The Bible - Book of 1 Samuel

1. The Bible - Book of 1 Samuel –13th
December2016
David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in
the name of the LORD Almighty”(1 Samuel 17:45).
The author is anonymous.We know that Samuel wrote a book as stated in 1 Samuel 10:25,“Samuel explained to
the people the rights and duties of kingship. He wrote them down on a scroll and deposited it before the LORD.
Then Samuel dismissed the people to go to their own homes.” And it is very possiblethathe wrote part of this
book as well.Other possiblecontributors to 1 Samuel arethe prophets/historiansNathan and Gad as we can read
from 1 Chronicles 29:29,“As for the events of King David’s reign, from beginning to end, they are written in the
records of Samuel the seer, the records of Nathan the prophet and the records of Gad the seer…” Originally,the
books of 1 and 2 Samuel were one book. The translators of the Septuagint separated them, and we have retained
that separation ever since.The events of 1 Samuel span approximately 100 years,from c. 1100 B.C. to c. 1000 B.C.
The events of 2 Samuel cover another 40 years.The date of writing,then, would be sometime after 960 B.C. First
Samuel records the history of Israel in theland of Canaan as they move from the ruleof judges to being a unified
nation under kings.Samuel emerges as the lastjudge,and he anoints the firsttwo kings,Saul and David.
The book of 1 Samuel can be neatly divided into two sections:the lifeof Samuel from chapters 1-12 and the lifeof
Saul in chapters 13-31.The book starts with the miraculous birth of Samuel in answer to his mother’s earnest
prayer. As a child,Samuel lived and served in the temple. God singled himout as a prophet as stated in 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. 20 And
all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the LORD. 21 The LORD
continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.” As a child his first
prophecy was one of judgment on the corrupt priests.
The Israelites go to war with their perennial enemies, the Philistines.ThePhilistines capturethe ark of the
covenant and arein temporary possession of it,but when the Lord sends judgment, the Philistines return the ark.
Samuel callsIsrael to repentance and then to victory over the Philistines. Wecan learn this from 1 Samuel 7:3-6,
“So Samuel said to all the Israelites, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of
the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver
you out of the hand of the Philistines.” 4 So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the
LORD only.5 Then Samuel said, “Assemble all Israel at Mizpah, and I will intercede with the LORD for you.” 6 When
they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the LORD. On that day they fasted and
there they confessed, “We have sinned against the LORD.” Now Samuel was serving as leader[a] of Israel at
Mizpah.”
The people of Israel,wantingtobe like othernations,desire aking.Samuel isdispleasedbytheir
demands,butthe Lord tellshimthatitis not Samuel’sleadershiptheyare rejecting,butHisown.After
warningthe people of whathavingakingwouldmean,Samuel anointsaBenjamite namedSaul,whois
crownedinMizpah as statedin 1 Samuel 10:17-25. Saul enjoysinitial success,defeatingthe Ammonites
inbattle as statedin1 Samuel chapter11. But thenhe makesa seriesof missteps:he presumptuously
offersa sacrifice (chapter13),he makesa foolishvow atthe expense of hissonJonathan(chapter14),
and he disobeysthe Lord’sdirectcommand(chapter15).As a resultof Saul’srebellion,Godchooses
anotherto take Saul’splace.Meanwhile,GodremovesHisblessingfromSaul,andan evil spiritbegins
goadingSaul towardmadness.
Samuel travels to Bethlehem to anointa youth named David as the next king(chapter 16). We can learn this from
1 Samuel 16:11-13,“So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse
answered. “He is tending the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.” 12 So he
sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome
features. Then the LORD said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.”13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed

2. him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon David.
Samuel then went to Ramah.” Later, David has his famous confrontation with Goliath the Philistineand becomes
a national hero as we can learn from chapter 17. We can learn from 1 Samuel 17:43-45,“ He said to David, “Am I
a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 “Come here,” he said,
“and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!” 45 David said to the Philistine, “You come against me
with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty…”
David serves in Saul’s court,marries Saul’s daughter, and is befriended by Saul’s son.Saul himself grows jealous of
David’s success and popularity,and he attempts to kill David.David flees,and so begins an extraordinary period of
adventure, intrigue, and romance. With supernatural aid,David narrowly butconsistently eludes the bloodthirsty
Saul (chapters 19-26).Through itall,David maintainshisintegrity and his friendship with Jonathan. Near the end of
the book, Samuel has died,and Saul is a lostman.On the eve of a battle with Philistia,Saul seeks for answers.
Havingrejected God, he finds no help from heaven, and he seeks counsel from a medium instead. Duringthe
seance, Samuel’s spiritrises fromthe dead to give one lastprophecy: Saul would die in battle the next da y. The
prophecy is fulfilled;Saul’s three sons,includingJonathan,fall in battle,and Saul commits suicide.
The tragic story of Saul is a study in wasted opportunity. Here was a man who had itall —honor,authority,riches,
good looks,and more. Yet he died in despair,terrified of his enemies and knowing he had failed his nation,his
family,and his God. Saul made the mistakeof thinkinghe could pleaseGod through disobedience.Like many
today, he believed that a sensiblemotive will compensatefor bad behavior.Perhaps his power went to his head,
and he began to think he was above the rules.Somehow Saul developed a lowopinion of God’s commands and a
high opinion of himself.Even when confronted with his wrongdoing,he attempted to vindicatehimself, and that’s
when God rejected him. Saul’s problemis one we all face—a problemof the heart. Obedience to God’s will is
necessary for success,and if we in priderebel againstHim, we set ourselves up for loss.
David,on the other hand, did not seem like much at first.Even Samuel was tempted to overlook him: “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.” (1
Samuel 16:6-7). But God sees the heart and sawin David a man after His own heart as we can learn from 1
Samuel13:14, “But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and
appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the LORD’s command.” The humility and integrity of
David,coupled with his boldness for the Lord and his commitment to prayer, set a good example for all of us.