1 Samuel
Introduction to 1 Samuel
We are going to cover 1 Samuel in our time together. Originally in the Hebrew text, 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel were one single book titled simply Samuel. When the Greeks came along and translated the Septuagint, they separated it into two distinct books, 1 and 2 Samuel, and that division has stuck. Even modern printed Hebrew Bibles follow that separation today.
The book was originally written—at least the first twenty-five chapters—by Samuel himself. We assume that because it details his life, but Samuel dies in chapter 25. The narrative continues through chapter 31 and on into 2 Samuel, so we are not entirely sure who recorded the rest.
In terms of dating, it takes place around 1000 BC and covers a few primary figures: Eli the priest, Samuel, Saul, and David. The central theme of the book is monarchy. We see a massive shift taking place: chapters 1 through 8 focus on theocracy, where God is their direct King. In chapters 9 through 31, the people shift gears and demand a human king instead. They want a monarch, and that sets the trajectory for the entire book.
The Faith of Hannah and the Call of Samuel
Let’s look at chapter 1, where we are introduced to Samuel. Samuel’s mother was Hannah, and Hannah was barren and childless, but she trusted God. In chapter 1, she goes to the tabernacle to pray. Remember, we are coming right out of the dark days of Joshua and Judges. Hannah goes to pour out her heart before the Lord, but the priest on duty, Eli, sees her lips moving quietly and assumes in verses 13 and 14 that she is drunk. This suggests he had probably seen other people come into the tabernacle intoxicated, so he lumped her in with them.
1 Samuel 1:13-14 (NASB)
As for Hannah, she was speaking in her heart, only her lips were moving, but her voice was not heard. So Eli thought she was drunk. Then Eli said to her, ‘How long will you make yourself drunk? Put away your wine from you.’
Not this woman, though. She was a godly woman, and she prayed, “God, if You give me a child, I will commit him to the Lord for service.” God granted her request and gave her a son named Samuel, which means “heard of God.” Samuel became a servant in the tabernacle because Hannah actually followed through on what she promised.
1 Samuel 1:28 (NASB)
‘So I have also dedicated him to the LORD; as long as he lives he is dedicated to the LORD.’ And he worshiped the LORD there.
In chapter 2, we are introduced to Eli’s two biological sons, Hophni and Phinehas. While Samuel grows in godliness, Eli’s sons do not. In fact, chapter 2 describes them as worthless men who despised the offering of the Lord.
1 Samuel 2:12 (NASB)
Now the sons of Eli were worthless men; they did not know the LORD
1 Samuel 2:17 (NASB)
Thus the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD, for the men despised the offering of the LORD.
Notice the stark contrast just a few verses later:
1 Samuel 2:26 (NASB)
Now the boy Samuel was growing in stature and in favor both with the LORD and with men.
Does that phrase sound familiar? Luke 2:52 uses the exact same language to describe Jesus growing up in wisdom, stature, and favor with God and men. Samuel was unique. No razor touched his head, he avoided the fruit of the vine, and he remained set apart—he lived under a Nazirite vow, just like we read about in Numbers.
In chapter 3, young Samuel is serving before Eli in the tabernacle when God calls to him at night. Samuel assumes it is Eli calling, runs to him, and says, “Here I am.” Eli says, “I didn’t call you; go back to bed.” It’s like your kids coming into your bedroom in the middle of the night waking you up—you just tell them to go back to bed. It happens a second time, and then a third time. Finally, the aging priest realizes what is happening.
Why did it take Eli three times to figure out that God was speaking? Verse 1 explains the spiritual climate of the day:
1 Samuel 3:1 (NASB)
Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD before Eli. And word from the LORD was rare in those days, visions were infrequent.
As the period of the Judges ended, the scene faded to black. The word of God became rare because the people had turned their backs on Him. But Eli tells Samuel, “Next time He calls, answer, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.’” Samuel obeys, and God reveals Himself to him. Samuel is recognized as a prophet throughout all Israel.
1 Samuel 3:20-21 (NASB)
All Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the LORD. And the LORD appeared again at Shiloh, because the LORD revealed Himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the LORD.
The Ark, the Idols, and God’s Holiness
In chapters 4 through 6, we encounter a peculiar narrative revolving around the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark contained Aaron’s rod, the jar of manna, and the Ten Commandments. It was the place of atonement, the central spiritual object of Israel. But to the Israelites, it had degenerated into a good-luck charm.
