1 Samuel 8:19 - Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us;
1 Samuel 8:20 - That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.
1 Samuel 8:21 - And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD.
1 Samuel 8:22 - And the LORD said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king.
 

The Old Testament - A Brief Overview

In the original Hebrew texts, 1 and 2 Samuel formed only one book. This was first divided into two books in the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Hebrew scriptures; the two were called the First and Second Books of Kingdoms. 1 and 2 Kings were called the Third and Fourth Books of Kingdoms. The titles in the King James Version of the Bible still speak of these four books in this way.

The two books under consideration are named for Samuel, not because he was the author, but because he is the principal actor in the first part of the narrative and because of his association with and influence on Saul and David, the other two leading characters. Samuel was raised up by God at a time when Israel needed him most. Disunited and at a low ebb spiritually and politically, Israel was led by Samuel into an era of great national solidarity. Since he was both a judge (I Sam: 7:6,15-17) and a prophet (1 Sam. 3:20), he serves as an important connecting link between the periods of the Judges and the United Kingdom. Certainly it is fitting that these two important books should bear his name.

Jewish tradition contains a statement that the books were written by Samuel himself, but this cannot have been true, at least not for the entire composition, since Samuel's death is recorded in 1 Sam. 25:1 and 28:3. It is quite possible, however, that Samuel was largely responsible for the first portion of this book, since we are fairly certain that he kept historical records (Cf. 1 Chr. 29:29). That the book is a compilation of records is suggested by the great similarity which many of its passages bear to sections of the books of Chronicles. Whether this compilation was done by one individual or several, one of whom was Samuel himself, is a matter of conjecture and one on which no decision can be reached.

The two books deal with the period from the time of Othniel through the reign of David, in the eleventh and tenth centuries sc. This was one of the most significant eras of Jewish history as the government of Israel changed from a system of tribal judges to a form of constitutional monarchy, in which the king was to rule according to the precepts of God's Law.

The date of composition of the two books can be arrived at with some degree of assurance. It must have been after the death of David since the length of his entire reign is given in 2 Sam. 5:5. The statement in 1 Sam. 27:6 that "Ziklag pertaineth unto the kings of Judah to this day" indicates that the division of the kingdom had already occurred, since neither Saul, David nor Solomon is ever referred to simply as a king of Judah. On the other hand, there are certain elements in the references to various religious observances which indicate that it was written before the reformation of Josiah. The date of composition, therefore, would probably fall somewhere between the reign of Rehoboam, under whom the kingdom divided, and that of Josiah.

Although repetition and apparently duplicate accounts make analysis somewhat difficult, the contents of the two books may be outlined as follows:

I. The Life of Samuel (1 Sam. 1-15)

1) The prayer of Hannah for a son, the granting of the request and the subsequent dedication of the child Samuel to the service of the Lord (1:1-2: 10).
2) The sin of the sons of Eli which resulted in their death and the loss of the priesthood to the descendants of Eli (2:12-36).
3) Samuel's vision concerning the house of Eli (ch. 3).
4) The defeat of the Israelites and capture of the Ark by the Philistines and the death of Eli (ch. 4).
5) The Ark in Philistine territory ( 5:1-7 :4).
6) The return of the Ark and the establishment of Samuel as a judge over Israel (ch. 7).
7) The appointment of Samuel's sons as judges and the consequent request for a king. Samuel warns the Israelites of the perils of being ruled over by a king (ch. 8).
8) Saul's meeting with Samuel (ch. 9).
9) The anointing and election of Saul as king (10-11).
10) Samuel's address to the people, in which he defends his own record and exhorts them to walk in the way of the Lord (ch. 12). From this time forward, he serves as an adviser to the king.

II. The Reign of Saul (1 Sam. 13 - 2 Sam. 1)

1) The offering of sacrifice by Saul in Samuel's absence. This constituted disobedience and resulted in God's disfavor toward Saul (ch. 13).
2) Jonathan's rout of the Philistine army and his innocent breaking of Saul's foolish vow (ch. 14).
3) Saul's disobedience in sparing some of the Amalekites and their cattle (ch. 15). Samuel's reply to Saul's feeble excuse was the familiar "to obey is better than sacrifice and to hearken than the fat of rams" (15:22 ).
4) The anointing of David to be Saul's successor (ch. 16).
5) David and Goliath (ch. 17).
6) The love of Jonathan and David and the marriage of the latter to the daughter of Saul (ch. 18). Also included in this chapter is the first attempt of the jealous Saul to kill David.
7) Saul's second attempt on David's life (ch. 19).
8) The parting of Jonathan and David (ch. 20).
9) David's exile (20-24).
10) The death of Samuel and the marriage of David to Abigail after the death of her churlish husband, Nabal (ch. 25).
11) The gradual eclipse of Saul's power as he futilely sought to destroy David and protect his kingdom at the same time (26-30).

III. The Reign of David (2 Sam. 2-25)

1) The proclamation of David as king at Hebron and his reign over Judah from that place.
2) The removal of the capital to Jerusalem (ch. 5).
3) The bringing of the ark to Jerusalem (ch. 6).
4) David's victories (chs. 7-11:1).
5) David's sin with Bathsheba and the rebuke by Nathan the prophet (11-12).
6) The rape of Tamar by Amnon, the revenge of Absalom and Amnon's murder; the flight of Absalom (ch. 13).
7) Absalom's return, his efforts to usurp the throne of David and his death (14-18).
8) David's return and Sheba's revolt (19-20 ).
9) The famine and the victory over the Philistines (ch. 21).
10) David's thanksgiving and last words (22-23:7).
11) The names and exploits of David's "mighty men" (23:8-39).
12) The census and the resultant plague (ch. 24).

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