל, el). Taken this way, Samuel would mean “his name is God.” Alternatively, Samuel can be understood as a combination of the root “to hear” (שׁמע, shm’) and “God” (אֵל, el). Taken this way, it would mean something like “heard by God.” The second understanding of Samuel’s name is better, as his mother, Hannah, named him Samuel because God heard her prayer for a son (1 Sam 1:20).
God heard his barren mother’s cry for a child and gave her Samuel. God, in turn, heard this man as he cried out to Him on many occasions, and this man also became one known as one who heard directly from God.
Unfortunately, we live in times similar to those of the Judges. Our country has enjoyed hundreds of years of prosperity and blessing. However, these days smell of sunset as our nation drives God and God’s people from the public square, as church leaders compromise absolute biblical doctrine because they desire to look affirming and accepting, as throngs of people who do not hold our Judeo-Christian values attack and trash those values, as no one seems to be in charge of the government like it used to be, as reason has been replaced by rhetoric, and as a relativistic view of truth has replaced absolute truth. With Truth out of the way, truths, even if they are diametrically opposed to logic and reason (and medical evidence), grow like wicked weeds among us, leading to sin and bondage and all forms of evil flourishing.
This is why studying First Samuel is so appropriate for our divisive day. In this inspired book, we discover that the Devil will never thwart God’s plan to bless His people and bring peace to the earth . . . no matter how dark the day. We also learn that it takes just a few strategically placed and courageous godly people, like Samuel and David, two of the story’s main protagonists, to guide people to a vibrant faith in the living God. That faith results in national and individual blessings as people turn to God, fear God, and know and obey His eternal, unchanging Word. So, as we dig deep into this timely book, I ask, “Who among us will be the next Samuel or David?” Indeed, they are here, and God calls them to step forward and get to work. I cannot wait to see what will transpire in your life and our land as this book inspires you to stand in the gap for the sake of God and godliness.
To adequately prepare for studying a book of thirty-one chapters, it will be wise and helpful to begin by acquainting ourselves with some foundational background information.
What Is The Key Flyover Info Of First Samuel?
The Book’s Author
While First and Second Samuel are anonymous, we can logically posit that Samuel wrote at least the first twenty-four chapters of First Samuel. This is based on the fact that someone notes his death in First Samuel 25:1. We also know from First Samuel 10:25 that Samuel did write a book, and First Chronicles 29:29 speaks of “the Book of Samuel the Seer,” with the word “seer” being another word to identify a prophet of God. Verse 29 also identifies two other prophets from Samuel’s time who helped him write about the life and exploits of King David. It is, therefore, quite possible that these men or other men of the prophetic school that Samuel established picked up and continued his great work. In any event, from this, we learn the utter importance of remembering our faith history so we can teach it to our children so they, in turn, can live wisely when tempted to walk away from God.
The Book’s Date
Since Samuel died around 1015 B.C., there is no good reason not to believe he compiled the information we find in the first twenty-four chapters of First Samuel. The book was probably written sometime then prior to his death. Since the rest of First Samuel and Second Samuel detail the life and last days of David (he reigned from 1011-971 B.C.), and First Samuel 27:6 speaks of a divided nation, which did not occur until after Solomon’s death in 931 B.C., we can safely conjecture all of this content was written sometime after this. Again, the Lord moved scribes to make sure we understood that even though man’s sin caused a fracture in the nation, causing it to split in two, and even though many kings led the divided nation away from God, nothing thwarted God’s prophetic promises to one day bring the King of Kings to the throne of David to rule and reign over the earth (Psalm 2; Isa. 2; 9). The same truth holds true today. Evil will not triumph. On the contrary, holiness, truth, and peace will win the day when the ultimate Davidic King, the Messiah, arrives on the scene (Rev. 19).
The Book’s Purpose
Several purposes emerge from the book. Please keep these in mind as we move through our study.
One, God demonstrates why and how Israel transitioned from the Cycles Period to the Crown Period. Put differently, if Jews in the Chasm and Captivity Periods wanted to know how they ever moved from a theocracy, where one leader, like Moses, led the nation under the direction of God, to a monarchy, where many leaders led with military, financial, and economic power, this book showed them.
