1 Samuel

Part One: Introduction to 1 Samuel

The Name

1 and 2 Samuel were originally one book in the Hebrew Bible, named after Samuel, the prophet who anointed both of Israel's first two kings. The Greek Septuagint divided it into two books, called "1 and 2 Kingdoms" (or "Reigns"), along with 1 and 2 Kings as "3 and 4 Kingdoms." The King James Version preserves this in its heading: "The First Book of Samuel, otherwise called, The First Book of the Kings."

Author and Date

Samuel could not have written the whole book, since his death is recorded in 25:1. 1 Chronicles 29:29 names three sources: "the book of Samuel the seer, and... the book of Nathan the prophet, and... the book of Gad the seer." Samuel likely recorded the early history, and the prophets Nathan and Gad, who served David, continued it. The note that Ziklag "pertaineth unto the kings of Judah unto this day" (27:6) shows the final form was completed after the kingdom divided (around 930 BC).

Period Covered

1 Samuel covers about a century, from the birth of Samuel (around 1105 BC) to the death of Saul (around 1010 BC). Saul reigned forty years (Acts 13:21). It is a book of transition: from the judges to the kings, from the tabernacle at Shiloh to the ark's long exile, and from the failed reign of Saul to the rise of David.

Purpose and Theme

1 Samuel shows how Israel's monarchy began and contrasts two kinds of leaders: the king the people wanted and the king God chose. Its great themes are:

• God honours those who honour Him. "Them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed" (2:30). Hannah, Samuel and David rise; Eli's house and Saul fall.
• Obedience matters more than ritual. "To obey is better than sacrifice" (15:22).
• God looks on the heart. "Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart" (16:7).
• God is sovereign over kings and kingdoms. "The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up" (2:7).

Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

1 Samuel 15:22

Three Main Characters

Outline of 1 Samuel

Part Two: Chapter-by-Chapter Analysis

Section I: Samuel, the Last Judge (Chapters 1-7)

Chapter 1 — Hannah's Prayer

Elkanah, a Levite living in Ephraim's hill country (1 Chronicles 6:26-28, 33-34), had two wives: Peninnah, who had children, and Hannah, whom he loved but who was barren, "for the LORD had shut up her womb" (1:5). Every year at Shiloh, Peninnah "provoked her sore, for to make her fret" (1:6). Elkanah's comfort, "am not I better to thee than ten sons?" (1:8), could not heal her pain. In the temple courts, "in bitterness of soul," Hannah prayed and wept and made a vow:

O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me... but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.

1 Samuel 1:11

Her lips moved without sound, and Eli the priest thought she was drunk (1:12-14). She answered, "I have poured out my soul before the LORD" (1:15). Eli blessed her, and "her countenance was no more sad" (1:17-18): she left her burden with God before she saw the answer. God remembered her, and she bore a son, naming him Samuel, "Because I have asked him of the LORD" (1:19-20). When he was weaned, perhaps around age three, she brought him to Shiloh with sacrifices: "For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition... therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD" (1:27-28). She kept her vow at great personal cost.

Chapter 2 — Hannah's Song; Eli's Wicked Sons

Hannah's prayer of praise is one of the great songs of Scripture:

My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD... There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.

1 Samuel 2:1-2

Her song celebrates God's reversals: the proud brought low, the humble raised. "The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up" (2:6). "He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes" (2:8). It ends with a prophecy: "the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed" (2:10). There was no king in Israel yet. This is the first time Scripture calls the king God's "anointed" (Hebrew mashiach, Messiah). Mary's song, the Magnificat, closely echoes Hannah's (Luke 1:46-55), and Zacharias spoke of "an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David" (Luke 1:69).

In sharp contrast, Eli's sons Hophni and Phinehas "were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD" (2:12). They took the best of the sacrifices by force before the fat was burned to God, "for men abhorred the offering of the LORD" (2:13-17), and committed immorality with women who served at the tabernacle door (2:22). Eli rebuked them weakly but did not remove them (2:23-25). Meanwhile, "the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the LORD, and also with men" (2:26), the same words used of Jesus (Luke 2:52). His mother made him a little coat every year (2:19).

A man of God pronounced judgment on Eli's house: "thou... honourest thy sons above me" (2:29). God declared:

Them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.

