1 & 2 Samuel

 

I. General Introduction

            --The story of three men

                        --Samuel—prophet, judge, priest, and military commander

                        --Saul—Military leader and king (chieftain?)

                        --David—Conquering king who established a nation.

 

            --The story of kingship

                        --Desire for a king (i.e. Judges)

                        --The beginning of the monarchy

                        --The failures of monarchy

                        --The triumph of David

 

II. 1 & 2 Samuel & the Canon

            --Title

                        --Hebrew—“Samuel” after the major character in much of the book.

                        --Greek (LXX)—“1 & 2 Reigns,” with 1 & 2 Kings entitled “3 & 4 Reigns”

 

            --Canonical Position

                        --Hebrew—Immediately following Judges

--Note connection of Hill Country of Ephraim & Gibeah. There is a natural connection between the books of Judges & Samuel.

            --Greek (LXX)—Ruth is placed between Judges & Samuel. This makes sense chronologically, but it disrupts the flow between Judges & Samuel.

 

III. The Text of 1 & 2 Samuel

            --One of the most corrupt Hebrew texts in the Hebrew Bible.

--The Hebrew (Masoretic Text=MT), Greek (LXX), Versions (Latin), and Dead Sea Scrolls contain numerous variations in the text.

--In many places MT almost untranslatable

--Some of the differences may be the result of those translators attempting to correct their original.

--In other places, the differences probably represent differences at the level of the original, i.e. DSS represent readings that agree with LXX (& Josephus’ quotations) against MT. One scholar (Ulrich) argues that 4Qsama is more correct, i.e. closer to the original than MT.

 

IV. Composition of 1 & 2 Samuel

            --Anonymous Authorship

            --Numerous sources used:

             1CH 29:29 As for the events of King David's reign, from beginning to end, they are written in the records of Samuel the seer, the records of Nathan the prophet and the records of Gad the seer.

 

                        --These & likely other sources were used to put together 1 & 2 Samuel.

 

--Most likely put into final form with 1 & 2 Kings near the time of the exile or shortly afterwards, i.e. Deuteronomistic History.

--But much of was probably written earlier, perhaps the “Ark Narrative” (1 Sam. 4-6) & “Rise of Kingship” (1 Sam. 8-12). The latter may represent two contrasting views of kingship, one pro-kingship and the other anti-kingship. This theory may be overemphasized. The truth may be that a tension simply existed that was never completely overcome. It is impossible to know what was written early or late, so we will focus on the text as it stands & attempt to understand it as such.

 

V. Historical Background

            --The events of 1 & 2 Samuel take place between app. 1100-970, beginning w/Samuel’s birth & ending with David’s reign coming near its end.

 

            --Power Vacuum—

             --The great powers (Egypt, Hittites, Assyria, Mitanni) were weakened or destroyed by about 1200. Thus, several small states arose, including Israel, Aram, Moab, Ammon, Edom, Philistia, & Phoenicia, by 1000 or so. The intervening time, 1200-1000, was one of vying for power and consolidating kingdoms. We see this in the Book of Judges & 1-2 Samuel.

 

--Philistines—They appear as the major power in Canaan during Iron I (1200-1000). They controlled Israel until the rise of David. Even though they were defeated by Saul & Samuel, it was David who finally vanquished them as a threat to Israel.

 

--Prophecy—Prophecy was common in ANE. Prophets were found in a variety of contexts:

             1. Military—Used by kings to discern God’s will for a battle or to receive a word of blessing from God before battle (this was a bit presumptuous!).

            2. Royal Court—The kings sought God’s word & blessing from prophets.

            3. Religion—Prophets were the primary spokesmen for God. This they often did in an ecstatic form, with music & dancing, perhaps in a form of spirit-induced trance.

 

            --In Israel, the prophet was responsible to hold the king (& other leaders) accountable to the covenant with Yahweh. This we see Samuel & Nathan doing in Samuel. (Gad did #2 above, & Saul did #3.)

 

1 Samuel 1-7

 

1 Samuel  1—The Birth of Samuel

            --1:1-8—Elkanah & his family introduced

--“Hill Country of Ephraim”—Note the connection with Judges 17-19. This would suggest that the center of Israel was the Hill Country of Ephraim.

--Two wives: Peninnah & Hannah.

            --Hannah had no children.

            --Peninnah provoked her because of her barrenness.

