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Introduction

Originally, the book of Samuel was just that – a single book with that name. It was divided into 1 & 2 Samuel when the Septuagint was produced (a translation from Hebrew to Greek around the 3rd century BC). Although Samuel may have had a part in authoring the early parts of Samuel, he had help and that, according to ancient sources, it probably came from the prophets Gad and Nathan. This is all according to the oldest Jewish traditions. (Modern Biblical Scholarship versus Ancient Biblical Scholarship)

The four books of 1 & 2 Samuel and 1 & 2 Kings can be viewed collectively as the 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 Kingdoms (and have been called such). That is, as Judges-Ruth tell us about the times of Israel’s judges, so Samuel-Kings tells us about the time of Israel’s kings.

1 Samuel describes Israel’s transition from rule by judges to rule by kings. Samuel, considered by some as “the last judge,” is the one God chose to anoint Saul the son of Kish of the tribe of Benjamin as Israel’s first king. Because of Saul’s failures as king, Samuel would subsequently anoint David as king, even though David would never attempt to take that role as long as Saul was alive. Near the end of 1 Samuel, Saul dies. Thus the three main characters of 1 Samuel are Samuel, Saul, and David.

One of the unintended advantages of having the original book of Samuel divided into two is that 1 Samuel can foreshadow the sufferings of Christ leaving the glories for 2 Samuel – David’s life being the primary vehicle through which those sufferings and glories are previewed. (Sufferings and Glories) It’s not that David had no glories in 1 Samuel and no sufferings in 2 Samuel. For example, his victory over Goliath came in 1 Samuel and the rebellion of Absalom in 2 Samuel. Rather, it’s that 1 Samuel, having Saul as king, portrayed David’s life as constantly threatened, whereas in 2 Samuel Saul is dead and David has taken the throne. The less biblically literate we are, the more we tended to think of David simply as a great king; the more biblically literate we become, the more we appreciate how much he had to suffer. Better appreciating both sufferings and glories helps us better understand the life Jesus lived, and therefore the life we aspire to live. And since Psalms is more David’s hymn book than it is anyone else’s, the books of Samuel open our eyes to some of what brought about the highs and lows we see expressed so eloquently in the Psalms.

As the book opens, we are still in the time of the judges. Eli and his sons are priests at the Lord’s tabernacle in Shiloh. Samuel is not yet born.

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1 Samuel 1

A Barren Woman Prays for a Son

1 Sam 1:1-2 – The book of Judges gave us profiles of two strong and admirable women – Naomi and Ruth. 1 Samuel gives us a third – Hannah.

1 Sam 1:3 – As we are still in the time of the Judges, Eli was considered a judge in Israel (1 Sam 4:18).

1 Sam 1:4-8 – The negative dynamic we see on display here between Peninnah and Hannah is similar to the one we saw between Hagar and Sarai in Gen 16:4. Bearing a child – that is, bringing a human being into the world – is a profound thing; its effects on the parties involved cannot be easily dismissed.

1 Sam 1:9-11 – Hannah offers her firstborn son, if God will give her one, as a Nazirite. (See the BSN note on Nazirite vow for that that entails.)

1 Sam 1:12-18 – That Eli mistook Hannah for a drunk indicates the general spiritual degeneracy of those times. Hannah was an outlier. And she would give birth to an outlier.

A Child Is Born

1 Sam 1:19-20 – The name “Samuel” is rooted in a Hebrew word that means “ask.”

1 Sam 1:21-28 – We are not told Samuel’s age at the time Hannah presented him to Eli at the tabernacle for service to the Lord; we only know that he was still a “boy” (1 Sam 2:11).

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1 Samuel 2

Hannah’s Song of Thanksgiving

1 Sam 2:1-10 – As Hannah poured out her heart to God in petition (1 Sam 1:9-18), so she now, since her petition has been granted, pours our her heart to God in thanksgiving. May the fervor of our thanksgivings always match the fervor of our petitions.

***** Hannah uses the language of warfare, and this is also the way Mary spoke when the angel Gabriel told her about the son she was about to have (Lk 1:46-55). These women are strong and they have great issues on their minds. Child-bearing is momentous activity; unbelievers fail to appreciate the gravity of what is taking place when God brings another human being into the world. Nations can be shaken by reverberations of a human birth: Think of Isaac, Moses, Samuel, John the Baptist, and many more. Most of all, think of Jesus. Hannah uses lofty language because it’s a lofty thing God has done through her.

Samuel Is Given to Eli in Shiloh

1 Sam 2:11 – Just as Hannah promised in her petition, so she and Elkanah have given up their son to the Lord’s service at the tabernacle in Shiloh.

The Corruption in Eli’s Sons

1 Sam 2:12-17 – Hophni and Phinehas are serving themselves – not the Lord or His people. God was very patient with Eli’s sons; Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, died on the spot for what seemed as bad. Yet Hophni and Phinehas did not repent; nor did their father sufficiently discipline them.

The Innocence in Samuel

1 Sam 2:18-19 – The contrast between Eli’s sons and Hannah’s son is great – the former being worldly, cynical, and corrupt, the latter being childlike, pure, and innocent. Which is the greater miracle: that a barren woman birthed a child or that her child grew up righteous in the midst of unrighteousness?

Hannah’s Reward

1 Sam 2:20-21 – Hannah had prayed (1 Sam 1:9-18) in the hope that a firstborn son would “open her womb.” This was the way ancient people spoke because this is the way they saw things. Consider, for example, how Moses wrote that the Lord “opened the womb” of Leah (Gen 29:31) and of Rachel (Gen 30:22) with their respective firstborns; the result for each mother was that more children followed. Indeed, the very term “firstborn” implies that there will be more to come.

The Sons of Eli Are Again Contrasted with the Son of Hannah

1 Sam 2:22-25 – As in 1 Sam 2:12-19, Hophni and Phinehas are being contrasted with Samuel. Eli’s sons had a bad reputation with the people. Eli had probably waited too late to rebuke them. We are made to wonder if he only rebuked them because they had gotten so bad that people were complaining. Surely, Eli had noticed poor behavior in them much earlier when only he and God knew them well enough to form an opinion.

1 Sam 2:26 – In contrast to Eli’s sons, Samuel’s maturation is commended. He is no longer just exhibiting the innocence of a small child; he’s maturing in the ways of the Lord. This commendation reminds us of what was said about a previous Nazirite, this one named Samson.

Judg 13:24 Then the woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson; and the child grew up and the LORD blessed him.

Luke will speak in a similar way about a future Nazirite, John the Baptist.

Luke 1:80 And the child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

Luke will also speak this way about Jesus.

Luke 2:40 The Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.

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Luke 2:52 And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

All these statements imply God working in these children’s lives over a long period of time before their character becomes known by people outside their families. It takes a long time to make a man of God.

The Lord Declares His Verdict

1 Sam 2:27-34 – Just as Jesus demonstrated in His telling of the parable of the wheat and tares (Mt 13:24-30, 36-43), the wise landowner waits until the harvest before trying to separate the wheat from the tares. Likewise, the Lord has let the sons of Eli and the son of Hannah grow to harvest before rendering His verdict on them. Harvest is now approaching and God is informing Eli through a man of God (whose identity is not revealed to us) of what He’s going to do. This is the way of God, to inform His prophets of what He’s going to do.

Amos 3:7 Surely the Lord GOD does nothing
Unless He reveals His secret counsel
To His servants the prophets.

Eli could be called a lazy man of God. That is, he knew the ways of God and was more righteous than his sons, but he was not righteous enough to correct them sooner in life when they were more malleable. Just as a sapling can be shaped more easily than a full-grown tree, so children can be disciplined more easily before they’re fully grown. Alas, Eli knew things that he didn’t do.

John 13:17 “If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

That is, Eli knew what was righteous, but did not require righteousness from his sons. This is why he wasn’t blessed.

The Lord’s word to Eli through the man of God is sobering and we will see its tragic fulfillment in the next two chapters. Eli’s house is coming to an end, and Samuel will have the priestly honors in Israel going forward.

We also see this prophecy’s greater fulfillment in the New Testament as God chooses the priesthood of John the Baptist (who points to Jesus as the Messiah) to supersede the priesthood of Caiaphas (who condemned Jesus to death). That is, spiritual Israel was given preference over physical Israel. #FJOT

1 Sam 2:29 – Eli honored his sons above God. That is, he let his sons take the best of the sacrifice instead of making sure God got what He desired. Connect the use of the word “honor” in this verse with the use of the same word in the next verse.

1 Sam 2:30 – This is the verse that, as portrayed in the 1981 movie Chariots of Fire,  American athlete Jackson Scholz wrote in a note he handed to British athlete Eric Liddell before a race in the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris. I cannot verify that this scene is fully historical, but I can verify that 1) it was great cinema, and 2) that 1 Sam 2:30 is true in any and every year.

1 Sam 2:35-36 – This last part of the prophecy applies not directly to Eli and his household but rather to Samuel.

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1 Samuel 3

The Lord Calls for Samuel

1 Sam 3:1 – There are times when the Lord speaks frequently and there are times when He speaks infrequently. He’s like us in that regard: that is, He speaks less when people are listening less. If we want God to speak more, we just have to listen more.

1 Sam 3:2-10 – With the help of Eli, Samuel hears his first word from the Lord. It won’t be his last. ***** The Lord’s first word to Samuel was…”Samuel!” Until Samuel heard that, he wasn’t going to hear anything else. If we want to hear more from the Lord, we have to accept as the word of the Lord what we’ve already heard.

Matt 13:12 “For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.

The Lord Speaks to Samuel

1 Sam 3:11-14 -The Lord now shares with Samuel essentially the same message He shared with a man of God in the previous chapter (1 Sam 2:27-36). That word was and is that He has chosen to bypass Eli and his sons going forward; He will use Hannah’s son instead.

