Information for the Book of
First Samuel
It is interesting to note, that in Hebrew, I and II Samuel are one book. They contain the history of Israel from Eli to King David. And it is also considered, that the books of Samuel and Kings were once a single volume, but because of their size, were sub-divided into the four books we know today.
Significant sections:
Saul
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF FIRST SAMUEL
I. Textual Design of First Samuel:
A. Author:
1. There are many theories about the authorship of
First Samuel1 including the Deuteronomic history
held by many scholars today2
2. It must be admitted that with the current evidence
one cannot affirm without reservation who wrote
the book.
3. The Talmud names Samuel as the author,3 but this
is hardly probable since he dies in chapter 25The
naming probably relates to the role he played in
the first 25 chapters of this history
4. The Hebrew cannon places the work under the former
prophets giving a possible clue to at least the
role of its author, if not also its sources
a. It is possible that Samuel was compiled from
the
writings of the prophets Samuel, Gad, and Nathan whose works were
preserved within the nation (1 Chron. 29:29; cf. 1 Sam 10:25; see
also the "book of Jasher" 2 Sam 1:18)
b. It is also possible that Samuel wrote
chapters 1--25 and then Gad and/or Nathan
completed the remainder of the book
c. Nevertheless, there is also evidence that the
books of Samuel were written after the death
of Solomon (cf. 1 Sam. 27:6)
d. Johnson writes, "The books of Samuel were
composed after the death of David from court
records, eyewitness accounts, and the
writings of the prophets Samuel, Nathan and
Gad. The actual author or prophetic historian
is unknown. But it bears the marks of a
prophetic revelation."4
e. In any case, there is certainly a tone of
warning to the kings from the point of view
of the prophet who proclaimed the word of God
to the king.
B. Date:The textual clues seem to place the writing of the
book sometime during the divided monarchy and yet
before the fall of the northern kingdom.
1. Israel and Judah are distinguished (11:8; 17:52;
18:16)
2. Ziklag, the city of Philistia where David is sent
by Achish, is described as belonging "to the kings
of Judah to this day" (27:6)This not only speaks
of a time after the divided monarchy, but of a
time when there had been "kings" in Judah.
3. However, there does not seem to be any indication
in the text that the northern kingdom had fallen
4. Therefore, it seems best to place the writing of
Samuel sometime after the divided monarchy (931
B.C.) but before the fall of Samaria (722/21
B.C.).
C. Design of 1 Samuel:
1. In view of the prophetic tone and the time period
of the divided monarchy, it seems very possible
that Samuel was written to historically instruct
the kings of Israel and Judah to cease placing
their confidence in the natural strength of their
military, possessions, and even alliances (as the
prophets so often proclaimed), and to trust in
YHWH who has raised up over the nation all of
those before them and disposed of those who
continued to trust in their own strength
2. Through the selected, vivid examples of history,
the writer was predicting a similar path for the
nation in his day.To trust in natural strength
would lead to a fall while trust in YHWH would
lead to victory over the enemies which surrounded
them
II. Theological Themes of Progressive Revelation:
A. What Does the Book Say about God?
1. His Names:
a. Just as the message of the book is contained
in seed form within the first two chapters of
First Samuel, so is the writer's theology of
God seen in the revelation provided through
the use of His names
b. Within the first chapter God is presented as:
1) The Lord of Hosts (1:3, 11)
2) YHWH (1:12, 14, 19, 20, 21, 26, 28)
3) The God of Israel (1:17)
c. All of these titles portray ways in which He
will demonstrate Himself to resolve the
tensions of HIs people in battle, in covenant
relationship, and as Ruler of the nation.
d. However, there are some workings of the Lord
which are not in agreement with what might be
expected when these titles are employed.
1) The Lord of Hosts is brought into the
battle against the Philistines but does
not defeat the enemy because He is being
treated as a magical weapon by the
nation and its profane priests, Hophni
and Phinehas (4:4ff.)
