Where it fits

First Samuel is the ninth book of the Bible, with 31 chapters. It was originally one book with 2 Samuel, and was split in two when translated into Greek. The author isn't named. It covers about 1100 to 1010 BC. Read straight through, it takes about two hours.

The big story

The book opens with Hannah, a woman who can't have children and prays desperately at the shrine at Shiloh. God answers, and she names her son Samuel and gives him back to serve God (1–2). Hannah's song of praise (2:1–10) celebrates a God who lifts the poor and brings down the mighty. Samuel grows up in the shrine and as a boy hears God call his name (3). He becomes a prophet and the last of the judges, and leads Israel while the priests, Eli's sons, are corrupt and the ark of the covenant is captured by the Philistines (4–6).

Then the people demand a king like the nations around them (8). Samuel is displeased, and God tells him that the people haven't rejected Samuel but God as king (8:7). He gives them Saul, a tall, handsome man from Benjamin (9–10). Saul starts well but twice disobeys God (13, 15), and God sends Samuel to anoint David, a shepherd boy from Bethlehem, reminding him that God looks at the heart, not the outward appearance (16:7). David kills Goliath (17) and becomes a hero, and Saul's jealousy turns into murderous pursuit. David spares Saul's life twice (24, 26). The book ends with Saul's death in battle on Mount Gilboa (31).

Three ideas to hold on to

1. God hears the cry of the helpless. Hannah's prayer is answered, and her song says God raises the poor from the dust (2:8). Mary's song in Luke echoes it (Luke 1:46–55).
2. God looks at the heart. Samuel is ready to anoint David's tall older brother, but God says people look at appearance while God looks at the heart (16:7).
3. Obedience matters more than ritual. When Saul offers sacrifices instead of obeying, Samuel says that to obey is better than sacrifice (15:22).

Passages people ask about

• 1 Samuel 1:1–20. Hannah's prayer, and the birth of Samuel.
• 1 Samuel 3. God calls the boy Samuel in the night, and Samuel answers, “Speak, for your servant hears” (3:10).
• 1 Samuel 8. Israel asks for a king, and Samuel warns what a king will cost.
• 1 Samuel 15. Saul's failure against Amalek, including God's command to destroy them. This is one of the hard chapters. Christians approach it as ancient war language and judgment on a particular people, not as a model for today. The chapter's main point is Saul's disobedience.
• 1 Samuel 17. David and Goliath. See the misunderstanding below.
• 1 Samuel 28. Saul and the medium at Endor. Readers debate whether Samuel truly appears, and the story shows that Saul has run out of options.

How it points to Jesus

David, the shepherd from Bethlehem chosen by God and anointed by the prophet, is the first great picture of the Messiah, which means “anointed one.” Jesus, born in the same town (Luke 2:4), is the Good Shepherd and the descendant God promised to David. The way God chooses the unlikely and overlooked in this book also points to Jesus, whom the world overlooked. David's victory over Goliath, in which one champion wins on behalf of the whole people, is a picture of how Jesus' victory is shared by his people.

A common misunderstanding

David and Goliath is often told as “you can beat the giants in your life if you have enough faith.” Look at what David says: the battle belongs to God, and everyone will know there is a God in Israel (17:46–47). The story isn't about David's confidence in himself, or mainly about personal giants. It is about God's champion winning for his people. It is also a reminder that God's way of winning often looks weak.