Eli Consults with Samuel

1 Sam 3:15-18 – Eli coaxes the word of the Lord out of an understandably timid Samuel. The best thing we can say about Eli is that he did not fight the word of the Lord. That is, he didn’t try to talk Samuel out of it or otherwise censor it. He let the Lord have his say. Thus we see Eli as perhaps a well-intentioned, but certainly a spiritually-exhausted, old man. He obviously knew how to hear the Lord at some point in his life because he effectively coached Samuel to recognize His voice. But Eli was now hard of hearing spiritually speaking. The Lord had to speak to him through another prophet in the previous chapter (1 Sam 2:27-36) and He’s now speaking to him through Samuel. The judges, including Eli, have done all they could do…and it has not been enough.

The Lord Exalts Samuel in Israel

1 Sam 3:19 – The Lord is extending Samuel’s spiritual growth trajectory – a trajectory that was previously established as upward. Recall this:

1 Sam 2:26 Now the boy Samuel was growing in stature and in favor both with the LORD and with men.

1 Sam 3:20 – Samuel became well known “from Dan to Beersheba” not just as a priest, but as a prophet, too. A priest inherited the role, but a prophet had to be selected by God. A priest worked with what God had previously said in the Law, but a prophet could say anything God wanted said. God was promoting Samuel.

1 Sam 3:21– Keep in mind that Shiloh was the precursor for Jerusalem.

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1 Samuel 4

The Israelites Presumptuously Take the Ark into Battle

1 Sam 4:1-2 – Israel loses a battle and about 4,000 men to the Philistines, yet they do not inquire of the Lord why they lost the battle as Joshua did after the loss of his first battle with Ai (Josh 7). Whenever Israel lost, it was because of some sin in the camp, but this generation seems to have forgotten that part of Joshua’s success formula. They only remembered how Joshua’s generation marched the ark of the covenant around the walls of Jericho (Josh 6).

1 Sam 4:3-4 – Instead of humbling themselves before the Lord and repenting of their sins, the Israelites were going to attempt to use the ark of the covenant as a talisman. They are making the same mistake that Samson did: taking the Lord’s favor for granted.

Judg 16:20 She said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him.

As the Lord had left Samson because of his waywardness, so He had left Israel in its waywardness. The unworthiness of Eli, Hophni, and Phinehas was a reflection of the waywardness of the people. There just weren’t enough people like Hannah, Elkanah, and Samuel in those days to justify the Lord acting on Israel’s behalf.

This fetishizing of the things of God would be repeated yet again in the time of King Hezekiah, but he would have the insight and the power to correct the people.

2 Kin 18:1 Now it came about in the third year of Hoshea, the son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah became king.
2 Kin 18:2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah.
2 Kin 18:3 He did right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father David had done.
2 Kin 18:4 He removed the high places and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah. He also broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel burned incense to it; and it was called Nehushtan.

The bronze serpent made sense when God told Moses to produce and use it, but to preserve and expect it to produce supernatural results on demand is a slap in the face of a living God. Same goes for the ark of the covenant. Or any other object God has used for His purposes. God is not a God of superstition.

1 Sam 4:5-9 – The Israelites were greatly energized by the presence of the ark of the covenant in their midst, and the Philistines, correspondingly, were greatly intimidated – just as the Israelites had hoped. Israel expected victory…but would be sorely disappointed.

The Philistines Defeat Israel and Take the Ark

1 Sam 4:10-11 – Not only do the Philistines defeat Israel, killing 30,000 Israelites, they shame Israel by capturing the ark of the covenant. On top of all this, the Philistines kill Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas. This was in fulfillment of the prophecy to Eli from a man of God (1 Sam 2:27-36).

1 Sam 2:34 ‘This will be the sign to you which will come concerning your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas: on the same day both of them will die.

Eli Dies

1 Sam 4:12-18 – God’s judgments can take a long time to build…then only take an instant to have their lasting effect. Reading this passage reflectively, especially when accompanied by a re-reading of the prophecy to Eli in 1 Sam 2:27-36 just how sad this day was for Eli and his house. He would have us learn from his failure. Let us teach our children. And if we get worn out in the process, let us go back to the Bible and renew our strength. In fact, let’s just plan to do that every day. (Christ-Centered Bible Reading Plan)

Ichabod Is Born

1 Sam 4:19-22 – As the body without the spirit is dead (Jas 2:26), so Israel without its covenant with God would be dead. The meaning of the Hebrew “Ichabod” is “no glory.” The mother named the child this because she said “The glory has departed from Israel.” This event foreshadowed the day when Israel’s house would be left to it desolate (Mt 23:38; Lk 13:35) because of its faithlessness. Israel would be old and tired like Eli. But God would use Israel’s evil for good. The old covenant with Israel would be rendered obsolete by Israel’s rejection of its Messiah and the concurrent advent of the new covenant (Heb 8:13), which was inaugurated by the blood of Jesus (Lk 22:20; 1 Cor 11:25). Thus did Jesus prophesy in Mt 21:43 that the Spirit would depart from Israel and land on a nation (or nations since the gospel was going to all of them per Mt 28:18-20); America was an example of this until it fell – and it’s still falling as I write this. Similarly, Jesus was prophesying that the green tree was going dry as He was marched to crucifixion (Lk 23:31). For a tree cannot live without the sap that gives it life in the same way that physical Israel could not go on without the Holy Spirit. The fig tree was being dug up because it was taking up the ground without being productive (see Lk 13:6-9 in the larger context of Lk 13:1-9). ***** There was precedent for the Ichabod experience in Israel’s defeat at Ai. See Josh 7 and the accompanying BSN notes at Josh 7:6-9. Remember also Samson’s impotence once he gave in to the weariness of Delilah’s repeated tempting of him in Judg 16. ***** The name “Ichabod” can be contrasted with the name “Immanuel.”

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1 Samuel 5

The Ark of the Covenant Vexes the Philistines

Although the ark of the covenant had been of no help to Israel, it was worse than no help for the Philistines. In fact, it turned out to be for them a hot potato that none of them wanted to handle.

1 Sam 5:1-5 – Unless your god is Dagon, these scenes are laugh-out-loud funny.

1 Sam 5:6-7 – In Ashdod, its citizens are developing tumors.

1 Sam 5:8-9 – In Gath, it’s more tumors and “great confusion.”

1 Sam 5:10 – In Ekron, it’s more of the same and people are now talking about dying.

1 Sam 5:11-12 – After the better part of a year (1 Sam 6:1) and three of their five key cities being involved, the Philistines conclude it’s a curse rather than a blessing to have captured Israel’s prized possession.

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1 Samuel 6

The Philistines Formulate a Plan for Returning the Ark to Israel

1 Sam 6:6 – The Philistines seem better able to learn from Israel’s history than Israel is!

1 Sam 6:9 – Even ancient peoples did mental gymnastics to avoid facing the obvious. How could anyone reasonably think the succession of events in 1 Sam 6 were “by chance”? That’s like thinking the universe including all of us evolved out of primal goo.

The Philistines Begin Executing Their Plan

1 Sam 6:10-12 – The city of Beth-shemesh sat just on Israel’s side of the Philistine-Israel border. And “the cows took the straight way.” In other words, the Philistines dropped the hot potato as quickly as they could, in the Israelite city most easily accessible to them.

The Ark is Back in Israel

1 Sam 6:13-21 – While the Philistines were cursed merely for having possession of Israel’s ark, the Israelites of Beth-shemesh were cursed for their cavalier and curiosity-seeking manner of dealing with it. As the Philistine cities sought to rid themselves of the troublesome ark, so Beth-shemesh did as well, calling on nearby Keriath-jearim.

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1 Samuel 7

The Ark Is Settled in Kirath-Jearim

1 Sam 7:1-2 – Abinidab, Eleazar, and rest of Kiriath-jearim seemed to handle the ark with sufficient reverence that it could remain there for 20 years. Meanwhile, the rest of the tabernacle is presumably still in Shiloh. It’s hard to imagine how the ark or the tabernacle achieved their respective purposes being separated from each other. No wonder Israel lamented…but they didn’t solve the problem. That’s what we do sometimes – live with things we shouldn’t.

Samuel Restores Israel

1 Sam 7:3-4 – Even though the ark/tabernacle problem was not addressed, Samuel did begin restoring order to Israel. He started by calling the people to repentance for their sins.

1 Sam 7:5-14 – Samuel also prayed for the people in the manner of Moses, and got similar results. He brought about a balance of power in the region such that Israel was not subjugated by the Philistines.

1 Sam 7:12 – “Ebenezer” means “stone of help.” Jesus also spoke of help that God would give in the new covenant.

John 14:16 “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;
John 14:17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.

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John 14:26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

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John 15:26 “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me,

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John 16:7 “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.

If Israel was helped by God in the old covenant, how much more are we helped by Him in the new covenant…which is through Jesus Christ our Lord.

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1 Samuel 8

Israel Requests a King

Samuel’s Sons Underperform

1 Sam 8:1-3 – Samuel’s sons turn out no better than Eli’s.

1 Sam 8:4-5 – The Israelites reject not just Joel and Abijah, but the whole system of judges. They’ve experienced this system for centuries and it’s inadequate for their situation. They want a king like other nations have. Israel’s judges followed in the mold of Joshua – generally, military commanders leading militias against specific enemies. A king, on the other hand, could do everything a judge could do, and much more. A king could maintain a standing army, could plan and execute peacetime projects for the betterment of the nation, negotiate with other nations for peace treaties and alliances, and so on.

1 Sam 8:6 – Samuel’s disappointment in his sons and his embarrassment about the situation probably contributed to his displeasure with the people’s request for a new form of government, so he took the matter to the Lord.

1 Sam 8:7-9 – The Lord assures Samuel that the people are rejecting Him as much or more as they are rejecting Samuel and his sons. Besides, the Lord had foreseen this moment and had Moses include a provision for Israel’s king in the Law.

Deut 17:14 “When you enter the land which the LORD your God gives you, and you possess it and live in it, and you say, ‘I will set a king over me like all the nations who are around me,’
Deut 17:15 you shall surely set a king over you whom the LORD your God chooses, one from among your countrymen you shall set as king over yourselves; you may not put a foreigner over yourselves who is not your countryman.
Deut 17:16 “Moreover, he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor shall he cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, since the LORD has said to you, ‘You shall never again return that way.’
 Deut 17:17 “He shall not multiply wives for himself, or else his heart will turn away; nor shall he greatly increase silver and gold for himself.
Deut 17:18 “Now it shall come about when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests.
Deut 17:19 “It shall be with him and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statutes,
Deut 17:20 that his heart may not be lifted up above his countrymen and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or the left, so that he and his sons may continue long in his kingdom in the midst of Israel.

