First Samuel
1Sa 1:11 Now
[ par. 1 2 ]
1Sa 1:11 [1] The content of 1 and 2 Samuel is the history of Samuel, Saul, and David, which continues the history of the judges and which is a crucial part of the central line of Israel’s history. Samuel was a Levite by birth and a Nazarite by consecration, who became a priest, a prophet, and a judge. He initiated the prophethood to replace the waning priesthood in the speaking for God, terminated the judgeship, and brought in the kingship. Saul was a king among Israel in a negative way, and David was a king in a positive way.
1Sa 1:11 [2] The central thought of 1 and 2 Samuel is that the fulfillment of God’s economy needs man’s cooperation in the principle of incarnation, as illustrated by the history of Samuel’s mother, Hannah, of Samuel, and of David, in the positive sense, and by the history of Eli and of Saul, in the negative sense. Such a cooperation is related to the personal enjoyment of the good land, which typifies the all-inclusive and all-extensive Christ (see note 71 in Deut. 8). First and 2 Samuel, as a continuation of Joshua, Judges, and Ruth, give the details concerning the enjoyment of the God-given good land. The types in these two books show us how the New Testament believers can and should enjoy Christ as their God-allotted portion (Col. 1:12) for the establishing of God’s kingdom, which is the church (Matt. 16:18-19; Rom. 14:17). These types indicate that our being right with God is a condition for our enjoyment of Christ. In 1 and 2 Samuel the good land enjoyed by those who cooperated with God became the kingdom of God, in which the cooperators reigned as kings. Likewise, in our cooperation with God we need to enjoy Christ to such an extent that our enjoyment of Christ becomes the kingdom of God, in which we reign in life with Christ (Rom. 5:17).
1Sa 1:1a Elkanah 1 Chron. 6:34
1Sa 1:2a no cf. Gen. 16:1; 25:21; 29:31; Judg. 13:2; Luke 1:7
1Sa 1:3a year cf. Exo. 23:14; Deut. 16:16; Luke 2:41
1Sa 1:3b Shiloh Josh. 18:1; 1 Sam. 1:24
1Sa 1:51 Jehovah
Under Eli the old Aaronic priesthood had become stale and waning (2:12-29), and God desired to have a new beginning for the accomplishing of His economy. For Samuel’s birth God initiated things behind the scenes. On the one hand, He shut up Hannah’s womb; on the other hand, He prepared Peninnah to provoke Hannah (vv. 5-7). This forced Hannah to pray that the Lord would give her a male child. Hannah’s prayer, in which she made a vow to God (vv. 10-11), was initiated not by Hannah but by God. God was pleased with Hannah’s prayer and her promise and He opened her womb. Hannah conceived, bore a child, and named him Samuel (v. 20). Hence, actually no human being was the origin of Samuel. God was the real origin, who motivated His people sovereignly and secretly.
1Sa 1:71 the
Lit., she.
1Sa 1:91a temple 1 Sam. 3:3
Some MSS read, house.
1Sa 1:101 prayed
On the human side, Samuel’s origin was his God-worshipping parents, especially his God-seeking mother with her prayer (cf. note 51). In the midst of the chaos of degraded Israel, Elkanah and Hannah remained in the line of life ordained by God for His eternal purpose (see note 93, par. 2, in Gen. 2). The line of life is a line that brings forth Christ for the enjoyment of God’s people (see note 181 in Ruth 4), that on earth God may have His kingdom, which is the church as the Body of Christ (Matt. 16:18-19; Rom. 14:17; Eph. 1:22b-23), the very organism of the Triune God. Because of God’s moving in her, Hannah could not have peace until she prayed for a son. Hannah’s prayer was an echo, a speaking out, of the heart’s desire of God. It was a human cooperation with the divine move for the carrying out of God’s eternal economy. God could motivate Hannah as a person who was one with Him in the line of life. As long as God can gain such a person, He has a way on earth.
1Sa 1:11c no Num. 6:5; Judg. 13:5
1Sa 1:111 razor
Hannah’s prayer indicates that God’s move with His answer to Hannah’s prayer (vv. 19-20) was to produce a Nazarite who was absolute for the fulfilling of God’s desire. A Nazarite is one who is consecrated to God absolutely, one who takes God as the Head, considering God his Husband, and one who has no interest in the enjoyment of worldly pleasures (Num. 6:1-5 and notes). Even before he was born, Samuel was consecrated by his mother to be such a person.
1Sa 1:19a remembered Gen. 30:22
1Sa 1:201 Samuel
Meaning heard of God, or asked for of God.
1Sa 1:24a Shiloh Josh. 18:1; 1 Sam. 1:3
1Sa 1:27a requested 1 Sam. 2:20
1Sa 1:281 lent
Lit., made him a request to Jehovah. At the time of Eli, God was poor as far as the priesthood was concerned, so Hannah lent Samuel to the Lord. When the situation is abnormal, the Lord becomes poor with respect to His administration, and there is the need for someone to voluntarily lend himself to the Lord.
1Sa 2:1a And vv. 1-10: cf. Luke 1:46-53
1Sa 2:1b horn Psa. 75:10; 92:10; 148:14; 18:2
1Sa 2:11c salvation Psa. 9:14; 35:9; Isa. 12:2-3
In her prayer Hannah praised God for His salvation accomplished through His marvelous deeds. Her prayer was related to God’s move in His economy and indicated that she realized something concerning God’s economy.
1Sa 2:2a holy Lev. 11:44; Rev. 15:4
1Sa 2:2b rock Deut. 32:31; 2 Sam. 22:32
1Sa 2:3a knowledge Psa. 139:1-6; Rom. 11:33
1Sa 2:31 And
Some MSS read, Though actions are not weighed.
1Sa 2:3b weighed Dan. 5:27; Prov. 16:2
1Sa 2:5a hungry Psa. 107:9; Luke 1:53
1Sa 2:5b barren Psa. 113:9; Isa. 54:1
1Sa 2:6a alive Deut. 32:39; 2 Kings 5:7
1Sa 2:6b brings Isa. 26:19
1Sa 2:7a lifts Job 5:11; Psa. 75:7; Luke 1:52
1Sa 2:8a He Psa. 113:7-8
1Sa 2:8b throne James 2:5; cf. Rev. 3:21
1Sa 2:8c earth Job 38:4-6; Psa. 24:2; 102:25
1Sa 2:9a strength Psa. 33:16; cf. Zech. 4:6
1Sa 2:10a judge Psa. 96:10, 13; 98:9
1Sa 2:10b horn Psa. 89:24; 1 Sam. 2:1; Luke 1:69
1Sa 2:111a ministered 1 Sam. 2:18; 3:1
Samuel was of the tribe of Levi (1 Chron. 6:33-38) but was not of the house of Aaron, the family of the priests ordained by God. Samuel ministered to the Lord as one who was a priest not by birth but by the Nazarite vow. At the time of Samuel the priesthood of the house of Aaron was utterly fallen. God, however, foresaw the situation. Besides His ordaining the house of Aaron to be the priests, He made a supplement—the Nazarite vow in Num. 6—in case there should be an inadequacy in the ordained priests. When the house of Aaron fell, this supplement was put into practical use. Samuel became a priest by being consecrated, separated, and lent to God (1:11, 28). See note 21 in Num. 6.
1Sa 2:112 Eli
Samuel grew up under the custody of the elderly Eli (1:25). In his youth Samuel ministered to Jehovah before Eli (vv. 11b, 18-19), being taught by Eli the way to minister to God. While Samuel was learning, he observed the deterioration of the degraded Aaronic priesthood (vv. 12-17, 22-25). This did not weaken Samuel in his future Nazarite priesthood; rather, it became a constant warning to him throughout his priestly service.
1Sa 2:12a know Judg. 2:10; Jer. 2:8; Rom. 1:28
1Sa 2:13a due Deut. 18:3
1Sa 2:15a fat Lev. 3:16; 7:23, 25, 31
1Sa 2:18a ephod Exo. 28:4; 2 Sam. 6:14; 1 Chron. 15:27
1Sa 2:211 And
Many MSS read, for.