--Elkanah & his family went to Shiloh to worship. Remember that Shiloh was the home of the “tabernacle” or “tent of meeting.” This was the central place of worship for Israel at this period, at least until Eli’s death.

 

            --1:9-11--Hannah prayed “in bitterness of soul” to Yahweh that He would give her a child. If He gives her a child, then:

                        1. She would give him to Yahweh for all his life,

            2. No razor will be used on his head. This seems to be a sort of Nazirite vow. He is to be seen as contrasted with Samson before him as judge & Saul after him as king.

 

            1:12-18—Hannah & Eli

            --Eli 1st thinks that she is drunk, apparently because she is overcome with emotion & lack of coherent prayer.

            --When he learns the truth, Eli offers a word of blessing for Hannah. Remember the importance of words of blessing, esp. as offered by the priest.

 

1:19-23—The birth of Samuel

            --“Yahweh remembered her,” and she conceived & gave birth to a son.

            --She named him “Samuel,” because the Lord heard her prayer. “Samuel” sounds like the Hebrew for “heard of God” or “God heard.”

            --She repeats her promise of dedicating Samuel to Yahweh to her husband.

 

1:24-28—Samuel’s dedication

            --They take a dedicatory sacrifice to the tabernacle.

            --Hannah reminds Eli who she is & of the vow she made.

            --Then she leaves Samuel at the tent to be raised by the priest in the presence of Yahweh.

 

2:1-10—The Song of Hannah--A Hymn of Praise to Yahweh

            --vv. 1-3—There is no one like Yahweh

            --vv. 4-5—God’s victory given to his servant (Hannah)

            --vv. 6-10—Yahweh controls all things:

                        --Death & life

                        --Wealth & poverty

                        --Earth & heaven

--The king—a prayer for the king, when they did not have a king? Why? Probably secondary use of the hymn in the present context or in a later context read back into the present hymn.

 

2:11-26—Eli’s Sons & Samuel Contrasted

            --Eli’s sons:

            --Extorted the best meat from the sacrifices. They were supposed to receive certain portions, and never the fat, which was to be burned in sacrifice. At Shiloh they received whatever the fork pulled out during boiling. But Eli’s sons decided that this was not good enough. They wanted to choose their meat, even the fat.

            --Used threats of violence to receive their meat.

            --Slept with the women who served the tent.

            --Ignored Eli’s warning, 25 “If a man sins against another man, God may mediate for him; but if a man sins against the LORD, who will intercede for him?” Note that Eli knew the truth, but he was able to instill that truth into his sons. This will be a theme through many narratives of Samuel & Kings.

            --God planned to kill them.

 

--Samuel:

            --Ministered faithfully before Yahweh. He appears as blessed, as was his family. His mother had 6 more children.

--Grew in stature & favor-- 1SA 2:26 And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the LORD and with men.

 

2:27-35—The Man of God

--Prophecy against Eli

            --He has honored his dishonorable sons more than Yahweh.

--His family will be cursed, i.e. they will die young & those who do live will bring only grief & sorrow to Eli.

            --His sons will die on the same day.

--New, faithful priests will be raised up. This likely refers not to Samuel but to the Zadokite priests of David & Solomon. Zadok represented the sons of Aaron as contrasted to the Levites. The Levites were in a sense second-class priests, with the sons of Aaron being responsible for the sacrifices & major rituals.

 

3:1-4:1a—Samuel as God’s Prophet

--Eli was old, and the Word of the Lord was rare in Israel at this time. Eli was old, & certainly his sons had continued in their evil practices. So God’s Word was seldom heard.

 

--The Lord speaks to Samuel. He reports to Samuel that the curse on Eli’s family is about to be carried out. Eli accepted the word as God’s word. This much is to his credit, although he had little choice anyway.

 

--Samuel became known as a prophet in “all Israel.”

 

4:1b-7:1—“The Ark Narrative”

--4:1b-2—The Philistines defeat Israel at Ebenezer, near Aphek. This was in the Shephelah (foothills between the hill country & coastal plain) west of Shiloh.

--4:3-9—Eli’s sons (Hophni & Phinehas) bring the Ark of the Covenant from Shiloh into the camp.

--Here we see the Ark functioning as a palladium. Israel sees the presence of the ark as a guarantee of victory. Why?

--Yahweh is “enthroned between the cherubim.” Thus we also see the ark functioning as the throne of God here.

--The Philistines recognize the presence of “a god” in the camp. They saw the threat of the ark just like Israel did. (Unfortunately for Israel, God did not see this significance. Do we sometimes expect things from God that make sense in our society, but they are simply wrong?)