Warning Israel about the Disadvantages of a King

1 Sam 8:10-18 – The Lord has Samuel point out to the people that a king will bring disadvantages to the nation as well as advantages.

The Lord Grants Israel’s Request for a King

1 Sam 8:19-20 – In spite of the warnings, Israel insists that they want a king like the other nations have.

1 Sam 8:21 – Samuel leaves the matter in the Lord’s hands: “Thy will be done.”

1 Sam 8:22 – The Lord grants Israel’s request to have a king. The line of succession that results will mean that Israel’s king will one day be His Son. #FJOT

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1 Samuel 9

Saul’s Search for Donkeys

1 Sam 9:1 – We know from the book of Judges that Benjamin had become Israel’s smallest tribe but that it was populated with valiant warriors.

Judg 20:46 So all of Benjamin who fell that day were 25,000 men who draw the sword; all these were valiant warriors.

1 Sam 9:2 – It’s probably not a good sign when your dad’s most notable characteristic was that he was “a mighty man of valor” and yours is that you are “handsome” and “tall.”

1 Sam 9:6 – Note that the reason “the man of God” (Samuel) was “held in honor” was that “all that he says surely comes true.” This was the way Moses said a true prophet could be known.

Deut 18:22 “When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.

And this is the way that Samuel had come to prominence in Israel – that the Lord confirmed his words.

1 Sam 3:19 Thus Samuel grew and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fail.
1 Sam 3:20 All Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the LORD.

1 Sam 9:7-8 – In both the Old Testament and the New, God declared that His spokesmen should be compensated.

1 Tim 5:18 For the Scripture says, “YOU SHALL NOT MUZZLE THE OX WHILE HE IS THRESHING,” and “The laborer is worthy of his wages.”

1 Sam 9:9 – It makes sense that a “prophet” would be called a “seer” since prophets have visions.

God’s Search for a King

1 Sam 9:16 – Because our main exposure to royalty is through Great Britain, we are conditioned to think of a “prince” as separate from, and junior to, a king. However, in the Bible, the terms “prince” and “king” are more often used synonymously. To say that Israel had asked for a prince was the same thing as saying they had asked for a king. In that light, consider this messianic prophecy from Isaiah.

Is 9:6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
Is 9:7 There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace,
On the throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.

It should be obvious from the passage itself that this “prince” was to be king of the kingdom. But even if it wasn’t, passages like this one (1 Sam 9:16) make it clear that prince is a synonym for king. And that is exactly what Messiah (Christ) is: king. And that is why the “prince of peace” in Isaiah is synonymous with the “king of peace” in Paul’s letter to the Hebrews (and by allusion in Gen 14:18-20 and Ps 110:4 as well).

Heb 7:1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,
Heb 7:2 to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth part of all the spoils, was first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace.

1 Sam 9:17 – The prince/king shall “rule.” Thus Messiah would be prince, king, and ruler.

Matt 2:6 ‘AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH,
ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH;
FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER
WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.'”

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Rom 15:12 Again Isaiah says,
“THERE SHALL COME THE ROOT OF JESSE,
AND HE WHO ARISES TO RULE OVER THE GENTILES,
IN HIM SHALL THE GENTILES HOPE.”

Remember that the purpose of the Old Testament is to teach us about Messiah. The king of Israel, a position that is being formed for the first time in 1 Samuel, is a role for Messiah (Christ) to ultimately fulfill. Therefore, we study Saul, David, and the other kings of Israel to better understand Messiah’s role (Roles and Names of Christ) in our lives.

1 Sam 9:22-27 – Although Samuel makes no announcement to the people about what is going on, he begins to treat Saul as a king. Saul would turn out to be a failure as king, but he should still be respected because he was Israel’s first king and therefore a type of Christ (Types and Shadows of Christ).

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1 Samuel 10

Saul Is Anointed King of Israel

1 Sam 10:1 – #FJOT As the Brits crown their kings, so the Jews “anointed” theirs. From this practice and this word come the term “Messiah” (“Christ”) which means “Anointed.” Therefore, the word “Christ” – which appears over 500 times in the New Testament – can be traced back to this verse (1 Sam 10:1). To sum up:

• “Messiah” comes from the Hebrew word for “Anointed.”
• “Christ” comes from the Greek word for “Anointed.”
• “The Anointed” is a synonym for “the King” (just as “The crown” in Great Britain is a synonym for the king)

See also Christ – Messiah – Anointed – (King). The four words really all mean the same thing. And if you add “prince” from the previous chapter (1 Sam 9:16), it’s actually five words that mean the same thing.

It’s all about authority. When people resist Jesus, it’s His authority they’re resisting. When I resist Jesus, it’s His authority I’m resisting. Why should we resist the authority of the lifeguard? We can only be saved if we follow his instructions. And if we weren’t drowning, he wouldn’t have left his seat and come to us.

Saul was the first king of Israel. Jesus was – and is – the last. And He’s king of much more than Israel. He’s King of the Universe.

1 Sam 10:5 – God used Samuel to spawn a revival of prophecy in Israel. Things had been pretty dry for a while before Samuel was called to prophesy.

1 Sam 3:1 Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD before Eli. And word from the LORD was rare in those days, visions were infrequent.

1 Sam 10:6 – See BSN note on Judg 3:10 for how the Spirit of the Lord (the Holy Spirit) came on the judges. In the new covenant, the Spirit of the Lord comes on everyone. We all need to be “changed into another man.”

***** Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is prophecy. Note how the two go hand in hand.

Num 11:29 But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the LORD’S people were prophets, that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them!”

Joel and Peter confirmed this connection.

Acts 2:15 “For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day;
Acts 2:16 but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel:
Acts 2:17 ‘AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,’ God says,
‘THAT I WILL POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT ON ALL MANKIND;
AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY,
AND YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS,
AND YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS;

1 Sam 10:7 – When the Spirit of the Lord comes upon us, we should do “what the occasion requires” which can usually be understood as what is the greatest need…from God’s perspective.

Titus 3:14 Our people must also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful.

***

Eph 4:29 Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.

This is certainly the way Jesus operated. When people were sick, He healed them. When they were hungry and without access to food, He fed them. When they were ignorant of God, He taught them. Jesus was always meeting not the greatest human desire, but the greatest human need. He is our example. Never give your children what they want most unless it’s what they most need.

***** When the Holy Spirit is with you, “God is with you.”

1 Sam 10:9-13 – When Samuel anointed Saul with “oil” in 1 Sam 10:1, it was symbolic of Saul being anointed with the Spirit. This, too, points to Messiah. #FJOT The Holy Spirit brings joy.

Heb 1:9 “YOU HAVE LOVED RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HATED LAWLESSNESS;
THEREFORE GOD, YOUR GOD, HAS ANOINTED YOU
WITH THE OIL OF GLADNESS ABOVE YOUR COMPANIONS.”

***

Rom 14:17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

1 Sam 10:14-16 – It wasn’t Saul’s place to tell anyone he was now king; that was Samuel’s role. As Saul had Samuel for his herald, so Jesus had John the Baptist for His herald. #FJOT

Samuel Publicly Presents Saul as King

1 Sam 10:17 – Saul assembles the people so that a formal announcement could be made. As Samuel called people to Mizpah so they might hear the announcement, so John the Baptist called people to the wilderness that they might hear the announcement of a much greater king. #FJOT

1 Sam 10:18 – The Bible is constantly building on itself. That is, each part keeps referring back to, and building on, the previous parts. Of course, “the Bible” is not literally doing this, God is. He does so through His Holy Spirit who inspired the prophets who wrote the Old Testament and the apostles who wrote the New Testament. Remember the connection between the Holy Spirit and the word of God spoken on in the BSN note above on 1 Sam 10:6.

1 Sam 10:19 – Adam and Eve had rejected God as king so He returned to His creation as Jesus so that He might reclaim that throne. #FJOT

1 Sam 10:22-23 – We are beginning to see that though Saul looked the part, he wasn’t the man for the part. God would fully reveal this in due time, but for the moment Israel was demanding a king and David was not yet ready. God had to use a placeholder until the time came that a man after His own heart was ready to rule. More broadly, there were many prophets and kings in the Old Testament that looked the part of a Savior, but they were all placeholders until the One worthy of the role would be revealed in the New Testament.

1 Sam 10:24 – From the standpoint of appearances, Saul was a king straight out of central casting. But this is just a reminder of why we should always attach more weight to what the Lord says than to the way things appear to us. As the Proverbs say:

Prov 14:12 There is a way which seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death.

1 Sam 10:27 – #FJOT When men despise Jesus because they see no way that He can save the world, He becomes silent as far as they are concerned. Even an inadequate placeholder can be a type of Christ.

***

1 Samuel 11

Saul Defeats Nahash and the Ammonites

1 Sam 11:1 – Jabesh-gilead was a city in the territory of Gad, which was east of the Jordan River. Ammon (descended from Lot) was just to the east of Gad.

1 Sam 11:2 – Nahash was an “in your face” kind of guy – a bully.

1 Sam 11:3 – That Nahash allowed this confirms that he thought he could whip not just Jabesh-gilead, but all of Israel.

1 Sam 11:4 – The citizens of Gibeah wanted no part of Nahash and the Ammonites, but they looked doomed to a conflict no matter what. Either they would have to help Jabesh-gilead or else Nahash would come after their right eyes after gouging out Jabesh-gilead’s.

1 Sam 11:5 – We are prone to think of Saul in terms of his weakesses because he compares so unfavorably to David who would follow him as king, but Saul had strengths, too. We’re going to see them on display throughout this chapter.

• 1 Sam 11:6 – Saul was not going to be found “hiding himself by the baggage” as he was in the previous chapter. He accepted the Spirit of the Lord’s desire to push back against the Ammonites the way Samson received the Spirit to push back against the Philistines (Judg 13-16).
• 1 Sam 11:7-10 – Saul effectively rallied the nation and mustered an army to deal with Nahash and the Ammonites.
• 1 Sam 11:11 – Saul led Israel to victory over the Ammonites.
• 1 Sam 11:12-13 – Saul was magnanimous to his detractors (1 Sam 10:27) and more interested in honor for the Lord than for himself.