1Sa 2:21a grew Judg. 13:24; 1 Sam. 2:26; 3:19; Luke 1:80; 2:40
1Sa 2:231 Why
Eli attempted to say something to his sons (vv. 23-25), but it seems that he was somewhat loose and that his exhortation was not very strong, faithful, desperate, and absolute (v. 29). Eli’s sons brought the curse upon themselves, and Eli did not restrain them (3:13).
1Sa 2:241 that
Or, that I hear; you are making Jehovah’s people transgress.
1Sa 2:27a revealed Exo. 3:2; 4:27
1Sa 2:271 as
Some MSS omit the words as slaves.
1Sa 2:28a priest Exo. 28:1; Num. 18:1-7
1Sa 2:30a forever Exo. 27:21; 29:9
1Sa 2:31a cut 1 Sam. 4:18
1Sa 2:32a distress 1 Sam. 4:11; Psa. 78:59-64
1Sa 2:321 I
Lit., He.
1Sa 2:331 by
Some MSS read, as men.
1Sa 2:351a priest Heb. 2:17
Samuel was a priest not by birth but by God raising him up particularly. As a priest Samuel replaced and, in a sense, terminated the stale Aaronic priesthood. He did not rebel against the house of Aaron, and he did not usurp anything of the house of Aaron. As Samuel was growing, God arranged the environment to perfect him and to build up his capacity to do everything that was needed for God to change the age. God used Samuel to change the age not through rebellion but through the way of divine revelation. Samuel was a man of revelation (3:21), and he did everything according to what he saw. Furthermore, he was a man according to God’s heart—a copy, a duplicate, of God’s heart. As such a person, he would never do anything rebellious.
1Sa 2:352 heart
Samuel’s whole being and person, not just his doing, living, and work, were according to God. Samuel’s being and God’s heart were one. For this reason it is not too much to say that Samuel, a man according to God, was the acting God on earth. God’s mind was Samuel’s consideration. He had no other thought, consideration, or thinking. His living and working were for the carrying out of whatever was in God’s heart. As a consequence, Samuel was one who turned the age.
1Sa 2:35b house cf. 1 Sam. 25:28; 1 Kings 11:38
1Sa 2:35c he cf. Num. 27:21-22
1Sa 2:353 go
Samuel anointed Saul and David to be kings (10:1; 16:1, 13). This was according to God’s ordination that Samuel should go before His anointed continually to supervise the king, observing what the king was doing. This indicates that Samuel, the acting God on earth, was greater than the king. Samuel could be qualified to such an extent because for many years God had been perfecting him uniquely for His economy.
1Sa 3:1a ministered 1 Sam. 2:11, 18
1Sa 3:11b rare 1 Sam. 3:7, 21; cf. Amos 8:11-12; Psa. 74:9
See note 201.
1Sa 3:2a dim 1 Sam. 4:15; Gen. 27:1; cf. Deut. 34:7
1Sa 3:3a lamp Exo. 27:20-21; Lev. 24:2-3; 2 Chron. 13:11
1Sa 3:10a stood Acts 23:11
1Sa 3:111 I
First, God’s severe judgment on the house of Eli was prophesied by a man of God (2:27-36). Then, this severe judgment was confirmed by the word of Jehovah spoken through Samuel (vv. 4-18). God’s purpose in telling Eli through Samuel of the coming judgment might have been to make an unforgettable impression on this young priestly boy. This was God’s wisdom.
1Sa 3:11a tingle 2 Kings 21:12; Jer. 19:3
1Sa 3:12a spoken 1 Sam. 2:30-36
1Sa 3:19a fall cf. 2 Kings 10:10
1Sa 3:20a Samuel Acts 13:20; 3:24
1Sa 3:201 prophet
Samuel was established by God to speak the word of God to replace the teaching of the word of God by the old priesthood. In the priesthood the first thing that a priest should do is speak for God. The breastplate and the Urim and the Thummim worn by the high priest were the means used by God to speak to His people (see Exo. 28:30 and notes). In the degradation of the priesthood God’s speaking was almost lost (v. 1). Thus, God needed to raise up a living person, a prophet, to speak for Him. In God’s ordination Samuel is counted as the first prophet because he brought in the prophethood for God’s speaking (Acts 3:24; 13:20; Heb. 11:32).
1Sa 3:21a Shiloh Josh. 18:1; 1 Sam. 1:3
1Sa 4:31a Ark Num. 10:33-35; Josh. 4:7; cf. Jer. 3:16
[ par. 1 2 ]
1Sa 4:31 [1] In their degradation Israel was foolish because they did not trust in God directly. Rather, they trusted in the systems ordained by God. In their situation they should have repented, made a thorough confession, and returned to God from their idols, and they should have inquired of God as to what He wanted them to do. Instead, having no heart for God’s desire or for His eternal economy, they exercised their superstition to trust in the Ark based on the past victories they had experienced through the move of the Ark (Num. 10:35; Josh. 6). But this time their situation was not right. In their degradation they offended God to the uttermost, and God left them. Eventually, instead of the Ark saving Israel, the Ark itself was captured (v. 11a).
1Sa 4:31 [2] The Ark typifies Christ as the embodiment of God (see note 101 in Exo. 25). It also signifies Christ as the presence of the Triune God with His people for the carrying out of His economy to establish His kingdom on earth. To bring out the Ark was to bring out the presence of God (v. 4). The move of the Ark was a picture of God’s move on the earth in Christ as His embodiment (Num. 10:33-36; see note 11 in Psa. 68). During Israel’s fighting with the Philistines, God did not intend to move. The children of Israel had no thought of or concern for God’s economy, and their bringing out the Ark indicated that they were usurping God, even forcing Him to go out with them for their safety, peace, rest, and profit. In principle, we do the same thing whenever we pray for our prosperity without any consideration of God’s economy. Instead of usurping God, we should pray, live, and be persons according to God’s heart and for His economy.
1Sa 4:3b Shiloh Josh. 18:1; 1 Sam. 1:3
1Sa 4:8a struck Exo. 7:5; 9:14; Psa. 78:43-51
1Sa 4:11a Ark Psa. 78:60-61
1Sa 4:111 taken
[ par. 1 2 ]
1Sa 4:111 [1] At this point the Ark was separated from the tabernacle. This abnormal situation persisted for many years, until a full recovery was realized by the people of Israel. In the first stage of its history, the Ark was in the tabernacle (Exo. 40:21); this is the normal situation. Then, due to Israel’s degradation, the Ark was captured by the Philistines and was separated from the tabernacle (4:11—6:1), leaving the tabernacle an empty vessel without the proper content. Later, the Ark was recovered and brought first to the house of Abinadab at Kiriath-jearim, where it remained for twenty years (6:2—7:2), and then to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite, where it stayed for three months (2 Sam. 6:1-11). Still, the Ark was apart from the tabernacle, which was at Shiloh (1:24; Josh. 18:1). David moved the Ark from Obed-edom’s house to a tent that he had prepared for it in his own city, at Mount Zion, the choicest place in Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6:12-19; 1 Chron. 15:1—16:1). This was an improved situation, but the Ark was still in an improper place; it had not been returned to the tabernacle. Finally, after Solomon finished the building of the temple in Jerusalem, the Ark was moved into the Holy of Holies in the temple (1 Kings 8:1-11). This was a full recovery of the normal situation.
1Sa 4:111 [2] The history of the Ark and the tabernacle prefigures the history of the church. In the first stage of its history, the church was the expression of Christ, and Christ was the content of the church. This is the normal condition. However, in the second stage the church became degraded and lost the reality and presence of Christ (cf. Rev. 3:20). It became an empty vessel, an outward expression without the inward reality. After this, beginning from the second century a number of “Obed-edoms” were raised up, who had the Lord’s presence (the Ark) but did not have the proper church life as the expression of Christ (the tabernacle). Later, other believers who, like David, cared for God’s interests attempted to practice the church life according to their own choice, not according to God’s revelation. These believers had Christ, but they had Him with an improper practice of the church life (David’s tent in Jerusalem). Today in His recovery the Lord is working to restore the normal condition of Christ within the proper church as His expression.
1Sa 4:11b died 1 Sam. 2:34; Psa. 78:64
1Sa 4:15a set 1 Kings 14:4; cf. 1 Sam. 3:2
1Sa 4:181 Eli
Lit., he.
