Unlocking the Bible

Ruth was one of the earliest Gentiles to embrace the God of Israel. She is a picture of all believers who are in the royal line, brothers of Jesus through faith in him.

The book reminds us of Jesus, for if the Church is like Ruth, Boaz is like Christ – the kinsman redeemer. The Church has been brought into the line of the Old Testament people of God. We are the bride and he is the bridegroom. Ruth is not an isolated Old Testament book, but covers a theme which runs throughout the Bible. The whole Bible is a romance, finishing with the wedding supper of the Lamb in the book of Revelation. The Ruth–Boaz romance is a perfect picture of Christ and his Gentile bride.

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1 AND 2 SAMUEL

Introduction

The books which make up 1 and 2 Samuel in the English Bible are just one book in the Jewish Scriptures, and are included as part of the ‘former prophets’ section. Samuel covers 150 years of history, told from a prophetic point of view to record how God sees things and what he regards as important. The book is named after the prophet who dominates the story, and who probably wrote most of it. It covers great changes in Israel’s history and the emergence of the great King David, whose fame is remembered to this day.

Context

Abraham, the father of the Jews, lived around 2000 BC; King David came to the throne around 1000 BC. God’s promise to Abraham that he would have descendants and a land is therefore 1,000 years old when we reach the book of Samuel and the arrival of David. According to the Old Testament time chart given earlier in the Overview section (History), the book of Samuel records a third change in the pattern of leadership during the history of the people of Israel.

1 From 2000 to 1500 BC Israel was led by patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph (though they were not a nation at this point).

2 From 1500 to 1000 BC they were led by prophets: Moses through to Samuel.

3 From 1000 to 500 BC they were led by princes (or kings): Saul through to Zedekiah.

4 In the 500 years leading up to the time of Christ they were led by priests: Joshua through to Annas and Caiaphas.

The dates are approximate, but this gives a helpful summary. Samuel describes the change from prophets to 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