Before the change in authority among the Israelite nation, though, another significant event occurred as recorded in I Samuel 1-3. A woman named Hannah gave birth to a child given to her by God because she had vowed that if He would bless her with a child that she would then dedicate that child to God’s service. It then was the case that she gave birth to Samuel and after weaning him, she took him to Eli, the high priest. Growing up in the service of the high priest, Samuel was closely associated with the daily tasks required of God’s servants and it was in I Samuel 3 that God, in the night, calls unto Samuel confirming him to then become His prophet, which he did.
It was many years later, a time in which Samuel had become an old man (I Samuel 8:1), that Israel grew cold toward the coming death of Samuel and the lack of ability his sons had to rule. They then came to Samuel demanding, “…now make us a king to judge us like all the nations” (I Samuel 8:5). How soon they had forgotten that God was their king, and His intention among them was never to promoted a monarchy, but a theocracy (government of a state by the immediate direction of God). This demand was a displeasure both to Samuel and to God, but in order to teach them a lesson God directed Samuel to “Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them” (I Samuel 8:9). Therefore with that command Samuel was given direction by God to appoint a man named Saul to be the king over this united kingdom, which while united had only two more kings, David and Solomon.
Though impossible to give any detailed information about the events of these books, I and II Samuel record some of the highest and lowest times through which Israel would ever go. They gained great power and prestige through the reigns of Saul and David, yet, at the same time their continued rejection of God at times made life difficult to bear. II Samuel, in fact, closes with David still king over Israel, yet in a time of crisis from which they escaped only because of the quick repentance of offering of sacrifice by David on their behalf. These two books cover a period of about 140 years (1146-1015 B.C.), including Samuel’s life, some of which paralleled with Saul’s 40 year reign, and then David’s 40 year reign. It is both possible and probable that Samuel wrote the events of I Samuel, by inspiration, as he was alive and around to witness the events; but there is some question as to who might have written the entirety of II Samuel seeing as Samuel was dead. There are really no certainties, but I Chronicles 29:29 points out something interesting. “Now the acts of David the king, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Samuel the seer, and in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Gad the seer.”
Wherein its obvious that Samuel wrote at least I Samuel, its possible that the books referred to as of Nathan and Gad would be the record of II Samuel. Nathan and Gad were both pupils from Samuel’s school of the prophets, and therefore would have been familiar with everything that was written anyway. However, as stated, there are no certainties other than the Holy Spirit of God is the original author anyway.
An interesting note likewise is the way Christ is pictured in I and II Samuel. In both instances Christ is pictured as being the antitype of persons from the record. Christ is first of all the antitype of Samuel, who is a type of Christ in that he was a prophet, priest, and judge; and Christ is the Prophet and High Priest today, and one day will be our Judge. Christ, secondly, is the antitype of David, through whom He came. Christ was “the seed of David according to the flesh” (Romans 1:3), therefore seen through the very life that David lived and the rule that one day would be His.
The books of Samuel, though historical, contain so much valuable information. Without them, certainly a complete knowledge of the Bible and its meanings would not be ours to enjoy.
-Andy Brewer