1Sa 4:182 died
As a priest Eli had the right to enjoy the top portion of all the good land allotted to the twelve tribes of Israel (Num. 18). However, in his loose disciplining of his two evil sons (2:28-29), Eli disregarded the priesthood. This caused the tragedy of the ending of his history, the terminating of his enjoyment of the good land, and the fading of the priesthood in the divine revelation, that is, in the speaking for God (3:1).
1Sa 4:211 Ichabod
Meaning no glory. Glory is God Himself (Acts 7:2). Because the Ark of Jehovah, which bore God’s presence among His people, had been captured, the glory had departed from Israel (Psa. 78:61).
1Sa 4:212 meaning
Or, saying.
1Sa 5:41 only
Following the ancient versions; the Hebrew reads, only Dagon was left to him.
1Sa 5:6a hand Exo. 7:4; 9:3; 1 Sam. 5:7, 9, 11; Psa. 32:4
1Sa 5:61 Jehovah
Jehovah dealt heavily with the Philistines for the protection of His Ark (vv. 1-12). For God to protect His Ark meant that He was protecting His holiness (cf. 6:19-20).
1Sa 5:9a hand Deut. 2:15; 1 Sam. 7:13; 12:15
1Sa 6:3a trespass cf. Lev. 5:15-16
1Sa 6:41 tumors
The Philistines, who were very close neighbors of Israel, typify the people of the religious world. Their worldly way in handling the things of God is shown in the trespass offering that they offered to God and in their use of a cart and two milch cows to send the Ark back to Israel (vv. 7-12). Cf. note 72 in 2 Sam. 6.
1Sa 6:5a hand cf. 1 Sam. 5:6-7, 9, 11
1Sa 6:6a harden cf. Exo. 7:13; 8:15; 9:34-35; 10:1
1Sa 6:61 the
Lit., them.
1Sa 6:7a cart 2 Sam. 6:3; cf. 1 Chron. 15:2; 2 Chron. 35:3; Num. 7:9
1Sa 6:181 great
Some MSS read, great Abel.
1Sa 6:19a looked Num. 4:20; Exo. 19:21
1Sa 6:191 among
Some MSS add, and fifty thousand men.
1Sa 6:21a Kiriath-jearim Josh. 18:14; 1 Chron. 13:5-6
1Sa 7:11a house 2 Sam. 6:3
See note 111, par. 1, in ch. 4.
1Sa 7:31 spoke
[ par. 1 2 ]
1Sa 7:31 [1] The picture in vv. 2-6 shows a people returning to God, and a man, Samuel, who was one with God on earth. As the acting God on earth, the representative of the very God in heaven to rule over His people on earth, Samuel began to minister.
1Sa 7:31 [2] Samuel, who was by nature a Levite born of one of the descendants of the great rebel Korah (1 Chron. 6:33-38; cf. Num. 16:1-33), ministered in five statuses: (1) as a Nazarite consecrated to God absolutely for God’s fulfillment of His economy, a volunteer to replace any official and formal serving ones of God (1:11, 28a); (2) as a priest faithful to act on behalf of God, even to appoint and establish kings for the divine government on earth (2:35); (3) as a prophet established by God (3:20) to assist the kings appointed by him as a priest, to speak the word of God to replace the teaching of the word of God by the old priesthood; (4) as a judge (vv. 15-17) established by God to carry out God’s governmental administration, to replace the judging of the people by the old priesthood; and (5) as a man of prayer who prayed for God’s elect, the children of Israel (vv. 3-14; 8:6; 15:11b; cf. 12:23), that they would be kept in the way of God, would be one with God, would not be ensnared by the idols of the nations, and would enjoy God as Ebenezer (v. 12) that God’s desire in His will regarding His elect might be fulfilled. God admitted to Jeremiah that Samuel, like Moses, was a man standing before Him for His people (Jer. 15:1). Moses was a priest (Exo. 29), a prophet (Deut. 18:15, 18), and a judge (Exo. 18:13, 16), and he always prayed for God’s people (e.g., Exo. 32:11-13, 31-32). In these matters Samuel was the same. In the Old Testament only Moses and Samuel were qualified to participate fully in the priesthood, the prophethood, and the judgeship.
1Sa 7:3a returning Deut. 30:2-10; 1 Kings 8:48; Isa. 55:7; Hosea 6:1; Joel 2:12
1Sa 7:3b remove Gen. 35:2; Josh. 24:23; Judg. 10:16
1Sa 7:3c serve Deut. 6:13; 10:20; 13:4; Matt. 4:10; Luke 4:8
1Sa 7:9a Samuel Psa. 99:6; Jer. 15:1
1Sa 7:121 Ebenezer
Meaning the stone of help.
1Sa 7:13a hand 1 Sam. 5:9; 12:15
1Sa 8:1a judges cf. Judg. 8:22-23
1Sa 8:31 not
[ par. 1 2 ]
1Sa 8:31 [1] The unjust ways of Samuel’s sons were contrary to their father’s pure and just way in his whole life (12:3-5) and gave the people of Israel cause to ask Samuel to appoint a king to judge them like all the nations (vv. 4-5). Hence, the sons of Samuel should not be reckoned judges among the people of Israel (Acts 13:20), and their father Samuel should be considered the last judge.
1Sa 8:31 [2] The only defect in Samuel’s history was that he appointed his two sons as judges among the children of Israel. Humanly, Samuel made a mistake in this matter, but this mistake helped God to manage the situation among His people by bringing in the kingship for the fulfillment of His economy.
1Sa 8:3a gain cf. Exo. 18:21
1Sa 8:3b bribes cf. Exo. 23:8; Deut. 16:19; Psa. 15:5
1Sa 8:5a king cf. Deut. 17:14; 1 Sam. 8:19-20; Hosea 13:10; Acts 13:21
1Sa 8:51 nations
Israel had been chosen by God to be a particular people on earth; therefore, they should have been absolutely different in every respect from the nations. Yet they took the way of following the nations by rejecting God as their King.
1Sa 8:71b rejected 1 Sam. 10:19
By insisting on having a king, the elect of God turned from God to a man. In doing this they not only displeased Samuel (v. 6) but also offended God by rejecting Him as their King and thus replacing Him (v. 7; 12:12). This was a great wickedness, a great evil, in the sight of God (12:17, 19). Whatever we may do, no matter how good, “spiritual,” and even scriptural it may be, it is evil in the sight of God if we reject Him as our Head, our Husband, and our King. It is not a matter of right or wrong; it is a matter of whether we take God as our King or reject Him. It is for this reason that Samuel as a Nazarite kept his hair long, covering his head with God Himself as his authority (1:11; Num. 6:5).
1Sa 8:9a practice cf. 1 Sam. 8:11-18; 10:25
1Sa 8:11a sons cf. 1 Sam. 14:52
1Sa 8:13a daughters cf. Deut. 17:17
1Sa 8:14a fields cf. Ezek. 46:18
1Sa 8:14b vineyards 1 Kings 21:6-7
1Sa 8:221 appoint
[ par. 1 2 ]
1Sa 8:221 [1] Samuel turned the age in God’s administration from the age of the priesthood to the age of the prophethood with the kingship. This was a great thing not only in the history of Israel but even in the history of mankind. Moses was a priest, and after him God’s administration was centered on the priesthood (see note 211 in Num. 27). The priesthood was to minister the word of God to His people and to exercise the authority of God over His people. The Aaronic priesthood failed God in these two things. At the waning of the God-ordained priesthood, God began a new age in raising up Samuel, a young Nazarite, as a faithful priest to replace the waning priesthood (2:35). God ministered His word to His elect by establishing Samuel as a prophet in the uplifted prophethood (3:20-21), and He exercised His authority over His elect by raising up Samuel as a judge (7:15-17). Samuel, as the last judge, terminated the judgeship, and, as the new priest, brought in the kingship, which was strengthened by the uplifted prophethood, in which Samuel was established as the first prophet (Acts 3:24; 13:20; Heb. 11:32). Through Samuel God set up a governmental administration in His economy so that He could fulfill His promises to all the forefathers and accomplish His desire according to His economy, that is, to have a line of genealogy to bring Christ to the earth.
