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In this episode we discuss 1st and 2nd Samuel. In the original Hebrew manuscripts, Samuel was a single book, but it was divided into two by the translators who produced the Septuagint. 

The historical background to Samuel is really dark. The period of Israel’s history
known as the Judges had left the nation at its lowest ever point. Israel was riddled with idolatry and corruption and violence. It looked as if the wheels had come off God’s plan for His people. But Samuel records the rise of King David, and David transforms the life of the nation. By the time his reign ends, he is an emperor. Israel had every reason to believe that it might end up as one of the major players in the ancient Near East, like Assyria or Babylon.

But not long after David dies, the nation is torn apart, and divides into the Northern Kingdom and Judah in the south. The Northern kingdom is essentially destroyed by Assyria, and Judah limps on as a minor player for a few centuries until the exile to Babylon.

Samuel records the rise of Israel from its lowest point to its highest, in terms of
building a stable and strong society. And that gives us our first clue about the book’s big idea. The issue being raised by Samuel is the question of leadership.