I & II Samuel: Books of Transition

On Wednesdays, in 2024, on this blog I will be posting a series of surveys of O.T. books and answers to questions about the O.T.  

The Title and Purpose of the Books of Samuel

The books of I and II Samuel were originally 1 book according to Jewish tradition.  I and II Samuel are the 1^st books in the O.T. where all the events take place within the borders of the Promised Land.  Events in this book begin with the birth of Samuel in 1105 B.C covering 130 years of history until 975 B.C. with David’s final words before his death. I and II Samuel continue the history of Israel from where the Book of Judges ends.

It is Samuel, which is who this book begins profiling. The last and greatest of the judges was Samuel the prophet. Samuel had the privilege of anointing the 1^st two kings of Israel: Saul and David.

In I Samuel, the people of Israel would demand a king because they wanted to be like the other pagan nations and God gave them a type of king they deserved – an ungodly man named Saul. David – a godly man – followed Saul as king. And then, Solomon would follow David, but Solomon’s reign is primarily covered in I and II Kings.  

I and II Samuel are books about transitions – from the period of the judges to the period of the kings. Thus, a purpose for these books could be this: to record the constant provision of leadership from God for His people.

The Author and Date of Writing of the Books of Samuel

Jewish tradition has held that Samuel wrote many of these history books because he was a contemporary of the events and a reliable scribe.

The date of composition has historically been debated, and many believe it was likely written in stages. It is a book that covers about 135 years of history where the people transition from a collection of tribes to an organized nation.

 Surveying the Books of Samuel

The Life of Samuel (I Sam 1-7)

Before Samuel is born, we are introduced to his mother – a godly woman named Hannah. When we first encounter her in the book, we learn she is barren (I Sam 1:6). Barrenness in the Ancient Near East carried a stigma of God’s curse on your life. It was assumed that God was not pleased with you. Hannah was barren, but she desperately wanted a son. She told God that if He would give her a child, she would give him right back to God for His service.

Her petitions to God in I Samuel 2 are beautifully humble and sincere. In this prayer, she never asks God for a son.

We see a contrast between Eli, the high priest, and his sons – named Hophni and Phinehas – and the son given to Hannah that she would name Samuel. Eli’s sons were hypocrites. And Eli never rebuked them; Eli allowed his son’s hypocrisy. Samuel, as he grew in stature, was a godly young man who was shown favor by God (I Sam 2:26) – to help renew the priesthood. He was the 1^st great reformer of the nation of Israel.

The High Priest, Eli, would soon die (I Sam 4:12-22), which led to a great sadness in the land. It was, as if, God Himself left the people of Israel. Their High Priest was dead, and their symbol of God’s presence – the Ark of the Covenant – was in the hands of the enemies.

While the nation was mourning these losses, the Philistines were trying to figure out what to do with the Ark (I Sam 5). When they brought the Ark into the Temple of Dagon, they discovered the next morning the statue of Dagon was fallen prostrate before the Ark, as if it was worshipping Yahweh. They took this as a sign that the Ark should not remain with them, when they should have realized this meant that Yahweh was the one true God. So, they allowed the Ark to return to the people of Israel (I Sam 6:1-7:2). The Ark traveled to many places around the land, but not to Jerusalem where it should have been located at that time.

The Life of Saul (I Sam 8-15)

When we transition to I Samuel 8, we find Israel desperate to be like other nations. They saw other nations with kings and that form of government looked very attractive to them. They wanted a king to lead them into battles and represent them before other nations – which wasn’t sinful, but they needed to choose the right kind of king. So, they approached the prophet Samuel and demanded a king. Saul was “God’s choice” for them. Saul was what God gave to Israel, even though this was not the best option, but God gave them what the people thought they needed. Their motive for such a king was to be like everyone else. Samuel was not keen on the idea, but He knew that God would allow it.

One of King Saul’s 1^st accomplishments would have gained him favor with the people of Israel as he defeated one of their worst of enemies – the Ammonites (I Sam 11). He led a surprise attack against their army in the middle of the night and the people were thrilled with his shrewd military tactics.

Samuel’s departure as judge is the climax of this section. His farewell address was willing with words of wisdom for both King Saul and his people. Samuel’s farewell was followed by another moral decline to the nation and it was led by King Saul himself. Samuel may have been a moral compass for King Saul, because King Saul begins to show his “true colors” at this stage in history and shows us his lack of desire for putting God first. Israel desperately needed a new king. They needed someone who wasn’t ruling for their own agenda and glory. They needed someone who wasn’t after their own heart, but someone who was a king after God’s own heart.

