Our next stop in our “Route 66” sermon series is the Old Testament book of 1 Samuel. Originally, 1 and 2 Samuel were one book.
Author
Jewish sources ascribe the composition to Samuel himself. But since Samuel’s death is recorded in chapter 25, the prophets Gad and Nathan, who are mentioned together with Samuel as the authors of a history of David (1 Chronicles 29:29) are said to have finished the work. In the book of Samuel itself one source is mentioned: the Book of Jashar, from which David’s elegy for Saul and Jonathan was taken (2 Samuel 1:18).
According to most modern scholars, 1 Samuel is but one part of the Deuteronomistic History which consists of the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings. However, the editor who put together this history probably drew together earlier written sources to compose the book of Samuel. Scholars have noted the presence of large thematic units: the Ark narrative, the Saul cycle, the history of David’s rise, the succession narrative (which continues into the book of Kings). The editor of the Deuteronomistic History wove all these parts into a unified whole, but certainly behind the whole lies the work of many hands.
Date
If we follow the traditional view of authorship by Samuel, then the composition of the books of 1 and 2 Samuel may be dated to the time of Samuel’s life and the lives of Nathan and Gad who also, according to the traditional view, had a hand in this work. If this is true, then we might date this book to circa 1000 BCE.
If modern scholars are correct and the books of Samuel are part of a larger Deuteronomistic History, then the final composition of these books might best be dated to the exilic or even post-exilic era, 500 years later than the traditional date.
Themes
Like the book of Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel focus on personal life narratives. But here these personal life narratives impact the nation of Israel in a dramatic way. 1 and 2 Samuel focus primarily on the lives of Samuel (the last of the judges and a prophet), Saul (the first king of Israel) and David (the second king of Israel).
In this book we continue to encounter themes that give the modern reader pause. Did God really command his people to slaughter their enemies? If we are bothered by such questions, we are in good company.
The great twentieth century Jewish philosopher, Martin Buber, once wrote of his total inability to accept that God could have commanded the murder of Agag by Samuel (1 Samuel 15:10-33). “I could never believe that that was a message from God…it was Samuel who did not understand God.”
Whether we agree or disagree with Buber, we need to recognize that the religious tradition that flows out of the Bible has been and still is one of the most powerful forces creating our present-day ways of thinking. “A deeper insight into its meaning is part of our equipping ourselves for more adequate thinking and living today.” (Peter Ackroyd)
Structure
- Historical Setting for the Establishment of Kingship in Israel (1 Samuel 1-7)
- The Establishment of Kingship in Israel (1 Samuel 8-12)
- Saul’s Kingship a Failure (1 Samuel 13-15)
- David’s Rise to the Throne (1 Samuel 16-2 Samuel 5:5)
- David’s Kingship (2 Samuel 5:6-9:12)
- David’s Kingship in Its Weakness and Failure (2 Samuel 10-20)
- Final Reflections on David’s Reign (2 Samuel 21-24)
Key Concept—God Speaks
There are several famous Bible stories contained in 1 and 2 Samuel: the story of David and Goliath, David and Bathsheba, and the story of David and Jonathan are just three that come to mind. My goal in this Bible overview series is not to tell you everything there is to know about the Bible. That would be impossible. Nor is my goal to recount all the famous stories in the Bible. I might do that in another sermon series someday. Rather, I want to give you a sense of what each of the biblical books are about and point out things I think are interesting along the way.
Before we get to the story of David, we have the story of the first King of Israel, Saul. And before we get to the story of Saul, we have the story of Samuel who is a kind of transitional figure in the Bible. Samuel is counted as the last of the judges. So, he ruled over Israel, but as a judge and not a king. And secondly, Samuel was a prophet. It is Samuel’s role as prophet that I find most intriguing, partly because Samuel became a prophet at a very young age.
The story of Samuel’s birth is one of those miracle stories in the Bible. Samuel’s mother, Hannah, was barren. But she prayed to the Lord to give her a son, and she promised that if God gave her a son, she would dedicate that son to the Lord’s service.
Well, the Lord answered Hannah’s prayer and gave her Samuel. And true to her word, Hannah gave Samuel into the Lord’s service. In fact, as soon as he was weaned, she gave her son to be raised by the priest, Eli, who served at the house of the Lord in Shiloh. This was in the time before there was a Temple in Jerusalem.
So, the story I am about to read to you from 1 Samuel 3, takes place in the house of the Lord in Shiloh, in northern Israel, in the days of the judges. Listen for God’s word to you…
The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.
One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was. Then the Lord called Samuel.
Samuel answered, “Here I am.” And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.
Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
“My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”
Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.
A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”
Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle. At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family—from beginning to end. For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God,[a] and he failed to restrain them. Therefore I swore to the house of Eli, ‘The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’”
Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the Lord. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision, 16 but Eli called him and said, “Samuel, my son.”
Samuel answered, “Here I am.”