God loved leading His people, but even in the Law, He anticipated the day when they would grow weary of submitting to Him. Deuteronomy 17:14-20 reminds us of this prophetic truth uttered by Moses. This is such a pivotal and instructive text that it warrants our attention and analysis:
4 “When you enter the land which the LORD your God gives you, and you possess it and live in it, and you say, ‘I will set a king over me like all the nations who are around me,’ 15 you shall surely set a king over you whom the LORD your God chooses, one from among your countrymen you shall set as king over yourselves; you may not put a foreigner over yourselves who is not your countryman. 16 “Moreover, he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor shall he cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, since the LORD has said to you, ‘You shall never again return that way.’ 17 “Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly increase silver and gold for himself. 18 “Now it shall come about when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. 19 “And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statutes, 20 that his heart may not be lifted up above his countrymen and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or the left; in order that he and his (Deut. 17).
Since Deuteronomy was given to Israel around 1406 B.C., which was forty years after they departed from Egypt (1446 B.C.), this means that 355 (whopping) years before Saul became Israel’s first king around 1051 B.C., God informed Moses to prophesy they would eventually replace Him with an earthly ruler. As you can see, God had definite parameters for this future politician. He was not to concern himself with building a massive military, nor was he to lean on Egypt for assistance. Instead, the implication is that he would lean on God. Additionally, he was not to be sexually out of control by having numerous wives, and he definitely was not supposed to enrich himself at the expense of the nation. He should read, study, and obey the Law of God so that He would remember to fear God. Lastly, this commitment to studying and obeying the Word of God was also designed to keep his pride in check and keep him on the straight and narrow moral path. Would it not be nice if our current leaders running for political office adhered to this platform? How refreshing that would be.
In any event, First Samuel will show us how Israel fulfilled this ancient prophecy and disregarded its divine counsel at their own personal and national peril. Instead of letting God choose their first king when they faced a time of national transition, they, as we shall see, illogically and selfishly chose their first king based on all the wrong criteria. They chose a man, Saul, based on his outer characteristics, not his inner ones. They wanted a leader who looked good and articulated a good game while possessing a less-than-stellar character. Yes, they were willing to settle for the wrong man for their selfish purposes instead of waiting for God to give them the man they needed to lead them toward spiritual and national stability. Again, the book will show how even in the people’s carnal choice of the wrong man for the nation’s transition, God’s providential power worked slowly and quietly to lead them to the right man for the job. Once more, the same truth holds true in our day. God’s hand is still on the wheel of history, and nothing and no one will usurp or thwart His desire to bring peace to this earth.
Two, God demonstrates how He worked in chaotic national times to set the stage for the arrival of the regal dynasty that would end all earthly dynasties. In Genesis 49:8-12, God promised that one day, a King of Kings from the tribe of Judah would rule and reign supremely. In First Samuel, we learn how this king would come from the Davidic line within the mighty warrior tribe of Judah. Hannah, the mother of Samuel the prophet, priest, and judge of Israel, had this to say as she praised God for blessing her with a son in her barrenness, a son she, in turn, gave to God so he could serve in the Tabernacle:
10 “Those who contend with the LORD will be shattered; Against them He will thunder in the heavens, The LORD will judge the ends of the earth; And He will give strength to His king, And will exalt the horn of His anointed.” (1 Sam. 2)
Ah, there the keyword is for the book: anointed, Hebrew Mashiach (מָשִׁיחַ), which is the base for Messiah. He, indeed, is the Anointed One of God. David, a man after God’s heart, would be the first anointed one, but his life would only point prophetically toward the ultimate anointed one who would come from his family line and be the final Davidic King of Kings. His name? Jesus, the Messiah. The book of Ruth laid the groundwork for His family line, initially coming from Ruth and Boaz, David’s forerunners. First, Samuel begins to lay the groundwork for His arrival some 1,000 years before His virgin birth (Isa. 7:14) by bringing David onto the world scene as a young boy and then a man. Take heart from what this tells you about God. When you feel like losing hope as you watch sin flourish in our land, God says, “Be hopeful and enjoy some peace because I am still working on my perfect plan for my followers.”
The Book’s Structure
Knowing how a book is put together can undoubtedly aid you in reading, studying, understanding, and applying it. That is why we must pause and consider how Samuel structured this book. While there is some time overlap between the various sections, First Samuel follows a definite chronological flow:
From chapter one, we learn how God blessed a barren woman, Hannah, with a child she so desperately desired. That child, of course, turned out to be Samuel. God gave her this special son, and she turned and gave him back to God’s service in the Tabernacle. From chapters 2 through 7, we learn how he was radically different from the two sexually perverted priests and sons of the High Priest, Eli (1 Sam. 1:12-17). He heard God speak to him specifically and privately on more than one occasion (1 Sam. 3), and his first prophecy from God as a boy informed the aged and disobedient High Priest, Eli, that he and his sons would die because of they abused the priestly office.
