Book Introduction

The books of 1st and 2nd Samuel record events from B.C. 1105 to 971, approximately 135 years of Israel's history.  It picks up where the book of Judges left off, with the same spiritual ineptitude among the nation, led by misconduct in Shiloh and tragic military encounters.  The Levites showed pour leadership and outright wickedness or. They were altogether absent. This book details the life of the thirteenth and final judge, Samuel.

He was also a prophet.  During these critical years, Israel was transformed from a loosely bound group of tribes doing what was right in their own eyes to a nation under the kingship of David.  They go from having no king, no leadership, and being influenced by the gods of the lands around them to a leader, a king who is a man after God's own heart, a man pointing them toward the Lord.  The groundwork was laid for the coming king in the book of Ruth.

However, the tribes first chose their own king because they desired to be like the nations around them. Israel had to experience Saul to appreciate David. 

If Judges is the book of “no king,” then 1 Samuel is the book of “man’s king.” The people of Israel asked for a king and God gave them Saul, from the tribe of Benjamin, who turned out to be a tragic failure. But the Lord had prepared David for the throne, and 2 Samuel is the book of “God’s king.”

Warren Wiersbe (2001). Be successful (p. 13).

Colorado Springs, CO: Victor/Cook Communications.

While tradition ascribes the authorship of the two books to Samuel himself, he can't be the author since he dies in 1 Samuel 25.  He could have only been the author of the first portion of first Samuel.  While some consider Nathan and Gad (based on 1 Chronicles 29:29), the author is unknown.

As we begin 1 Samuel, we’ll see that Israel is at a spiritual low point.  The book of Judges offered hope that God would and could still work in the nation that was essentially apostate.  The nation was divided and segregated, doing their own thing.  The book of Ruth shows us that God is always working and has a plan.  Even in this confused and lost nation, the Lord had men and women who held fast to Him. 

In 1 Samuel, we see God at work.  While he is working to establish the throne of the Messiah, the people have their own plans.  The plans clash, lessons are learned, and people are changed.

As Christians, we’ll find many relevant lessons.

©2004 Doug Ford: Further Study and Revision 2015, 2024