1 Samuel: Overview

Before we dive into what 1 Samuel is all about, we must first do a recap. Both books of Samuel are history books in the Bible, telling the story of God moving through Israel’s history. God is an intentional God, moving for his utmost glory through every moment, season, and era. Israel, up to this point, has been freed from slavery. They were brought to Mt. Sinai, where the Mosaic covenant with God was formed, and after 40 years in the wilderness, they were brought into the promised land. However, God’s people didn’t stay within their covenant with God, and we see in the book of Judges the chaos of sin, man's brokenness, and death reign through Israel. Then that brings us to 1 & 2 Samuel. 

According to the ESV commentary, “the central theme of the books of Samuel is God’s exercising of his cosmic kingship by inaugurating a Davidic dynasty.” God’s plan was always to point to a throne. We see first the broken throne of Saul; then we will see the broken throne of David and his whole line of broken thrones - until Jesus. 

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,

    and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,

    the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

    the Spirit of counsel and might,

    the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

And his delight shall be in fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,

    or decide disputes by what his ears hear,

but with righteousness, he shall judge the poor,

    and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;

and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,

    and with the breath of his lips, he shall kill the wicked.

 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,

    and faithfulness the belt of his loins. (Isaiah 11:1-5, ESV)

As we read through Samuel, we see that God is purposeful and intentional with all human history and begins the story of Israel’s kings while foreshadowing his kingship. Through the broken thrones of the kings, he is pointing to his throne of grace which he sits on for all eternity. Let us remember that now only is he our King, but our Father who beckons us into the throne room to offer grace, forgiveness, and loving reminders we are his beloved children. Let us read, pray and meditate on this as we read 1 Samuel.