Introducing Samuel

1 Samuel 1

            The books of 1 and 2 Samuel carry us through the establishment of Israel’s monarchy. Yet the books are named after Samuel, who is not even named in 2 Samuel, having died in 1 Samuel 25. This seems to point to the ambiguous place that monarchy has in Israel. On the one hand, the Lord is supposed to be their king, but we saw all through Judges how often they rejected that kingship and chased after other gods. We saw, too, especially in Gideon’s story, that they wanted a king they could see. (It’s similar to the golden calf incident: they wanted a representation of their god, trying to have it both ways.) The Lord had seen this coming and in Deuteronomy 17 and he had given regulations about what kind of king they were supposed to choose. But a king was always going to be only an accommodation to their sinful desires. This will come to a head in 1 Samuel 8.

            Today, the story begins with a miraculous birth, but not of Saul, who will be the first king, nor of David, who will be the best king. No, the story begins with Samuel—a priest (though not a descendant of Aaron; 1:1, 2:11), a judge, and a prophet (3:20). In this, as in other ways, Samuel is clearly prefiguring Jesus, the great prophet, priest , and king. Samuel is born to a barren mother, like Isaac was born to Sarah and Samson was born to Manoah’s wife. This, too, prefigures Jesus, who is born unexpectedly and even more dramatically to the virgin, Mary. (Mary’s song in Luke 1 is likewise very similar to Hannah’s song in 1 Samuel 2.)

            The message seems clear: these are books that will introduce kingship to Israel, but the one that really matters, the one that sets the stage, the one that keeps priorities clear is the man of God. Israel would get their king, but their king was always supposed to be subject to the Lord.