Scripture: One Book at a Time
The whole of Sacred Scripture is a single narrative that promises and points to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of the World. It is an epic story, the greatest ever told, and told "one book at a time." Each book makes it contribution to the narrative as God reveals God's self to us and his desire that all be saved.
Lesson 13: The Book of 1st Samuel
From Judges to Kings
The two books of the Prophet Samuel describe the rise and development of kingship in Israel. Samuel is a pivotal figure – he is the last of the judges as well a prophet. He bridges the gap between the period of the Judges and the monarchy, and guides Israel’s transition to kingship. The two books present both positive and negative traditions about the monarchy, portraying it both as evidence of Israel’s rejection of the Lord as their sovereign and as part of God’s plan to deliver the people. Samuel’s misgivings about abuse of royal power foreshadow the failures and misdeeds of Saul and David and the failures of subsequent Israelite kings. Across the first book there is perhaps two major sections:
- Samuel, the reluctant king maker (1 Sm 1–12);
- Saul, the king whom the Lord rejects (1 Sm 13–31);
The Book of 2nd Samuel deals with King David, the king after the Lord’s own heart (2 Sm 1–24).
A common theme unites these narratives: Israel’s God acts justly, prospering those who remain faithful and allows destruction to come to those who reject his ways. If you are interested in additional information, you can read two supplementary documents:
For those who would like to explore details of this book, please consider videos from Fr. Mike Schmitz’s “Bible in a Year” program. You can find the entire playlist here.
Blessing and Curse
So far in our review of the books of the Old Testament, there have been “blessing” and “curse” – what does this mean? And how are we to think of our God who blessed but sometimes seems to curse? The video below gives a Biblical view of these words.