In chapter 4, after suffering defeat against the Philistines, the elders say, “Why has the Lord defeated us? Let’s bring the Ark from Shiloh so that it may save us from our enemies.”
1 Samuel 4:3 (NASB)
When the people came into the camp, the elders of Israel said, ‘Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us take to ourselves from Shiloh the ark of the covenant of the LORD, that it may come among us and deliver us from the power of our enemies.’
They were not relying on the living God; they were trusting a religious box to deliver them. They thought, If we just bring the Ark, victory is guaranteed. But when they went out to battle, the Philistines routed them, captured the Ark, and killed Hophni and Phinehas. When Eli heard the news, he fell backward, broke his neck, and died.
1 Samuel 4:22 (NASB)
She said, ‘The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God was taken.’
As a side note on parenting: Eli failed to confront his sons when they were acting wickedly.
1 Samuel 3:13 (NASB)
’For I have told him that I am about to judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons brought a curse on themselves and he did not rebuke them.
We hear a lot of talk today about protecting a child’s self-esteem at all costs. Parents sometimes abdicate their responsibility to guide and correct out of fear of hurting their feelings. But children need clear boundaries, standards, and consistent discipline delivered in love. Eli never restrained his sons, and they grew into spoiled, corrupt men who died under judgment.
The Philistines took the captured Ark and placed it in the temple of their god, Dagon, in Ashdod. The next morning, the statue of Dagon was lying face down before the Ark. They set the idol back up, but the following morning, Dagon was fallen again—this time with his head and hands broken off. Furthermore, the Lord afflicted the people of the city with severe tumors.
1 Samuel 5:6 (NASB)
Now the hand of the LORD was heavy on the Ashdodites, and He ravaged them and smote them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territories.
The Philistines decided Ashdod wasn’t safe for the Ark, so they moved it to Gath, and then to Ekron. The same plagues followed. Desperate to rid themselves of the affliction, they returned the Ark on a newly built cart pulled by two nursing cows that had just been separated from their calves. If the cows ignored their natural maternal instinct and walked straight toward Israel, the Philistines would know this judgment was from Yahweh. The cows walked directly to the Levitical border city of Beth Shemesh.
When the men of Beth Shemesh saw the Ark, however, they treated it irreverently and peered inside. God struck down seventy men on the spot.
1 Samuel 6:19 (NASB)
He struck down some of the men of Beth-shemesh because they had looked into the ark of the LORD. He struck down of all the people, 50,070 men, and the people mourned because the LORD had struck the people with a great slaughter.
Beth Shemesh was a Levitical city; they should have known God’s explicit commands regarding the holiness of the Ark. Because of their fear, they sent the Ark up the hill to Kiriath-jearim, where it remained in the house of Abinadab for twenty years. There was not even a proper priestly system operating to return it to the tabernacle. As the priesthood went, so went the nation.
Israel Demands a King
In chapter 7, Samuel steps onto the scene and calls the nation to repentance.
1 Samuel 7:3 (NASB)
Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, ‘If you return to the LORD with all your heart, remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your hearts to the LORD and serve Him alone; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.’
The people responded by removing their idols, and God granted them victory over the Philistines. Samuel served faithfully as a judge, prophet, and spiritual leader.
Yet even Samuel experienced family tragedy. In chapter 8, as he grew old, he appointed his sons as judges, but they were dishonest and accepted bribes.
1 Samuel 8:3 (NASB)
His sons, however, did not walk in his ways, but turned aside after dishonest gain and took bribes and perverted justice.
It is a sobering reality that a person can be successful in public ministry or business while neglecting their home. Our primary ministry begins under our own roof. Because of his sons’ corruption, the elders of Israel approached Samuel with a demand:
1 Samuel 8:5 (NASB)
and they said to him, ‘Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations.’
Notice their request: they did not merely want leadership; they wanted a king like all the other nations. From the moment God delivered them out of Egypt, His goal was to make them entirely distinct from the surrounding nations. But they looked at the pagan world around them, saw the powerful earthly monarchs, and said, “We want that.”
Samuel was heartbroken, but God reminded him of the real issue:
1 Samuel 8:7 (NASB)
The LORD said to Samuel, ’Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them.
How quickly they forgot the Red Sea, the manna in the wilderness, and the walls of Jericho falling down. They wanted an earthly ruler to fight their battles instead of trusting their divine King. Samuel warned them of the consequences—conscription, heavy taxation, and loss of freedom—yet they insisted.