1Sa 8:221 [2] At the end of his ministry, by the time that Saul was raised up to be the king in Israel (9:3—10:27), Samuel had reached the highest position, only God being above him. Thus, as God’s representative, Samuel was the acting God. However, God did not have any intention to make a kingdom of Samuel. Rather, God determined to raise up David, through whom He intended to build up a kingdom (2 Sam. 7:12-13). God had the intention that Christ would be born in the lineage of David. Hence, God raised up Samuel and prepared him for His use to do whatever was necessary to gain, through David, the proper genealogy of Christ. As a Nazarite according to his mother’s vow, Samuel had no heart for anything other than God and His elect. He could be used by God to carry out His economy because he was a man according to God and God’s heart, having no self-seeking nor any thought of self-gain.
1Sa 8:22a king Hosea 13:11
1Sa 9:1a Kish 1 Sam. 14:51; 1 Chron. 8:33; 9:39; Acts 13:21
1Sa 9:11 wealth
Or, valor.
1Sa 9:21 Saul
Meaning asked for.
1Sa 9:6a man Judg. 13:6; 1 Sam. 2:27; 1 Kings 13:1
1Sa 9:9a seer 1 Chron. 29:29; 2 Kings 17:13; 2 Sam. 15:27
1Sa 9:12a high 1 Sam. 10:5; 1 Kings 3:2-4
1Sa 9:13a blesses 1 Tim. 4:5; Mark 6:41; Matt. 26:26
1Sa 9:16a anoint 1 Sam. 15:1; cf. Acts 13:2
1Sa 9:16b cry Exo. 2:23-24; 3:7, 9
1Sa 9:17a Here cf. 1 Sam. 16:12
1Sa 9:21a Benjaminite Psa. 68:27
1Sa 9:21b smallest Judg. 6:15; 1 Sam. 15:17
1Sa 9:24a thigh Exo. 29:22, 17; Lev. 7:32-33; Ezek. 24:4
1Sa 10:1a oil 1 Sam. 9:16; 16:13; 2 Sam. 2:4; 1 Kings 1:34, 39; 2 Kings 9:1, 3, 6; Psa. 89:20
1Sa 10:11b Jehovah Acts 13:21
Lit., Has not Jehovah anointed…? God’s purpose in anointing Saul to be king was to discipline, to train, the children of Israel by means of a negative king, so that they would learn that replacing God with a king was not a matter of blessing (v. 19; 12:17, 19).
1Sa 10:1c inheritance Deut. 32:9; Psa. 78:71
1Sa 10:2a Rachel’s Gen. 35:19-20
1Sa 10:51 the
Or, Gibeah-haelohim.
1Sa 10:5a high 1 Sam. 9:12
1Sa 10:6a Spirit 1 Sam. 16:13; cf. Num. 11:25; Judg. 3:10; 14:6, 19
1Sa 10:6b prophesy 1 Sam. 19:23-24
1Sa 10:8a Gilgal 1 Sam. 11:14-15; 13:4
1Sa 10:8b seven 1 Sam. 13:8
1Sa 10:101 the
Or, Gibeah.
1Sa 10:10a Spirit 1 Sam. 11:6; 1 Chron. 12:18; 2 Chron. 24:20
1Sa 10:11a among 1 Sam. 19:24
1Sa 10:18a brought Judg. 6:8-9; 1 Sam. 12:8
1Sa 10:191 No
Some MSS read, to Him.
1Sa 10:19a king 1 Sam. 8:5-6, 19-20; 12:12
1Sa 10:19b before Josh. 24:1; 1 Sam. 10:25
1Sa 10:20a tribes Josh. 7:14-18; Num. 17:2
1Sa 10:201b taken 1 Sam. 14:41-42
Saul was made king by the casting of lots (vv. 20-23a) to prove that he was chosen by God. Cf. note 21 in Josh. 14.
1Sa 10:22a asked 1 Sam. 23:2; Num. 27:21
1Sa 10:251a practice Deut. 17:14-20; 1 Sam. 8:9, 11-18
Moses gave the law to the children of Israel, but before Samuel came they did not have a set of bylaws, a constitution. Samuel taught the people the bylaws, the constitution, the practice, the customs, the manners, the ordinances, and the rules of how to practice the kingdom of God on earth.
1Sa 11:1a Nahash 1 Sam. 12:12
1Sa 11:1b Jabesh-gilead Judg. 21:8; 1 Sam. 31:11; 2 Sam. 2:4-5
1Sa 11:6a Spirit 1 Sam. 10:10
1Sa 11:7a pieces cf. Judg. 19:29; 20:6
1Sa 11:12a Shall cf. 1 Sam. 10:27
1Sa 11:14a Gilgal 1 Sam. 10:8; 13:4
1Sa 11:141 kingdom
Although Saul had been victorious over the Ammonites and appeared to be an attractive, humble person, Samuel’s reminder to Israel (11:14—12:25) indicates that according to Samuel’s realization the nation of Israel was still not the kingdom of God on earth. Rather, it was Saul’s personal monarchy. The kingdom of God came first under David, when God’s throne was established in Jerusalem (2 Sam. 7:12-16; cf. Matt. 21:43).
1Sa 12:1a said 1 Sam. 8:5
1Sa 12:2a old 1 Sam. 8:1, 5
1Sa 12:31 Here
Samuel’s reminder implies a comparison between Samuel and Saul. His reminding Israel of his integrity (vv. 1-5) implied that Saul would pervert justice and take away many things from the people. Samuel had this kind of foresight concerning Saul.
1Sa 12:3a defrauded cf. Num. 16:15; Acts 20:33; 2 Cor. 7:2
1Sa 12:8b cried cf. Exo. 2:22-23; 3:9
1Sa 12:8c sent Exo. 3:10; 4:14-16
1Sa 12:8d brought Judg. 6:8; 1 Sam. 10:18
1Sa 12:9b Philistines Judg. 10:7; 13:1
1Sa 12:9c Moab Judg. 3:12
1Sa 12:10a cried Judg. 3:9; 10:10
1Sa 12:11a Jerubbaal Judg. 6:14, 32
1Sa 12:111 Bedan
The Septuagint and other ancient versions read, Barak.
1Sa 12:11b Jephthah Judg. 11:1
1Sa 12:11c Samuel 1 Sam. 7:9-13
1Sa 12:12a Nahash 1 Sam. 11:1
1Sa 12:121 No
Here Samuel was rebuking Israel for leaving God as her Husband and King. Because they wanted a king as a replacement for God, they would not have the proper enjoyment of the good land.
1Sa 12:12b King cf. 1 Sam. 8:7; Judg. 8:23
1Sa 12:13a you cf. 1 Sam. 10:24
1Sa 12:13b king Hosea 13:11; Acts 13:21
1Sa 12:18a thunder Exo. 9:23
1Sa 12:21a vain Deut. 32:21; Jer. 14:22; Acts 14:15; Hab. 2:18
1Sa 12:22a people Deut. 7:6; 14:2; 1 Pet. 2:9
1Sa 12:231 sin
Samuel considered that not praying for God’s people was a sin against Jehovah. God’s elect are His peculiar, personal possession as a treasure (Exo. 19:5). This book shows that Samuel’s heart was only for God’s elect. Samuel’s caring for God’s elect was a crucial aspect of the history concerning Samuel, which was in sharp contrast to the history concerning Saul.
1Sa 13:11 was…years
The Hebrew text lacks the exact age of Saul; the Septuagint lacks the entire verse.
1Sa 13:8a seven 1 Sam. 10:8
1Sa 13:9a burnt cf. 1 Sam. 10:8
1Sa 13:91 offered
Saul’s disobedience was exposed in the matter of his sinful offering (vv. 8-12). Saul was disobedient, yet he still offered something to God. In the war with the Philistines Saul’s intention to act on his own for the building up of his own monarchy within the building up of God’s kingdom was exposed. Saul’s disobedience, which was observed by Samuel, meant that he had given up God; it resulted in his losing his kingship (vv. 13-15a; 15:28).
1Sa 13:14a sought Acts 13:22; cf. 1 Sam. 15:28
1Sa 13:141 man
Referring to David, to whom God would shift the kingship (16:1-13; 28:17). See note 221 in Acts 13.