1 Sam 11:14-15 – And they all lived happily ever after. Well, not so much.

***

1 Samuel 12

Samuel Tutors Israel

1 Sam 12:3 – Notice that “His Anointed” serves as a substitute for “the king” in the same way that “the crown” would substitute for the king if spoken in London. And, if you haven’t already, see 1 Sam 10:1 and accompanying BSN notes above.

***** Samuel’s reference to not having taken anyone’s donkeys brings to mind that Moses made a similar statement. It seems likely that Samuel looked to Moses as his model for a priest.

Num 16:15 Then Moses became very angry and said to the LORD, “Do not regard their offering! I have not taken a single donkey from them, nor have I done harm to any of them.”

We saw Samuel seeming to imitate Moses also in 1 Sam 7:5-14 (see also accompanying BSN note on this point above).

1 Sam 12:4-5 – Samuel gets it on the record that the people have acknowledged that he has not been corrupt like so many of the other priests in his age. Similarly, a true journalist in our age might be understood if he didn’t want to be lumped in with the typical journalist of our age.

1 Sam 12:6-7 – Samuel now begins to call Israel’s history to mind. And, in doing so, he makes clear that it’s the Lord’s good deeds, not theirs, that have led to whatever successes they’ve had.

1 Sam 12:8 – Samuel is here referring to events that were covered in the five books of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) and the one book of Joshua.

1 Sam 12:9-11 – Samuel now refers to events covered in the book of Judges. ***** The name “Bedan” causes uncertainty. It could refer to 1) Barak, 2) Samson, 3) one of the other judges, 4) some otherwise unnamed judge. It’s not an issue that needs to be settled because none of those answers would change the meaning of the passage.

Saul Is Ceremonially Confirmed as King

1 Sam 12:12-13 – Samuel wants the Israelites to realize that in asking the Lord for a king, they were rejecting the Lord as their king. Samuel also wants them to see that in granting their request for a king, the Lord is being forgiving and gracious. In effect, these Israelites are asking for an intermediary between themselves and God, just as their ancestors had done at Sinai.

Ex 20:18 All the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance.
Ex 20:19 Then they said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, or we will die.”
Ex 20:20 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you may not sin.”
Ex 20:21 So the people stood at a distance, while Moses approached the thick cloud where God was.

Of course, Moses was a priest and Saul would be a king, but both were surrogates for God – just in different roles. Both allowed the people to focus on a fellow human being instead of directly on a being whose appearance and consciousness could not be imagined. These two moments foreshadowed God coming to us as a fellow human being, allowing us to mistreat Him as a human being as we had been mistreating Him as God, so that we would come to our senses and mend our attitudes toward Him. Jesus is both our priest and our king – our intermediary with God. As a priest, He secures forgiveness for our unrighteousness; and, as a king, He leads and commands us in the paths of righteousness.

1 Sam 12:15-18 – To emphasize his points, Samuel calls for the same sort of fireworks God displayed at Mount Sinai (Ex 20). Consider thunder a mnemonic aid.

1 Sam 12:19 – Even though the Israelites have gathered this day to celebrate their new king, they now realize they’ve personally offended the Lord by insisting on one other than Him.

1 Sam 12:20-22 – Samuel assures the people that they cannot undo what they have done, but need to move forward in obedience to the Lord and the king they have requested.

1 Sam 12:22 – Samuel points out that the Lord is going to stick with them because He has a reputation to uphold. He has a messianic plan to fulfill. If they are disobedient, He will have to punish them but He is not going to forsake His mission. We know this mission to be the salvation of creation; they knew it had to do with overcoming death but couldn’t be sure of much more than that. The coming Messiah was the One to explain it all.

1 Sam 12:23 – It is to Samuel’s great credit that he remembered that his foremost duty was to pray for those entrusted to his care as priest. Likewise, men are entrusted with the priesthood for their households. Everything you and I do should be inspired by the word of God and prayer.

1 Sam 12:24-25 – No matter what we do, God is going to be just.

Gal 6:7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.
Gal 6:8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

God will bless us if we’re good, discipline us if we’re bad, and love us no matter what.

***

1 Samuel 13

Tensions with the Philistines

1 Sam 13:1 – Saul had a lengthy but troubled reign as Israel’s king.

1 Sam 13:2 – This is the first mention of Saul’s oldest son Jonathan. He will figure prominently in Saul’s reign. ***** Saul retains a small force while discharging the rest of the army.

1 Sam 13:3-4 – Having stirred up the Philistines, Saul now has to recall Israel’s army.

1 Sam 13:5-7 – Although Israel was feeling very good after Saul led them to victory over Nahash and the Ammonites (1 Sam 11), everyone is now at the end of his tether. Some have even fled east of the Jordan River – that is, beyond the eastern border of Israel.

Saul Is Tested…and Fails the Test

1 Sam 13:8-9 – Samuel’s priestly activities for Israel were what was needed for Saul to achieve victory against the Philistines, just as Moses’ priestly activities on behalf of Israel gave Joshua his victory over the Amalekites.

Ex 17:8 Then Amalek came and fought against Israel at Rephidim.
Ex 17:9 So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose men for us and go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.”
Ex 17:10 Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought against Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
Ex 17:11 So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed.
Ex 17:12 But Moses’ hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus his hands were steady until the sun set.
Ex 17:13 So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

As I’ve been saying throughout this commentary on 1 Samuel, we see Samuel using Moses as an example of the priestly role rightly fulfilled. The only problem here was that Saul was spooked by the Philistines and then panicked because of the desertions (“the people were scattering from him”)…and decided to fulfill the priestly role himself. It was a big no-no for any Israelite to take on activities delegated solely to Levites or priests. Aaron had similarly panicked when Moses failed to come down from Mount Sinai when expected. That’s when he produced a golden calf for the people to worship (Ex 32).

1 Sam 13:10-12 – Samuel calls Saul to account for his misdeed. Saul offers a pathetic excuse and concludes with a line some form of which every parent gets to hear from a child sooner or later: “So I forced myself…”

1 Sam 13:13-14 – Saul succeeded against the Ammonites (1 Sam 11) but he fails spectacularly here. Samuel pronounces judgment against him but it will take years for that judgment to fully play out.

The Philistines and Israelites Jockey for Position

1 Sam 13:15-23 – The Philistines outnumbered the Israelites. Moreover, the Philistines were gathering and deploying while all the Israelites could do was try to stop scattering. On top of all this, the Philistines had managed to monopolize the production of the coolest weapons (swords and spears made of iron) while the Israelites had inferior weaponry (bows, arrows, and slings). As each side prepared for battle, it was clear to everyone that the Philistines had the advantage. (We’ll see this discrepancy in weaponry on full display when David takes on Goliath in 1 Sam 17.)

***

1 Samuel 14

Jonathan’s Bravery and Faith

1 Sam 14:1 – Jonathan had already experienced success against a Philistine garrison (1 Sam 13:3), so rather than sitting around waiting he decided to move out with his armor bearer against another one. This is Jonathan’s bravery.

1 Sam 14:6 – Jonathan knows that the Philistines have numbers on their side, but he also knows from the Scriptures that when the Lord has decided who is going to win or lose, the numbers don’t matter.

Deut 32:30 “How could one chase a thousand,
And two put ten thousand to flight,
Unless their Rock had sold them,
And the LORD had given them up?

***

Josh 23:10 “One of your men puts to flight a thousand, for the LORD your God is He who fights for you, just as He promised you.

This is Jonathan’s faith.

1 Sam 13:13-15 – The Lord gives victory to Jonathan and his armor bearer…which sets the Philistines on their heels.

Jonathan’s Success Sparks Israel

1 Sam 13:16-23 – Jonathan’s initiative creates enough of a stir to lead ultimately to a rallying of the Israelites as the Philistines flee.

Saul’s Foolish Order

1 Sam 14:24-30 – Saul is just a poor leader. He looks the part but doesn’t have the aptitude. His son Jonathan has the wisdom to see that the weary Israelites should not have been put on a fast; on the contrary, they had the Philistines on the run. They should have been rewarded, and they also were in need of having their strength renewed – not further stretched.

1 Sam 14:31-32 – Saul had let the men become so weak that they were getting sloppy and making poor decisions. It’s hard to be spiritual and mentally strong when you’re physically tired and weak.

1 Sam 14:33-35 – Saul tries to compensate for the men’s failings but doesn’t seem to realize how he as the leader bore more responsibility for the situation than they did. Sometimes we get put out with our children not realizing that we have caused them to be tempted beyond what they are able to bear.

Eph 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

1 Sam 14:36-46 – The people have to intervene with Saul in order to save Jonathan from death and Saul from the foolishness of his own oath.

Constant Warfare

1 Sam 14:47-48 – The story of Saul is a story of strengths and weaknesses, highs and lows. Some of his weaknesses have been seen in this chapter, but these two verses point out a strength. Saul was not a shirker. He fought. And like his father (1 Sam 9:1) and their fellow Benjamites (Judg 20:44, 46), he fought valiantly. We all have strengths and weaknesses as husbands and fathers. We must not be like Saul who seemed to accept himself as he was instead of purposing to develop his strengths and guard against his weaknesses. For your family’s sake…

1 Tim 4:16 Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.

1 Sam 15:52 – This is another of Saul’s strengths: he recognized talent and brought it into the fold.

***

1 Samuel 15

Saul’s Disobedience

1 Sam 15:1-9 – Samuel gives Saul specific instructions to “strike Amalek and utterly destroy all that he has.” To reinforce the point and make the matter crystal clear, Samuel goes on to say that Saul should “not spare him; but put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.” It’s hard to imagine instructions that could be any clearer.

1 Sam 15:9 – Contrary to Samuel’s instructions, Saul spared the Amalekite king and the best of the livestock and other property.

