FIRST SAMUEL by F. D. Starr

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Jul 20, 1904

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 30, No. 29.

FIRST SAMUEL.

By F. D. Starr

BY F. D. STARR.

As stated in the preceding article, the design of this series is to encourage the study of the Bible itself. Many ask, How can we study the Bible ourselves without some one to outline our study for us? How does the miner dig the precious ore from the mountain? He does not have to get some one to guide his every stroke. We are to seek for truth as for hidden treasures. Prov. 2:4.

It is a good thing to have some helps, however, and there are plenty of these. In the first place, a reference Bible furnishes an inexhaustible source of help in this line. Some who possess reference Bibles, however, do not know just how to use them. Let us take an example to illustrate this method. In the book we are now studying, I Samuel, chapter 2, verse 8, we read, “He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill.” By this verse we find a letter corresponding to one in the margin, where we find references to such scriptures as Ps. 113:7, 8; Dan. 4:17; and Luke 1:52, where we find statements like that in the first text. A concordance is also a great help in studying the Scriptures. There are also many books of reference that are very helpful. The tract entitled “Scripture References,” published at the office of the SIGNS OF THE TIMES, costing only two cents, is one of the best helps that can be found. I know of a class of two girls 10 and 14 years of age, who have used this tract as their text-book in their home and school the past winter, and have found it interesting and profitable.

As to the book of First Samuel, we find the full title is, “THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL OTHERWISE CALLED THE FIRST BOOK OF THE KINGS.”

The Septuagint does not give the name Samuel at all, but calls this book simply First Kings or First Reigns. So we have in the Septuagint four books of the Kings. It would seem that this way of naming these books is better. The books of Samuel can not be given this name because of Samuel himself. He was dead before the first book was completed, for we read of his death in 1 Sam. 25:1. So a portion of this book and all of Second Samuel record events that transpired after the death of Samuel.

This book is of special interest because it gives us the history of such noted men as Eli, Samuel, Saul, David, etc. One of the most important lessons to be learned from the book is the failure of home government in the lives of these prominent individuals. Eli’s sons were very corrupt, and young Samuel had the example of Eli’s failure right before him, and we might suppose he would avoid a like course, but we read in 1 Sam. 8:3 concerning Samuel’s sons, “And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.” David grew up under the instruction of Samuel, and must have seen the failure in Samuel’s family, and no doubt determined to avoid the like.

But what do we find concerning David’s sons?—We find such deplorable specimens as the incestuous Ammon; the proud Absalom, who instigated a rebellion against his own father’s reign; and the perverse Adonijah, another usurper who, while his father was on his death bed, said, “I will be king,” and came to an untimely end. Of this latter son it is said, “His father had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why hast thou done so?” 1 Kings 1:5, 6. This was exceeding Eli even in this instance in failure to correct an erring son; for of Eli we read that he did reprove his sons (1 Sam. 2:22–25), tho he did not restrain them.

It must have been a great consolation to David to have one such son as Solomon. All these instances seem to show the difficulty of bringing up children properly when they are exposed to the vicissitudes of public life. Seclusion is preferable. The transition from the simple form of government designed of God for His people, to the worldly pomp of royalty, is recorded in this book. Sad change! But the people failed to make proper use of the system of rule of judges. Everything seemed to be at loose ends, as stated in Judges 21:25, and a change was an absolute necessity. But what change should be made? The people said, a change in the system, when the change needed was a change in themselves. The system was better than the one they were determined to have.

We find the time during which the judges ruled was 450 years, as stated by Paul in Acts 13:19–21. The two events that bound this period of 450 years are the divisions of the land of Canaan, and the anointing of Saul as king. But we find in the margin of Joshua 21 that the divisions and conquest of the land were completed in B.C. 1444, and also in the margin of 1 Samuel 10 that the anointing of Saul is set down for B.C. 1095. Subtracting these dates we have 349 years remaining, instead of 450, as given by Paul. Thus Mr. Usher’s chronology stands corrected by about a century, and we are consequently that much farther this side of Creation than commonly computed. Verily earth’s 6,000 years are well-nigh run.

The term Christ is used many times in the Septuagint Version of this book, for instance in ch. 2:35, where we read: “He shall walk before My Christ forever.” Other instances of the use of the word are found in chapters 16 and 24, anointed in English, being equivalent to Christ in Greek.

The term ecclesia (church) is also found in the Septuagint Version of this book, for instance in ch. 17:47. The army of Israel, the Lord’s army, is here spoken of as the church. Here it is indeed the church militant, the church at work. The story of David and Goliath, with which this incident is connected, is quite well known to most youthful readers, and, if no other matter of interest were found in the book, this alone would make it an important history.