1 Samuel 2:30

Eli's descendants would die young, both his sons would die on the same day as a sign (2:31-34), and God would "raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind" (2:35). This was fulfilled in the line of Zadok (1 Kings 2:27, 35), and ultimately in Christ, the perfectly faithful High Priest (Hebrews 2:17; 3:1-2).

Chapter 3 — God Calls Samuel

"And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision" (3:1). Spiritual darkness lay over Israel, and Eli's eyes were growing dim (3:2). But "ere the lamp of God went out in the temple," the LORD called Samuel as he lay near the ark (3:3-4). Three times Samuel ran to Eli, "Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him" (3:7). Eli finally understood and told him what to say. The fourth time:

And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.

1 Samuel 3:10

God's first message to the boy was hard: judgment on Eli's house "because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not" (3:13). Samuel was afraid to tell Eli, but did so fully. Eli answered, "It is the LORD: let him do what seemeth him good" (3:18). "And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD" (3:19-20). God broke the silence by raising a faithful prophet.

Chapter 4 — The Ark Captured: Ichabod

Israel fought the Philistines at Aphek and lost 4,000 men (4:1-2). Instead of seeking God, the elders said, "Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies" (4:3). They treated the ark as a lucky charm. Israel shouted so the earth rang, and the Philistines were afraid, but fought harder (4:5-9). Israel lost 30,000 men, the ark was captured, and Hophni and Phinehas died on the same day, as foretold (4:10-11). When the 98-year-old Eli heard that the ark was taken, he fell backward from his seat by the gate, broke his neck and died; he had judged Israel forty years (4:15-18). Phinehas' wife died in childbirth, naming her son Ichabod, "The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken" (4:19-22). Shiloh itself was evidently destroyed, and God later pointed to it as a warning: "go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh... and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel" (Jeremiah 7:12; Psalm 78:60-64).

Chapter 5 — The Ark Among the Philistines

The Philistines set the ark in the temple of Dagon at Ashdod as a trophy. The next morning Dagon had fallen on his face before the ark. They set him up again, and the next morning his head and both hands were cut off on the threshold (5:1-4). Israel's God had defeated the Philistine god in his own house, even when Israel had been defeated. God struck the people of Ashdod with emerods (tumours), and when the ark was moved to Gath and then Ekron, the plague followed: "the hand of God was very heavy there" (5:6-12). God does not need His people's armies to defend His glory.

Chapter 6 — The Ark Returned

After seven months, the Philistines sent the ark back with a trespass offering of five golden emerods and five golden mice, one for each lord (6:1-5, 17-18). As a test, they put it on a new cart pulled by two milk cows separated from their calves. If the cows went against nature straight to Israel's border, they would know the plague was from God (6:7-9). "And the kine took the straight way to the way of Beth-shemesh... lowing as they went, and turned not aside" (6:12). The people of Beth-shemesh rejoiced and offered the cows as a burnt offering (6:13-15). But some men looked into the ark, and God struck them (6:19; the KJV reads "fifty thousand and threescore and ten men," while some ancient manuscripts and historians give a much smaller number, 70). They asked, "Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God?" (6:20). The ark went to Kirjath-jearim, to the house of Abinadab, where it stayed about twenty years (6:21-7:2).

Chapter 7 — Revival at Mizpeh: Ebenezer

"All the house of Israel lamented after the LORD" (7:2). Samuel called for real repentance:

If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.

1 Samuel 7:3

The people put away their idols, gathered at Mizpeh, poured out water before the LORD, fasted, and confessed, "We have sinned against the LORD" (7:4-6). When the Philistines attacked, the people begged Samuel not to stop praying. He offered a lamb, cried to the LORD, "and the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them" (7:8-10). Samuel set up a stone and called it Ebenezer, "Hitherto hath the LORD helped us" (7:12). The Philistines were subdued all the days of Samuel, and Israel regained its cities (7:13-14). Samuel judged Israel all his life on a yearly circuit of Bethel, Gilgal and Mizpeh, returning home to Ramah, where he built an altar (7:15-17). This was revival: repentance, putting away idols, prayer, sacrifice and God's intervention.

Section II: Saul, the People's King (Chapters 8-15)

Chapter 8 — "Make Us a King"

When Samuel was old, he made his sons judges, but they "turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment" (8:1-3). Like Eli, he failed with his sons. The elders demanded, "Make us a king to judge us like all the nations" (8:5). Samuel was displeased and prayed. God answered:

Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.

