I Samuel: Bad King, Good King

Placing I Samuel in Context. It's helpful when reading and studying I Samuel to see its place and role in the Old Testament. The Old Testament begins with five books-Genesis through Deuteronomy-which are called "The Law" or "The Torah." The Torah introduces the basics of the Jewish faith: God, creation, sin, law (to define sin as the breaking of God's laws), and a place and system of worship to enable sinful people to live in fellowship with a holy God.

The Torah leads into the History books. The History books narrate the story of the Jews as they live out their relationship with God and struggle with the temptations and gods of the surrounding nations. It's not always a pretty story, but the story of humanity is often marked by ugliness and strife. I Samuel is one of the books of history. It joins II Samuel, I and II Kings, and I and II Chronicles to form an extended commentary on the nation of Israel (and the split nation) under the rule of kings.

Theme of I Samuel. I Samuel narrates the transition of the nation of Israel from being ruled by God (through different individuals) to being ruled by kings. Another way to state the theme is to say that I Samuel shows the transition from theocracy (rule by God) to monarchy (rule by human kings).

The Major Characters of I Samuel. I Samuel is the story of three major human characters (the working of God underlies everything).

A. Samuel-the last of the Judges, the originator of the order of the prophets, and the anointer of two kings: Saul and David
B. Saul-the first king of Israel
C. David-the second king of Israel and recognized as the greatest of all the kings

The Movement of the Book.

The Story of Samuel. I Samuel, which is named for Samuel, begins with story of the birth of Samuel to Hannah, a woman who had long been barren. Grateful to God when she does conceive, Hannah dedicates Samuel to serve the Lord in the Tabernacle (the Jews' traveling place of worship). Samuel grows up and eventually becomes a judge over Israel.

Israel Demands a King. A major transition in I Samuel-and in the life of the nation of Israel-comes when the people demand to be ruled by a king like the other nations are. Samuel sees this as a rejection of his leadership, but God sees it as a rejection of divine leadership. God tells Samuel to give them a king, but to warn them of all the hardships-taxes, forced labor, etc.-that a king will require from the people. The people, however, stand firm in their desire for a king.

Samuel Anoints Saul. Heeding the people, Samuel anoints Saul as the first king of Israel. It turns out to be an unfortunate choice as Saul makes several bad decisions and is eventually rejected by God. Saul is the bad king in I Samuel.

Samuel Anoints David. Even though Saul is allowed to remain in power until his death, Samuel secretly anoints David to be Saul's successor. David wins the hearts of the people and, as a consequence, incurs the jealousy of Saul who tries to kill him. David is forced to flee and carries on a guerrilla warfare against the enemies of Israel, even while he has been granted sanctuary by one of the enemies. Although the story of David's reign as king does not appear until the book of II Samuel, David is the good king anointed by Samuel.

The Death of Saul. I Samuel ends with the death of Saul while he is fighting against the Philistine nation.

Some Familiar Stories/Personalities from I Samuel. While many people have not read I Samuel, they are familiar with stories and people from the book. Here are some of the more familiar ones:

A. God calling to Samuel, and Samuel thinking it was the priest calling him
B. The story of David killing the giant Goliath
C. David calming Saul by playing the harp
D. The close friendship between David and Saul's son, Jonathan
E. Saul consulting a witch in order to know the future

Some Questions Raised by I Samuel.

A. If God knows the future, why did God order Samuel to select Saul as king? Surely God knew what a failure Saul would turn out to be. Was it a punishment for the people for wanting a king? Or, if not a punishment, a lesson to be learned?
B. How do we deal with people today who feel that the United States should be governed using the rules and commandments of the Old Testament?
C. What place does God have today in human government?
D. God told Samuel that the people's desire for a king was a rejection of God. What is there about God that would lead God's people-in any age-to reject God as a ruler?