When the American statesman Benjamin Franklin signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, he remarked, “We must indeed all hang together, or most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.” The road from signing a document to achieving national unity was a long one and a costly one, but eventually the United States of America emerged on the political scene and has been there ever since. Its two mottoes summarize the miracle that was accomplished: “E pluribus unum—Out of many, one” and “In God we trust.” The first tells us what happened and the second tells us how it happened.
The nation of Israel had a similar challenge. After the death of Joshua, Israel gradually became a divided nation. Instead of trusting the Lord, the Jews began to worship the gods of their pagan neighbors, and the spiritual bonds that held the tribes together began to weaken and break. Before long, people were doing what was right in their own eyes and caring little about the covenant they had made with the Lord. Then the people called for a king, for someone who could bring unity to the nation and victory to the army. God answered their request and gave them Saul, but not to solve their problems—he only made some of them worse—but to prove to the people that their greatest need was to trust in Him and obey His Word. It wasn’t until David appeared on the scene that national events began to take a different turn and light appeared at the end of the tunnel.
David was anointed by Samuel, and Samuel was the son of Elkanah and Hannah; so the story begins with Hannah, a humble woman whose submission and faith in God are an example for all of us to follow.
Hannah, a godly woman The name Hannah means “grace,” and she certainly lived up to her name. God gave her the grace she needed to suffer the insults hurled at her by Peninnah, Elkanah’s second wife, and to endure the embarrassment and pain of childlessness. She received the grace she needed to speak kindly and gently when she was misunderstood and criticized (Col. 4:6). God gave her grace to conceive a son and dedicate him to the Lord—and then to sing about it! So beautiful and meaningful was Hannah’s song that Mary borrowed from it when she praised the Lord for His grace to her (Luke 1:46–55).
Hannah was a woman with “faith and patience” (Heb. 6:12) who committed herself to God, asked for a son, and waited for God to answer in His own way and time. She was patient at home as she endured the verbal attacks of Peninnah, and she was patient with Eli when he falsely accused her of being drunk. She was fortunate to have a devout husband who loved her and encouraged her to obey the Lord. There were times when life was very difficult for Hannah, but she persevered in her faith, hope, and love and eventually won the victory.
Hannah realized what too many of us forget, that God works in and through “common people” to accomplish His purposes on earth. He didn’t ask Hannah to lead an army, as He did Deborah (Judg. 4–5), or intercede with a king, as He did Esther. He simply asked her to fulfill her heart’s desire and give birth to a son. “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and he shall give you the desires of your heart” (Ps. 37:4). All that Hannah wanted was to be a woman of God who obeyed the will of God. In doing this, she helped to save the nation of Israel.
There’s so much treachery, bloodshed, and confusion recorded in 1 Samuel that it’s refreshing to meet at the very beginning of the book a woman who represents the very best that God has to give. The leaders of Israel had failed, so God sought out a woman He could use to help bring truth, peace, and order to His people. She served God simply by being a woman and doing what only a woman could do—give birth to a baby and dedicate that child to the Lord.
“He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the Lord” (Ps. 113: niv).
Eli, a compromising priest Eli was an indulgent father who occasionally reproved his sons for their sins but took no steps to discipline the men, let alone replace them. The work at the tabernacle went on in a routine sort of way, but there was no spiritual power evident nor was there any fresh word from the Lord. The picture we get of Eli is that of a fat, old man, sitting on his special chair as he directed the affairs of the tabernacle, all the while closing his eyes to what he saw and his ears to what he heard. He was the leader of Israel’s religion and desperately needed to have a fresh experience with the Lord.
But we can commend Eli for putting his blessing on Hannah’s prayer request (1 Sam. 1:17) and for welcoming little Samuel when she brought him to be dedicated to the Lord. Samuel’s sons weren’t the best companions for an innocent little boy, but the Lord and Eli saw to it that Samuel wasn’t defiled. Eli taught Samuel the truths of God Word and instructed him concerning the work and ways of the tabernacle. Samuel was born a priest, but God would call him to minister as a prophet and judge.
Something else is commendable in Eli: when the Lord sent His message to young Samuel, Eli counseled the boy, listened to the message, and submitted to the Lord’s will. “It is the Lord. Let Him do what seems good to Him” (3: nkjv). Whether this statement was a confession of helpless resignation or a mark of worshipful submission isn’t easy to determine, but let’s give Eli the benefit of the doubt. As he saw God at work in young Samuel’s life, Eli must have encouraged him and prayed for him. There’s no record that he was envious of the lad because God’s messages were coming through him. Blessed are those older saints who help the new generation know God and live for Him! However Eli may have failed with his own sons, he helped to point Samuel in the right direction and the whole nation benefited from it.