2) YHWH remembers Hannah (and thus the
Nation) by providing a child in answer
to her earnest prayer (1:19), and yet it
is He who defeats Israel before the
Philistines (4:3)
3) Nevertheless, it is the "ark of YHWH"
who, while in captivity, defeats the
pagan god Dagon (4:3-4), and YHWH as
well as "The God of Israel" who brings
about plagues upon the Philistines (4:6-
11)
e. The key to the significance of these titles
for God is in the "purpose of God" which is
being expressed in each incident:
1) While YHWH is the covenant God of the
Exodus, the Lord of Hosts would be
expected to defeat the enemies of
Israel, and the god of Israel would be
thought of as the One who cares for the
nation's well being (10:18), the
expression of all of these acts may at
times involve the downfall of the nation
and even the placement of Israel into a
relationship with the Lord that may
appear to be distant (cf. elohim as the
title used to describe the experience of
Israel and the Philistines after the ark
has been lost in 4:11, 13, 17, 18, 19,
21, 22; 5:1)
2) All of this is because YHWH is still
aligning Himself with the nation but
with the purpose of increasing their
dependence upon Him so that He might
work out HIs covenant promises within
the context of obedience (cf. 12:22-25).
3) Therefore, even though the glory has
seemingly departed form Israel with the
capture of the Ark, it can be seen to be
fighting the Philistines all of the
while it is in their land (cf. kbd in
5:6, 11; 6:5).
4) Nevertheless, it is YHWH who strikes
down the irreverent men of Israel when
the Ark is returned to the nation (6:19-
21).
f. There are times when God's relationship may
well be derived from the name chosen:
1) Saul is never identified with
YHWH.Samuel may say that the spirit of
YHWH will come upon Saul, but when the
incident occurres it is the spirit of
God who acts (cf. 10:6 with 10:10).
2) Samuel often employs the name of YHWH,
but the only time that YHWH is connected
with Saul is at the end of his anointing
when it is written that "the Spirit of
the Lord departed form Saul..." (16:14).
3) In contrast to Saul, it is YHWH who is
identified with Hannah, Samuel, Jonathan
and David throughout the work
4) It is only when God's people are
trusting in Him that they are allowed to
experience the character of God as is
manifested in His names, however, these
names reflect the outworking of God's
hand for the nation even if they force
it to be hidden at times.
2. God's Reversal of the Natural:From Hannah to the
death of Saul there is a proclamation that the
Lord reverses the natural order of life to exalt
His people from the hand of evil as they place
their trust in Him
a. Hannah is exalted over the ridicule of
bareness and Peninnah as she seeks YHWH's
help (1)
b. Hannah Proclaims YHWH's way of reversing the
natural orders of life in her song of praise
for the birth of Samuel (2)
c. Samuel is exalted over Eli and his wicked
sons even through they are the religious
power of Israel in his day
d. The Philistines are exalted over Israel even
through YHWH is the nation's God because of
Israel's spiritual condition (4)
e. Dagon, the fertility god of the Philistines
who is accredited with the defeat of the
Israelites, is made low by the Ark of YHWH
(5)
f. Israel defeats the superior Philistines
because they are trusting in YHWH (7)
g. Saul, through insignificant and fearful, is
exalted to king of Israel (9-11)
h. Jonathan, through the son of Saul, is exalted
over his father in battle, wisdom, and the
eyes of the people because of Saul's
confidence in natural strength (113--14)
i. Saul, though the king of Israel, is made low
by Samuel the prophet as he proclaims that
the Lord has taken the kingdom from his hand
(15).
j. David, through the youngest of the house of
Jesse is exalted to the position of king
(16).
k. David, though only a shepherd boy is exalted
over the mighty Goliath (17).
l. David, through only a musician and soldier
under the rule of Saul, is exalted over the
might of Saul--the king of Israel--As YHWH
foils Saul's natural plans (17--30)
m. Saul, the king of Israel, dies and is mocked
by the Philistines at Gilboa (31).