1Sa 13:19a no cf. 2 Kings 24:14
1Sa 13:211 And
The form and meaning of the Hebrew text of this verse is uncertain.
1Sa 13:221 not
On the day of battle, only Saul and Jonathan his son had a sword and a spear. In such a poor situation, God was their unique weapon. Saul, Jonathan, and the people of Israel fought the battle by God.
1Sa 14:3a Ahitub 1 Sam. 22:9, 11, 20
1Sa 14:3b Ichabod’s 1 Sam. 4:21
1Sa 14:3c Shiloh Josh. 18:1
1Sa 14:3d ephod 1 Sam. 2:28
1Sa 14:11a holes 1 Sam. 13:6; 14:22; Judg. 6:2
1Sa 14:131 the
Lit., they.
1Sa 14:151 very
Lit., panic of God.
1Sa 14:18a Ark 1 Sam. 7:1
1Sa 14:21a Hebrews cf. 1 Sam. 29:3-4
1Sa 14:22a hidden 1 Sam. 13:6; 14:11
1Sa 14:25a honey Exo. 3:8; Deut. 8:8; cf. Judg. 14:8
1Sa 14:26a honey Exo. 3:8; Num. 13:27; Mark 1:6
1Sa 14:331a blood cf. Lev. 3:17; 7:26-27
See note 171 in Lev. 3.
1Sa 14:35a altar cf. 1 Sam. 7:17
1Sa 14:36a priest Num. 27:21
1Sa 14:41a lot 1 Sam. 10:20-21; Acts 1:24-26; cf. Josh. 7:16-18
1Sa 14:441 to
Some MSS omit, to me.
1Sa 14:49a Jonathan 1 Chron. 8:33; 9:39; cf. 1 Sam. 31:2
1Sa 14:49b Merab 1 Sam. 18:17, 19
1Sa 14:49c Michal 1 Sam. 18:20, 27; 19:12, 17; 2 Sam. 6:20-21, 23; 21:8
1Sa 14:50a Abner 2 Sam. 2:8
1Sa 14:52a took 1 Sam. 8:11
1Sa 15:1a anoint 1 Sam. 9:16
1Sa 15:21a Amalekites Exo. 17:8-16; Deut. 25:17-19
In typology the Amalekites signify the flesh—the fallen man (Exo. 17:8-16; Gen. 6:3a; Rom. 3:20a). God created man, not the flesh, but man became fallen and eventually became flesh. In the entire universe God’s unique enemy, in a practical sense, is not Satan but the flesh (Rom. 8:7). The flesh, the fallen man, is altogether one with Satan (Matt. 16:23) and is used by Satan to fight against God (Gal. 5:17).
1Sa 15:31a utterly Num. 21:2; Josh. 6:21
Lit., devote (i.e., to destruction). So throughout this chapter. In charging Saul to utterly destroy the Amalekites, God wisely put Saul in a situation in order to test him.
1Sa 15:6a Kenites Judg. 1:16; 4:11; 1 Sam. 27:10; 30:29
1Sa 15:8a Agag Num. 24:7; Esth. 3:1
1Sa 15:91 spared
Saul and the people’s sparing the best of the things that should have been utterly destroyed portrays the fact that, experientially, we treasure the good aspects of our flesh, our natural life, and do not wish to destroy them. Whatever we do apart from God’s grace and apart from depending on Him and trusting in Him is of the flesh. Every aspect of the flesh, whether good or evil, is in opposition to grace and God’s kingship and keeps us from enjoying Christ (cf. Gal. 3:3; 5:2-4, and notes). Therefore, we must hate every aspect of the flesh and be absolute in destroying the flesh.
1Sa 15:11a repent Gen. 6:6; 1 Sam. 15:35
1Sa 15:11b cried cf. 1 Sam. 15:35; 16:1
1Sa 15:121 monument
Saul built this monument not for the kingdom of God but for the remembrance of himself because of the victory that made both him and his monarchy rich. This was a strong indication that Saul’s intention was to build up his monarchy within God’s kingdom.
1Sa 15:12a for cf. 1 Sam. 14:52
1Sa 15:151 sacrifice
God did not want the best of the cattle to be used as a sacrifice to Him. In His eyes, such a thing was evil (v. 19). Anything presented and sacrificed to God that has its source in the flesh is evil in His sight. To offer something to God according to our own will is presumptuous and is sinful. See Gen. 4:5 and note; Matt. 7:22-23 and note 231.
1Sa 15:17a small cf. 1 Sam. 9:21
1Sa 15:22a burnt Psa. 50:8-9; Isa. 1:11-13; Jer. 7:22-23; Micah 6:6-8; Hosea 6:6; Matt. 9:13; Mark 12:33; Heb. 10:6-9
1Sa 15:231 rebellion
Doing good according to our own will is actually an act of rebellion against God’s throne and His economy (see note 161 in Exo. 17). Saul’s disobedience exposed him as being a rebel against God and an enemy of God (see note 171 in ch. 22). What Saul did was as evil as contacting an evil spirit for the purpose of carrying out the intention of that spirit, not God’s intention. Samuel’s word in this verse indicates that sparing the good aspects of our flesh involves us with evil spirits and idolatry.
1Sa 15:232a rejected 1 Sam. 13:14; 15:26
If we are not absolute in dealing with our flesh, we, like Saul, will lose our kingship. This account of Saul’s disobedience is a warning, indicating that we should not do anything in the kingdom of God by our flesh. In everything we must crucify our flesh with its passions and its lusts (Gal. 5:24; Rom. 8:13) and faithfully exercise our spirit to follow the Lord, who is the life-giving, consummated Spirit indwelling our spirit and who is one with us (1 Cor. 15:45; 6:17; 2 Tim. 4:22; Gal. 5:16, 25). Then the kingdom of God, the church as the intrinsic Body of Christ (Matt. 16:18-19; Rom. 14:17; Eph. 1:22-23), which will consummate in the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:2), will be built up.
1Sa 15:271 Saul
Lit., he.
1Sa 15:28a torn 1 Sam. 28:17-18; cf. 1 Kings 11:30-31
1Sa 15:281 associate
This associate was David (16:1-13; 28:17).
1Sa 15:29a repent Num. 23:19; Ezek. 24:14
1Sa 15:301 Saul
Lit., he.
1Sa 15:35a mourned 1 Sam. 16:1
1Sa 15:35b repented 1 Sam. 15:11
1Sa 16:1a mourn 1 Sam. 15:35
1Sa 16:1b rejected 1 Sam. 15:23, 26
1Sa 16:1c oil 1 Sam. 10:1
1Sa 16:11 go
[ par. 1 2 ]
1Sa 16:11 [1] God had abandoned Saul, rejecting him from being king over Israel (15:23). Immediately thereafter God sent Samuel to contact a youth, David, who was perhaps only fifteen years old. This shows that while Saul was usurping and even abusing the God-given kingship in order to build up his own monarchy, God was aware of the situation and was doing something marvelous to prepare the right person. God went secretly to David, the great grandson of Boaz and Ruth (Ruth 4:21-22).
1Sa 16:11 [2] David was created and prepared by God to be a man according to the heart of God (13:14a). Otherwise, he could not have been such a man. However, as shown in chs. 16—17, he still needed to pass through the process of being chosen, trained, anointed, tested, and approved. David was thirty years old when he began to reign (2 Sam. 5:4). After David was anointed by Samuel, he was tested for about fifteen years. In particular, he was bothered and troubled by Saul. Eventually, David passed the test and was approved by God.
1Sa 16:1d Jesse 1 Sam. 16:11-13; 17:12; Ruth 4:22; 1 Chron. 28:4; Matt. 1:6
1Sa 16:1e Bethlehemite 1 Sam. 20:6; Micah 5:2; Luke 2:4
1Sa 16:12 selected
Lit., seen.
1Sa 16:5a Sanctify Num. 11:18; Josh. 3:5; 7:13
1Sa 16:6a Eliab 1 Sam. 17:13
1Sa 16:7a appearance Matt. 22:16; James 2:1
1Sa 16:7b heart 1 Kings 8:39; 1 Chron. 28:9; Psa. 7:9; Prov. 21:2; Jer. 11:20; 17:10; 20:12; Luke 16:15; Acts 1:24
1Sa 16:8a Abinadab 1 Sam. 17:13
1Sa 16:81 Samuel
Lit., he.