1 Samuel 8:7

Moses had foreseen this request and given laws for a king (Deuteronomy 17:14-20). The problem was not having a king, which God intended (Genesis 49:10), but the motive: to be "like all the nations," and to trust a human king instead of God. Samuel warned them of "the manner of the king": he would take their sons for his chariots and army, their daughters as servants, their best fields, a tenth of their produce and flocks, and they would cry out because of him (8:11-18). Solomon's heavy burdens fulfilled this (1 Kings 4:7; 12:4). "Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; That we also may be like all the nations" (8:19-20). Hosea later recorded God's verdict: "I gave thee a king in mine anger" (Hosea 13:11).

Chapter 9 — Saul Meets Samuel

Saul, son of Kish the Benjamite, was "a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people" (9:2). He was exactly what people look for. Searching for his father's lost donkeys, he came to Samuel on his servant's suggestion (9:3-10). "He that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer" (9:9). God had told Samuel the day before, "To morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over my people Israel, that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines" (9:15-16). Saul began humbly: "Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least?" (9:21). Samuel honoured him at a feast with the reserved portion (9:22-24).

Chapter 10 — Saul Anointed and Proclaimed

Samuel anointed Saul privately: "Is it not because the LORD hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance?" (10:1). He gave him three signs, all fulfilled that day (10:2-9). "God gave him another heart," and when he met a company of prophets, "the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them" (10:9-10). People asked, "Is Saul also among the prophets?" (10:11-12). At Mizpeh, Samuel rebuked the people again for rejecting God (10:18-19), then the lot fell on Saul, but he could not be found; "Behold, he hath hid himself among the stuff" (10:22). When he stood up, head and shoulders above all, the people shouted, "God save the king" (10:24). Samuel wrote "the manner of the kingdom" in a book before the LORD (10:25). Some "children of Belial" despised him, "But he held his peace" (10:27).

Chapter 11 — Saul's First Victory: Jabesh-gilead

Nahash the Ammonite besieged Jabesh-gilead and offered peace only if he could thrust out every man's right eye as a reproach on Israel (11:1-2). When messengers reached Gibeah, "the Spirit of God came upon Saul" (11:6). He cut a yoke of oxen in pieces and sent them through Israel (echoing Judges 19:29, but this time to save), and 330,000 men gathered (11:7-8). Saul rescued Jabesh (11:11). When the people wanted to execute those who had despised him, Saul refused: "There shall not a man be put to death this day: for to day the LORD hath wrought salvation in Israel" (11:13). The kingdom was renewed at Gilgal with great rejoicing (11:14-15). This was Saul at his best: Spirit-filled, decisive and gracious.

Chapter 12 — Samuel's Farewell

Samuel called all Israel to witness his integrity: "Whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded?... or of whose hand have I received any bribe?" (12:3). No one could accuse him (12:4-5). He reviewed God's faithfulness from Moses to the judges (12:6-11) and their sin in demanding a king (12:12). Yet if king and people would fear and obey God, all would be well (12:14-15). To confirm his words, Samuel called on God, who sent thunder and rain at wheat harvest, when rain almost never falls (12:16-18). The people, terrified, confessed their sin (12:19). Samuel answered with grace:

Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart... For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name's sake... Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way.

1 Samuel 12:20-23

To Samuel, prayerlessness for God's people was sin. He warned: "if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king" (12:25).

Chapter 13 — Saul's First Failure: The Unlawful Sacrifice

Jonathan struck a Philistine garrison, and the Philistines gathered a huge army with chariots and horsemen (13:3-5). The Israelites hid "in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks" (13:6). Samuel had told Saul to wait seven days at Gilgal for him to offer sacrifices (10:8). Saul waited, but as the deadline ran out and his army scattered, he offered the burnt offering himself (13:8-9). Samuel arrived as he finished. Saul's excuses: the people were scattering, Samuel was late, the Philistines were gathering, "I forced myself therefore" (13:11-12). Samuel answered:

Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God... now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people

1 Samuel 13:13-14

Saul's sin was impatience and disobedience under pressure, and intruding into the priestly role (compare 2 Chronicles 26:16-21). Paul quotes this verse of David (Acts 13:22). The chapter notes that the Philistines had banned blacksmiths in Israel, so only Saul and Jonathan had swords (13:19-22).

Chapter 14 — Jonathan's Faith and Saul's Rash Oath

Jonathan and his armourbearer went alone to attack a Philistine garrison on a cliff. Jonathan said:

Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the LORD will work for us: for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few.