Samuel Rebukes Saul

1 Sam 15:10-11 – Samuel receives word of Saul’s disobedience directly from the Lord and prays all night about it.

1 Sam 15:12 – Samuel comes to find out that Saul has made matters even worse in that, believe it or not, “he set up a monument for himself!” When Saul messed up, he messed up bad.

1 Sam 15:13 – What is going on in Saul’s head that he greets Samuel with the boast that the Lord’s command has been fulfilled?

1 Sam 15:14 – What a line by Samuel!

1 Sam 15:15 – Saul sounds as if he thinks he is presenting an idea the Lord will like even better than the one He originally thought of. Saul had not taken to heart what Moses had been so clear about.

Deut 4:2 “You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

***

Deut 12:32 “Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it.

1 Sam 15:19 – That Saul “rushed upon the spoil” is reminiscent of how Achan coveted the forbidden spoil when Israel conquered Jericho (Josh 7) and of how Eve became convinced that the forbidden fruit might not really be forbidden after all.

1 Cor 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man…

***

Heb 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.

***

2 Cor 2:11 so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.

Satan’s playbook has a finite number of schemes. We need to learn how to recognize them.

1 Sam 15:20 – Could Saul be making things any worse?

1 Sam 15:21 – Yes, he makes things worse. This time it’s by blaming others for his sins.

1 Sam 15:22-23 – Who could improve on the way Samuel states the case here?

1 Sam 15:24-26 – Saul keeps embarrassing himself but Samuel admirably stands firm. This is actually the second time Samuel has pronounced this judgment on Saul. Remember the earlier one from two chapters back.

1 Sam 13:13 Samuel said to Saul, “You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, for now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.
1 Sam 13:14 “But now your kingdom shall not endure. The LORD has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.”

Saul is not listening. Samuel did listen. That’s the difference that made one man a failure in God and the other man a success in God.

1 Sam 15:27-28 – As Saul gets more and more desperate, Samuel stands firm and does not yield. As your kids act like Saul, you act like Samuel.

1 Sam 15:29 – We have heard words like this before.

Num 23:19 “God is not a man, that He should lie,
Nor a son of man, that He should repent;
Has He said, and will He not do it?
Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

1 Sam 15:30-31 – This short passage reveals the root of Saul’s weaknesses.

John 12:43 for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.

At the end of the day, all that motivated Saul was what people thought of him. He had no visibility to the invisible God. He had a secular mind. No faith. Samuel went back with Saul because there would be no benefit in shaming Saul in front of the people. It would only reinforce what was deficient in Saul. Besides, the replacement king was not ready. Israel had made this bed by insisting on a king when they did; they’d just have to lie in it. As for “Saul worshiped the Lord,” we can only conceive of it as the kind of worship that Isaiah and Jesus condemned.

Is 29:13 Then the Lord said,
“Because this people draw near with their words
And honor Me with their lip service,
But they remove their hearts far from Me,
And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote,

***

Mark 7:6 And He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:
‘THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS,
BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.
Mark 7:7 ‘BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME,
TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.’
Mark 7:8 “Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.”

1 Sam 15:32-33 – There was no point in Samuel instructing Saul to finish the job with the Amalekite king. Rather, Samuel had to take matters into his own hands.

1 Sam 15:34-35 – Samuel had to break fellowship with Saul; nothing good could come from Samuel pretending like everything was okay between them. Nor would it do any good for Samuel to keep correcting him when there was no real listening taking place. In the end, the very thought of Saul just brought grief to the hearts of Samuel and God. Sometimes all there is for us to do is grieve about someone who won’t listen…until a better hope comes along.

***

1 Samuel 16

Samuel Goes to Bethlehem

1 Sam 16:1 – This verse flows directly from the last verse of the previous chapter. (Chapter and Verses Divisions) ***** Samuel has already twice pronounced judgment against Saul (1 Sam 13:13-14 and 15:22-23). ***** As Samuel anointed Israel’s first king with oil (1 Sam 10:1), so he will anoint its second with it. ***** Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin, but Bethlehem was in Judah (Judg 17:7) and Jesse was a descendant of Judah (Gen 46:12; Ruth 4:18-22). A king from Judah would be more in line with the messianic plan (Gen 49:10; Num 2:3; 1 Chr 5:2) than one from Benjamin. ***** At this point, Samuel doesn’t know that God’s choice is David; he only knows that it is one of the sons of a Judahite named Jesse. ***** David will be anointed as king, but he will not accept that honor until Saul passes the scene.

1 Sam 16:2-3 – Samuel’s assessment of Saul is very sobering. It becomes even more sobering when we see that the Lord does not correct Samuel and tell him that he’s exaggerating the risk. On the contrary, the Lord gives Samuel a way to protect himself against Saul.

1 Sam 16:4 – That “the elders of the city came trembling” indicates that the estrangement of their chief priest and their king was widely known and had set the nation on edge, not knowing what was going to happen going forward.

1 Sam 16:6-7 – Given the high expectations for Saul based on his physical stature (1 Sam 9:2; 10:23), and how far short of those expectations Saul fell, it’s surprising that the Lord has to make this point to Samuel – but He does. And likewise we are often slow to learn from the experiences of life and need things to be explicitly pointed out to us. That’s why we don’t live life exclusively by trial and error but rather also read the Bible and pray every day to help us reflect on those experiences and learn more from them.

1 Sam 16:10-11 – It is to Samuel’s credit that when he got to the end of the line, he thought it more likely that there were more sons than that he had misunderstood the Lord.

David Anointed

1 Sam 16:12 – So it was going to be the runt of the litter. Isn’t that just like the Lord!

1 Sam 16:13 – Samuel anoints David with oil just as he anointed Saul with oil (1 Sam 10:1). And, just as with Saul (1 Sam 10:6), the Spirit of the Lord came upon David.

1 Sam 16:14 – There is a connection between the bestowal of the Spirit on David and the removal of the Spirit from Saul. This foreshadows the bestowal of the Spirit on Jesus and His followers and the removal of the Spirit from Israel and its temple system (Mt 21:43). In this regard, see also the BSN notes about Ichabod in 1 Sam 4:19-22 above.

1 Sam 16:15-23 – Alas, Saul was only able to find a way to soothe his demons – not get rid of them. May we learn from this to not merely seek relief from the stress of our problems, but rather a solution to them. Too many people want to drown out the naggings of their souls with media rather than address them through prayer and the Bible.

***

1 Samuel 17

Goliath’s Challenge

1 Sam 17:4 – Since a cubit was roughly a foot and a half, Goliath was about nine feet tall. For comparison, Robert Wadlow (1918-1940) from Alton, Illinois (just across the river from St. Louis) was 8′ 11″. Such oversized men were mentioned more in biblical times than in modern times. They were also mentioned more in early biblical times than in later biblical times. You may recall that in Num 13, the ten pessimistic scouts expressed fears about the size and strength of the inhabitants of Canaan, mentioning particularly the sons of Anak who traced back to the Nephilim first mentioned in Gen 6.

1 Sam 17:5 – One study Bible I have says that “five thousand shekels of bronze” works out to about 130 pounds. For comparison, Spec Ops Magazine says that “American soldiers and Marines deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan routinely carried between 60 and 120 pounds of gear, including body armor, weapons, and batteries.” This range of weights would, of course, be for normal, not oversized, men.

1 Sam 17:8-10 – This was a shrewd gambit by the Philistines. They’d been defeated before by the Israelites, but no individual Israelite soldier was going to be able to match up against Goliath. This was a better play for them.

1 Sam 17:11 – As the tallest Israelite (1 Sam 9:2; 10:23), Saul knew that he was the logical choice to represent his country – but he was as afraid of Goliath as everyone else.

Jesse Sends David on an Errand

1 Sam 17:12-19 – This section doesn’t flow smoothly from the previous chapter. By that, I mean that 1 Sam 16 introduces David and his family, but 1 Sam 17:12-19 is written as if they are being introduced for the first time. I take it that this is a result of multiple hands being involved in the authoring of this book (see Introduction). See a similar BSN note on 1 Sam 17:55-58 below.

David Hears the Challenge and Accepts It

1 Sam 17:26 – By the way David speaks of Goliath’s challenge, we can see that he sees it as a matter not of size but of covenant. Israel has a covenant with God and the Philistines don’t (“uncircumcised”). If God is with Israel, David believes, He cannot be with the Philistines because the Philistines have set themselves against Israel. And it logically follows that what applies to all Israelites and all Philistines applies to any Israelite and any Philistine. Another way of putting this is that David is thinking as Jonathan thought, reflected just below.

1 Sam 14:6 Then Jonathan said to the young man who was carrying his armor, “Come and let us cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; perhaps the LORD will work for us, for the LORD is not restrained to save by many or by few.”

And if the Lord is “not restrained to save by many or by few,” then reason dictates that He’s not restrained to save by tall or short either.

1 Sam 17:28 – This is not a good look for the firstborn of Jesse. He’s trying to put down the little brother who’s making him look bad.

1 Sam 17:29 – The youngest son doesn’t take the bait. Instead, he stays focused on the question, which is: “Is the prize worth the price?”

1 Sam 17:30 – Given what’s at stake (his life), David wisely gets a second source.

2 Cor 13:1 This is the third time I am coming to you. EVERY FACT IS TO BE CONFIRMED BY THE TESTIMONY OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES.

David Kills Goliath

1 Sam 17:31-37 – Though young, David assures Saul that this will not be his first rodeo. David has found the Lord faithful to His covenant with Israel in the past (when the bear and the lion were, in effect, stand-ins and warm-ups for the Philistines, and he is thus assured that He will be faithful in the present. As Jesus would put it…

Luke 16:10 “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.

If God was faithful with a bear and a lion, He’ll be faithful with a very big man.

David knows what he’s getting himself into. And he knows who’s going to get him out of it.

1 Sam 17:38-40 – A casual observer might think this was a young kid acting rashly and brashly. Instead, David is acting on what he has learned from the Scriptures and from the application of those Scriptures to his own life circumstances. He is operating in wisdom. He is carefully managing the risk-reward relationship. If “discretion is the better part of valor,” David is demonstrating both. His wisdom matches his courage.

1 Sam 17:43 – In speaking of “sticks,” Goliath is referring to the superior weaponry of the Philistines. (See the BSN note on this above at 1 Sam 13:15-23.)