1Sa 16:101 seven
David was the eighth son of Jesse (17:12, 14), the number eight signifying resurrection. In the scriptural sense, David was one who was in resurrection; hence, he was the one whom God could use.
1Sa 16:111a youngest 1 Sam. 17:14
After being chosen by God (vv. 1-10), David was trained by God in humility through his circumstances. God purposely caused him to be born as the youngest one, the last one, to make him humble. Furthermore, David was assigned the lowly task of going to the field to take care of the sheep.
1Sa 16:11b sheep cf. 2 Sam. 7:8; Psa. 78:70-71
1Sa 16:12a ruddy 1 Sam. 17:42
1Sa 16:13a anointed cf. 1 Sam. 10:1; Psa. 89:20
1Sa 16:13b Spirit Judg. 3:10; 1 Sam. 10:6, 10; cf. Isa. 61:1; Luke 4:18
1Sa 16:131 rushed
The rushing of the Spirit upon David was a confirmation of Samuel’s anointing David with oil. It was related not to life for salvation but to power for outward activities (see notes 493 in Luke 24 and 21 in Acts 2). The Spirit of Jehovah departing from Saul and an evil spirit from Jehovah terrorizing him (v. 14) were a further confirmation that God had chosen someone other than him.
1Sa 16:13c upon cf. Isa. 11:1-2; 42:1; Matt. 3:16
1Sa 16:132 David
Meaning beloved.
1Sa 16:14a departed 1 Sam. 18:12; 28:15-16
1Sa 16:16a play 1 Sam. 16:23; 18:10; 19:9; cf. 2 Kings 3:15
1Sa 16:191 David
Under God’s sovereignty David was selected to become an attendant of Saul. God put these two together to live and work together very closely. Eventually, however, the closer they became, the more Saul hated David. Simply by being put together, Saul and David became a test to each other. Saul was exposed as a person who was opposite to God’s will, and David was manifested to be a man according to God’s heart (13:14a). This was God’s sovereignty.
1Sa 16:19a sheep 1 Sam. 16:11; 17:15, 34
1Sa 16:211 entered
Lit., stood before him. So also in the next verse.
1Sa 16:212 Saul
Lit., he.
1Sa 16:23a played 1 Sam. 16:16
1Sa 17:4a Goliath 1 Sam. 17:23; 21:9; cf. 2 Sam. 21:19; 1 Chron. 20:5
1Sa 17:12a Jesse 1 Sam. 16:1
1Sa 17:12b eight 1 Sam. 16:10-11; cf. 2 Chron. 2:13-15
1Sa 17:13a Eliab 1 Sam. 16:6, 8-9; cf. 1 Chron. 2:13
1Sa 17:14a youngest 1 Sam. 16:11
1Sa 17:15a sheep 1 Sam. 16:19
1Sa 17:16a forty cf. Matt. 4:2
1Sa 17:23a Goliath 1 Sam. 17:4
1Sa 17:251 free
I.e., free from tax and duty.
1Sa 17:26a uncircumcised Judg. 14:3; 1 Sam. 14:6; 17:36
1Sa 17:26b living Deut. 5:26; Josh. 3:10
1Sa 17:37a delivered cf. 2 Tim. 4:17; Heb. 11:33
1Sa 17:42a youth 1 Sam. 17:33; 16:12
1Sa 17:45a name Psa. 20:5-7; 124:8
1Sa 17:46a know Josh. 4:24; 1 Kings 18:36
1Sa 17:47a saves 1 Sam. 14:6; 2 Chron. 14:11; 20:15
1Sa 17:50a prevailed Heb. 11:34
1Sa 17:511 the
Lit., his.
1Sa 17:51a sword 1 Sam. 21:9
1Sa 17:58a Jesse 1 Sam. 16:1
1Sa 18:1a loved 1 Sam. 19:1; 20:17; 2 Sam. 1:26
1Sa 18:3a covenant 1 Sam. 20:8; 23:18; 2 Sam. 21:7
1Sa 18:7a Saul 1 Sam. 21:11; 29:5
1Sa 18:81 angry
Saul became angry and envious of David, showing that he was a person fully in the flesh and absolutely for himself. In contrast to Saul, David knew only to behave and to have his being according to God’s heart. He had no feeling for himself; rather, he knew only to labor and conduct himself for God’s people and God’s kingdom.
1Sa 18:10a evil 1 Sam. 16:14; 19:9
1Sa 18:10b prophesied cf. 1 Sam. 19:23-24
1Sa 18:11a strike 1 Sam. 19:10; 20:33
1Sa 18:111 fled
When Saul attempted to kill him, David did not fight or do anything to avenge himself (cf. Rom. 12:19; Eph. 4:26); he only fled. Avenging and fighting back are matters of the flesh. Those who practice the things of the flesh have no share in the kingdom of God (Gal. 5:21). In the kingdom of God the flesh must be crucified (Gal. 5:24).
1Sa 18:12a with 1 Sam. 16:13, 18; 18:28
1Sa 18:13a went Num. 27:17; Deut. 31:2; 1 Sam. 18:16; 2 Sam. 5:2
1Sa 18:17a wife 1 Sam. 17:25
1Sa 18:17b battles 1 Sam. 25:28
1Sa 18:18a I 2 Sam. 7:18; cf. Exo. 3:11; Judg. 6:15
1Sa 18:19a Merab 2 Sam. 21:8
1Sa 18:25a hand 1 Sam. 18:17
1Sa 18:27a Michal 2 Sam. 3:14
1Sa 19:1a delight 1 Sam. 18:1
1Sa 19:21 Jonathan
[ par. 1 2 ]
1Sa 19:21 [1] As Saul was seeking to kill David, Jonathan and Michal helped him flee (20:1-42; 19:11-18). In everything related to David, God was sovereign. As the sovereign One, God is above everything, behind everything, and in everything. In His sovereignty God prepared David to be a man according to His heart for His kingdom. He also prepared Saul to perfect David by testing him and putting him on trial, and He prepared Jonathan, the son of Saul, and Michal, the daughter of Saul who became David’s wife, to help David to flee from Saul. Apart from the help rendered by Jonathan and Michal, David could not have endured being persecuted and tried by Saul. Both Jonathan and Michal typify Christ as God’s provision for us to suffer God’s trial and God’s testing.
1Sa 19:21 [2] When David was persecuted by Saul, he did not react in a negative way, nor did he complain, condemn, criticize, or oppose. Using the New Testament term, he was always under the cross. He bore the cross every day under any kind of situation (Luke 9:23). The strength for us to bear the cross is the power of Christ’s resurrection (Phil. 3:10), which is Christ Himself as the resurrection (John 11:25). Christ as the resurrection lives in us to bear the cross within us (Gal. 2:20).
1Sa 19:5a struck cf. 1 Sam. 17:49-51
1Sa 19:9a evil 1 Sam. 16:14; 18:10
1Sa 19:10a strike 1 Sam. 18:11; 20:33
1Sa 19:101 Saul
Lit., he.
1Sa 19:10b escaped Heb. 11:34
1Sa 19:12a down Josh. 2:15; Acts 9:25; 2 Cor. 11:33
1Sa 19:13a teraphim Gen. 31:19
1Sa 19:18a Samuel 1 Sam. 7:17
1Sa 19:20a Spirit cf. 1 Sam. 10:10; 11:6
1Sa 19:23a prophesied 1 Sam. 10:6
1Sa 19:24a among 1 Sam. 10:11-12
1Sa 20:3a lives Ruth 3:13; 1 Sam. 20:21; 25:26; 2 Kings 2:2, 4, 6
1Sa 20:5a new 1 Sam. 20:18; cf. Num. 10:10; 28:11
1Sa 20:6a Bethlehem 1 Sam. 16:1, 4; Micah 5:2; Luke 2:4
1Sa 20:8a covenant 1 Sam. 18:3; 20:16; 2 Sam. 21:7
1Sa 20:13a with Josh. 1:5, 17; 1 Sam. 17:37
1Sa 20:14a lovingkindness 2 Sam. 9:1, 3, 7
1Sa 20:17a loved 1 Sam. 18:1-3
1Sa 20:22a arrows 1 Sam. 20:37
1Sa 20:23a between 1 Sam. 20:42
1Sa 20:26a not Lev. 7:21; 11:24-28; 15:5
1Sa 20:28a Bethlehem 1 Sam. 20:6
1Sa 20:33a strike 1 Sam. 18:11; 19:10
1Sa 20:36a arrow 1 Sam. 20:22
1Sa 20:42a between 1 Sam. 20:23
1Sa 20:421 David
Lit., he.