1 Samuel 14:6

They asked for a sign, climbed up on hands and feet, and killed about twenty men; God sent an earthquake and panic through the Philistine camp (14:8-15). "So the LORD saved Israel that day" (14:23). But Saul had made a rash oath: anyone who ate food before evening would be cursed (14:24). The army fought faint and hungry. Jonathan, not knowing, ate some honey and was refreshed: "My father hath troubled the land: see, I pray you, how mine eyes have been enlightened" (14:27-30). In their hunger the people slaughtered animals and ate them with the blood, sinning against God's law (14:32-34). When God did not answer Saul, lots revealed Jonathan, and Saul was ready to execute his own son (14:36-44). The people rescued Jonathan: "there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground; for he hath wrought with God this day" (14:45). Saul's leadership was becoming self-centred: "that I may be avenged on mine enemies" (14:24). The chapter ends with Saul's victories and family (14:47-52).

Chapter 15 — Saul Rejected

God commanded Saul to carry out the long-promised judgment on Amalek, who had attacked Israel from behind in the wilderness (Exodus 17:8-16; Deuteronomy 25:17-19): "utterly destroy all that they have" (15:2-3). Saul won the battle, "But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen... and would not utterly destroy them" (15:9). God said to Samuel, "It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me" (15:11). Samuel was grieved and "cried unto the LORD all night."

Saul had set up a monument to himself at Carmel (15:12). He greeted Samuel, "I have performed the commandment of the LORD." Samuel replied, "What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears?" (15:13-14). Saul blamed the people and claimed the animals were for sacrifice to God (15:15, 21). Samuel answered:

Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

1 Samuel 15:22-23

Saul said, "I have sinned... because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice" (15:24), but his chief concern was his image: "honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people" (15:30). As Samuel turned away, Saul grabbed his robe and it tore. Samuel said, "The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou. And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent" (15:27-29). Samuel himself executed Agag (15:32-33). "Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul" (15:35). Partial obedience is disobedience. Centuries later, Haman "the Agagite," a descendant of the spared king, tried to destroy all the Jews (Esther 3:1, 6).

Section III: Saul and David (Chapters 16-31)

Chapter 16 — David Anointed

"How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him?" (16:1). God sent Samuel to Bethlehem, to Jesse, "for I have provided me a king among his sons." Samuel thought the tall eldest son Eliab must be the one, but God said:

Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

1 Samuel 16:7

Seven sons passed by. The youngest had not even been invited; he was "keeping the sheep" (16:11). When David came, "ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance," God said, "Arise, anoint him: for this is he" (16:12). "And the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward" (16:13). At the same time, "the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him" (16:14). God permitted a tormenting spirit as judgment. Saul's servants sought a harpist, and one described David: "cunning in playing, and a mighty man of valour, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the LORD is with him" (16:18). David's music refreshed Saul, and he became his armourbearer (16:21-23). The anointed king entered the court as a servant.

Chapter 17 — David and Goliath

The Philistines and Israel faced each other across the valley of Elah. Goliath of Gath, about nine and a half feet tall ("six cubits and a span"), in a bronze coat of mail weighing about 125 pounds, with a spear whose iron head weighed about 15 pounds, challenged Israel to send a champion: winner takes all (17:4-10). For forty days, morning and evening, he defied Israel, and "they were dismayed, and greatly afraid" (17:11, 16). Saul, the tallest man in Israel, did nothing.

David, sent by his father with food for his brothers, heard the giant and asked, "who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" (17:26). His brother Eliab accused him of pride (17:28). "Is there not a cause?" (17:29). Before Saul, David recounted how God had helped him kill a lion and a bear while protecting his sheep: "The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine" (17:37). He refused Saul's armour, which he had not tested, and chose five smooth stones and his sling (17:38-40). To Goliath's curses, David answered:

Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied... that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD'S

1 Samuel 17:45-47

The stone sank into Goliath's forehead, and he fell on his face (17:49). David cut off his head with the giant's own sword (17:51). The Philistines fled, and Israel pursued (17:52-53). Saul asked Abner, "whose son is this youth?" (17:55-58). Since David had already served Saul (16:21), many explain that Saul was asking about David's family background, since he had promised to make the victor's father's house free (17:25), or that chapter 16:14-23 is arranged by topic rather than strict time order.