3. YHWH as the Ruler of Israel:YHWH is the One who
holds the life of the nation in His hand:
a. He provides life in bareness (1)
b. It is He who determines the continued
leadership of the nation in that He made a
covenant with Aaron, but exalts Samuel over
Eli and his sons as they dishonor Him (2:29--
4)
c. He chooses to deliver the nation through Saul
(9--1), Jonathan (13--14), and then David
(17; 27; 30)
d. He allows for a king but demands that both
the nation and her king must fear and serve
Him in order to obtain life (12:19-25).
e. He is the one who either delivers the nation
into the hands of their enemies or provides
for its deliverance (f. 4:3 with 7:9-13;
11:13; 14:6-10; 17:46; 28:19).
f. It is He who knows the heart of his people
(2:3 states this generally and then the lives
of Eli, Hophni, Phinehas, Saul, Jonathan, and
David demonstrate this specifically).
g. Therefore He is the one to be served, feared
and trusted whether the nation's rule is
mediated through judges or a king because it
is YHWH who is the true ruler of the nation.
B. God's Purposes and Their Administration:
1. The Purposes of God:
a. John Martin understands obedience to the
covenant of Deuteronomy 27--28 to be the
explanation for the way in which the Lord
blesses (or curses) the nation in Samuel5He
supports his argument by explaining the
reversals which occur in the Hannah and
Samuel pericopes as being based upon "the
covenant relationship these people had with
Him."6
b. Although there is a clear correlation with
Hannah and Samuel, the concept of obedience
to the Deuteronomic covenant does not explain
some of the other reversals which the Lord
brings about in Samuel:
1) Saul, and for that matter David, are
exalted from lowly position to that of
king without any reference to their
being obedient (9; 16).
2) Jonathan, who is continually placed in a
flawless light, dies on the battle field
with Saul never experiencing what might
be considered earned blessing from
Deuteronomy 27--28.
3) David who is constantly demonstrated to
be spiritually beyond Saul (although not
flawless like Jonathan) panics under the
pressure of being pursued and lies to
Ahimelech, the priest at Nob (21:1-9),
and to Achish the king of Gath (21:10-
15).This was enough to cause Saul to
lose the kingdom (13:13-14), but nothing
close to that happens to David7
4) Therefore, it does not seem best to
understand God's purpose in First Samuel
to be solely around the covenant of
Deuteronomy 27--28.
c. It seems as though God acts primarily in
accordance with the Abrahamic covenant of
promise when He exalts in the nation:
1) No one has lived so uprightly as to
require YHWH to bless
a) Samuel is not able to pass on his
faith to the next generation
b) Saul trusts in his own natural
ability
c) David has not trusted YHWH
completely.
2) Nevertheless, the Mosaic law gave YHWH
the right to judge evil in the nation
even if it did not give the nation the
right to demand of YHWH.
3) The Lord acts out of promise and blesses
in the context of obedience to the Law
(Hannah, Samuel, David), but not because
of obedience (Jonathan).
d. In the context of the nation's sinful
rejection of YHWH as their king, Samuel
states God's purpose toward the nation when
he proclaims that, "the Lord will not abandon
His people on account of His great name,
because the Lord has been pleased to make you
a people for Himself" (12:22)This is the
reason the nation is not destroyed for their
rejection of the theocracy, the reason Saul
is chosen at all (perhaps as poetic justice
for the rebellion of the nation) and the
reason David is permitted to continue as
YHWH's anointed in spite of his own
sinfulness
2. The Administration of God's Purpose:
a. Although blatant sin is permitted for a time
under a corrupt leadership,8 YHWH uses their
very strength to judge their evil9
b. YHWH then delivers the weak from the
oppression of the strong by placing them in
their former position of strengthHannah
describes it this way: He brings low the
boastful, arrogant, mighty, full, rich,
wicked, and those who contend with God; and
He exalts the feeble, hungry, barren, poor,
low, needy and godly (2:3-10)In view of God's
permission of evil to eventually make its own
pathway for the rise of the weak, a
comparison of Hannah and of Saul might be
insightful in predicting the future of Saul
from his call to kingship:
EPHESIANS COLOSSIANS
Emphasizes the Body (Church) Emphasizes the Head (Christ)
The spirit is pastoral The spirit is polemical
The emphasis is on oneness in The emphesis is on
Christ completeness in Christ
c. Even in Saul's call we are led to see that
the absence of Hannah's spiritual character
will be his own downfall as the way is
prepared for David.Yet YHWH permits his rise
as a king in order to graphically teach the
nation that their only hope is to trust in
the strength of the Lord over natural
ability.