“What was it he said to you?” Eli asked. “Do not hide it from me. May God deal with you, be it ever so severely, if you hide from me anything he told you.” So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. Then Eli said, “He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes.”
The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord. The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.
There are several things I find striking about this story. First, there is the statement that the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions. Sometimes, I think some Christians get the idea in their minds that God spoke to people all the time in Bible times, but God doesn’t speak to us anymore. I don’t think that either half of that statement is true. As this verse points out, there were times even in biblical history when “the word of the Lord was rare”. And secondly, I cannot think of any place in the Bible where it is stated explicitly that God has or will stop speaking to his people.
Personally, I would not put any supposed vision or word from the Lord today on the same level as the Bible. But I also would not automatically discount any claimed word from the Lord. I think it is important to judge any and every supposed prophecy against the testimony of Scripture to see if it is in alignment or not.
The second thing I find striking is the statement that the Lord called Samuel. As we hear in this story, the Lord quite literally called Samuel’s name.
Now, I have never known anyone who heard an audible “word from the Lord” or anyone who has heard God literally call their name. But I do believe God calls each one of us. The question is: are we listening?
What do I mean by calling? The Latin word for calling is vocatio, from which we get our English word “vocation”. I believe everyone has a calling from the Lord. Everyone has something that the Lord has created them and redeemed them to do for his kingdom. Preachers are not the only ones who are called. I believe we are all called by God.
A third thing I find striking in this story is Samuel’s response to the Lord’s call. Samuel does not even know it is the Lord calling him at first. But he responds: here I am. In fact, Samuel says it four times: here I am. In a way, these words are characteristic of Samuel’s life in its entirety. By that I mean that Samuel’s life was characterized by his availability to God.
I believe God gives us our talents, our spiritual gifts. And he wants us to use these gifts for his glory and the good of others. But I also believe that more important than our ability is our availability to God.
Samuel made himself available from a young age for God to use him, and God did use him powerfully. I wonder: would you offer your availability to God today?
A fourth thing I find striking in this story is that at the time when the Lord called Samuel, Samuel did not yet know the Lord.
Now, I feel confident that Samuel knew about the Lord even though he was just a boy. How could he not know about the Lord? Here he was serving in the house of the Lord with Eli the priest. Certainly, Samuel knew about the Lord, but he did not yet know the Lord in a personal way.
In the same way, I feel confident that virtually everyone here today, everyone listening to my voice, knows about the Lord. If you did not know something about the Lord, you would not be here today or you would not be watching a livestream of our worship service.
But do you know the Lord? Do you know him in a personal way? Do you have a relationship with him?
I believe that everyone can come into a personal relationship with God through his Son Jesus Christ. All we need to do is begin by asking God to put his Spirit inside of us. That’s the beginning. And it can happen today.
A fifth thing I find striking in this story is when Samuel says, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
The word of the Lord was rare in Samuel’s time, just as it may be rare in our time. Nonetheless, the priest, Eli, knew that this was how Samuel should address the Lord. And I find in these words, great guidance for our spiritual lives today. These are great words that we too can speak to God if we dare. Speak, for your servant is listening.
I wonder: would you dare to ask God to speak to you today? I believe there are many ways that God is still speaking to us in our time. I believe the primary way God speaks to us is through the Scriptures. I believe he has been speaking to me through the Scriptures for most of my life. That is the primary place where I expect God to speak to me. But I also believe God can speak to us through our prayer life, through other people, through other books, and through our circumstances. Are we asking God to speak to us, and are we listening?
A sixth thing I find striking in this story is that Samuel was honest and faithful to pass on to others exactly what the Lord spoke to him.
I believe sometimes when the Lord speaks to us, he speaks a word just to us, something that is not to be passed on to others. But quite often I believe the Lord speaks to us words that he desires and expects us to pass on to others.
In Samuel’s case, he received a difficult word from the Lord. The Lord was going to remove Eli’s family from the priesthood, and the Lord revealed what he was going to do to Samuel.
I love Samuel’s honesty and faithfulness. When Eli asks him what the Lord told him, Samuel does not shirk his responsibility to tell Eli exactly what the Lord said. Samuel does not sugarcoat the message.
I believe as a pastor and preacher it is my job not to speak to you my own words, but to pass on to you God’s word, to explain the Bible as best as I can, and not withhold from you anything I think the Lord would want you to know.
A final thing I find striking in this story is that the Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground. In other words, all of Samuel’s words that he spoke as a prophet were reliable. Thus, everyone who knew anything at all about Samuel recognized that he was a prophet. And the Lord continued to appear to Samuel in Shiloh. The Lord continued to reveal himself to Samuel. And the Lord did that through his word.
I pray that the Lord would not just reveal himself to you one time, but that he would continue to reveal himself to you, and that he would do that through his word in Scripture. But the only way God can do that is if we first say to the Lord, “Speak, your servant is listening.”
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