Chapter 18 — Jonathan's Love and Saul's Jealousy

"The soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul" (18:1). Jonathan, the heir to the throne, made a covenant with David and gave him his robe, garments, sword, bow and girdle (18:3-4), symbolically giving up his own claim. When the women sang, "Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands," Saul was very angry: "what can he have more but the kingdom?" (18:7-8). "And Saul eyed David from that day and forward" (18:9). Twice he threw a javelin at David as he played (18:10-11). "Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and was departed from Saul" (18:12). Saul promised his daughter Merab, then gave her to another (18:17-19). Michal loved David, and Saul set a bride price of a hundred Philistine foreskins, hoping David would die; David brought two hundred (18:20-27). Throughout, "David behaved himself wisely" (18:5, 14, 15, 30).

Chapter 19 — Saul Tries to Kill David

Saul openly ordered David's death. Jonathan pleaded for him and Saul swore not to kill him (19:1-7), but after another victory, Saul threw his javelin again (19:9-10). Michal let David down through a window and put an image (teraphim) in his bed to deceive the messengers (19:11-17). David fled to Samuel at Naioth in Ramah. Three groups of Saul's messengers came and began to prophesy; then Saul himself came, and the Spirit came on him so that he stripped off his royal garments and lay prophesying all day and night (19:18-24). God protected David by overwhelming his pursuers.

Chapter 20 — Jonathan's Covenant with David

David asked Jonathan, "what is my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my life?... there is but a step between me and death" (20:1-3). They agreed on a test at the new moon feast: if Saul was angry at David's absence, Jonathan would warn him by shooting arrows (20:5-23). They renewed their covenant, with Jonathan asking David to show kindness to his descendants for ever (20:14-17, 42; fulfilled in 2 Samuel 9). Saul raged at Jonathan, "Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman... as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the ground, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom" (20:30-31), and threw a javelin at his own son (20:33). The arrow signal was given, and the friends wept and parted: "the LORD be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed for ever" (20:41-42).

Chapter 21 — David at Nob and Gath

Alone and hungry, David went to Ahimelech the priest at Nob, claiming to be on a secret mission for the king. Ahimelech gave him the hallowed shewbread, the only bread there, and Goliath's sword (21:1-9). Jesus cited this to show that human need can take precedence over ceremonial law (Matthew 12:3-4; Mark 2:25-26). Doeg the Edomite, Saul's chief herdsman, was there and saw it (21:7). David then fled to Achish king of Gath, Goliath's city; recognised and afraid, he pretended to be insane, scrabbling on the gate and letting spittle run down his beard (21:10-15). Psalms 34 and 56 come from this time: "I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears" (Psalm 34:4).

Chapter 22 — The Cave of Adullam and the Massacre at Nob

David escaped to the cave of Adullam. His family came to him, "And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them" (22:1-2), about 400 men. These became David's mighty men. David took his parents to the king of Moab for safety (22:3-4), perhaps because of his great-grandmother Ruth. The prophet Gad told him to return to Judah (22:5).

Saul accused his servants of conspiracy (22:6-8). Doeg reported that Ahimelech had helped David (22:9-10). Saul ordered the priests killed; his guards refused to lift their hands against the LORD's priests, but Doeg killed 85 priests and destroyed Nob, men, women, children and animals (22:17-19). Saul did to God's priests what he had refused to do to Amalek. This fulfilled the judgment on Eli's house (2:31-33). Only Abiathar escaped to David, who said, "I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father's house... abide thou with me" (22:20-23). Psalm 52 was written about Doeg.

Chapter 23 — Keilah, Ziph and Jonathan's Last Visit

David rescued the city of Keilah from the Philistines after inquiring of the LORD twice (23:1-5). When he learned through the ephod that the people of Keilah would betray him to Saul, he left (23:6-13). In the wilderness of Ziph, "Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand" (23:14). Jonathan came secretly "and strengthened his hand in God" (23:16): "Fear not... thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee" (23:17). It was their last meeting. The Ziphites betrayed David's location (Psalm 54), and Saul nearly caught him at a mountain, but a Philistine raid forced Saul to withdraw; the place was called Sela-hammahlekoth, "the rock of divisions" (23:19-28).

Chapter 24 — David Spares Saul at En-gedi

Saul entered a cave at En-gedi to relieve himself, not knowing David and his men were hiding deep inside (24:1-3). David's men said God had delivered his enemy into his hand. David secretly cut off the edge of Saul's robe, but "David's heart smote him" (24:4-5):

The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD'S anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD.