1Sa 21:1a And vv. 1-6: Matt. 12:3-4; Mark 2:25-26; Luke 6:3-4
1Sa 21:4a bread Exo. 25:30; Lev. 24:5-9
1Sa 21:61 bread
See Matt. 12:1-4 and note 32.
1Sa 21:7a Doeg 1 Sam. 22:9, 22; Psa. 52 title
1Sa 21:9a sword 1 Sam. 17:51
1Sa 21:10a Achish 1 Sam. 27:2
1Sa 21:11a Saul 1 Sam. 18:7; 29:5
1Sa 21:13a madman Psa. 34 title
1Sa 22:1a cave 2 Sam. 23:13; 1 Chron. 11:15; Psa. 57 title; 142 title; Heb. 11:38
1Sa 22:3a Moab cf. Ruth 1:1-4; 4:17
1Sa 22:5a Gad 2 Sam. 24:11, 18-19; 1 Chron. 21:9-19; 29:29; 2 Chron. 29:25
1Sa 22:7a fields cf. 1 Sam. 8:11-14
1Sa 22:8a covenant 1 Sam. 18:3
1Sa 22:9a Doeg 1 Sam. 21:7; Psa. 52 title
1Sa 22:10a inquired 1 Sam. 21:1-9; cf. 1 Sam. 23:2, 4; 30:8; 2 Sam. 5:19, 23; Num. 27:21
1Sa 22:16a father’s cf. 1 Sam. 2:31-33; 3:13-14
1Sa 22:171 kill
Saul’s killing of Ahimelech and his family (vv. 6-23; cf. Psa. 52, title) shows that Saul was utterly rebellious toward God. He had no subordination to God, nor did he take God as his King and Head. He was constituted with rebellion, which is as evil as the worship of idols (15:23). All rebellion is a matter of presumption, a matter of daring to do things without God.
1Sa 22:20a Abiathar 1 Sam. 23:6, 9; 2 Sam. 15:24
1Sa 23:2a inquired 1 Sam. 22:10; 30:8; 2 Sam. 2:1; 5:19, 23
1Sa 23:6a ephod 1 Sam. 14:3; 30:7
1Sa 23:71 delivered
Lit., alienated; the meaning of the Hebrew text is uncertain.
1Sa 23:14a wilderness Psa. 63 title; Heb. 11:38
1Sa 23:17a king 1 Sam. 15:28; 20:31; 24:20
1Sa 23:18a covenant 1 Sam. 18:3
1Sa 23:19a Ziphites 1 Sam. 26:1; Psa. 54 title
1Sa 23:19b hill Heb. 11:38
1Sa 24:1a wilderness Heb. 11:38
1Sa 24:3a cave Psa. 57 title; 142 title
1Sa 24:4a give 1 Sam. 24:10; 26:8
1Sa 24:5a smote 2 Sam. 24:10
1Sa 24:61 Jehovah
David feared God and did not dare to overthrow the divine order arranged by God. In God’s kingdom there is a divine order of authority. Saul was not a self-appointed king; he was the king appointed and anointed by God (10:1). Saul was therefore the divine authority, and David feared God in this. David kept the God-ordained order of authority among God’s elect. By so doing, David laid a good foundation for himself to be the king of God’s elect in the coming days. If he had rebelled against Saul, he would have been to the people an example of rebellion against the God-ordained, appointed king. Cf. notes 251 in Gen. 9 and 93 in Jude.
1Sa 24:6a anointed 1 Sam. 12:3; 26:9-11; 2 Sam. 1:14
1Sa 24:101 I
Following some ancient versions; the Hebrew text reads, it (my eye) spared you. What David did here was exactly what the New Testament teaches concerning not repaying evil for evil but overcoming evil with good (Rom. 12:17, 21).
1Sa 24:11a hunt 1 Sam. 23:14, 23; 26:20
1Sa 24:12a judge Gen. 16:5; Judg. 11:27
1Sa 24:14a flea 1 Sam. 26:20
1Sa 24:161 wept
David’s God-fearing and God-honoring life subdued the reckless Saul and stopped Saul from pursuing him (vv. 16-22). In his relationship with Saul, David is a very good pattern for the New Testament believers in the church life as God’s kingdom (Rom. 14:17).
1Sa 24:20a king 1 Sam. 23:17
1Sa 24:21a swear 2 Sam. 21:7
1Sa 25:1a Samuel 1 Sam. 28:3
1Sa 25:11 died
[ par. 1 2 ]
1Sa 25:11 [1] Samuel died a peaceful death after he had properly and fully enjoyed his portion in the God-promised good land. Because he was faithful in all his statuses and offices (see note 31, par. 2, in ch. 7), Samuel enjoyed the good land, a type of Christ (see note 71 in Deut. 8), in every way and in every sense throughout his entire life. His enjoyment of the land exceeded that of everyone else in the Old Testament.
1Sa 25:11 [2] Samuel became a priest, a prophet, and a judge to usher in the Davidic kingdom for the accomplishing of God’s economy on the earth. He therefore established the kingdom of God and wrote all the regulations concerning the kingdom of God (10:25). Although Samuel was disappointed with Saul’s kingship (15:35), he died with the encouraging expectation of the Davidic kingdom, a type of the kingdom of God. This was a comfort to him.
1Sa 25:1b mourned Gen. 50:10; Num. 20:29; Deut. 34:8
1Sa 25:6a peace 1 Chron. 12:18; Matt. 10:13; Luke 10:5
1Sa 25:10a servants 1 Sam. 22:8
1Sa 25:13a with 1 Sam. 30:10, 24
1Sa 25:16a wall cf. Job 1:10
1Sa 25:18a two cf. 2 Sam. 16:1
1Sa 25:211 It
David’s word here indicates that he was offended by Nabal. In this matter David did not pass the test. He bore the bigger cross under the persecution by Saul (see note 21, par. 2, in ch. 19), but in this small cross involving Nabal he failed. It is often through the small crosses that the flesh is exposed.
1Sa 25:22a leave 1 Sam. 25:34
1Sa 25:251 Nabal
Meaning fool.
1Sa 25:26a withheld 1 Sam. 25:33-34, 39; cf. 2 Sam. 12:9; Gen. 20:6
1Sa 25:26b avenging cf. Rom. 12:19; Heb. 10:30
1Sa 25:28a sure 1 Kings 11:38; 1 Sam. 2:35
1Sa 25:28b fights 1 Sam. 18:17
1Sa 25:29a bound Psa. 66:9
1Sa 25:30a ruler 1 Sam. 13:14
1Sa 25:34a withheld 1 Sam. 25:26
1Sa 25:34b left 1 Sam. 25:22
1Sa 25:39a withheld 1 Sam. 25:26
1Sa 25:391b wife cf. 1 Sam. 25:43-44
In David’s taking Abigail and Ahinoam (v. 43) as his wives, David’s weakness in the matter of sex was manifested. The root of his later failure in murdering Uriah and taking Bath-sheba (2 Sam. 11) was manifested here. See note 41 in 2 Sam. 11.
1Sa 25:43a Ahinoam 2 Sam. 3:2-3; 1 Chron. 3:1
1Sa 25:43b wives 1 Sam. 27:3; 30:5; 2 Sam. 2:2
1Sa 25:44a Michal 2 Sam. 3:13-14
1Sa 26:1a Ziphites 1 Sam. 23:19; Psa. 54 title
1Sa 26:2a three 1 Sam. 24:2
1Sa 26:5a Abner 1 Sam. 14:50; 17:55; 2 Sam. 2:8
1Sa 26:6a Abishai 2 Sam. 2:18; 3:30; 16:9; 19:21; 1 Chron. 2:16
1Sa 26:7a spear 1 Sam. 26:11, 16; cf. 1 Sam. 18:10-11; 19:9-10
1Sa 26:8a delivered 1 Sam. 24:4, 18
1Sa 26:91a anointed 1 Sam. 24:6, 10; 26:11, 16, 23; 2 Sam. 1:16
See note 61 in ch. 24.