1 Sam 17:45-47 – David lays out the contest between himself and Goliath as spiritual in nature; that is, although each man should do his best, the outcome will be determined by God. David punctuates his statement by saying he would remove Goliath’s head. This means he was anticipating felling Goliath with the sling shot and then using Goliath’s own sword to behead him since David had no sword. Clearly, David had thought the matter through.

1 Sam 17:48 – Note that when the giant approached, David “ran quickly toward” him. No wonder God was proud of him.

1 Sam 17:55-58 – This passage, indicating Saul’s unfamiliarity with David, seems strange in the light of 1 Sam 16:15-23. Thus we have here another passage like 1 Sam 17:12-19 that sounds odd coming after 1 Sam 16. See the BSN note on 1 Sam 17:12-19 above.

***

1 Samuel 18

Jonathan and David

1 Sam 18:1 – See note on 1 Sam 18:3-4 below.

1 Sam 18:2 – This action was consistent with Saul’s practice.

1 Sam 14:52 Now the war against the Philistines was severe all the days of Saul; and when Saul saw any mighty man or any valiant man, he attached him to his staff.

1 Sam 18:3-4 – Jonathan’s regard for David was rooted in Jonathan’s love for God. From a strictly human standpoint, Jonathan should have become just as hostile to David as his father would become, for Jonathan had just as much to lose from David’s success as his father did. Jonathan was Saul’s firstborn son and therefore in line to succeed him on the throne of Israel. Yet we will see Jonathan retain his devotion to David through thick and thin. Jonathan saw David as someone who loved God as much as he did, but who was more gifted and therefore of greater benefit to God and His people. Because Jonathan loved God and His people, he had the attitude toward David that John the Baptist had toward Jesus.

John 3:30 “He must increase, but I must decrease.

1 Sam 18:5 – David’s popularity would make Saul jealous and feel threatened. Meanwhile, Jonathan only grew in his appreciation of David. The two different responses of Saul and Jonathan toward David depict two different kinds of relationship with God. Saul had no meaningful personal relationship with God; Jonathan, on the other hand, loved God as David did.

Saul Turns against David

1 Sam 18:6-9 – Had Saul been more mature, he would not have obsessed over David’s popularity. For contrast, consider how Joseph’s pharaoh was happy to exalt Joseph to the maximum extent without becoming fearful that Egyptians might favor Joseph over him. Saul was afflicted with insecurities. It’s amazing that Jonathan turned out the way he did.

Saul’s Hostility for David Turns Murderous

1 Sam 18:10-11 – Whatever you call it – demonic possession or mental illness – Saul has deteriorated almost beyond belief.

1 Sam 18:14 – #FJOT In this verse, David is a foreshadowing of Jesus – David’s descendant, the Messiah.

1 Sam 18:17-19 – It was bad enough when Saul in the heat of a moment hurled his spear at David, but now his acts have become a matter of pre-meditation and scheming.

1 Sam 18:25 – I used to think it was pretty gruesome when someone in an old western movie talked about collecting scalps…until I read this.

1 Sam 18:27 – One hundred wasn’t enough?

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1 Samuel 19

The common thread of this chapter was that people with every reason to support Saul also supported David. Jonathan, Michal, and Samuel were not against Saul. They were for both men. But that meant they had to protect David because it was Saul trying to kill David, not the other way around.

Saul’s Son Protects David

1 Sam 19:1-7 – Jonathan mediates a restoration of Saul’s good relationship with David, but the restored relationship will not last long.

1 Sam 19:8 – David goes out and achieves more success for Israel.

1 Sam 19:9-10 – Saul returns to his previous volatile demeanor and murderous behavior.

Saul’s Daughter Protects David

1 Sam 18:11-17 – Jonathan loved David as a best friend; Michal loved David as a wife loves her husband. That Saul’s family could be so attached to David yet still loyal to Saul while Saul himself plotted death for him indicated how far off base Saul was.

Saul’s Counselor Protects David

1 Sam 19:18-24 – Saul’s wild swings back and forth between the Spirit of the Lord and the evil spirit from the Lord would be funny if they weren’t so tragic.

All these references to evil spirits leads to the obvious question: “If God is good, how does Satan exist?” I don’t have a neat and tidy answer. All I can say is that God is love and wants love. I don’t see how you can have love without free will, and I don’t see how you can have free will without the ability to choose good or evil. Satan has made his choice, and I can’t see pinning that on God.

More important than my reasoning, Jesus believed God is good and He believed in the existence of Satan…without blaming the former for the latter.

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1 Samuel 20

Saul’s Treachery Is Revealed to Jonathan
Jonathan and David Strengthen Their Covenant

Jonathan knows that his father has issues with David but he doesn’t appreciate how deep-seated is his father’s hostility toward David, nor does Jonathan realize the lengths to which his father will go in acting out that hostility. In short, Jonathan is naive about his father. David, on the other hand, understands the force of Saul’s animus against him. This chapter is about how David patiently brings Jonathan to that same level of understanding. In the process, David and Jonathan renew and strengthen the covenant they first formed in 1 Sam 18:3-4.

1) David Seeks Jonathan’s Help

1 Sam 20:1 – David knows Jonathan wants to protect him from his father’s hostility because he’s already worked with his father on behalf of David (1 Sam 19:1-7). So David goes to Jonathan and starts with the most basic question.

1 Sam 20:2-3 – Jonathan initially pushes back on David’s thesis, but David gives Jonathan a good reason to believe Saul might be keeping him in the dark.

1 Sam 20:4 – Jonathan shows openness to hearing more from David. I attribute Jonathan’s reasonableness to his heart’s attitude to God as I explained above in notes to 1 Sam 18:3-4 and 5. Because Jonathan’s heart was right toward God, he honored his father but he also recognized the anointing of God on David and how it benefited his father and the nation. ***** “Whatever He says to you, do it” #FJOT

2) David and Jonathan Work Out a Plan

1 Sam 20:5-23 – Although the two men collaborate, the plan is fundamentally of David’s design and its intent is to provoke Saul to reveal his heart to Jonathan. That shouldn’t be too hard given that Saul is showing less and less self-restraint as time goes on.

3) David Waits While Jonathan Executes the Plan

1 Sam 20:24-29 – Jonathan does his part and his father doesn’t initially suspect that David’s absence at the table meant anything. But that will change at David’s second absence.

4) Saul Is Angry with Jonathan

1 Sam 20:30-34 – At David’s second absence, Saul abandons all self-restraint and lets his anger explode. Moreover, this anger is not directed at David but at Jonathan since Jonathan was the only one of the two present. Saul even hurls a spear at his own son. Thus Jonathan’s eyes have been opened.

5) Jonathan and David Confer

1 Sam 20:35-42 – They two men weep together over the sad, sad state of affairs. Both of them loved Saul, but neither of them could do anything to change him. Reminding each other of their covenant, which was now stronger than ever, they both went forward. Neither would betray Saul or be hostile toward him – not then and not ever. Saul would go to his grave clinging to his irrational enmity toward David, but neither Jonathan nor David would ever lift a hand against him – Jonathan because Saul was his father and David because Saul was the Lord’s anointed.

Moral: While we don’t always need to formulate and execute the sort of plan that David and Jonathan did, we do need to patiently help our children along when they need to be gently brought to understand that they are putting too much trust in people that they shouldn’t.

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1 Samuel 21

David Takes Consecrated Bread

1 Sam 21:1-6 – This is the incident about which Jesus asked the Pharisees in the Gospels.

Matt 12:1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat.
Matt 12:2 But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath.”
Matt 12:3 But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and his companions,
Matt 12:4 how he entered the house of God, and they ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests alone?
Matt 12:5 “Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and are innocent?
Matt 12:6 “But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here.
Matt 12:7 “But if you had known what this means, ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT A SACRIFICE,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.
Matt 12:8 “For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

Mark (Mk 2:23-28) and Luke (Lk 6:1-5) also record this exchange between Jesus and the Pharisees.

David Arms Himself and His Men

1 Sam 21:7 – It’s bad news that Saul’s guy Doeg is overhearing the conversation between David and Ahimelech the priest. We’ll see why in the next chapter.

1 Sam 21:8-9 – Of all things! The only weapon on hand is Goliath’s sword – the one David used to cut his head off.

David Flees to Achish King of Gath

1 Sam 21:10 – Of all places! Gath had been Goliath’s home (1 Sam 17:4, 23) so maybe Goliath’s sword got David thinking in that direction. In Gath, David might be able to get swords for his men in exchange for the hometown hero’s oversized blade. In any case, it’s a sign of how obsessed the king of Israel had become with killing David that David had to seek refuge in the midst of a bunch of Philistines!

1 Sam 21:11-13 – Apparently, David hadn’t realized that he himself would be as famous in Gath as Goliath’s sword, so he had to feign madness.

1 Sam 21:14-15 – Professional stand-up comedians would be hard pressed to produce a funnier line than the one Achish delivered here.

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1 Samuel 22

David on the Run to Adullam, Moab, and Judah

1 Sam 22:1-2 – David flees to the cave of Adullam. His family, including his parents and brothers, gather to him to him there. Then others – those in debt, distress, or discontent (I wonder if alliteration is present in the Hebrew as well) – also gather to him. He has accumulated a small army of his own – about 400 men. ***** As for the “cave” of Adullam, see the BSN note below on 1 Sam 24:1-3.

1 Sam 22:3-4 – David deposits his parents with the king of Moab for safekeeping.

1 Sam 22:5 – Based on a word of the Lord through the prophet Gad, David flees to the forest of Hereth in Judah.

The point of all this is that David is a man on the run, but he is at the same time accumulating a following. And he is caring about his followers. #FJOT

Saul Orders Doeg the Edomite to Slay the Priests of Nob

1 Sam 22:6-8 – Saul whines to his staff that they don’t love him enough.

1 Sam 22:9-10 – Apparently motivated by the whining, Doeg the Edomite tells of the exchange between David and the priest at Nob.

1 Sam 22:11-13 – Saul summons Ahimelech and all the priests of Nob, lecturing them as if he’s the one being hounded by David instead of the other way around. (Why does a bully not seem to recognize how foolish he looks when playing the victim?)

