1 Samuel: A Man After God's Own Heart
"The LORD makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he exalts. He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor."(2:7-8)
The Book of First Samuel is a historical narrative in the Old Testament of the Bible. It begins with the story of Samuel, the last judge of Israel, who anoints the first king of Israel and later David as the second king. The people of God become the visible kingdom of God on earth and ought to reflect the righteousness and holiness by serving Him faithfully with all their hearts under the leadership of their chosen king. The rise and fall of the nation is closely tied to the faithfulness of its king.
The LORD of Israel is sovereign over all things. He kills and brings to life; He makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and He exalts. Moreover, God gives strength to His king and exalt the power of His anointed. He demands that His anointed be humble before Him. In 1 Samuel, there are two contrasting leaderships. While Eli is not careful in judging and his reprobate sons are rebellious in all their doing, Samuel is a faithful spiritual leader, who leads the nation to a great revival at Mizpah and to victory over enemies. Saul starts off well, but his arrogance soon leads him to become disobedient to God, causing God to reject him. On the other hand, David, who is humble before God, trusts in the LORD and gives his own nation a great victory over the Philistine giant, Goliath. God humbles the proud and exalts the humble.
The Israelites wanted to have a human king, rejecting God's divine kingship over them. However, God's eternal plan was to give His people a true human king through whom the kingdom of God would be established forever. Just as Samuel anointed the kings of Israel to have them serve God and the nation, God Himself anointed His Son as King from eternity past for the kingdom of God. The Book of Samuel highlights the importance of having a chosen and anointed king, foreshadowing the coming of Jesus Christ.
Just as Samuel heard and delivered God's word to His people faithfully, so Christ, the great prophet, did not speak on his own authority but according to what the Father who sent him had given him. When all of the Israelites with their king Saul were terrified by Goliath's fearful appearance, David, a shepherd boy, confronted him with faith in the Lord and defeated him, causing all the people of Israel to arise and pursue their enemies. Similarly, our first father Adam failed his mission as chosen head and all of his offspring fell with him, but the second Adam, Jesus Christ, achieved a crucial victory over our great enemies, Satan and death itself, through His death and resurrection. As a result, our holy King Jesus, who is humble and faithful after God's own heart, leads His people to victory even today.