1 Samuel 24:6

Outside, David showed Saul the piece of robe as proof: "The LORD judge between me and thee, and the LORD avenge me of thee: but mine hand shall not be upon thee" (24:12). Saul wept: "Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil... I know well that thou shalt surely be king" (24:17, 20). David swore not to destroy Saul's descendants (24:21-22). Psalms 57 and 142 come from David's time in the cave. David left vengeance to God (Romans 12:19).

Chapter 25 — Samuel's Death; Nabal and Abigail

"And Samuel died; and all the Israelites were gathered together, and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah" (25:1). In the wilderness of Paran, David's men had protected the flocks of Nabal, a rich man of Carmel, "churlish and evil in his doings" (25:2-3, 15-16). When David asked for provisions at sheep-shearing time, Nabal insulted him: "Who is David?" (25:10-11). David, furious, set out with 400 men to kill every male in Nabal's house (25:13, 21-22). Nabal's wife Abigail, "a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance" (25:3), quickly brought food and met David on the road. She took the blame, appealed to David's future as king, and urged him not to have "shed blood causeless" (25:23-31): "the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the LORD thy God" (25:29). David said, "Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me: And blessed be thy advice" (25:32-33). When Nabal sobered up and heard, "his heart died within him, and he became as a stone," and ten days later the LORD struck him (25:37-38). God avenged David without David staining his hands. David married Abigail (25:39-42). Saul had given Michal to another man (25:44).

Chapter 26 — David Spares Saul Again

The Ziphites again betrayed David (26:1). At night, David and Abishai crept into Saul's camp, where Saul slept with his spear stuck in the ground by his head, for "a deep sleep from the LORD was fallen upon them" (26:7, 12). Abishai asked to kill Saul with one stroke. David refused: "who can stretch forth his hand against the LORD'S anointed, and be guiltless?... the LORD shall smite him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall descend into battle, and perish" (26:9-10). He took Saul's spear and water jug instead. From a distant hill he rebuked Abner for failing to guard the king (26:13-16). Saul confessed, "I have sinned... behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly" (26:21). David answered, "The LORD render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness" (26:23). It was their last meeting.

Chapter 27 — David Among the Philistines

In a moment of discouragement, "David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul" (27:1). Instead of seeking God, he took his 600 men and their families to Achish of Gath, who gave him the town of Ziklag (27:2-6). There he lived sixteen months, raiding the Geshurites, Gezrites and Amalekites, leaving no survivors to report, and deceiving Achish into thinking he was raiding Judah (27:8-12). Faith had given way to fear, and fear led to deception.

Chapter 28 — Saul and the Witch of Endor

The Philistines gathered at Shunem to fight Israel, and David was expected to march with Achish (28:1-2). When Saul saw their army, "he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled. And when Saul enquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets" (28:5-6). Saul had earlier expelled mediums from the land, as God's law required (28:3; Deuteronomy 18:10-12). Now, in disguise, he went to a woman with a familiar spirit at Endor and asked her to bring up Samuel (28:7-11). When she saw Samuel she cried out in terror (28:12), which suggests something happened that she did not expect or control. Samuel asked, "Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up?" and repeated God's judgment: the kingdom given to David because Saul did not obey concerning Amalek, "and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me" (28:15-19). Saul collapsed in fear (28:20).

Was it really Samuel? Christians hold different views. Many believe God sovereignly allowed the real Samuel to appear, as shown by the woman's shock and the accurate prophecy. Others believe a demonic spirit impersonated Samuel. All agree that consulting the dead is forbidden and that Saul's act was the final step in his rebellion: "So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD... and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it; And enquired not of the LORD" (1 Chronicles 10:13-14).

Chapter 29 — David Sent Away by the Philistines

The Philistine lords refused to let David fight with them, fearing he would turn against them in battle to win back Saul's favour: "Is not this David, of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying, Saul slew his thousands, and David his ten thousands?" (29:4-5). Achish sent David back (29:6-11). In His providence, God rescued David from having to fight against his own people and the LORD's anointed.

