Introduction to 1 Samuel
The Book of Samuel tells how Israel became a monarchy and the story of its first two kings, Saul and David (1 Samuel ends with Saul’s death and opens the way for David to become king in 2 Samuel). Along the way, the book reflects on the nature of power and kingship. After the people came out of Egypt and settled in Canaan, God gave them judges. However, they only had delegated authority because God was Israel’s king. Their task was primarily military, sometimes judicial, and their office was not hereditary. Thus, the people had to rely on God each time for a new leader and this meant a level of uncertainty difficult to live with, especially when more powerful enemies were constantly threatening Israel.
Just like in Israel’s case, God places us in these situations of uncertainty from time to time because when we feel too settled and comfortable, we are quick to forget the need to trust Him. My lecturer in missions had been a former missionary in Indonesia and when it was time for her to move on from lecturing, she admitted to us, students, how challenging she found it to go back to not knowing how to make ends meet after the certainty of a monthly salary for years. It threw her back on relying on God more consciously. Whether it’s our present COVID situation or other life circumstances that bring uncertainty for us, may we remember that these are times to trust the Lord. He is here and hears our cries.
Israel, however, was not happy with God’s way and wanted the certainty that came from having a king who could establish a dynasty, so that son could follow father without the upheaval involved in waiting on the Lord. A hereditary monarchy also allowed for stability and continuity, so a leader did not have to organise the country from scratch every time there was a military threat. One can see why this looked appealing and there is good sense in it. On the other hand, behind the request was a much more sinister motivation. Israel did not want to wait for God’s timing in raising a leader or for His choice. Indeed, God tells Samuel, the last judge, that the people have rejected Him as king (1 Sam 8:7). Having such a permanent establishment also meant that the king’s dynasty was in a position to amass wealth and power over time, which could lead to the abuse of power. Samuel’s words to the people warned of this: ‘the king will take, take, take…’ (1 Sam 8:11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17).
The issue of power and kingship matters because the fundamental question for us, as for Israel, is whether we submit to God’s kingship or grasp power to rule our own lives. At creation, humans were made representatives to reign on God’s behalf as His image (Gen 1:26) though this was a delegated authority. When such a setup functions properly, it allows us to have more responsibility and work together with God for the good of all creation. However, Adam and Eve were enticed and eventually refused to submit to God’s command and seized power for themselves to be ‘gods’ (Gen 3:3-6). Thus, the temptation for Israel and for its kings was the same as for all humanity, including us.
In the story of the monarchy, however, we shall see how God envisioned the use of power to operate in a godly way, which is indeed more efficient than the ad-hoc leadership of judges. In Saul we see a king who did not fully obey God and when rejected as king (1 Samuel 13 and 15), refused to relinquish power. David, on the other hand, trusted God and was unwilling to kill Saul and seize the throne before God gave the kingdom to him (1 Samuel 24 and 26). He learnt that the road to responsible power and high office is through humble submission to God even if it means suffering. The pattern also foreshadows the story of Jesus and the attitude we as Christians are meant to have too (Phil 2:5-9).
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