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1 Samuel

Introduction

The books commonly known as 1 & 2 Samuel and 1 & 2 Kings are really one long book. (They were separated due to the length of ancient scrolls.) This book describes what happened in the days of the kings who ruled first the whole nation, and then the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah. The first two “scrolls” describe the reigns of Saul and David in detail. The third and fourth the reigns of the kings after David until the nation of Judah is exiled to Babylon. The repeating structure within the book tells how old a king was when he came to the throne, where and for how long he ruled, and something about his character and the notable events of his reign. (Some traditions call this collection of scrolls the “Book of Reigns.”) Beginning with Samuel, the last of the judges, 1 Samuel tells the story of Saul, the first king. Saul does not follow God faithfully, and God announces he will seek a man after his own heart to rule Israel. God finds this person in David. The book ends at the death of Saul as his reign ends in defeat and disgrace.