 

            4:10-11—Israel is defeated, Hophni & Phinehas are killed, & the ark is captured.

 

            4:12-18—Eli died because . . .

The ark was captured. Perhaps he had recognized that the death of his sons was imminent. But the ark was hid life’s work. He could not conceive of the ark being captured. It would seem that his sons had probably taken it w/o his permission.

 

            4:19-22—Ichabod—“No Glory”

--Phinehas’ wife has a son, whom she names Ichabod. There is no glory in Israel. God’s glory has departed with the ark and the priests.

 

            5:1-7:1—The travels of the ark

 

Ebenezer

            Ashdod

                        Gath

                                    Ekron

                                                Beth-Shemesh

                                                            Kiriath-Jearim
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


                        --Ebenezer--The Philistines defeated Israel & captured the ark.

                        --Ashdod—Dagon fell & shattered

                                    --The people were afflicted with tumors.

                        --Gath—Great panic ensued

                                    --The people were afflicted with tumors

                        --Ekron—Death brought panic

                                    --The people were afflicted with tumors.

                                    --The ark is sent back to Israel with offerings (5 gold tumors & rats)

                        --Beth-Shemesh—They rejoiced at the sight of the ark

                                    --70 died when they looked in the ark

                                    --They sent the ark to Kiriath-Jearim, where it stayed until David’s day.

 

 

7:2-17—Samuel Leads in Defeat of Philistines

--2-6—Samuel calls the people to return to Yahweh, put away foreign gods, & serve Yahweh. They were already mourning the loss of the ark (for 20 years), and Samuel calls them to put feet to their sorrow, so to speak.

            --They come to Mizpah, fasted, & confessed their sins.

 

--7-14—Battle with the Philistines

            --The Philistines attacked Israel when they heard that they were gathered. The Philistines probably saw this gathering as a threat to their own sovereignty. They probably felt that they were making a preemptive strike to keep Israel from attacking them, or it was simply a violation of their rules concerning Israel.

            --Samuel offered a sacrifice & prayed for Israel.

            --The Lord brings panic on the Philistines miraculously. He “thundered” against the Philistines.

            --Israel defeated the Philistines completely. In fact, for several years during the ministry & leadership of Samuel, Israel knew peace with the Philistines.

            --Samuel sets up the “Ebenezer”—the “stone of help”—They were to remember that Yahweh had helped them up to this point.

 

--15-17—Samuel served as a judge over Israel. He judged in a circuit that included Bethel, Gilgal, Mizpah, and Ramah (his hometown).

            --He also built an altar to the Lord at Ramah.

 

***NOTE—Samuel served in 1 Samuel 1-7 as a prophet (word to Eli), priest (sacrifices & altars), and military leader (at Mizpah). This multifaceted ministry made Samuel an ideal type ruler.***

           

 

1 Samuel 8-12

Samuel and Kingship

--Israel requests a king (1 Sam. 8:1-22)

--The failure of Samuel’s sons. Note the difficulty of passing on the vision & commit-ment to the next generation. And note the consequences that such a failure can bring.

--The request

            --The people desire a king to rule over (lit. “judge”) them.

--All the other nations have kings. The desire to be like the other nations is always present. The other side always looks better. Israel could see the seeming stability & strength of other nations, and they wanted that. Unfortunately they failed to see the other realities of having a king.

 

            --Samuel’s response

--He was “displeased.” Judging from Yahweh’s response to Samuel, he felt rejected by the people.

--He prayed to the Lord. Once again Samuel shows his abilities as a great leader. He does not take an important step without seeking the Lord’s will.

 

            --Yahweh’s response

                        --Give them a king.

            --They have rejected me, not you. Leaders must realize that if they are faithful in proclaiming God’s truth & leading in a godly fashion, God will take responsibility for the results.

            --Warn them about a king!

 

--Samuel’s Warning (8:10-18)

            --Military service

                        --The king will draft your sons into military service.

            --He will choose where they serve: infantry, commanders, farmers, or weaponry.

--Taxation

            --He will take the best of your produce for himself & his servants.

            --He will take a 10th of your produce for his officials & servants.

            --He will take from your servants and flocks as he needs.

--Slavery—He will force you to work for him (corvee).

