Agere Sequitur Esse

1 Samuel

First Book of Samuel

Notes.. .

. ..Introduction. By Samuel, Nathan, and Gad to record Samuel’s life as Israel’s last judge, the reign and decline of Israel’s first king, Saul, and preparation of David who would become a great king. People include Eli, Hannah, Samuel, Saul, Jonathan, and David.
. ..Themes. King, God’s Control, Leadership, and Obedience.
. ..Outline. “Did God choose David and his descendants to lead Israel and Judah? To Christians who know the rest of the story, it may seem absurd for anyone to question whether David was really God’s chosen leader for His people. For those people who had to give up land, pay taxes, serve in armies, chose sides in civil wars and live under a new system of kingship, the question could neither be escaped nor taken lightly. It became literally a matter of life and death as challenges to David’s throne forced the people to take sides.” (William Seay 2019, L5 09:00–09:39).
. ..Application. “This book reminds us that God is not tied to political systems. They help us to see that God is supreme over systems and can be worshiped or abandoned” (Seay 2019, L5 19:46–20:00).
. ..Timeline. Samuel is born in c. 1070 BC. Samuel is called by the Lord in c. 1060 BC. Saul is made king in c. 1040 BC. Saul is anointed by Samuel in c. 1040 BC. Saul is reproved by Samuel in c. 1030 BC. Saul is rejected by God in c. 1030 BC. David is anointed king in c. 10210 BC. Goliath is killed by David in c. 1020 BC. Samuel dies in c. 1015 BC. Saul dies in c. 1011 BC.

Introduction. 5:52 – The purpose was to record the life of Samuel, Israel’s last judge, and the reign and decline of Saul, the first king. And finally, the choice of preparing David to be Israel’s greatest king. The author of 1 Samuel was probably Samuel. It also includes writings from the prophet Nathan and Gad. The key people are Eli, Hannah, Samuel, Saul, Jonathan, and David.

Themes. 6:50 – There are four major theological themes. (i) King. Because Israel suffered from corrupt priests and judges, the people wanted a king. They wanted to be organized like the surrounding nations. Though it was against His original purpose, God chose a king for them. (ii) God’s Control. Israel prospered as long as Israel regarded God as their true king. When the leaders strayed from God’s law, God intervened in their personal lives and overruled their actions. In this way. God maintains ultimate control over Israel’s history. (iii) Leadership. God guided His people using different forms of leadership; judges, priests, prophets, and kings. Those whom He chose for these different offices such as Eli, Samuel, Saul, and David portrayed different styles of leadership; yet, the test of each leader depended on his devotion to God and not his position, leadership style, age, or strength. (iv) Obedience. For God, to obey is better than sacrifice. God wanted His people to obey, serve, and follow Him with a whole heart rather than to maintain a superficial commitment based on tradition or ceremonial systems.

Outline. 8:55 – Did God chose David and his descendants to lead Israel and Judah? To Christians who know the rest of the story, it may seem absurd for anyone to question whether David was really God’s chosen leader for His people. For those people who had to give up land, pay taxes, serve in armies, chose sides in civil wars and live under a new system of kingship, the question could neither be escaped nor taken lightly. It became literally a matter of life and death as challenges to David’s throne forced the people to take sides.

Then the period of the judges, the Hebrew tribal groups, had settled in their territory. Life revolved around these groups. Everyone shared in their land’s resources. No central government-imposed restrictions on the tribe or made demands of them. Likewise, no king and his army stood ready to defend them. As other people threatened to drive the Israelites out of their homeland, the Israelites were forced to asked whether their system on forced loose travel organization was divinely ordained.

Would it be ungodly to have an earthly king help them meet the threat of invasion? For many Israelites, the answer to this question was yes. To have an earthly king was to abandon faith in the Lord. Others came to believe that God could and would act through a king and they asked Samuel to appoint a king that would become the nation’s leader. The difficult process of moving from an old established form of government to a new government headed by a king brought angst and confusion to a leader like Samuel. Samuel described, for the people, what the new form of government would cost them but, ultimately, the people chose to have a king to prove military protection. God instructed a reluctant Samuel to give them a king.

An unforgettable scene drawn by an inspired master of the Hebrew language, the books of Samuel described this transition to kinship under Saul and the emergence of David’s dynasty. But even after David succeeded Saul, the country remained sharply divided over whether David was God’s chosen ruler. David’s kingdom was made up of two major groups: Judah which were the southerners, and Israel which were the northerners. Saul had been identified closely with the northern group of tribes. When the northern people elected David as their king, they affirmed that “the Lord said to you, you are to shepherd my people, Israel.”