Eli’s last day of ministry was a tough one: his two sons died, the ark was captured by the enemy, and his daughter-in-law died giving birth to a son. “Ichabod— the glory has departed!” But God was still on the throne and young Samuel was getting ready to step into the gap and bring spiritual direction to the nation. Eli hadn’t been a great spiritual leader, but he was one small link in the chain that led to the anointing of David and eventually the birth of the Redeemer.
Samuel, a faithful servant Samuel was born at a time when the nation and its religion were a stagnant pool, but he soon found himself trying to navigate on a stormy sea. Change was in the air, and priests were trained to protect tradition, not to promote alteration. The Jewish leaders wanted a king, someone who could unify the people and protect them from the surrounding nations. Samuel saw this move as an abandonment of the Kingship of Jehovah, but the Lord told him to go along with the people and anoint Saul as king. Samuel did his best to educate the people for life under a monarchy, but his words seemed to make little difference.
The people had voted Samuel out of his judgeship, but he was still God’s priest and prophet, and he helped Saul get a good start. Samuel led the nation in renewing their covenant with the Lord, Saul rescued the people of Jabesh Gilead, and Samuel gave a moving farewell speech in which he promised to pray for the nation. But it soon became evident that Saul had very little spiritual discernment and that he was using the kingship to promote himself, not to assist the people. He lied about his willful disobedience, lost the kingdom, and sent Samuel home to Ramah with a broken heart.
Real change agents don’t sit around complaining and remembering the good old days. When God told Samuel to go to Bethlehem and anoint a new king, he risked his life and obeyed, and David became a part of the scene. Scripture doesn’t tell us how much mentoring Samuel gave David, but the prophet recognized God’s hand on the lad and surely taught him about the Lord and His people. Samuel was God’s living link between Israel’s past and future, and he played his part well. He befriended David when he was in danger, prayed for him, and trusted God to care for him.
Samuel is an example to all older believers who are prone to glorify the past, resist change in the present, and lose hope in the future. Without abandoning the past, Samuel accepted change, did all he could to make things work, and when they didn’t work, trusted God for a brighter future. God didn’t abandon the kingdom; He just chose a better man to be in charge, and Samuel helped to mentor that man. Every leader needs a Samuel, a person in touch with God, appreciative of the past but willing to follow God into a new era, a man of faith and encouragement who sees the hand of God at work where others see only confusion.
Nobody could buy Samuel’s conscience or accuse him of putting money ahead of ministry. The only blot on his record is the covetousness of his sons who used their ministry to line their own pockets. Nothing is said in Scripture about Samuel’s wife, so perhaps she died young and this deprived the boys of her godly instruction and example. Samuel was often away from home, covering his ministry circuit, and this may have left the boys too much to themselves. It’s useless to second-guess history. But after seeing what Samuel did for David, we can perhaps forgive what he didn’t do for his own sons.
Saul, an unstable king Saul’s chief problem seemed to be his lack of a spiritual foundation on which to build a godly life. He may have stood head and shoulders above everybody else, but he was a midget when he stood next to David or even his son Jonathan. This lack of spiritual experience resulted in a second deficiency—a lack of confidence in himself and in the Lord. This had to be covered up by a leadership style that fed his ego and kept everybody around him in fear. At the start of his reign, when he was supposed to be encouraging the people, he was hiding in the baggage! Yet during his reign, he kept his spear constantly with him, not just to protect himself but also to remind everybody who was boss. He believed any lie about David that would give him reason to rally the troops and forget the needs of the nation.
When David arrived on the scene, he didn’t create problems—he revealed them. An insecure man like Saul can’t tolerate competition and competence, and this made David an enemy. The people loved David and honored him, and this only made Saul’s paranoia grow faster. Saul became a double-minded man who was “unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8). On the one hand, he pursued David and tried to kill him, while on the other hand he wept when he saw David or heard his voice, and tried to appear apologetic and repentant. His was the shallow heart of our Lord’s parable of the sower. There was no depth, the tears were temporary, and no lasting fruit ever appeared.
Paradoxical as it seems, it was success that helped to bring about Saul’s ruin. Charles de Gaulle, president of France, said, “Success contains within it the germs of failure, and the reverse is also true.” Those germs of failure are planted by the hands of pride, and pride was one of Saul’s besetting sins. He was suddenly forced out of the predictable work of a farmer and herdsman into the unpredictable work of a king, and he didn’t have the equipment to work with. The Lord would have helped him, as he did Moses, Joshua, and Gideon, but Saul chose to go his own way. When success comes before we’re ready for it, it can destroy us and rob us of the things that make for true success. Saul didn’t know the difference.
When Saul failed, he learned to substitute excuses for confessions, but his lies only entangled him worse. His life and royal service were part of a tragic masquerade that was applauded by his flatterers and abominated by the Lord. Saul didn’t listen to Moses, Samuel, Jonathan, or David, and once he had rejected God’s Word, the only voice left was that of the devil.