 

            --The people’s response

                        --Give a king to lead

                        --Make us like the other nations

                        --The king will lead us into battle

 

            --God’s final verdict

                        --Give them a king

 

Saul Becomes King (9:1-11:15)

 

Samuel’s Response to Kingship (12:1-25)

            --Samuel defends his ministry. He has not wronged them, cheated them, or taken bribes from them.

            --Israel reaffirmed Samuel’s ministry among them. They agreed that he never wronged the people; rather he had served faithfully.

            --Samuel reminds them of the past. God delivered them from Egypt. He gave them leaders to deliver them. He took care of them & met their needs.

            --Samuel recounts the present situation. They had called for a king in the face of opposition, ignoring Yahweh’s faithful leadership of the past

            --12:17—Asking for a king was an “evil thing.”

            --Samuel’s charge to Israel:

                        --Serve & obey Yahweh (12:14, 24).

                        --Do not rebel against Yahweh (12:14).

                        --Rebellion brings judgment, for Israel & their king (12:15, 25).

   --Fear Yahweh (12:24). This means to submit to Him, acknowledging his ultimate leadership & kingship. The king does not have final authority in Israel. Only Yahweh has that authority.

 

***How do we correlate the negative reaction to kingship by Yahweh & Samuel with the fact that Yahweh told Samuel to give them a king? Why did the Lord listen to a word that He apparently disagreed with?

            --Lessons:

            1. Be careful what you ask for from God. Sometimes He will give you what you want even if it is not His true desire or the best for you.

            2. God listens to His people.

            3. God’s leaders must be in tune with His wishes. Sometimes God’s directives will be opposite from the expected.

 

Samuel and Saul

--Saul Becomes King (9:1-11:15)

            --Saul goes to Samuel (called a “seer”) to learn the whereabouts of his father’s donkeys.

            --Samuel anoints Saul with oil as the “leader over his inheritance.”

--Saul meets the prophets & prophesies. These are “prophetic bands” that traveled & prophesied, often accompanied by music & ecstatic behavior.

--Samuel presents Saul as the new king, after pointing out that this whole matter is a rejection of Yahweh as king (10:17-19).

--Saul comes out of the baggage. Perhaps he was feeling a bit overwhelmed?

--Saul defeats the Ammonites at Jabesh-Gilead, thus confirming his choice as king.

            --The “Spirit of God came upon him.”

            --He called out Israel to battle.

            --His capital is in Gibeah.

            --The battle is won.

--Saul reconfirmed as king (11:12-15).

 

 

--Samuel’s rebukes of Saul

            --13:1-15—Saul failed to wait to Samuel to offer the sacrifice.

 

            --15:1-35—Saul failed to kill all the Amalekites.

 

            --28:1-25—Saul consults a medium to meet with Samuel.

 

Jonathan’s Faithfulness

            --13:23-14:52

                        --Jonathan is trying to defeat the enemy.

                        --Others were apparently thwarted by the lack of iron weaponry.

--Note that Saul only sees the military action after it begins. Then he joins in & takes part in the victory.

--Note the “Hebrews who had previously been with the Philistines” joined Israel (14:21). This supports the theory that only a portion of Israel came up from Egypt. Some of Israel came from those already in the land. Or this shows that Israel had become so divided that some had joined with the Philistines.

 

            --18:1-4—David & Jonathan entered into a covenant.

                        --Jonathan “loved David as himself.”

 

--19:1-7—Jonathan stands between Saul & David, intervening for David before his father. Saul agrees not to kill David.

 

            --20:1-42—Jonathan protects David

--Jonathan agrees to warn David if his father plans to kill him. He will direct the servant boy to go further to find the arrows he has shot if there is danger.

--Jonathan learns of Saul’s plans to kill David & warns him.

--They part with great emotion (20:41-42).

--This is a picture of friendship, committed to one another through all circumstances, protecting & loving one another.

 

--23:15-18—Jonathan comes to David as Saul is chasing him through the wilderness. Jonathan & David renew their covenant.

 

Samuel and David

--Samuel anoints David (16:1-13)

 

--David flees from Saul to Samuel (19:18-24—for discussion, see below)

 

Saul and David

--David plays for Saul (16:14-23)

            --Saul’s “evil spirit” from the Lord—

                        Does the Lord send evil spirits?

 

            --David is called from Bethlehem to play the harp for Saul.

 

--David kills Goliath (17:1-58)

            --CONTRASTS:

                        --Army of Israel vs. Philistine Army

--The Philistine army is pictured as the strong army. They are prepared to fight & ready to win the battle.

