SAM-02 Samuel and Saul

The story is told of a guide who led a group of men on a long journey. By the end of the first day, one of the young men complained. “This is taking so long,” he said. “Maybe we went in the wrong direction.” But the guide remained confident. He grabbed his map and showed the entire group where they had been that day. You see, he assured them, “We’ve definitely taken the right path.”

In many ways, the author of Samuel did much the same when he wrote his book. In his day, many in Israel wondered if their ancestors had gone in the wrong direction when David became their king. Over the years, the house of David had brought a great many troubles to Israel. But the author of Samuel remained confident. He reminded those who first received his book that they had definitely taken the right path. He wrote to assure them that the path that had led to David’s kingship was a path down which God himself had led them.

This is the second lesson in our series on The Book of Samuel, and we’ve entitled it “Samuel and Saul.” In this lesson, we’ll see how the first two major divisions of our book teach that God led Israel in the right direction during the lives of both Samuel and Saul. We’ll also see how these chapters apply to our lives as followers of Christ today.

You’ll recall from our previous lesson that Samuel, Saul and David take center stage in the three major divisions of our book. First, we read of Samuel’s prelude to kingship in 1 Samuel 1–7. Then we find Saul’s failed kingship in 1 Samuel 8–2 Samuel 1. And finally, we learn of David’s enduring kingship in 2 Samuel 2–24.

The author of Samuel wrote his book when Israel faced serious trials, either during the period of the divided monarchy or during the Babylonian exile. And he had many things to say to those who first received his book in these troubled times. In our previous lesson we summarized his overarching purpose in this way:

The author of Samuel explained how Israel’s transition to kingship culminated in God’s covenant with David so that Israel would put their hopes for the kingdom of God in the righteous rule of David’s house.