1Sa 26:12a deep cf. Isa. 29:10; Gen. 2:21; 15:12
1Sa 26:191 driven
David considered that to remain in the good land was the greatest blessing and that to be driven out of the good land and to go to another land to serve other gods was a curse. David expected to remain in the good land and share in Jehovah’s inheritance and serve Him. His sincere trust in God and his faithful walk with God qualified him fully to enjoy the good land to a high level, even up to the kingship according to God’s heart with a kingdom that became the kingdom of God on the earth. David was one with God. He and God had only one kingdom (cf. note 161 in 2 Sam. 7). Such a one enjoyed the good land, a type of Christ (see note 71 in Deut. 8), to the uttermost.
1Sa 26:19a inheritance 2 Sam. 14:16; 20:19
1Sa 26:20a flea 1 Sam. 24:14
1Sa 26:23a delivered 1 Sam. 26:8, 11
1Sa 27:21 crossed
David was the most skillful and experienced fighter and could have been useful to Saul in utterly destroying the Philistines, but because of Saul’s selfishness and envy, Saul would not use David to accomplish this but instead persecuted David. Because Saul wanted to do away with him, David was forced to flee to the country that was Israel’s greatest enemy.
1Sa 27:2a Achish 1 Sam. 21:10; cf. 1 Kings 2:39-40
1Sa 27:3a wives 1 Sam. 25:42-43
1Sa 27:6a Ziklag Josh. 15:31; 1 Sam. 30:1; 1 Chron. 12:1
1Sa 27:8a Geshurites Josh. 13:2
1Sa 27:8b Amalekites 1 Sam. 15:7-8
1Sa 27:101 Against
Some MSS read, Have you not; others, Where have you.
1Sa 28:3a Samuel 1 Sam. 25:1
1Sa 28:3b mediums Lev. 19:31; 20:27; Deut. 18:10-11; 1 Sam. 28:9; cf. 2 Kings 21:6
1Sa 28:6a inquired 1 Sam. 14:37
1Sa 28:6b Urim cf. Exo. 28:30; Num. 27:21; Deut. 33:8
1Sa 28:71 medium
Samuel had warned Saul that his rebellion was like the sin of divination (15:23). Here Saul practiced divination, which involves contact with evil spirits and is worse than idol worship.
1Sa 28:8a Consult Lev. 19:31; Deut. 18:11; Acts 16:16
1Sa 28:131 some
Or, a god; Heb. elohim.
1Sa 28:15a turned 1 Sam. 16:14; 18:12
1Sa 28:17a Jehovah 1 Sam. 15:28
1Sa 28:191a you cf. 1 Sam. 31:8
On Saul’s tragic end (31:1-5), see note 61 in ch. 31.
1Sa 28:24a fattened Gen. 18:7-8; Luke 15:23
1Sa 29:1a gathered 1 Sam. 28:1
1Sa 29:3a years 1 Sam. 27:7; 28:1-2
1Sa 29:41 Make
[ par. 1 2 ]
1Sa 29:41 [1] In this chapter David was sovereignly kept by God from joining the Philistines’ camp to fight against Israel. Thus, he was not involved in the destruction of Saul, his sons (including Jonathan), and the men of Israel (31:1-5). His returning to the land of the Philistines also enabled him to rescue his two wives and the families of his men, who had been captured by the Amalekites (ch. 30).
1Sa 29:41 [2] All the small things in this record show that God was working in a detailed way to carry out His economy. God exercised His sovereignty to rescue David from his dilemma. God did this not only for David’s sake but also for the sake of His economy. Jesus Christ is called the son of David (Matt. 1:1), indicating that David was very much related to God’s becoming a man to fulfill what had been determined in eternity past (Micah 5:2). Without David there would not have been the genealogy through which Christ as God became a man to be one with mankind and to thereby accomplish God’s economy.
1Sa 29:5a Saul 1 Sam. 18:7; 21:11
1Sa 29:9a angel 2 Sam. 14:17, 20; 19:27; Zech. 12:8; Gal. 4:14
1Sa 30:1a Ziklag 1 Sam. 27:6
1Sa 30:1b Amalekites 1 Sam. 15:2-3
1Sa 30:5a wives 1 Sam. 25:42-43
1Sa 30:6a stoning Exo. 17:4; Num. 14:10
1Sa 30:7a Abiathar 1 Sam. 23:6, 9
1Sa 30:81a inquired 1 Sam. 23:2; 2 Sam. 5:19
David was a person who trusted in God and walked according to God’s sovereignty in all his trials (17:36-37; 23:14-16). While he was under trial, he sought God’s leading (vv. 6b-10). He was one with God and behaved according to God.
1Sa 30:12a spirit cf. Judg. 15:19; Luke 8:55
1Sa 30:201 spoil
By fighting the Amalekites David gained many rich spoils. While he was becoming rich, Saul was being defeated. David was flourishing, but Saul was diminishing, even to death (31:1-5).
1Sa 30:24a stays 1 Sam. 25:13
1Sa 30:24b share Num. 31:27; Josh. 22:8
1Sa 31:1a Now vv. 1-13: 1 Chron. 10:1-12
1Sa 31:21a Jonathan cf. 1 Sam. 14:49; 1 Chron. 8:33
Jonathan realized that David would be the king (23:17), but instead of going to follow David according to God’s will, Jonathan remained with his father because of his natural affection toward his father. In type, Jonathan’s following David would have signified our following Christ and our giving Him the preeminence (Col. 1:18). Because of his failure Jonathan suffered the same fate as his father and died with him in the battle. Thus, Jonathan lost the proper and adequate enjoyment of his portion in the good land promised by God.
1Sa 31:4a afraid cf. 2 Sam. 1:14
1Sa 31:6a Saul 1 Sam. 28:19
1Sa 31:61 died
[ par. 1 2 ]
1Sa 31:61 [1] Saul’s tragic end was altogether due to his not being properly related to God’s economy. God, wanting to build up His kingdom among His chosen people, had brought Saul into His economy, but instead of participating in God’s economy and cooperating with it, Saul was selfish and usurped God’s kingdom to build up his own monarchy. With David the situation was entirely different. When David was anointed by Samuel, he had a clear understanding that he had been assigned by God to be the king, but he did not have any thought about kingship. After Saul was appointed to be the king, he was immediately filled with thoughts of the kingship, including how his son would succeed him (20:31). In this, Saul was selfish and wrong to the uttermost. Eventually, God gave Saul up and cut him off, tearing the kingdom away from him (15:28). Because Saul was given up by God, he was left alone, like an orphan, having no provision of help when trouble came. Because of Saul’s selfishness, the people of Israel suffered defeat and were slaughtered in the fight against the Philistines, and Saul and his sons were killed. Saul’s ambition to have the kingdom for himself and for his son, with his jealousy of David, annulled and ended his enjoyment of the good land promised by God. The collective death of Saul, his three sons, and his armor bearer was God’s fair judgment on the one who had rebelled against Him, had usurped Him, and had become His enemy (1 Chron. 10:13-14).
1Sa 31:61 [2] From Saul’s tragic end we should learn the lesson of crucifying our flesh and denying our selfishness—our self-interest and self-seeking (Gal. 5:24; Matt. 16:24; Phil. 2:3). The record of Saul’s terrible end is a strong warning to all who serve in the kingdom of God not to do a separate work within the kingdom of God or to abuse anything in the kingdom. We should not be like Saul, trying to build up a “monarchy” for ourselves; rather, we should all do one unique work to build up the kingdom of God, the Body of Christ.
1Sa 31:10a Bethshan 2 Sam. 21:12
1Sa 31:11a Jabesh-gilead Judg. 21:8; 1 Sam. 11:1; 2 Sam. 2:4-5