1 Sam 22:14-15 – Ahimelech says in effect, “Are you questioning me for serving your guy?”

1 Sam 22:16 – Saul has lost all sense of proportion and judgment. No one can reason with him.

1 Sam 22:17 – These servants of Saul demonstrate themselves to be righteous by not following Saul’s murderous order. It’s like the Hebrew midwives who refuse to kill babies (Ex 1).

1 Sam 22:18-19 – Doeg the Edomite demostrates his unrighteousness not only by following Saul’s order to kill the 85 priests, but also by going so far as to massacre the general population of the city of Nob.

1 Sam 22:20-22 – When Abiathar escapes he takes word of what’s happened to David, who takes it all to heart because he cares for all these innocent people.

1 Sam 22:23 – Saul is becoming more and more unstable and there is little to restrain his violent intentions. As a result, more and more people are finding themselves in harm’s way. David sees it as his responsibility to protect those people. The contrast between Saul and David is becoming more and more stark. Saul was a type of Christ as Israel’s first king, but David shows himself a much better type of Christ since then. (Types and Shadows of Christ) At its root, the contrast between the two men is simply that Saul is caring for himself while David is caring for others.

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1 Samuel 23

David Delivers Keilah

1 Sam 23:1 – Keilah was an Israelite city in the lowlands of Judah. The people had planted and nurtured grain crops; now, the Philistines, like thieves, were swooping in to steal the fruits of Keilah’s harvest.

1 Sam 23:2 – While Saul was continuing to chase down David, David was sticking to his assigned duty of protecting Israel. In doing so, David was, of course, serving Saul who was the king of Israel. David tried to escape Saul but never tried to attack Saul. Even though David knew he was the Lord’s anointed to replace Saul, he also knew it was not his time as long as Saul was still alive. David knew that it was God’s place to deal with Saul – not David’s.

1 Sam 23:3-4 – David respects the concerns of his men and prays again.

1 Sam 23:5 – Since the men have seen David take their concerns to heart and pray about them, they trust him enough to follow him in this mission. God grants the victory to Keilah, David, and his men.

David was a leader who sought to do things God’s way, and thus achieved God’s desired results. As a leader, he was everything Saul was not.

David Escapes from Keilah

1 Sam 23:6 – This reference to Abiathar is a reference to 1 Sam 22:20-23. ***** See ephod.

1 Sam 23:7-8 – Just because Saul thought the Lord was helping him try to kill David does not mean that the Lord was. Saul was the king of Israel, the Lord’s anointed – but he had squandered his anointing and was way off track. Off track people can claim the backing of God, but that doesn’t mean they have it.

1 Sam 23:9-10 – Presumably, David is wearing the ephod as a sign that he is praying on Israel’s behalf – not his own. Notice the concern he expresses is that Saul might “destroy the city on my account.” That is, David is seeking the good of his neighbor and he is seeking the honor of God’s name since He is the God of Israel. David is not seeking protection simply for himself; Saul, however, was consumed with protecting himself.

1 Sam 23:11-12 – David knew the hearts of men. On the one hand, he and his men had just saved the city so he had a right to expect the men of Keilah to do the right thing and defend David and his men. On the other hand, David knew that the men of Keilah could waver in such a moment, being torn by concerns for their women and children. The Lord confirms to David what he had suspected. He and his men had to get out of Keilah while they had the chance.

1 Sam 23:13 – David gets out of Dodge in time and Saul gives up…but only for the moment. ***** The last time we had a count of David’s men was when they were at the cave of Adullam and there were 400 of them (1 Sam 22:1-2). Now David is up to 600. Those who were “in debt, distress, or discontent” were adding up.

Saul Continues Hounding David

1 Sam 23:14-15 – After his missed opportunity at Keilah, Saul resumes the manhunt for David.

1 Sam 23:16-18 – It is to both Jonathan’s and David’s credit that Jonathan would rather be a #2 to a King David than be the king himself. ***** Jonathan and David continue to remember and strengthen their covenant with each other (1 Sam 18:3; 20:8, 16). ***** Rather than plot against Saul, both Jonathan and David continue to serve their king and their nation as best they can – Jonathan in Saul’s presence and David away from it.

1 Sam 23:19-20 – While there were some Israelites joining David to save him, there were others who sought favor with King Saul by turning David over to him.

1 Sam 23:21-23 – Saul has never demonstrated an aptitude for leadership – he has only looked the part (1 Sam 9:2; 10:23). He ponders when he ought to pounce, and pounces when he ought to ponder.

1 Sam 23:27-28 – David did everything in his power to escape Saul; but when that wasn’t enough, something would happen to tip the scales in David’s favor. Maybe God was at work?

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1 Samuel 24

David Spares Saul

This chapter reveals the heart of David – that it was given over to the God of the Bible in a way that most people could not imagine. This becomes even more clear when we read this chapter in conjunction with Psalm 57, which says in its preface “A Mikhtam of David, when he fled from Saul in the cave.”

1) Saul Falls into David’s Hands

1 Sam 24:1-3 – In ancient times, caves could be used as burial places (Gen 23 for Sarah, and Jesus’ burial tomb, too, for that matter), but caves could also be used as latrines. Even when a cave is not being used for either of those two purposes, it is not a pleasant place to be. That David and his men were having to hide out in a cave – and especially one being put to the use Saul was putting it – indicates what a hard life Saul was imposing on them. It is in sinful human nature to glorify the life of outlaws, but members of any “hole-in-wall gang” were living far from glamorous lives, Hollywood movies notwithstanding.

1 Sam 24:4 – David would have had to use his knife to accomplish this. That would have required both his hands, meaning neither hand was available to hold his nose. Sure, that’s a small issue in the overall scheme of things, but still…

1 Sam 24:5 – If David’s conscience bothered him for cutting Saul’s robe, how much more it would have bothered him if he’d followed his men’s advice.

1 Sam 24:6-7 – The essential issue for David was that Saul was “the Lord’s anointed.” And David was even able to persuade his men to stand down for that reason! See BSN: Christ – Messiah – Anointed – (King).

2) David Appeals to Saul

1 Sam 24:8-15 – David offers Saul undeniable proof that he bears Saul no ill will. Jesus dying on the cross by humanity’s hands is undeniable proof that He bears us no ill will.

3) Saul Has a Moment of Sanity

1 Sam 24:16-22 – Saul is momentarily brought to his senses. But David knows better than to trust him, which is why they go their separate ways at the end. David could trust Jonathan, but he couldn’t trust Jonathan’s father. The difference between the son and the father was simple: Jonathan had proven over and over that he loved the Lord, and his father had proven over and over that he did not.

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1 Samuel 25

Samuel Dies

1 Sam 25:1 – Samuel had instituted the kingdom by anointing Saul to be king, but Saul thereafter shunned all Samuel’s advice and correction. Shall we accept a ticket to heaven from Jesus but thereafter shun all advice and correction from Him?

Nabal Offends David

1 Sam 25:2-4 – Nabal’s ancestor Caleb bucked majority opinion when he urged Israel to invade Canaan with faith in the Lord’s promise (Num 13-14). That was a virtue of his. But his descendant Nabal has turned that virtue into a vice by bucking everyone all the time for no good reason. Let us be aware that a virtue can become a vice if we exercise it in isolation from other virtues. The fruit of the spirit comes in variety.

Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Gal 5:23 gentleness, self-control…

1 Sam 25:9 – As David’s men spoke in his name, so Jesus’ apostles spoke in His name.

1 Sam 25:13 – David still has 600 men (1 Sam 23:14, including accompanying BSN note), so he doesn’t appear to have lost any.

1 Sam 25:14-17 – Nabal was receiving a benefit for which he was not offering a return.

2 Chr 32:25 But Hezekiah gave no return for the benefit he received, because his heart was proud; therefore wrath came on him and on Judah and Jerusalem.

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Luke 6:33 “If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.

Thus Nabal wasn’t even doing the good that rank-and-file sinners do. He was an unusually ungrateful and hard-headed man.

Abigail Intercedes for Nabal with David

1 Sam 25:18-38 – Abigail was everything Nabal was not. How did these two ever wed? (The Bible doesn’t tell us.)

David Marries Abigail

1 Sam 25:39-42 – Even when being exalted by David, Abigail remained humble.

David’s Other Wives

1 Sam 25:43-44 – That the Lord lived with man’s polygamy under the old covenant doesn’t mean He thought it was a good idea. God lived with lots of undesirable things before Jesus came. Just because He allowed something doesn’t mean He approved of it. And just because God allowed something at one time doesn’t mean He allows it for all time.

Matt 19:8 He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you…

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Acts 14:16 “In the generations gone by He permitted all the nations to go their own ways;

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Acts 17:30 “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent,

Once God sent His best, He expects our best in return.

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1 Samuel 26

David Again Spares Saul

This chapter records the second time that David could have killed Saul but didn’t. The first was in 1 Sam 24. Because the incidents are so similar, they reinforce the fact that Saul is losing his mind. He has been on a downward trajectory ever since his first days as king. Even when he seems to come to his senses, it’s only temporary.

1 Sam 26:1 – This wasn’t the first time the Ziphites tried to help Saul catch David (1 Sam 23:19-29).

1 Sam 26:5 – In addition to being the commander of Saul’s army, Abner was Saul’s cousin (1 Sam 14:50).

1 Sam 26:6 – Since Zeruiah was David’s sister (1 Chr 2:13-16), her sons were David’s nephews.

1 Sam 26:17-25 – Saul’s second “coming to his senses” seems as genuine as the first (1 Sam 24:16-22), so he can only be considered the shell of a man who will again seem normal only until the next fit of rage consumes him.

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1 Samuel 27

David Flees to the Philistines

1 Sam 27:1 – David rightly recognizes that his life will always be in jeopardy as long as Saul is alive. Having been to Gath alone before (1 Sam 21:10-15), David returns this time with his small army of 600. Having had the opportunity to size up Achish on his previous visit, David has apparently figured out a way to explain his prior “insanity” as temporary and smooth-talk some mutually-beneficial arrangement with the Philistine king. David’s defeat is probably old news to Achish; the new news is that David is deemed an enemy of the state in Israel…so Achish probably now figures, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” David pulls it off.

