The Books of 1&2 Samuel

Critical Introduction Paper

The Books of 1&2 Samuel

Ana-Maria Bucsanu

Southeastern University

12/11/2022

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 The Books of 1&2 Samuel

Books of Samuel, two Old Testament books that, along with Deuteronomy,

Joshua, Judges, and 1 and 2 Kings, are part of the Deuteronomic history tradition

that was first written down around 550 BC, during the Babylonian Exile. The two

books, which were originally one, are primarily concerned with the origins and early

history of ancient Israel's monarchy. The work is named after Samuel, presumably

because he is the first of its main characters and was involved in the selection of the

first two kings. In 1 Samuel, he is portrayed as a prophet and judge, as well as the

primary figure in Israel prior to the monarchy, with Saul as king. David is introduced

as king in 2 Samuel.

Authorship

The author(s) of 1 and 2 Samuel are unknown. The stories of Samuel, Saul, and

David are told in these books. According to Jewish tradition, the book of Samuel was

written by Samuel or a combination of Samuel, Nathan, and Gad. Because the Holy

Spirit is the divine author, the original author was inspired. In terms of the human

authors' identities, while Samuel, Nathan, and Gad may have written parts of it, we

simply do not know the names of the human authors who wrote Samuel.

Dates

When 1 and 2 Samuel begin, much of the chronological confusion surrounding

the events from the Exodus to the Judges disappears. Because of the thorough

examination of Israel's kings in 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Chronicles, and 1 and 2

Kings, as well as the presence of evidence from other nations, the majority of the

incidents in the rest of the Old Testament can be dated with greater precision.

Historians can at least assign dates to events that occurred within the last ten years.

It is difficult to say when Samuel was written with certainty. The books of Samuel

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span roughly the years 1070-970 BC. Samuel governs Israel for at least 20 years (1

Samuel 7:2), Saul possibly for 40 years (1 Samuel 13:1), and David becomes king

about 1010 BC. This age sees major developments in Israel. What occurs changes

their government, religion, and social structure. As a result, it is difficult to establish

when Samuel was written with certainty.

The broad structure of the book

The book of Samuel begins with a humble woman barren and bearing her needs

before God, humbly asking Him to give her a son, a son who would humbly serve

God, and let Him rule. And God answered Hannah’s prayer by giving her Samuel.

He would be a ruling prophet listening to the voice of Israel’s ruling King. What God

said, Samuel would speak, and the people of God’s kingdom were to follow. That

would be humility before God their King. But the people of Israel were not humble.

They did not want to listen to the voice of their ruling King spoken through their ruling

prophet. The people rejected Samuel and demanded a new kingdom, a new politic

be adopted.

And God gave Israel what they wanted. God selected a man named Saul. Saul,

as a prince, was to listen to his King’s words that the prophet would speak and then

lead the kingdom to obey their ultimate King. When Saul waited and listened for

God’s voice with humility, battles were won for Saul and his military. But as Saul’s

power grew, so did his pride. He stopped bowing to his King and cast the ruling voice

of God aside. Saul refused to wait on his King before a battle and relied on his own

might. So, God would strip this prince of his crown. For in His Kingdom, God raises

up the humble but brings down the proud. And Saul did not humbly listen to the voice

of his King but proudly refused to bow. Saul is the king Israel deserved. He was a

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picture of themselves and would be brought down in turn. Pride threatened God’s

Kingdom and Israel’s throne, but God would not leave His Kingdom alone.

God would anoint a new prince that Israel did not deserve. This king would be

someone no one anticipated, a boy named David, a shepherd who would win peace

for God’s sheep, a prince who would listen to his ruling King. When David comes

with his staff and sling, it is a showdown, not just between Israel and her giant

enemy (Goliath), but between Israel’s two kings. David would show that in His

Kingdom, God raises up the humble but brings down the proud. As Goliath fell and

the people shouted, they compared their kings as they paraded around him saying,

“Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.” (1 Samuel 18:7,

NIV). Devoured by rage, Saul sought to kill David. But through every chase, David

was humble while, to his pride, Saul was enslaved until finally, the paths these two

kings had paved led to David’s ascension and to the fall of mighty Saul to the grave.

