God lifts up a king.
The Christian faith rests on actual events that happened to real people whose experiences are recorded in a reliable document, the Bible. The books of 1 and 2 Samuel relate a crucial development in this history as Israel transitioned into a kingdom and God installed David as His choice for the nation’s king. They demonstrate that the Lord reigns over the events of human existence. History is neither random nor irrelevant. God has a plan.
Given the centuries of decline described in the Book of Judges, God’s appointment of a king over His people might seem long overdue. But the Lord accomplishes His purposes in His time and in His way. He often works through the choices of people and nations.
Israel’s demand for a king was based on the chronic moral and spiritual breakdowns that occurred under the judges (see “Twelve Heroes” at Judg. 2:18). As 1 Samuel opens, we find Israel struggling once again under ineffective leadership. Disaster strikes when the Philistines capture the ark of the covenant (see the map at “The Capture and Return of the Ark” at 1 Sam. 5:11).
Though God graciously returned the ark to His people and established Samuel as their judge, the Israelites continued to debate about whether they should become a monarchy. Samuel’s sons were unworthy to take his place, and there were no other obvious successors. The people consequently insisted that they have a king, a wish the Lord finally granted. Yet Scripture calls this request a “great wickedness” because it denied God’s right to directly rule over His people (12:17; compare 8:7; 10:19; 12:12, 18–20). The problem was not the people’s lack of a king but their unwillingness to serve the king they already had—the Lord. If the Israelites couldn’t live in obedience to a perfect king, they were unlikely to follow a human king who had faults and failures.
Ironically, God was already working to elevate His choice of ruler to the throne. He allowed Saul to be anointed and reign temporarily, but soon David emerged. Though Saul endeavored to suppress him, David rose to power as the people’s rightful leader.
The author of 1 and 2 Samuel is unknown. If Samuel himself wrote 1 Samuel, another writer must have completed the portion after Samuel’s death at 1 Samuel 25:1. The events of these books take place in Israel and various adjoining territories (see the maps at “Mapping the Life of Samuel” at 1 Sam. 7:15; “Saul’s Military Campaigns” at 1 Sam. 15:3; and “Civil War Between North and South” at 2 Sam. 2:9–20). The Book of 1 Samuel begins with the birth of Samuel, the last of Israel’s judges, probably around 1050 B.C., and ends with Saul’s death around 1007 B.C.
Key People in 1 Samuel
• Hannah, a woman cruelly taunted for her barrenness by her husband’s other wife. When God rewarded Hannah with a son, she gave him back to the Lord as a sign of gratitude (1 Sam. 1:2).
• Eli, a priest of Shiloh and inept leader whose failure brought about some of Israel’s darkest days, including the capture of the ark of the covenant by the Philistines (1 Sam. 1:9).
• Samuel, the judge and prophet who anointed King Saul and King David (1 Sam. 3:1).
• Joel and Abijah, Samuel’s two sons whose injustices sparked a movement to draft a king (1 Sam. 8:2).
• Saul, Israel’s first king. He was an impressive man and the people’s choice as ruler, but he was prone to follow his own path rather than the Lord’s (1 Sam. 9:2).
• David, a young shepherd boy chosen by God to govern His people as Israel’s first great king (1 Sam. 16:12).
• Goliath, the giant champion of the Philistines. He didn’t realize that God was with the boy David, who attacked him with nothing but a slingshot, resulting in a rout of the Philistines and the beginning of David’s rise to power (1 Sam. 17:4).
• Michal, Saul’s daughter who loved David despite Saul’s hated of him. Saul hoped his treacherous requirements would kill off his nemesis, but the plan backfired and Saul ended up with David as a son-in-law (1 Sam. 18:20).
• Jonathan, son of Saul and David’s best and most loyal friend (1 Sam. 19:1).
• Nabal (“Fool”), a man who lived up to his name in his dealings with David. His wife Abigail’s wisdom saved her family from violence (1 Sam. 25:3).
• The medium of Endor, a sorceress that Saul consulted to summon Samuel from the dead, an encounter that revealed how far Saul had fallen (1 Sam. 28:7).
Key Events in 1 Samuel
• The boy Samuel hears God’s voice during the night (1 Sam. 3).
• The Israelites demand a king (1 Sam. 8).
• David is anointed king (1 Sam. 16:1–13).
• David kills the Philistine champion Goliath (1 Sam. 17).
• David and Jonathan become close friends (1 Sam. 18–20).
• Saul and his sons die in battle (1 Sam. 31).