1 Sam 27:5-6 – David probably caused Achish to prosper the way Jacob caused Laban to prosper or Joseph caused Potiphar to prosper. ***** David wisely seeks to house himself and his men far enough away from Achish so as to maintain some independence of movement. ***** It’s neat that Judah would ultimately gain a permanent Canaanite city out of this arrangement.

1 Sam 27:8-12 – David is conducting raids on Israel’s enemies, but making Achish think he’s conducting them on Israel and its allies. That’s why David leaves no one alive in his attacks – so no one can live to tell Achish otherwise. Of course, as far as David is concerned, he is fulfilling the Lord’s command through Moses and Joshua to drive out the inhabitants of Canaan to make room for Israel to occupy the land. But he cannot, of course, expect Achish to value that perspective.

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1 Samuel 28

The Philistines Prepare for a Major War with Israel

1 Sam 28:1-2 – This part of the story stops here and will resume at the beginning of the next chapter.

1 Sam 28:3-25 – The lesson of this story is encapsulated in the single verse of Isaiah 8:19.

1 Sam 28:3 – Samuel’s death was first recorded in 1 Sam 25:1. ***** Saul’s removal of mediums and spiritists from the land was simply following Moses’ law on the subject (Lev 19:31; 20:27; Deut 18:10-12).

1 Sam 28:4-5 – As Saul had been intimidated by the size of the Philistine Goliath (1 Sam 17:11), so he was now intimidated by the size of the Philistine army.

1 Sam 28:6 – This is not the first time God has failed to respond to an inquiry from Saul (1 Sam 14:37). Samuel the priest could have helped Saul be restored to God, but Saul had shunned him while he was still living, and now he was gone.

1 Sam 28:7 – Saul now turns for help to a resource he knows is against the law, a law that he himself had enforced!

1 Sam 28:8-10 – Saul obviously doesn’t want to be identified, but he has to swear an oath to get the woman to proceed.

1 Sam 28:11 – After all this time, Saul now finally decides to seek Samuel’s advice. In addition to all his other deficiencies and dysfunctions, Saul has a terrible sense of timing.

1 Sam 28:13-14 – Saul is “coming up” because he’s in Sheol (Hades) which is below. No one went to heaven at death until the Second Coming – except, of course, for Jesus.

1 Sam 28:15-19 – There is no good news for Saul in anything Samuel has to say.

1 Sam 28:20-25 – Saul continues in vacillation and irrationality. Such was his fate having resisted the anointing he had received to be king. We who are husbands and fathers receive an anointing to fill those roles and perform the duties associated with them. Woe to us if we resist that empowering and think we can instead fulfill those roles in whatever ways we wish.

Prov 14:12 There is a way which seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death.

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1 Samuel 29

The Philistines Doubt David’s Loyalty

1 Sam 29:1 – The story of the war that is about to break out between Philistia and Israel picks up here from where it left off in 1 Sam 28:1-2, 4-5.

1 Sam 28:2-5 – The lords of the Philistines do not want Achish to take David into battle with them no matter how highly Achish thinks of David. In this disagreement, the lords of the Philistines were acting more wisely than Achish. Achish was understandably appreciative and devoted to David. He probably had grown to trust David more than he trusted any of his other subordinates in the same way that Nebuchadnezzar came to trust Daniel more than anyone else on his staff. That’s the way it is when a man who fears God serves a reasonable man who holds a superior position. Jacob serving Laban and Joseph serving Potiphar also come to mind. But the lords of the Philistines are being more prudent because they are not blinded by the affection Achish feels toward David. These lords know that blood is thicker than water.

1 Sam 28:6-11 – Irrespective of what David communicated to Achish before separating from him, we have to assume David was thankful to the Lord for this turn of events. For no matter how much appreciation and devotion David may have had for Achish after receiving shelter when he needed it most, how could David ever lift his sword against the people of his God led by “the Lord’s anointed”? David would have faced a decision he did not want to make.

Luke 16:13 “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other…

In approaching that battle, David would either have had to turn on Achish or turn on his countrymen. He wouldn’t have wanted to turn on either. Therefore, the lords of the Philistines were unintentionally doing David a favor by doubting his loyalty to them and thereby sparing him that choice and that experience. Yes, David would eventually face the Philistines in battle, but at least in that case he’d be fighting face to face with Achish rather than stabbing him in the back.

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1 Samuel 30

David’s Victory over the Amalekites after Their Raid on Ziklag

1 Sam 30:1-2 – At the request of the Philistine leadership, Achish king of Gath has sent his bodyguards (1 Sam 28:2) – David and his 600 men – back to their home base in the town of Ziklag.

1 Sam 30:3-5 – David and his men were understandably devastated.

1 Sam 30:6 – David was experiencing the same grief that his 600 men were experiencing, but he had an additional grief that none of them were having to face: a potential stoning that they were cooking up. That David could turn to the Lord at a time like this…and find strength…is what distinguished him from other men. If you and I can do the same – that is, turn to the Lord in times of great despair when even our own families are seeing us as responsible for all the woes – then we will be able to hold our heads up when we get to heaven.

1 Sam 30:7-8 – The “ephod” was a physical sign that the wearer was coming before the Lord on behalf of others – those persons being represented by the precious stones sewn onto the front of the ephod. We under the new covenant wear a spiritual (invisible) ephod on our hearts as a reminder that we are praying for our families – our wives and children – and not ourselves. In other words, the ephod is for us an attitude, a mindset, a way of thinking about what we are doing. David knew he’d be saved in Israel’s salvation; likewise, we know we’ll be saved in our family’s salvation. Therefore, we don’t have to worry, fret, and pray for ourselves as Saul did; rather, we can trust and pray for our families knowing that in their deliverance we will find deliverance. Let not “Women and children first” sink with the Titanic; it is an eternal, not an antiquated, principle.

1 Tim 4:16 Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.

1 Sam 30:9-10 – Throughout David’s career as a soldier, he always kept tabs on his men. He made sure they had enough to eat, and enough encouragement, too. He knew that taking 200 weary soldiers into battle could drag down and risk the welfare of the 400. Therefore, for the benefit of both the 400 and the 200, he left the 200 to guard the 600’s stuff. Besides, he knew, like Jonathan knew, that the Lord could give him victory over the Amalekites no matter how many or how few men he took with him into battle.

1 Sam 14:6 Then Jonathan said to the young man who was carrying his armor, “Come and let us cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; perhaps the LORD will work for us, for the LORD is not restrained to save by many or by few.”

1 Sam 30:18-19 – Out of the depths of despair (1 Sam 30:1-6), God was able to give victory to David and recovery of all that had been lost – “David brought it all back.” #FJOT

1 Sam 30:20 – The people said, “This is David’s spoil” – This is the guy they were talking about stoning in verse six! Crowds can be fickle; children, too. Stay steady.

David’s Generosity with the Spoils of Victory

Notice what David does with “David’s spoil” (1 Sam 30:20).

1 Sam 30:21-25 – #FJOT Here we see why it is rightly said of David that he was a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22 and elsewhere).

Matt 20:1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.
Matt 20:2 “When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard.
Matt 20:3 “And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the market place;
Matt 20:4 and to those he said, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ And so they went.
Matt 20:5 “Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did the same thing.
Matt 20:6 “And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day long?’
Matt 20:7 “They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’
Matt 20:8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.’
Matt 20:9 “When those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a denarius.
Matt 20:10 “When those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius.
Matt 20:11 “When they received it, they grumbled at the landowner,
Matt 20:12 saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.’
Matt 20:13 “But he answered and said to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius?
Matt 20:14 ‘Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.
Matt 20:15 ‘Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?’
Matt 20:16 “So the last shall be first, and the first last.”

It is lawful for a man to do what he wishes with what is his own. As David did what he wished with what was his own (“David’s spoil”), so Jesus has done and is doing what He wishes with what is His own. For further reflection, see:

• Essay: Everyone Is Going to Heaven
• Essay: Does It Bother You That Everyone Is Going to Heaven?
• Book: The Implications of Everyone Going to Heaven

1 Sam 30:26-31 – This paragraph acts as an exclamation point to the previous one. Not only did the weary soldiers get a share, but all David’s kinsmen in Judah – without reference to whether they supported Saul or him – received a portion of the spoils. Indeed, the generosity of David foreshadows the grace of X, for grace is generosity. (Types and Shadows of Christ)

Matt 20:15 ‘Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?’

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Eph 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace
Eph 1:8 which He lavished on us…

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Eph 2:7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

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1 Samuel 31

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Saul and His Sons Die in the Battle of Mount Gilboa

For the longest time, it may have appeared that Saul was getting away with murder. He ruled Israel for 40 years and for most of that time he was out of touch with God and doing what was right in his own eyes. Yet when judgment came, as is reported in this chapter, it was swift and final. His earthly reputation is beyond redemption; the record of his failings down here can never be erased.

John 9:4 “We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work.

This is the way God judges, wisely and patiently. Let us never think that anyone is getting away with anything.

Eccl 8:11 Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore the hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil.

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Eccl 12:13 The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.
Eccl 12:14 For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.

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Heb 9:27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,

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1 Tim 5:24 The sins of some men are quite evident, going before them to judgment; for others, their sins follow after.

For more on judgment, see the essay Judgment Is upon Us. As for Saul, notice all the shame of this chapter and resolve that you will live your life in such a way that your life will never end like this. At the same time, recognize that Jesus’ earthly life ended with shame like this, but the difference was that Jesus didn’t deserve it. That’s why the shame was rectified by exceedingly great honor in the resurrection – all the way to heaven’s highest place. Thus there are judgments of God in this life, but then there is a final one when this life is done that settles all scores and makes everything right.

1 Sam 31:11-13 – Recall that the deliverance of Jabesh-gilead from Nahash and the Ammonites (1 Sam 11), which occurred early in Saul’s 40-year reign, was one of the few feathers in Saul’s cap. It is to his credit and to the credit of the men of Jabesh-gilead that they remembered how he saved them and showed him this honor out of respect and gratitude.

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