Saul was gone, and so was Samuel. David was now the rightful and only prince in

Israel. So, God brought a new ruling prophet to David, named Nathan. He came

bearing a vision from God. One of David’s children, one of his descendants, would

sit on Israel’s throne forever. However, as David’s power grew, so did his pride. He

stopped bowing to his King and cast the ruling voice of God aside. He abused a

married woman named Bathsheba. The man, who was to shepherd God’s people,

preyed on them instead. War was raging inside David’s home, for his sons were no

different from their father. The crowned prince violated his own sister, and David,

seeing a picture of himself in the horror, had nothing to offer. So, in response,

David’s son Absalom slaughters his brother, and he takes his father’s throne as an

anointed imposter. But this was not the Shepherd-King God promised he would

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provide. And so, David was forced into exile from his own kingdom until his own son,

Absalom, was hung to death of his own pride.

Much like the book began, Samuel ends with David praying a prayer much as

Hannah did. A prayer that acknowledges how in his Kingdom, God raises up the

humble but brings down the proud. The humble listen to the voice of their King, but

the proud always refuse to bow. But David’s prayer and God’s promise would be

answered.

The final King who would rule over Israel would come through another humble

woman who remembered the prayer Hannah prayed for Samuel. Mary repeated the

words of Hannah’s prayer. Through her humble womb, God would bring down the

proud. Because her son, Jesus, would be the humble King who would perfectly listen

to God and bow. That is what Jesus did when He went to the cross. He was not

proud before his ruling King but was humble even to death and loss. While we

cowardly did nothing, He went to battle against the enemies that have eternally

fought with us. He is God’s chosen. He is God’s anointed. Jesus is the final

Shepherd-King that God has forever appointed. Jesus is the prince we never could

have deserved. For, like Saul and David, He is not a picture of our pride but the

humble ruler we never could have earned. So, to rule His Kingdom, God raised up

humble Jesus and ascended Him to a throne high above all the proud. Jesus is the

son of David God promised would sit on his throne forever winning peace from our

enemies and humbly ruling as our Good Shepherd.

Purpose and message of the book

The goal of 1 Samuel is to highlight two key events: the founding of the monarchy

in Israel (1 Samuel 8:12), and David's ascension to the throne after Saul (1 Samuel

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16:31). After a period, the Lord rejected Saul in favor of David (1 Samuel 15:16), yet

Saul remained on the throne until his death at Mount Gilboa (1 Samuel 31). In 2

Samuel 7, God promises David and his descendants an endless dynasty. The book

of 1 Samuel develops the notion that adherence to God's word is a prerequisite for a

king's acceptance by the God of Israel.

First and Second Samuel cover a transitional time in ancient Israel's history.

Leadership passes from the priest Eli to judge Samuel, then from judge Samuel to

King Saul, and finally from Saul to David. In Israel, Samuel is therefore the

connection between the judgeship and the kingdom. He is the prophet that God

sends to anoint Saul and David. Saul's kingdom was likewise in change. Under Saul,

Israel was more than a loose confederation that banded together whenever a shared

threat arose, but there was no strong central government as there was afterward.

The story of David's ascension in the second half of 1 Samuel sets the stage for

David's full-fledged kingdom in 2 Samuel.

Themes of the book

For starters, it depicts the entrance of the KINGS in Israel. 1 Samuel tells the

story of Israel's first king, Saul. God was mostly silent throughout this time. He was

expecting visions and miracles to mark this period of history, therefore he was given

a long period of idleness during the time of the judges. Similarly, there was no

prophetic movement in Israel for hundreds of years before Christ. Obviously,

supernatural activity increased after Christ's arrival.

Second, it demonstrates the significance of prophets in Israel. 1 Samuel tells the

story of Samuel's birth and service, as well as how he established the prophets in

Israel. Samuel is important because he anoints both Saul and David as kings. Later,

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when David sins, Nathan, the prophet, exposes him, and David repents (2 Samuel

11). This illustrates in Israel the integration of "church and state." The roles of kings

and prophets were distinct.

Third, it depicts King David's arrival. David is a significant figure in the Bible. He is

a figure of Christ, and he represents Israel's ideal King until Christ comes.

Conclusion

First Samuel emphasizes largely negative examples of Saul's actions as God's

anointed. Nonetheless, as we saw in 1 Samuel, God's final victory is unaffected by

people's attitudes toward Him. His people can be loyal or rebellious, yet His final

victory will not be affected. We learn in 2 Samuel that our ultimate triumph in life is

determined by our attitude toward God. The emphasis of 2 Samuel is mostly on good

examples from David's life as God's anointed.

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References

Paul R. House. Old Testament Survey. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 1992.

“1 Samuel 18.” Bible.com. Accessed November 12, 2022.

https://www.bible.com/bible/111/1SA.18.NIV.

“2 Samuel 11.” Bible.com. Accessed November 12, 2022.

https://www.bible.com/bible/111/2SA.11.NIV.