First and Second Samuel were originally one book called the Book of Samuel in the Hebrew Bible. The Greek Septuagint translation of the Old Testament (made ca. 250 B.C.) was the first to divide it into two books. The Septuagint translators titled these books 1 and 2 Kingdoms. That division has persisted ever since and has even been incorporated into subsequent editions of the Hebrew Bible (since A.D. 1517). The title “Samuel” was given by Jerome in his Latin translation, the Vulgate (ca. A.D. 400). The Jews gave the name “Samuel” to it because Samuel is the first major character in the book. Samuel anointed both Saul and David, so in this respect he was superior to both of them.
The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel’s history bracketed by Samuel’s conception and the end of David’s reign. We can estimate the date of Samuel’s birth fairly certainly on the basis of chronological references in the text to have been about 1121 B.C. Thus the Book of Samuel covers about 1121-971 B.C., or about 150 years of history.
The purpose of the book of 1 Samuel is to highlight two major events: first, the establishment of the monarchy in Israel; and second, the preparation of David to sit on the royal throne after Saul. Saul was rejected by the Lord in favor of David even though, humanly speaking, he stayed on the throne until his death at Mount Gilboa. First and Second Samuel deal with a transitional period in the history of ancient Israel—the transition first from the priest Eli to the judge Samuel, then from the judge Samuel to the king Saul, and then from Saul to David, who founded the dynasty that would last as long as the kingdom of Judah. The prophet Samuel thus f
unctions as the link between the judgeship and the kingship. The kingdom of Saul was transitional in a further sense: it was more than a loose confederation that gathered together when there was a common threat, but it was not a period of strong central rule such as existed later.
1. After the death of Moses who became the leader of the Israelites?
And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated…….And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses. Deut. 34:7,9
1. What was Joshua’s mission?
Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ servant, saying, 2 “Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel. 3 Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory. 5 No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. Josh 1:1-5 (NASB)
Joshua said, “By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will assuredly dispossess from before you the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Hivite, the Perizzite, the Girgashite, the Amorite, and the Jebusite. Josh 3:10 (NASB)
About forty thousand armed for battle crossed over before the Lord to the plains of Jericho for war.Josh 4:13 (NIV)
On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying,“To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, 19 the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.” Gen 15:18-21 (ESV)
3. So, did the Israelites occupy the land and drive out the Canaanites as God directed them?
21 The Benjamites, however, failed to dislodge the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem; to this day the Jebusites live there with the Benjamites. Judges 1:21 (NIV)
1Cor. 15:33 Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
If you move into a neighborhood of drug dealers, prostitutes, and Hells Angels, what affect do you think it would have on your family, your friends and your children?
Normally the evil degrades the good instead of the other way around, especially if it becomes a generational thing.
“But mom! All the other kids are doing it.”
What wrong with just a little compromise?
4. So what happened after Joshua and his “homeboys’ died?
6 After Joshua had dismissed the Israelites, they went to take possession of the land, each to his own inheritance. 7 The people served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel. 8 Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten. 9 And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Heres in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. Judges 2:6-9 (NIV)
Approx 300 year period of time between the death of Joshua and the last of the Judges.
But after the death of Joshua, things began to fall apart. Israel went through repetitive cycles of blessing and discipline, the result of their obedience or rebellion. When Israel disobeyed, God gave the nation over to an oppressive enemy. When the Israelites repented and cried out to God, He sent a “judge” to deliver them. When that judge died, the people of Israel returned to their sin. The cycle seemed to be endless.
But in Canaan Israel quickly forgot the acts of God that had given them birth and had established them in the land. Consequently they lost sight of their unique identity as God’s people, chosen and called to be his army and the loyal citizens of his emerging kingdom. They settled down and attached themselves to Canaan’s peoples together with Canaanitemorals, gods, and religious beliefs and practices as readily as to Canaan’s agriculture and social life.
