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| What We Believe |
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Name - In the Hebrew canon, the two books of Samuel appear as one, commonly known as "The
First Book of Kings." The name Samuel is ascribed to the fact that the personal history,
ministrations as judge, prophet, and priest, and the work of Samuel in the transition period in
which a king was set up are related in the early part of this book. Samuel was the last of the
judges and the associate of his predecessor Eli over a period of years. Theme - The book records the failure of the priesthood under Eli and of the judges in Samuel's attempt to make the office hereditary. In his prophecies, Samuel was both faithful and conspicuous, and this phase of his work took precedence over his priesthood; hence, he is the beginning of a long line of prophets in Israel who became the spokesmen of God. Notable in this respect was his establishment of the schools of the prophets. Most outstanding in the events of his career, however, was the founding of the monarchy under the reign of King Saul. Prominent Truths - Prominent truths of the book cover the purpose of God in making Israel a theocratic nation, not to be altered even in the setting up of a monarchy; the sovereignty of God over Israel and other nations; and "Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people." Outline - Historically, the book is a continuation of Judges and Ruth: I. The Story of Samuel to the Death of Eli (1:1-4:22) II. From the Death of Eli to the Demand for a King (5:1-8:22) III. The Reign of Saul to the Anointing of Young David (9:1-15:35) IV. From the Call of David to the Death of Saul (16:1-31:13). According to Ussher, the events of First Samuel cover a period of 115 years. |
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