Chapter 30 — Ziklag Burned; David Recovers All

Returning to Ziklag, David's men found it burned by the Amalekites, and their wives and children taken captive (30:1-3). They wept until they could weep no more, and the men spoke of stoning David. "But David encouraged himself in the LORD his God" (30:6). This was the turning point: David returned to seeking God. Through Abiathar and the ephod, he asked, "Shall I pursue?" and God answered, "Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all" (30:7-8). An abandoned Egyptian servant led them to the Amalekite camp (30:11-16). David attacked, "And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away... there was nothing lacking to them" (30:18-19). When some men refused to share the spoil with the 200 who had been too exhausted to continue, David established a law: "as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall part alike" (30:24). He sent gifts of the spoil to the elders of Judah (30:26-31). David did against Amalek what Saul had failed to do.

Chapter 31 — The Death of Saul on Mount Gilboa

On the same days, the Philistines defeated Israel on Mount Gilboa. Jonathan, Abinadab and Melchishua, Saul's sons, were killed (31:1-2). Saul, badly wounded by archers, asked his armourbearer to kill him; when he refused, "Saul took a sword, and fell upon it," and his armourbearer did the same (31:3-5). "So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer, and all his men, that same day together" (31:6), exactly as Samuel had said (28:19). The Philistines cut off his head, put his armour in the temple of Ashtaroth, and fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan (31:8-10). The men of Jabesh-gilead, whom Saul had rescued at the start of his reign (11), marched all night, took down the bodies, burned them, buried the bones under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days (31:11-13). Saul began with the Spirit's power and Jabesh's rescue and ended by his own sword, with only Jabesh's gratitude to honour him. (2 Samuel 1 records an Amalekite claiming to have killed Saul, evidently a lie told in hope of reward.)

Part Three: Christ in 1 Samuel

The Anointed King

Hannah first prophesied of God's "king" and "anointed" (2:10). The Hebrew word mashiach (Messiah) and its Greek equivalent Christos both mean "anointed one." 1 Samuel is the story of the first two anointed kings: Saul, who failed, and David, the man after God's heart, whose greater Son would be the true Messiah. "I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him" (Psalm 89:20; Acts 13:22-23).

David as a Type of Christ

Saul and David Contrasted

The Faithful Priest

"I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart" (2:35). Fulfilled historically in Zadok's line (1 Kings 2:35), and perfectly in Christ, "a merciful and faithful high priest" (Hebrews 2:17).

Samuel as a Picture of Christ

Samuel was dedicated to God from birth, grew "in favour both with the LORD, and also with men" (2:26; Luke 2:52), served as prophet, priest-like intercessor and judge, prayed for the people (7:5; 12:23), and anointed the king. He points to Christ, who unites the offices of Prophet, Priest and King.

Part Four: Fulfilled Prophecies

Part Five: Key Passages in Depth

1 Samuel 1-2 — Hannah: Prayer in Pain

Hannah shows how to bring deep pain to God: she went to God's house, prayed honestly "in bitterness of soul," made a vow, endured being misunderstood, and left her burden with God before seeing the answer (1:18). She kept her promise when God answered, and her praise looked beyond herself to God's coming King. "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you" (1 Peter 5:7).

1 Samuel 3 — "Speak; for Thy Servant Heareth"

God spoke when His word was rare, not to the aged high priest but to a child who was willing to listen. Samuel's response is the right posture of every believer before Scripture: ready to hear and obey (James 1:22). He then delivered a hard message faithfully, a mark of a true prophet (Jeremiah 23:28).

1 Samuel 15 — Partial Obedience Is Disobedience

Saul obeyed most of God's command and believed he had obeyed it all (15:13, 20). He blamed others, used religious excuses, and cared more for his reputation than for God. Samuel's answer, "to obey is better than sacrifice," is repeated through Scripture (Psalm 51:16-17; Hosea 6:6; Micah 6:6-8; Matthew 9:13). Rebellion is compared to witchcraft because both reject God's authority for another source of direction.

1 Samuel 16:7 — The LORD Looks on the Heart

Israel chose Saul for his height; God chose David for his heart. God's standards for leaders are spiritual, not physical or social (1 Corinthians 1:26-29). "The LORD searcheth all hearts" (1 Chronicles 28:9).

1 Samuel 17 — The Battle Is the LORD's

David's confidence rested on God's past faithfulness (17:37), God's honour ("the armies of the living God," 17:26), and God's name (17:45). He refused borrowed armour and used what God had trained him with. His purpose was that "all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel" (17:46). The giants in our lives are defeated the same way: by faith in the living God (1 John 5:4).

