1 Samuel - Introduction

The main change that needed to be made was moral and spiritual. Samuel reminded the people that if they were to enjoy God’s covenant blessings in the land He had given them, they would have to obey His covenant commands; otherwise, they would be punished (Leviticus Chapter 26). Israel’s disobedience was the sole reason that the nation had fallen so low.

The second change was one demanded by the Israelites themselves: they wanted a king like other nations had. There was nothing inherently wrong with their wanting a king: it was their reason for wanting a king that was wrong. They wanted a king to lead them and to fight their battles (1 Samuel 8:20). They forgot that the Lord was their true King and that He had been leading them and fighting their battles ever since Israel had become a nation. They simply didn’t believe that the Lord would keep doing this for them—even if they did obey His commands.

Eventually God gave Israel a king, King Saul, and Samuel anointed him. However, God remained the true King of Israel; Saul was to be His servant, His instrument. And Samuel, like Moses before him, was to act as God’s prophet and spokesman, and relay God’s instructions to Saul. In this way, Israel could have a human king and still remain obedient to God’s covenant.

Saul failed to follow God’s instructions and in the end was rejected. The last half of the book of 1 Samuel recounts the choosing of Saul’s successor, DAVID, and his long preparation for the throne. Whereas Saul had displeased God, David would become a man after [God’s] own heart (1 Samuel 13:14) and lead Israel into its greatest days as a nation.