But a number of events caused the northern people to question David’s leadership after he became their king. The death of Saul’s son and the execution of several of Saul’s son’s Gibeonites bodyguards with David’s approval and the murder of Saul’s commander, many devote people wondered if they had been wrong. The writer of I and II Samuel demonstrated that God did indeed called David and used him. The writer addressed every issue that caused the people to question David and dealt with each forthrightly; describing David as guilty when he was guilty but defending him brilliantly when he knew David to be guiltless. These events lay at the very foundation of the messianic covenant’s history In them, God’s everlasting covenant with David was the basis for approval that yet live.

13:38 – The books of First and Second Samuel deal with the central themes of the bible; and, there are three: One, the activity of God and our history. Two, the consequences of human sin. Three, the Grace of God that is greater than all our sin.

The books of First and Second Samuel might seem as a recount of human events as they happen, but actually, they do much more. The writer chose just those accounts that he needed to show God’s work in Israel’s history. Each account was intended to show us how God was working. These books deal with human characters and events that would have made the daily newspapers. The writer intended that we see God’s hand at work. For example, note the large amount of space given to the various given affairs of a jealous wife and frustrated husband and a miserable barren woman where there are only a few phrases describing what God did. But even the midst of this terrible personal situation, God was at work, bringing into being, a Samuel; and later, as if almost by accident, David; whom God anointed as Saul’s eventual successor. David suddenly became the obvious choice of Saul’s advisors for a musician in Saul’s court. This was not mere chance, but the writer wanted to show that God was at work. The great theme of the bible is that God incarnates His Words. It was done supremely in Jesus of Nazareth. To some degree, also by all those who would be used by Him. The writer showed this to be true in the lives of Samuel, David, and Saul.

The writer also clearly showed how sin brings consequences. There are no mathematics of sin. Sin produces the same results every time. Sin does have its effects on the individual and the world. Sure, none will forget the lesson of Job where it is dangerous to tie sin to specific circumstances. Doing so can cause great suffering. Just as a person’s positive acts have an effect, so to do one’s negative acts. As David’s oldest son, Amnon would normally have an alliance to succeed his father, instead, his act led to his assassination and the exile of his brother Absolom. This episode played a part in Absolom’s attempt to kill his father and take the throne by force, a revolution that must have caused terrible wounds for the nation.

The books of I and II Samuel also magnify the grace of God that is greater than all our sin. Sinners are not simply discarded. There is no clear demonstration in the OT that we were valued by God while we were still sinners than the account of David. It is not a testimony to God’s grace that David overcame his sin to become the marvel for all kings to come. In I and II Samuel, human sin is set in the context of God’s everlasting love and grace. God made an everlasting covenant with David that was not dependent on perfect righteousness. This affirmation of God’s continuing love, even to those who sin, became the foundation block of the messianic hope that God would not leave His people without a savior. It runs from beginning to end of these great works appearing in Hannah’s praise of the Lord who raises the cruel from the dust. He seeks them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. And again, at the end at David’s testimony that He has made with me an everlasting covenant.

Application. 19:20 – These works can help us focus our attention on some major issues. This book reminds us that God is not tied to political systems. They help us to see that God is supreme over systems and can be worshiped or abandoned. The note of apology for David that runs throughout these books point to the truth that events can never be separated from perspective of those who witness and interpret the events. Many held David responsible for their personal loses and pain. The writer of these books saw another side of David, a repentant side. A David who kept promises and grieved when he could not prevent suffering caused under him. Thus, these books call us to examine our biases and motives when we are prone to be critical of others. These books also remind us to look for the hand of God at work, even in the lives of those we distrust.

The books of I and II Samuel challenge us to attest that God is in our everyday world. God was using a family, some of whose members hated each other, that God was involved in a change of government and revolution in dealing with such human beings as David and Bathsheba, and in the affairs of a king who had to make life-and-death decisions about other people. I and II Samuel suggest that the world of everyday life need to be made central in our painting of our God. We need to see God in our daily lives where we can properly enter into His holy places to praise His name as Hannah did.

Timeline. 21:55 – The birth of Samuel in c. 1070 BC. The Lord called Samuel in c. 1060 BC. Saul is chosen as king in c. 1040 BC. Samuel anoints Saul in c. 1040 BC. Samuel reproves Saul in c. 1030 BC. God rejects Saul in c. in 1030 BC. David is anointed king in c. 1020 BC. David kills Goliath in c. 1020 BC. The death of Samuel in c. 1015 BC. The death of Saul in c. 1011 BC.

Ref.

Seay, William. 2019. Old Testament Theology [MP3]. Andersonville Theological Seminary (ATS). Camilla, GA: ATS