1 Samuel 24 and 26 — Refusing to Take Vengeance

Twice David had the opportunity, the justification and the encouragement of his men to kill Saul, and twice he refused. He respected God-given authority and trusted God's timing for the throne God had promised. "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord" (Romans 12:19). Christ likewise "when he was reviled, reviled not again... but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously" (1 Peter 2:23).

Part Six: The Major Teachings of 1 Samuel

1. The Sovereignty of God

God raises and humbles (2:6-8), opens and closes wombs (1:5, 19), chooses and rejects kings (15:28; 16:1), and directs events through providence (9:15-16; 23:26-28).

2. The Power of Prayer

Hannah's prayer brought Samuel (1); Samuel's prayer brought victory (7:9-10) and thunder (12:18); Samuel considered prayerlessness a sin (12:23); David repeatedly inquired of the LORD (23; 30).

3. The Word of the LORD

The book begins with God's word being rare (3:1) and shows its restoration through Samuel, whose words never fell to the ground (3:19). Saul's downfall came because he "rejected the word of the LORD" (15:23, 26).

4. Obedience Over Ritual

The ark as a lucky charm (4) and Saul's sacrifices (13; 15) show that religious acts cannot replace obedience.

5. The Heart

God looks on the heart (16:7). David's heart toward God, not his perfection, made him the king God wanted (13:14; Acts 13:22).

6. The Holiness of God

God's holiness was shown at Dagon's temple (5), at Beth-shemesh (6:19-20) and in the judgment of Eli's house (2-4). "There is none holy as the LORD" (2:2).

7. Parental Responsibility

Eli honoured his sons above God and failed to restrain them (2:29; 3:13); Samuel's sons also went astray (8:3). Godliness in public ministry does not excuse neglect at home (1 Timothy 3:4-5).

8. Godly Friendship

Jonathan's covenant love for David, giving up his own claim to the throne, is one of the Bible's great pictures of friendship (18:1-4; 20; 23:16-18). "A friend loveth at all times" (Proverbs 17:17).

9. Respect for God-Given Authority

David honoured Saul as "the LORD's anointed" even while Saul sought his life (24; 26). Submission does not mean approving sin, but leaving judgment to God (Romans 13:1-2; 1 Peter 2:17-23).

10. The Dangers of Jealousy, Fear and the Occult

Saul's jealousy led him to attempted murder and the massacre of priests (18-22). His fear of people led to disobedience (15:24), and his fear of the Philistines led him to a medium (28). "The fear of man bringeth a snare" (Proverbs 29:25).

Part Seven: Connections — How 1 Samuel Links to the Rest of the Bible

1 Samuel in the New Testament

1 Samuel in the Old Testament

Themes That Run from 1 Samuel Through Scripture

Part Eight: Practical Lessons

• Pour out your heart to God in your deepest pain (1:15).
• Keep your promises to God (1:27-28).
• Honour God above your children and correct them (2:29; 3:13).
• Be ready to listen to God's Word (3:10).
• God is not a lucky charm (4:3).
• True revival means putting away idols (7:3-4).
• Remember how far God has brought you: "Hitherto hath the LORD helped us" (7:12).
• Don't demand to be like the world (8:5, 20).
• Never stop praying for others (12:23).
• Wait for God under pressure (13:8-14).
• God can save by many or by few (14:6).
• Partial obedience is disobedience (15:22-23).
• Look at the heart, not appearances (16:7).
• Face your giants in the name of the LORD (17:45).
• Be a faithful friend who strengthens others in God (23:16).
• Leave vengeance to God (24:6, 12).
• Listen to wise counsel (25:32-33).
• When everything is lost, encourage yourself in the LORD (30:6).
• Value those who serve behind the scenes (30:24).

Part Nine: Key Verses to Memorize

Conclusion

1 Samuel marks the great turning point from the judges to the kings. It opens with a barren woman's prayer and the birth of a prophet who restored God's word to Israel. It shows a nation demanding a king "like all the nations" and receiving Saul, impressive outwardly but disobedient, fearful and jealous, who ended his life by his own sword. Alongside him rises David, the shepherd from Bethlehem, chosen for his heart, anointed by the Spirit, victorious over the giant, hunted but faithful, refusing to grasp the throne before God's time. The book points beyond David to his greater Son, the Anointed King, the Good Shepherd, the Champion who defeated our enemy, and the One who "will raise up a faithful priest" and reign for ever.

For the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

1 Samuel 16:7