5. So what was the spiritual state of health of the nation of Israel?
1 “And if you indeed obey the Lord your God and are careful to observe all his commandments I am giving you today, the Lord your God will elevate you above all the nations of the earth. 2 And all these blessings will come to you in abundance if you obey the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 28:1-2).
6. How is this similar to our present world?
Doesn’t this sound familiar? Relativism. There is no right or wrong, it depends how I feel about it. 2 + 2 can equal 5 if I feel that it should.
Relativism is the philosophical position that all points of view are equally valid, and that all truth is relative to the individual. This means that all moral positions, all religious systems, all art forms, all political movements, etc., are truths that are relative to the individual. Under the umbrella of relativism, whole groups of perspectives are categorized. In obvious terms, some are:
Cognitive relativism (truth) – Cognitive relativism affirms that all truth is relative. This would mean that no system of truth is more valid than another one, and that there is no objective standard of truth. It would, naturally, deny that there is a God of absolute truth.
Moral/ethical relativism - All morals are relative to the social group within which they are constructed.
Situational relativism - Ethics (right and wrong) are dependent upon the situation.
7. Who were the major Judges of Israel during this time?
A. Othniel Defeats Aram Naharaim (3:7–11)
B. Ehud Defeats Moab (3:12–30)
C. Deborah Defeats Canaan (chs. 4–5)
E. Jephthah Defeats Ammon (10:6-12:7)
D. Gideon Defeats Midian (chs. 6–8)
F. Samson Checks Philistia (chs. 13–16)
Minor Judges
1. Shamgar (3:31)
2. Tola (10:1–2)
3. Jair (10:3–5)
4. Ibzan (12:8–10)
5. Elon (12:11–12)
6. Abdon (12:13–15
8. How did the period of the Judges move into the period of the kings?
And said to him, Behold, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint us a king to rule over us like all the other nations.
But it displeased Samuel when they said, Give us a king to govern us. And Samuel prayed to the Lord.
And the Lord said to Samuel, Hearken to the voice of the people in all they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not be King over them. 1 Sam 8:5-7
1 Samuel illustrates a transition period in the history of the nation of Israel. From a period where God was their king and He would raise up Judges to lead and save the nation when they would get themselves into trouble to a period where kings ruled the nation.
9. In our own U.S. history, who would be a pivotal figure in the transition from us being 13 British Colonies to being the United States?
In our own history as a people on this continent there have been transition periods
.The change from being a British colony to a Republic. The change from a king to a president.
George Washington might be viewed as the right person at the right time to lead during this period. Many wanted to make Washington king over the colonies, but he refused.
Lincoln might be viewed as the leader who presided over what had become a crisis in which the nation had become two separate nations and needed to forged into one republic. This civil war period was a transition from two countries into one.
Unfortunately when there is a major change in society, it is usually accompanied with blood shed.
Look at the French Revolution, the Russian Revolution, usually there is one person or a small group pf person who come to the forefront. Unfortunately the French Revolution led to Napoleon and the Russian Revolution led to Stalin. So whether you call him King or Emperor or Premier what is the difference?
- ESVN………….ESV Study Bible Notes
- MSBN…….MacArthur NASB Study Notes
- NIVSN…..NIV Study Notes.
- JVM ….J Vernon McGee,
- ACC …. Adam Clarke’s Commentary
- BN …..Barnes Notes
- WBC…… Wycliffe Bible Commentary
- CN …… Constables Notes
- IC……….Ironside Commentary
- NET………Net Bible Study Notes.
- JFB…………..Jamieson Fausset Brown Commentary
- VWS……………..Vincent Word Studies
- CMM………….Commentary on Matthew and Mark
- BDB………….. Barclay’s Daily Study Bible (NT)
- Darby………..John Darby’s Synopsis of the OT and NT
- Johnson………Johnson’s Notes on the New Testament.
- NTCMM…………..The New Testament Commentary: Matthew and Mark.
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