The Rise and Fall of Saul
God gave them Saul, whose name means “asked for.” Externally, Saul was everything they wanted: tall, handsome, and impressive. But while Saul had immense natural charisma and gifting, he possessed no internal spiritual depth. Gifting may take you to the top, but only character will sustain you there.
In chapter 13, Saul’s impatience and lack of faith were exposed. Facing an impending attack by the Philistines and seeing his troops scatter, Saul refused to wait for Samuel and unlawfully offered the sacrifices himself.
When Samuel arrived and confronted him, Saul deflected blame:
1 Samuel 13:11-12 (NASB)
But Samuel said, ‘What have you done?’ And Saul said, ’Because I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the appointed days, and that the Philistines were assembling at Michmash, therefore I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not asked the favor of the LORD.’ So I forced myself and offered the burnt offering.’
Saul blamed the troops, he blamed Samuel, and he blamed the Philistines. Instead of owning his disobedience, he made excuses. Samuel told him plainly:
1 Samuel 13:14 (NASB)
‘But now your kingdom shall not endure. The LORD has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.’
In chapter 15, Saul was commanded to utterly destroy the Amalekites. Instead, he spared King Agag and kept the best livestock. When Samuel confronted him, Saul set up a monument in honor of himself and claimed he had obeyed God’s voice. When Samuel heard the animals, Saul blamed the people, saying they spared the animals for sacrifice. Samuel replied with unforgettable clarity:
1 Samuel 15:22 (NASB)
Samuel said, ’Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, [And] to heed than the fat of rams.
Saul’s concern was not his sin before a holy God, but his public image before the elders. God rejected Saul from being king, and Samuel mourned over him.
A Man After God’s Own Heart
In chapter 16, God sent Samuel to Bethlehem to the house of Jesse to anoint the next king. Samuel looked at the oldest, most impressive brother, Eliab, thinking surely this was God’s chosen ruler. But God said to him:
1 Samuel 16:7 (NASB)
But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God [sees] not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.’
Jesse brought seven of his sons before Samuel, and none of them was chosen. Finally, they called in the youngest boy, David, who was out tending the sheep. God told Samuel, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” David was anointed, and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him.
In chapter 17, David arrived at the battlefront where Goliath of Gath had been defying the armies of the living God for forty days. While the entire Israeli army was paralyzed by fear, teenage David ran onto the field with unwavering confidence. Why was David so fearless? Because God had already promised him he would be king, and he wasn’t king yet! He knew Goliath could not kill him because God’s word would stand.
With a sling and five smooth stones, David struck Goliath in the forehead, drew the giant’s own sword, and cut off his head. David’s faith in God secured the victory.
From that point forward, David entered the furnace of preparation. In chapters 18 through 31, David lived on the run from a jealous, paranoid King Saul. Even while dodging spears, hiding in the caves of Adullam and En Gedi, and being pursued daily in the wilderness, David refused to take Saul’s life when given the chance. He resolved, “I will not stretch out my hand against the Lord’s anointed.”
In those desolate places, David poured out his heart to God, penning the Psalms that still comfort our souls today. He learned reliance, humility, and steadfast faith before he ever sat on the throne.
Saul’s life ended in tragic ruin. Having alienated God, Saul sought counsel from a medium at Endor and ultimately fell in battle on Mount Gilboa alongside his sons.
Conclusion: The Tale of Two Kings
1 Samuel is the tale of two kings.
Saul had the height, the looks, the gifting, and the public appeal, but his heart was empty. When pressure mounted, he crumbled into arrogance, insecurity, and rebellion.
David was overlooked, underestimated, and spent years enduring the hardships of the wilderness, but he had a heart entirely devoted to God. When he sinned, he repented deeply. When he suffered, he worshiped.
What are you building your life on today? Is it your talent, your intellect, your charisma, or your work ethic? Those qualities may take you far in the short term, but if you do not cultivate an authentic, humble heart for God, you will eventually erode from the inside out. A life that stands the test of time is one rooted deeply in the presence of the Lord.
Let us pray.
Father, as we reflect on these truths, we ask for honest self-evaluation. Reveal to us what our lives are truly built upon. If we have relied on our own talents and strength, help us turn away from that pride. We need Jesus Christ at the very center of our lives. Shape our hearts to be fully Yours. Give us the humility of David to seek Your face in the palaces and in the caves alike. May our lives bring honor to Your name. In Jesus’ name, Amen.