“I know of no more unhappy character than Saul when God had departed from him,” said Charles Haddon Spurgeon. “But, somehow, there was not the anguish in the soul of Saul that there would have been if he had ever really known the Lord. I do not think that he ever did really, in his inmost soul, know the Lord. After Samuel anointed him, he was ‘turned into another man,’ but he never became a new man.…” Campbell Morgan said, “The man in his government of Israel was a warrior and nothing more; he was never a shepherd.” He held a spear, not a shepherd’s crook.
When God calls people to serve, He knows their capacity for doing the work He wants them to do, and He will never abandon them—if they trust and obey. That’s where Saul failed. When God is left out of the equation, the answer is always zero.
Centuries later, another Saul appeared on the scene—Saul of Tarsus, who quickly became known as Paul, “the small one.” He said he was “less than the least of all saints” (Eph. 3:8), which is quite a contrast to the Old Testament Saul with his great stature and manly physique. King Saul died a suicide on the battlefield, but his namesake died a martyr outside the city of Rome. Before his death, he wrote to his beloved Timothy, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7).
Ten seconds after he died, King Saul wished he could have said those words.
Jonathan, a generous friend British preacher and composer George Matheson was right when he called Jonathan “a rainbow in a storm.” You don’t find Jonathan speaking a pessimistic word or questioning God’s ability to accomplish what had to be done. He and his armorbearer challenged the Philistine outpost and won. He openly defied his father’s bizarre instructions and taught his fellow soldiers a lesson in sane military manners. Jonathan risked his life to help David escape and then went to him in his exile so he could encourage him. The natural heir to the throne, Jonathan stripped himself of his royal garments and his armor and gave them to David.
Jonathan didn’t mind being second man. He loved David and love always puts other people first. Jonathan made a covenant with David to become coregent when David ascended the throne, a promise, alas, that David couldn’t fulfill. Jonathan loved his father and his nation to the very end and died on the battlefield while trying to defend king and country. It’s tragic that so noble a prince should die because of the poor leadership displayed by his father, but God didn’t want Saul’s line and David’s line together in the throne room.
Jonathan leaves behind a beautiful example of what true friendship should be: honest, loving, sacrificing, seeking the welfare of others, and always bringing hope and encouragement when the situation is difficult. Jonathan never achieved a crown on earth, but he certainly received one in heaven. “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev. 2:10).
David, a courageous shepherd The eighth son and the “baby” of the family, David should have lived and died in anonymity, but he was a man after God’s own heart, and God put His hand upon him. It’s too bad that when his name is mentioned, people instantly remember his sin with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, because, as terrible as those sins were, David was a great man and served God in a great way. We ought also to remember the way he built and protected the kingdom of Israel, or the many psalms he wrote, or the sacrifices he made on the battlefield to gather wealth for the building of the temple. God forgave David and David paid dearly for his sins, but God never cast David aside or refused his dedicated service. “So then each of us shall give account of himself to God” (Rom. 14: nkjv).
David was a man athirst for God. He envied the priests because they were privileged to dwell in God’s house and live close to His presence. But He saw God in the mountains and rivers as much as in the sanctuary, and he heard God’s voice in the thunder. For David, the world was alive with God, and the highest honor one could have—higher than being king—was to be God’s servant and accomplish His purposes on earth.
God first trained David in solitude as he cared for the flock, and when the time was right, He thrust him on the stage and trained him even more in suffering. Some of his brothers criticized him, his king tried to kill him, and the king’s courtiers lied about him, but David lived his life open before the Lord and never turned back. No, he wasn’t perfect, nor did he claim to be, but his heart was fixed, and his consuming desire was to glorify God and finish his work.
Though on occasion he wavered because of doubts, David believed God’s promises and never turned back in unbelief. Doubt is a temporary relapse of the heart, but unbelief is a permanent rebellion of the will, and David was never guilty of that. Even during his sojourns in enemy territory, he sought ways to accomplish something that would further God’s kingdom.
David was a unique blending of soldier and shepherd, musician and military tactician, commander and commoner. In spite of his sins and failures—and we all have them—he was Israel’s greatest king, and always will be until King Jesus reigns on David’s throne as Prince of Peace. The next time we’re tempted to emphasize the negative things in David’s life, let’s remember that Jesus wasn’t ashamed to be called “the Son of David.”
Four successes: Hannah, a housewife; Samuel, a prophet and priest; Jonathan, a prince and friend; and David, a shepherd.
Two failures: Eli, a priest; and Saul, a king.
C H R O N I C L E S1S A M U E L2And the Lord still says to us, “Let Jesus be king of your life. Be successful!”