Unlocking the Bible. David Pawson

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СКАЧАТЬ princes (or kings), the 150 years of the upward rise to the empire of David.

      It is a highly significant period of Israel’s history. The Jews speak of David’s reign as the golden era of peace and prosperity when they conquered most of the land God had promised them. Even now, Jews long for a renewal of the days when a king reigned over a united and victorious nation. But it was not all good news, and we see in Samuel the beginning of a decline which continues through 1 and 2 Kings until Israel loses everything they gained in the previous 1,000 years.

      Before examining how we should interpret them, we will look at the detail of the main stories in the books of Samuel, beginning with an overview of the content and structure.

      Structure

      1. Samuel – last judge

      (i) Hannah – anxious wife

      (ii) Eli – ailing priest

      (iii) Israel – arrogant army

      (iv) Saul – anointed king

      2. Saul – first king

      (i) Jonathan – adventurous son

      (ii) Samuel – angry prophet

      (iii) David – apparent rival

      IN

      (a) Simple shepherd

      (b) Skilled musician

      (c) Superb warrior

      OUT

      (a) Suspected courtier

      (b) Stalked outlaw

      (c) Soldiering exile

      (iv) Philistines – aggressive foe

      3. David – best king

      (i) Triumphant ascent

      UP

      (a) Single tribe

      (b) Settled nation

      (c) Sizeable empire

      (ii) Tragic descent

      DOWN

      (a) Disgraced man

      (b) Disintegrated family

      (c) Discontented people

      4. Epilogue

      In this structural chart, the lives of Samuel and Saul are each described in terms of their relationship with three individuals and one people group: Samuel with Hannah, Eli, Saul and Israel; Saul with Jonathan, Samuel, David and the Philistines.

      David’s life can be summarized very simply in four directional words, as the chart shows: in, out, up, down. The ‘in’ and ‘out’ refer to his changing favour with King Saul, the ‘up’ refers to his move towards the pinnacle of his power as king, and ‘down’ refers to his journey into the depths of despair.

      Content

      1. Samuel – last judge

      (I) HANNAH – ANXIOUS WIFE

      The book begins with the story of Samuel’s mother, Hannah. Her husband, Elkanah, has two wives and Hannah, who is childless, has to bear the taunts of the other wife, Peninnah, who does have children. Years pass and Hannah’s grief at her childlessness deepens. She visits the temple at Shiloh (where Israel kept the ark of the covenant) and prays that if God will at last grant her a son she will dedicate him to God’s service. Eli the priest notices that she is muttering aloud and suspects that she is drunk. Hannah explains that she is deeply troubled and Eli sends her away with God’s blessing. Later Hannah conceives and gives birth to a son, whom she names Samuel.

      In gratitude she fufills her vow to the Lord and presents Samuel to Eli to serve at the temple. Hannah prays again, reflecting her confidence and joy in God. This prayer is clearly recalled by Mary 1,000 years later, when the angel tells her she is to give birth to Jesus. Her joy and praise in what is now called ‘The Magnificat’ contains echoes of Hannah’s.

      (II) ELI – AILING PRIEST

      Samuel ministers under the priest, Eli. One night he hears a voice and runs to Eli, assuming that he is calling him, but Eli says he is not. This happens three times before the priest realizes that it is God who wants to speak to Samuel. It is a significant moment, since the prophetic revelation, both verbal and visual, was rare in those days.

      Thus Samuel, aged 12, is given the responsibility of telling Eli that God will act in judgement upon his family because his two boys are misbehaving badly and Eli has been turning a blind eye. The sons have been abusing their positions of responsibility, eating consecrated meat and sleeping with some of the women who bring offerings. From then on, God says, no one in Eli’s line will see old age.

      This encounter was the start of Samuel’s prophetic ministry, and it was not the last time that the word he gave would be hard to receive.

      (III) ISRAEL – ARROGANT ARMY

      The next story concerns Israel’s defeat at the hands of the Philistines, the warring nation living on the west coast. The Israelites assume that they lost the battle because they left the ark of the covenant in the temple. Next time, therefore, they take it with them into battle, but are again heavily defeated, with 30,000 foot soldiers killed, including Eli’s sons (thus fulfilling the prophecy concerning their early deaths). The ark is captured by the Philistines and taken to the temple of Dagon, the Philistines’ god.

      On hearing this news, Eli – an old, frail man by this time – falls backwards off his chair and breaks his neck. The ark, however, spells trouble for the Philistines. God sends terrible illnesses upon them and they finally send it back to the Israelites on a cart pulled by two cows. The Philistines follow the cart to see where it goes, and they see it heading uphill in the direction of Jerusalem.

      Samuel gathers the Israelites at Mizpah and tells them that the previous defeats have nothing to do with the ark and everything to do with the pagan gods they are worshipping. Israel burns the idols, and this time is victorious in the fight against the Philistines. This demonstrates a principle described in Judges: whenever the Israelites disobey God an enemy comes to defeat them, but whenever they repent and put things right they defeat their enemies.

      Samuel’s fame grows from this time onwards, and his work as a judge and a prophet becomes greatly valued.

      (IV) SAUL – ANOINTED KING

      The last public thing that Samuel does as a prophet is to anoint Saul as king. The people ask Samuel whether they can have a king like the nations around them. They know that God is their king, but they want a king who is visible. At first Samuel is offended by their request, until God reminds him that he has no right to take offence, for it is God they have rejected.

      God tells Samuel that if the nation has a king, they need to be prepared for the consequences. A king will want a palace and an army, so taxation and conscription will swiftly follow the coronation. In spite of these warnings, the Israelites still insist they want a king and they choose Saul, a man who is taller and more handsome СКАЧАТЬ