The Life of David (I Sam 16-II Sam 24)

Of the 50 chapters in I and II Samuel, 40 of them profile the life of David; that is almost ¾ of I and II Samuel. Samuel knew something the people didn’t know – they needed a king that revered the Lord. God sent him to Bethlehem, to meet with a man by the name of Jesse, Ruth’s grandson to find the next king of Israel from his household. Each of Jesse’s sons were paraded before Samuel and each son was rejected by God as they next king. One son was left out of these meetings, because he was off tending his father’s sheep. His name was David.

Upon finding David, Samuel, through the approval of God, anointed David to become the future king. Samuel made David a king-elect, even before Saul was aware of what was taking place. Even though the kingdom was a monarchy, God was still in charge formally with placing kings over his people. David was immediately taken to King Saul and was given a ministry to the king. To play his harp for the king as an ancient form of stress-relief. God, would use these times for David as preparation for future years of rule. King Saul appreciated this ministry from this young man.

David would prove his worth in I Samuel 17-18 when he challenged one of the great warriors and persecutors of his time – a giant named Goliath. Day after day, Goliath had taunted the people of Israel because they had no one brave enough to challenge this 9-foot tall warrior. This showed Israel’s spiritual bankruptcy and lack of trusting God to fight with and for them. David took a slingshot and 1 of the 5 stones he had gathered (the other stones for other Philistine warriors) and killed Goliath with 1 sling. He followed with a decapitation of Goliath’s head.

The people of Israel immediately feel in love with this brave, young man. David gained an audience and friendship with 1 of Saul’s son – a man by the name of Jonathan – and King Saul, instead of showing appreciation to David grew in jealousy regarding David. King Saul was a very jealous and angry king, because David was being exalted over him.

On numerous occasions, King Saul tried to kill David (I Sam 19), even though Jonathan favored David over his own father and Jonathan warned David about these attempts on his life (I Sam 20). At times, David felt it necessary to leave the palace and hide in cities like Gath (I Sam 21:10-15), Keilah (I Sam 23:1-14), Philistia (I Sam 27), caves (I Sam 22), and the wilderness (I Sam 23:15-29). And when the opportunity presented itself for David to take Saul’s life (I Sam 24), David chose to honor the king and spare his life.  

And in I Samuel 31, King Saul finally died in a battle in an apparent suicide against the Philistines. David did not seek the throne by killing Saul or trying to thwart his kingship. He simply let God raise him to rule when God’s was ready to do so. Under David’s reign, the kingdom finally unified under David and remained that way until Solomon.

The highlight of this section was the return of the Ark of the Covenant to the capital city of Jerusalem. This event prompted God to forge a covenant with David that had Messianic implications – that David’s name will be great, that God will appoint a place for Israel, that David will have rest from his enemies, that David’s son would follow him to the throne, and that David’s kingdom would produce an everlasting kingdom.

Then, in II Samuel 11, David commits adultery with Bathsheba and conceives a child, tries to cover up that conception by getting her husband drunk and sending him home to his wife, and when that fails, sends Uriah to the frontlines of battle to be killed, and lies about all of this to those closest to him. In this sinful episode, David shamefully violates most of the 10 Commandments.

In II Samuel 12, David is rebuked by Nathan the prophet, and David confesses and repents of his sins, which led him to write Psalm 32 and 51.

In II Samuel 13, David’s son – Amnon – raped his half-sister named Tamar. This incites a brotherly hatred between Absalom and Amnon, which eventually led to Absalom murdering his brother Amnon. And David stood by and did nothing!

Beginning in II Samuel 14, Absalom grows in his discontentment with his father’s reign as king. So, he launched a plan to stage a coup against his father David and steal the throne from David. David grew concerned about this rebellion and even fled Jerusalem for a time to gather some peace and comfort, but even during this time a man by the name of Shimei hurled rocks and insults at him during his departure from Jerusalem.

In II Samuel 17, 1 of David’s most trusted advisors – Ahithophel – betrays his king and sides with Absalom’s rebelling, which eventually led to a pursuit of him and Absalom. It was during that pursuit on horseback that Absalom got caught in the thicket in a forest and was hung by his hairs by a tree.

Like the ending to the Book of Judges, this ending is like an epilogue. The highlight is the song of praise that David offers in II Samuel 22, which is almost identical to Psalm 18, and is likely the occasion in which he wrote this psalm – toward the end of his life. It is a song focusing on the gracious deliverance of God and reasons to praise the Lord as a result. This final song of David demonstrates the faithfulness of God and the future fulfillment of an Anointed One.

Final Thoughts on the Books of Samuel

Transition is never easy for anyone. God changes and raised up kings and Presidents for his own use and to accomplish His own glorious plan – “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,to whom belong wisdom and might. He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings” (Dan 2:20-21). Or Psalm 75:7 says, “But it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another.”

But, there is one King who never changes His address, never loses His authority and is never up for re-election – God. He is the constant in the universe. The people wanted a king, but they already had One – God Himself.