ii
Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 1
God and Israel’s Kingship ........................................................................................................... 1
Relationship with the Old Testament .......................................................................................... 3
Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 4
Bibliography .................................................................................................................................. 5
1
The beginning of 1 Samuel depicts the end of the line of judges and explains the period
before kingship is established and the birth and life of Samuel (1 Samuel 1-7, New International
Version). It is important to establish the baseline of 1 Samuel chapters 1-7 to effectively
understand the remainder of the text. According to Victor Hamilton, Samuel is significant to
providing the transition from the time of judges into the time of kingship:
First, he bridges the transition from Israel’s confederacy in the days of the judges to
monarchy. Second, in conjunction with the first, he bridges the gap between the former
charismatic age and the forthcoming prophetic era. Third, he bridges the gap between an
exclusively entrenched hierarchy of religious functionaries - the priests - and an upsurge
of prophetic spiritual leaders. History is replete with the ongoing struggle in religious
communities between hierarchy and charism.1
For the purposes of this exegesis, focus will be on the latter portion of the book, chapters 8-12.
There are three main questions that will be addressed. First, did God want the Israelites to have a
king, and did the Israelites need a king to see God’s plan for them? Second, what is the
relationship between specific passages in Genesis and Deuteronomy and the positive and
negative aspects crucial to answering the first question? Third, did the author of 1 Samuel see the
kingship in a positive or negative light and how did this relate to the rest of the Old Testament?
The book of 1 Samuel introduces readers to the struggle Israel had with seeing God as their king
versus a human as their king and why this changed their history in a drastic way.
God and Israel’s Kingship
After reading 1 Samuel, one can discern that God was against Israel having a king other
than himself, but he did not prevent the kings from ruling. Samuel’s reaction to this request is
explained by V. Philips Long, “Against the backdrop of the first seven chapters of the book, and
especially of the demonstration in chapter 7 that Yahweh is fully capable of delivering his people
1 Victor P. Hamilton, Handbook on the Historical Books (Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing Group, 2001), 212.
2
through his chosen leaders, the elders’ insistence in the present chapter on having a king like the
kings of other nations comes as a surprise.”2 Long continues to explain that Samuel is surprised
by the request for a king, but God notes that the real reason they are asking for this is because
they are starting to reject the rule of Yahweh, “As we shall see, the issue is not kingship per se
but, rather, the kind of king the elders desire.”3 God’s position on this matter is also explained by
Hamilton, “God does not overrule the people and veto their request, their questionable motives
notwithstanding. Nor does he withdraw into indifference, exasperated because it hasn’t been
done his way. Rather, he usus the realities of the moment, and in all things he works for good.”4
After the Israelites reject God’s rule in 1 Samuel 8:1-22; 10:17-19; and 12:1-25, the
question if they should have a king is brought to the reader’s attention. The other side of this
argument is seen from a positive perspective in 1 Samuel 9:1-10:16 and 11:1-15 when the rulers
direct the Israelites toward God. If the Israelites were able to always have good kings that helped
guide them in accordance with God’s plan, they would have been much more beneficial.
However, readers today would see the book of 1 Samuel in a different light. Samuel himself
reacts to the back and forth the Israelites struggle with as explained by Stephen Chapman, “Still,
in contrast to the exclusively negative stance that Samuel had earlier adopted with respect to the
kingship (Samuel 8:18), now he characterizes the Israelites’ future success as conditional upon
their behavior.”5 The way the Israelites interact with their kings and how they either follow or
ignore God is ultimately up to them.
2 V. Philips Long, David G Firth, and Tremper Longman, 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and
Commentary (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2020), 289.
3 Ibid.
4 Hamilton, Handbook on the Historical Books, 231.
5 Chapman, Stephen B. 1 Samuel as Christian Scripture: A Theological Commentary (Grand Rapids:
Eerdmans Pub. Company, 2016), 98.
3
Relationship with the Old Testament
To understand the book of 1 Samuel, it must be studied in the context of the Old
Testament as a whole. The kingship also carries into scripture after 1 Samuel, specifically the
Chronicles, discussing more about Saul’s reign. Focusing first on the positive and negative
perspectives previously mentioned, there is evidence that discusses the kingship of the Israelites,
which is an argument theologists, such as Bill Arnold, have explained, “At Yahweh’s direction,
Samuel details the consequences of the kingship Israel desires. At this point, the reader may
object that kingship had been the plan of Yahweh from before the beginning of Israel as a nation
(Gen. 17:6, 16; 49:10; Ex. 19:6; Num. 24:17– 19; Deut. 17:14– 20).”6 Whether or not this was
God’s plan is not stated directly, but it is clear that God was aware that the request for a king
would be made and accepted.
Without guidance, Israel risks descending into chaos, “…human institution will become
militaristic, conscript Israelite men (even women!) into military service, confiscate property, and
lead ultimately to enslavement (8:11– 17).”7 Although the author of 1 Samuel does not explicitly
say that Israel should or should not have a king, it is evident that God did allow them to
experience kingship in order to appreciate his presence and force them to have to choose to listen
to his guidance. Again, this is the Israelites choice. Even with a king, there is still enough
freedom for the people to choose to continue following the path God has outlined for them or to
stray away and live as they have seen other communities spend their lives.
6 Bill T. Arnold, 1 and 2 Samuel: The NIV Application Commentary from Biblical Text—to Contemporary
Life (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003), 150.
7 Ibid., 151.
4
Conclusion
1 Samuel introduces the first evidence of kingship in the Old Testament, although the
concept had been previously mentioned. God’s direction for Israel was to be uniform under his
rule as the king of kings, but he did not deny their plea for leadership. Chapman discusses the
overall theological stance of 1 Samuel:
Because the narrative of 1 Samuel, like the book of Deuteronomy, locates true religion in
the internal, subjective aspect of ritual (i.e., trust in God) and in the humanitarian impact
of communal worship practices, 1 Samuel “separates” faith from the pragmatic needs of
the state, which was perceived to be encroaching upon piety more dangerously with the
development of a dynastic monarchy. Paradoxically, this emphasis on the subjective is
made in an effort to infuse all of life with the religious spirit.8
Israel is often torn back and forth between worshipping God and idol worship, so the separation
could be perceived as a positive or negative, as discussed in this exegesis. God is Israel’s true
king, despite their inner battle to stay true to this fact. The Old Testament is dependent on the
author of 1Samuel to explain this relationship to readers to allow for a better understanding of
Israel’s introduction into human kingship.
8 Chapman, 1 Samuel as Christian Scripture: A Theological Commentary, 207.
5
Bibliography
Arnold, Bill T. 1 and 2 Samuel: The NIV Application Commentary from Biblical Text—to
Contemporary Life. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003.
Chapman, Stephen B. 1 Samuel as Christian Scripture: A Theological Commentary. Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans Pub. Company, 2016.
Long, V. Philips, David G Firth, and Tremper Longman. 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and
Commentary. Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2020.
Hamilton, Victor P. Handbook on the Historical Books. Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing Group,
2001.
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