d. YHWH then delivers from oppression through
the weak who are trusting in His strength:10
1) It is the ridiculed woman who prays to
YHWH that is exalted over her rival
Peninnah with the birth of a son (1)
2) It is the boy who is placed in the care
of Eli and who serves the Lord that
replaces Eli (1:28--4; 7).
3) It is the son who goes to fight the
Philistines with only his arm bearer and
his confidence in YHWH that leads the
nation in the defeat of the Philistines
in place of Saul and his 600 men (14:1-
23).
4) It is the youngest son of Jesse, a
shepherd who trusts in YHWH who defeats
Goliath, out maneuvers and then replaces
the King (16--30).
e. YHWH then blesses His people as they learn to
depend upon Him:
1) Hannah has a child (1) and then five
more (2)
2) Samuel leads the nation to victory
against the Philistines (7)
3) Saul leads the nation to victory against
the Ammonites (11)
4) Jonathan leads the nation to victory
against the Philistines (14)
5) David leads the nation to victory
against the Philistines (17; 23), the
Geshurites, the Girzites, and the
Amalekites (27)
6) As the nation and especially its leaders
attempt to fear YHWH, serve Him and obey
His word, he uses them to bless; but
ultimately He does so because He has
promisedHannah signifies Old Covenant
theologyThe central purpose of the Law
was to bring men lowIn this this book to
today one needs to see the
administration of God's purpose under
New Covenant priorities
C. God's Providential Rule and Mediatoral Purposes11The
stories find the ultimate control in the providential
and mediatoral purposes of God:
1. Providential Rule:
a. "In God's Providential rule, God permits the
presence of evil in the Tabernacle, in
conflict with Saul and David.
b. The atmosphere of the spiritual conflict is
very evident in the repeated struggles with
the power of evil in the second generation of
Eli and Samuel and in the position of king
for Saul and David.
c. The power of evil is accentuated as it
overwhelms Saul in spite of his better
judgment and as it repeatedly attacks David
in spite of his repeatedly calling upon God.
d. In His Providential rule God determinately
judges the presence of evil in the priestly
family, in the treatment of the Tabernacle
and ark as a fetish, in the people's flawed
call for a king, in Saul's fearful panic,
rash vow and unrealistic view of himself, in
David's deceit at Nob and fearful attempts to
escape the enemy"
2. Mediatoral Purposes:
a. "In His Mediatoral purposes, God raised up
Samuel to stand in contrast with the priestly
family, to judge the nation in the transition
and to introduce the kingship.
b. In addition God raised up Jonathan as a foil
to Saul and as the legitimate heir who
recognizes God's call of David.
c. In climax and focus God raised up David to be
His king yet allowed him to struggle in
conflict with Saul and Nabal realizing his
greatest blessing in being restrained.
d. In spite of a second and final defection to
the Philistines, David finds strength in YHWH
and grows in his faith struggling against the
evil one."
