The first book of Samuel opens as the book of Judges closed, with the nation
of Israel having descended into a civic and spiritual chaos: "In those days Israel
had no king; everyone did as he saw fit" (Judges 21:25 HCB). For Israel to live as
prosperously and effectively as God had intended in his covenant, the necessity of
appointing a king was imperative. This king was to be God's under-shepherd and
serve in proper human leadership.1
First Samuel begins with a barren nation, Israel, that consistently had been
disobedient to God's covenant with them. It also begins with a barren woman,
Hannah, who for decades had beseeched the Lord for son (I Samuel 1).
God had not removed Israel from the land, but He and his Spirit had
departed from it and them. The ark of God had been removed to the Philistines
(I Samuel 5-6) and that nation was anxious to send it back. God answered the
prayer of Hannah and she gave birth to a son, Samuel, who was the last to serve
Israel as a "judge" (I Samuel 7:15). He was both judge and priest and is also
honored as a prophet due to the reliability of his messages (3:19-20), and his
devotion to God (12:3).
Samuel's own sons turned out to be unworthy of the role of priest, and the
people recognized this. The leaders of the tribes went to Samuel and requested a
1 Victor P. Hamilton,?Handbook on the Historical Books (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2001), 212
king, "such as all the other nations have" (I Samuel 8:1-5).
This request became a dichotomy: If Israel was to bring light to other nations
and be a template for holy living, it must be different from all the other nations. So
why would God, Samuel, and the elders appoint a king in the first place? The
action of even asking for a king revealed a weakness and a lack of independent
morality on the part of Israel.2 Samuel asked the Lord for wisdom concerning this
and the Lord told him to warn the Israelites about the dangers of a monarchy
(I Samuel 8:11-18). The Israelites were emphatic about having a king. Seemingly,
the people wanted a king to lead them into battles and then into victories. Nothing
was offered to the Lord in the way of repentance for their disobedience and no
desire to live closer to the covenant was expressed.
Finally, God relented and instructed Samuel to give the Israelites a king, but
the choice was to be his. Saul was anointed king over Israel. Subsequently,
Samuel explained to the nation the regulations for the kingship which he also wrote
down and placed in the tabernacle (I Samuel 10:25). Samuel retained the role of
prophet, by God's decree, in order to provide check and balance to the new
monarchy.3 Samuel's messages from God to the Israelites moderated their
ambitions and succeeded in them not erring away from the covenant. Ultimately,
2 John H. Walton, A Survey of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1999), 190.
3 Ibid.,192.
this was God's primary reasoning for instituting the kingship. Israel's struggle
between prophets and kings, spirituality and politics, and its distinction among
other nations, define Israel's history from this point until the exile.
With Saul and his successor David, the choosing of a king is the prerogative
of God. When each king is chosen they are endowed with the mantle of the Holy
Spirit.4 Upon this anointing, the mortal king becomes the Lord's messiah, or
"anointed one" (I Samuel 2:10; 10:1; 16:3).
The structure of kingship, which in Deuteronomy 17:14-20 lists as a
legitimate possibility, is a positive and healthy method of governance. Were it not,
God would not have instituted its structure. One of God's original promises to
Israel was that it would become a great nation, and strong political leadership is an
important part of coming to nationhood. The Deuteronomy verses outline the
guides for kingship and the subsequent kingdom theology found in the historical
books.
The Samuel record shows the why and how of the transition from a period
where "everyone did whatever he wanted" (Judges 21:29) to the period where the
rule of God was entrusted to a king who was "after God's own heart" (I Samuel
13:14).
4 Eugene Merrill, The Word and the World (Nashville: B&H Publishing, 2003). 315.