What a gusty, courageous thing to do, and Samuel did it. During his reign, Israel lost the Ark of the Covenant to their enemies, the Philistines, when they brought it to a battle (1 Sam. 4), but God eventually guided the Ark home miraculously (1 Sam. 5-6). National repentance and revival broke out under his leadership at a small town called Mizpah, just a few miles northwest of Jerusalem (1 Sam 7); however, even though Samuel led the nation well spiritually (he founded the first school of prophets (Acts 3:24; 13:20; Heb.11:32) and militarily, the people shocked him by asking for him to install a king over them just like those of the nations. This story warns us that we must be careful what we ask for, especially when it comes to a leader based on our criteria, not God’s. He might give you what you ask for . . . and in this situation, He did. Sad. They purposefully chose less than God’s best for them, and it cost them years of chaos and unrest.
After warning the people of their request (1 Sam. 8:10-21), Saul was selected as Israel’s first king based on what he looked like, not upon what he spiritually looked like (1 Sam. 9:1-2). Is this not what happens in our day? We focus on the external, not the internal characteristics. Some are concerned about how a leader makes us feel, not about what they actually stand for. There is much this book can teach us about selecting leaders who will positively impact people.
Saul’s true colors emerged after his brief positive start in dealing with Israel’s enemies, the Ammonites (1 Sam. 11). Instead of waiting the seven days as prescribed by Samuel for him to arrive and tell the king whether he should fight the encroaching Philistines, he made sacrifices and, by so doing, overstepped his role as the king by acting like a priest and prophet (1 Sam. 13). His greatest sin came when he failed to wipe out all of the Amalekites per God’s direct order, he kept their king, Agag, alive. When approached by Samuel, he dared to lie to his face that he had completed God’s command (1 Sam. 15:13). These acts of prideful disobedience and self-will ultimately cost him the kingdom as God turned from him to David (1 Sam. 16). Note to self: Be wary of any leader who knowingly steps outside of their authority or role to seize the day and get things done. It signifies a thirst for more power and control over others.
David was everything Saul was not.
- He possessed innocence.
- He was a fearless shepherd who cared for the sheep.
- He took on the fearsome and ruthless giant, Goliath, and he did so with reliance on God.
- He had a vibrant and intimate walk with God.
- He loved to worship the Lord in song.
- He knew how to lead people.
- He knew how to solve problems.
- He knew how to master enemies.
- He respected leaders and leadership.
David was a man’s man, a genuine, gifted leader, but before God could install him as the rightful king, he first experienced years of hardship as Saul, in a jealous rage, sought to eliminate him so he could hold onto the power God said was not rightfully his. It is interesting how small, insignificant leaders attack other leaders, seeking to silence them so they can enjoy more power. Saul was that kind of leader, and chapters 17 through 31 put his jealousy and hatred on full display. We also see how God honed and shaped a leader like David to be the kind of leader Israel would need in the future. No wonder he became Israel’s greatest king and the forerunner of the King of Kings, Jesus Christ. Both came to their thrones by means of unfair and unjustified opposition from their kindred. This is tough but true.
Again, God still functions this way today. He uses adversity to slowly form us into the people He wants us to be, so when we need to make a powerful impact, we will be ready. Samuel was ready, as was David. What about you?
The Book’s Portrait of the Messiah
The book shows us how the Davidic line became THE regal line. It also points out key protagonists who reflect the character of Christ. For instance, we see our Lord in the person of Samuel. As Samuel’s name pointed to the fact that God heard him, so it was with Christ when He prayed (John 17). Both men were prophets, priests, and rulers over Israel. The people revered both. You cannot read about Samuel’s intimate walk with God inside and outside the Tabernacle and not think of Jesus.
Jesus is also seen in the life of David. Both were born in Bethlehem (Mic. 5:1-2). Both were shepherds (John 10). Both were kings (Gen. 49:8-12), but only one would be THE king. Both loved God the Father and loved spending time with Him. Both knew how to lead and impact people. Both loved God’s chosen people. Both stood up for righteousness. Both were men of solitude and silence. Both were men of prayer. Both were men, but only one was the perfect God-man.
Both stand in bold relief to Saul, the false king. He was rash, illogical, disrespectful, disobedient, disingenuous, fake, phony, and as shallow as a puddle. Our world is always full of the Saul types . . . people of questionable character who desire the reigns of power and who will not let them go once they get ahold of them.
So, thank God for giving us this book, which reminds us that not only is God working in challenging, trying times to bring His King to earth, but it tells us what kind of people God desires to accomplish His holy work through. He works in and through courageous saints like Samuel and David. May their lives teach us and motivate us to stand up and be counted when the time arises.