D. The Institution of the Monarchy:
1. The human king was supposed to be a representative
of YHWH their divine king (Gen 49:18; Num 24:17;
Deut 17:14-19)
2. The people did not seem to understand this because
the Lord evaluates their desire for a king as a
rejection of Him and not of Samuel (1 Sam 8:7)It
is also possible (probable) that Samuel was
disappointed because he expected the people to
consider him as their candidate for king:
a. His sons' evil is noted (8:4-5)
b. The statement in 8:7
3. The people seemed to assume that they were being
oppressed because they had no king rather than
because of their own evilHaving a king would not
resolve their difficulties. It would only increase
them:
a. They lost their freedoms with the
centralization of power in a king (8:11-
13)Their sons and daughters would serve the
king's interestsThe king would take the best
b. The king and his court created an elite class
since they lived off of the peopleBefore this
the people lived in social equality
4. Even though the people's choice of a king was
evil, YHWH acted for the good of Israel and
Himself:
a. He used Saul to bring temporary deliverance
for Israel as He had other judges
b. He used Saul to effect repentance among his
people (1 Sam 12:19)12
c. He used Saul to expose Israel to the
consequences of a weak king (15)
d. He used Saul to prepare Israel for God's
ultimate solution--MessiahIt is significant
that the kings are no different than the
judges who preceded them in terms of their
evil! Messiah will be Israel's only hope!
___________________________
1 Good evidence exists that the books of Samuel were
considered one book. The Masoretic postscript is at the end of 2
Samuel. Esdras and Josephus refer to Samuel as a single work. The
translators of the Septuagint divided the books due to their
length when the vowels were added and renamed them 1 and 2
Kingdoms. Jerome followed the same divisions but changed their
names to 1 and 2 Kings, but later versions of the Vulgate
reverted to Samuel again.
2 Ralph W. Kline, I Samuel Word Biblical Commentary, xxvii-
xxxii. This view deduces a post-exilic author from an imposed
purpose of compiling and editing a history of Israel on the basis
of the theology of a late Deuteronomy.
3 B. Bat. 14b.
4 Elliott E. Johnson, "1 Samuel: Synopsis and Selected
Analysis," Unpublished class notes in 327 Seminar in Old
Testament Historical Literature, 1.
5 John A. Martin, "Studies in 1 and 2 Samuel Part 4: The
Theology of Samuel" Bibliotheca Sacra, 141:4 (1984): 303-14. He
states specifically that, "The author of 1 and 2 Samuel was
showing the outworking of the Deuteronomic Covenant for Israel"
(p. 132).
6 Ibid., 136.
7 While it is true that Saul does slay the eighty-five
priests of Nob and David recognizes that he was responsible for
their death (23:22), David is still not stripped of the kingship.
And what is more, the talonic justice which may have been met out
to him at Ziklag for his responsibility at Nob (30) is not even
camparable since, "David recovered all that the Amalekites had
taken, and rescued his two wives" (30:19).
8 Eli is spiritually blind. He sees Hannah but thinks she is
drunk (1:13-14). He does not see his sons' wickedness (2). His
eyesight is growing dim as the lamp of God is growing dim in the
temple (3:2-3). He cannot see when the ark of God is taken from
the nation (4:15).
9 The sons of Eli die at the hands of their own misuse of
religion as they take the ark of the Lord into battle (4:11). Eli
dies of his own heaviness (cf. kbd throughout the following
section where YHWH's greatness has gone. Here Eli dies of his own
"greatnesses."
10 John A. Martin, "Studies in 1 and 2 Samuel Part 2: The
literary Quality of 1 and 2 Samuel," Bibliotheca Sacra 141
(1984): 131-45. He identifies this deliverance by YHWH as the
reversal-of-fortune motif wherein Samuel is placed over Eli (1--
3), the Ark is placed over the Philistines (4:1--7:1), Samuel is
over Saul (7:2--15:35), and David is placed over Saul and
Jonathan (21--24).
11 This material is taken from Elliott E. Johnson's
"Recognition of Theological Themes." Unpublished class notes in
327 Seminar in Old Testament Historical Literature, 1.
12 Note: Saul looked for donkeys and found a kingdom. The
people looked for a king and found ________!