Commentaries \ Old Testament \ 1 Samuel \ 1 Sam 15-17

1 Sam 15-17

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1 Sam 15-17; Pss 5, 17, 62, 104


 

While the early days of Saul’s reign were effective, after the Israelites grew cowardly and deserted before the Philistines, the king took matters into his own hands. He could no longer wait on Samuel to arrive and offer the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before going to battle; he hastily offered them himself—in disobedience of the LORD’s command. Samuel arrived just after Saul finished with the sacrifices, and he told the king: “Your reign will not endure. The LORD has found a man loyal to Him, and the LORD has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not done what the LORD commanded” (1 Sam 13.14). Samuel’s word leaves the reader wanting; “Who will this one be? When will he arrive and deliver Israel from their enemies?” The answer comes sooner than later. Saul, in an uncharacteristically mellow attack on the Amalekites, spared their king and the best of the plunder; this was another act of unfaithfulness, and proved grounds for dismissal from the throne. While Saul was acting unfaithfully, God was working in the life of a young shepherd boy, David, son of Jesse from the tribe of Judah—the one who would rule Israel in righteousness. The text wastes no time in showing forth the LORD’s choice of David; He empowered the young shepherd boy to advance against the Philistine giant, killing him and winning the affection of the people.

 

From the account of the LORD’s rejection of Saul (ch 15) one can surmise that a leader’s effectiveness is determined in large measure by the degree of his faithfulness. Saul had been unfaithful to present the burnt offering and the fellowship offering, and he was unfaithful to destroy Agag king of the Amalekites; in each instance Saul failed to be faithful to the word of the LORD. There is a recognizable sequence to Saul’s demise:

  1. In light of how the Amalekites attacked Israel at Rephidim (cf. Ex 17.8-16), the LORD commanded Saul to “attack the Amalekites and completely destroy everything they have. Do not spare them. Kill men and women, children and infants, oxen and sheep, camels and donkeys” (v. 3)
  2. Saul struck the Amalekites, and destroyed “all the worthless and unwanted things” (v. 9), but, “spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, cattle, and fatlings, as well as the young rams and the best of everything else” (v. 9). It was from the best of these things that the Amalekites could eventually repopulate and survive—defying the will of the LORD. Further displaying his true colors, Saul set up a monument to himself in Carmel (v. 12)
  3. Samuel confronted Saul, saying he had done “what was evil in the LORD’s sight” (v. 19) by sparing the best sheep and cattle for sacrifice. His interrogation of Saul was pointed, “Does the LORD take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD?...Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has rejected you as king” (vv. 22-23)
  4. Saul, semi-repentant, wanted Samuel to yet accompany him for worship—which could have served as an associational affirmation to the people that Saul’s rule was secure (v. 24). After a visual display that Saul’s reign was over, Samuel returned with him, and there “hacked Agag to pieces before the LORD” (v. 33)
 

Because Saul was stubborn for his own glory, God simply replaced him with someone who would be more faithful. The LORD sent Samuel to Jesse in Bethlehem, saying “because I have selected a king from his sons” (16.1). In the end, all discovered that the LORD had chosen the youngest, David, who was out tending the sheep, a healthy and handsome young man (16.11-12). Ironically, David soon found himself ministering in Saul’s court as a musician whose harp could relieve Saul of the evil spirit the LORD had sent upon him (16.14-23). There young David observed life in the palace of Israel’s king, and learned military protocol (16.21)—schooling that would soon prove invaluable! The story of David versus Goliath is so well known that even in our post-Christian culture it serves as an idiom for the victorious underdog at sporting events and political contests. This account of an actual event in Israel’s history was meant to verify God’s choice of David as king. Analysis of the drama leads to a few conclusions (ch 17):

  1. The story is about spiritual warfare. It runs parallel to the message the Philistines learned when they placed the ark of the Covenant before their god Dagon; the latter bowed down in a shattering display of reverence (cf. 1 Sam 5)! When Goliath saw David approaching, he taunted him, “Then he cursed David by his gods” (v. 43). Later, David’s defense to the Philistine was primarily spiritual, he said:

“I come against you in the name of the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel’s armies—you have defied Him. Today, the LORD will hand you over to me. Today, I’ll strike you down, cut your head off, and give the corpses of the Philistine camp to the birds of the sky and the creatures of the earth. Then all the world will know that Israel has a God, and this whole assembly will know that it is not by sword or by spear that the LORD saves, for the battle is the LORD’s” (vv. 45b-47; cf. Ps 17)

  1. David faced opposition from those who should have already annihilated Goliath. Eliab, David’s oldest brother spitefully reproved David, “I know your arrogance and your evil heart—you came down to see the battle!” (v. 28). Later Saul said, “You can’t go fight this Philistine. You’re just a youth, and he’s been a warrior since he was young” (v. 33). Their unwillingness to buoy the courageous David was in fact rooted in 40-days of cowardice (vv. 11-16)!
  2. David was confident in God. The shepherd boy’s words are remarkable: “Just who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (v. 26). David’s inquiry about the reward offered to one who would slay the Philistine giant was so persistent that it got even Saul’s attention (v. 31); concerning Goliath, David straightway told the king, “Don’t let anyone be discouraged by him; your servant will go and fight this Philistine!” (v. 32). David’s confidence was based upon past experience with predators like lions and bears, which he overcame by the power of his God: “The LORD who rescued me from the paw of the bear will rescue me for the hand of this Philistine” (vv. 34-37; cf. Ps 62)
  3. David used what he was used to. The shepherd boy’s weaponry brings a chuckle to moderns, but smooth stones and a sling were common defensive gear for shepherds of David’s day. The reader should not be surprised that David took up five stones and a sling as much as the fact that all of the other Israelites—being the army of the living God (v. 26)—had yet to test their arms against the Philistine!
  4. David was an unknown. The final scene portrays the dialogue of King Saul and Abner, the commander of the army, frantically trying to identify the victorious shepherd boy (vv. 55-58)
 

The introduction of David’s rule provides a platform for considering the greatness of Jesus Christ. While David received an everlasting covenant from the LORD (cf. 2 Sam 7), that covenant was fulfilled only in Christ. The prophet Isaiah wrote that a child would be born who would one day “reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness” (9.7b). When the angel Gabriel came to Mary in Nazareth to announce the birth of the Messiah, He said:

“Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Now listen: You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will call His name JESUS. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end” (Lk 1.30-33; cf. 2.4-7).

 

Through His death and resurrection, Jesus fulfilled all that was promised to David—as Peter spoke at Pentecost:

“God has resurrected this Jesus. We are all witnesses of this. Therefore, since He has been exalted to the right hand of God and has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit, He has poured out what you both see and hear. For it was not David who ascended into the heavens, but he himself says: The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies Your footstool.’ Therefore let all the house of Israel know with certainty that God has make this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah!” (Acts 2.32-36).

 

It is Jesus, not David, who will judge all of humanity. The latter wrote poetically about it in Ps 62.11-12, saying: “God has spoken once; I have hears this twice: strength belongs to God, and faithful love belongs to You, LORD. For You repay each according to his works.” Jesus picked up David’s words, describing His future work; to the disciples, He said:

“If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will find it. What will it benefit a man if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life? For the Son of man is going to come with His angels in the glory of His Father, and then He will reward each according to what he has done” (Mt 16.24-27; cf. Rom 2.6; Rev 22.12).

 
 

*For a complete list of references, please see scripturestoryline.com