--On the other hand, the army of Israel is pictured as cowardly. Those who should have been the “army of God” were afraid of the “army of Dagon,” so to speak.

 

 

                        --Saul’s Soldiers vs. God’s shepherd

--David is pictured as a humble shepherd boy. Yet his courage far exceeds that of the trained professional soldiers. He knows that he serves God, who is more powerful that the Philistine army.

 

                        --Saul’s weapons vs. David’s weapons

--David tries to use Saul’s weapons, but they do not fit. The picture seems to be one of “man’s weapons” vs. “God’s weapons.” David had to go into battle with God at his side. His battle without proper battle array certainly added to his legend.

 

                        --Goliath’s Stature vs. David’s faith

--The giant fell to the shepherd boy. This is the prime example of the underdog winning against overwhelming odds. There is no way that David should have been able to defeat Goliath. He was an enemy of gigantic proportions.

 

            --LESSONS:

                        --Things are not always as they seem!

 

                        --God’s strength is more important than human prowess.

 

                        --Faith in God is more important than human plans.

 

--Saul’s Jealousy

            --The women’s song (18:5-9)

 

            --Saul’s murder attempts (18:10-11, 19:10-11)

 

            --Saul’s “diplomacy”

                        --He sent David on difficult missions (18:12-16, 24-25)

 

                        --Saul married his daughter to David (18:17-23, 26-27)

 

            --“The Chase”

                        --David flees to Samuel (19:18ff)

--Note importance of prophecy, although this is a strange, enigmatic passage.

--Saul intended evil for David, but God brought good instead.

 

                        --David at Nob (21:1-9)

                                    --David & his men eat consecrated bread.

                                    --David receives Goliath’s sword.

 

                        --David at Gath (21:10-15)

                                    --David feels threatened by his own reputation.

                                    --David pretends to be insane. King Achish sends him away.

 

                        --David in the wilderness (22:1-5)

                                    --At Adullam David gathers band of 400 men, including family members.

                                    --He takes his parents to Moab for protection.

 

                        --Saul kills the priests of Nob (22:6-22)

            --Saul accuses Ahimelech of conspiring against him by giving David supplies.

            --Ahimelech reminds Saul that David has been Saul’s loyal servant, i.e. Saul’s accusations are senseless. How was Ahimelech supposed to have known that David was no longer in Saul’s army.

            --Saul has Ahimelech & his family killed.

            --Only Abiathar, Ahimelech’s son, escapes & flees to David.

 

--David saves Keilah from the Philistines (23:1-6).

            --David serves as protector for Judah. Saul was more concerned with catching & killing David than with protecting his people.

            --Saul comes to Keilah to get David (23:7-11)

 

--David on the Run (23:12-26:25)

            --David flees to Desert of Ziph & Desert of Maon.

            --Saul pursues him, but calls off the pursuit when the Philistines threaten him.

            --David goes to En-Gedi.

            --Saul pursues David, but the tables are turned. David spares Saul in a cave. (Note the truth of 24:16-21—David is more righteous than his king.

            --David, Nabal, Abigail (25:1-44)—Nabal refuses to supply David, but his wife Abigail does. When Nabal (=”fool”) dies, David asks her to be his wife.

            --David sneaks into Saul’s camp.

                        --David takes Saul’s spear & water jug.

                        --But he refuses to kill Saul or allow his general to do so.

                        --NOTE—Again Saul admits his wrong (26:21).

            --NOTE—David suggests that he is ritheous & faithful because he did not kill Saul even after his attempts on David’s life (26:22-24).

 

--David with the Philistines (27:1-12; 29:1-11)

            --King Achish of Gath (Philistine) gives Ziklag to David as his territory.

            --David defeated various enemies of Israel, but he did this w/o knowledge of Achish.

            --When the Philistines went to war against Judah, they did not trust David & sent him back to Ziklag.

                        --NOTE: Even Achish recognized David’s faithfulness (29:6-7).

 

David & the Amalekites (30:1-31)

            --David defeated the Amalekites, who had destroyed Ziklag during David’s absence.

--NOTE—David was diplomatic with the elders of Judah, sending them a portion of the plunder from battle.

 

The Death of Saul (31:1-13)

            --The Philistines killed Saul & his sons at Mt. Gilboa, also defeating Israel.

            --They cut off Saul’s head & hung his body on the wall at Beth-Shean.

 

***Conclusion—1 Chronicles 10:13-14—Saul died because of his unfaithfulness.