Another entry in what are called the “Deuteronic histories,” Samuel is traditionally divided into two books, first and second, because the oldest extant Greek translation of the book(s) makes such a division. Alternatively, perhaps it was a matter of convenience for scribing/printing. Regardless, I chose to read them as one book, as the “plot” runs seamlessly between the two, and I am reviewing them as one book, too. It is a book of the origin of the Israeli kings.
The story may continue seamlessly between first and second Samuel, but Samuel himself does not – he dies right around where the book is divided, makes a brief appearance as a summoned ghost, and then vanishes from the story completely. You’ll almost certainly recognize some of the stories here: Samuel’s first call from God, which he keeps mistaking for his master; David vs. Goliath; passages from the “Song of David;” David and Bathsheba. The book’s story as a whole, though, is somewhat lost in focusing on these vignettes. It is the story of how Israel acquired kings, which began because the Israelites looked around at the other peoples in the region, saw they all had kings, and decided they should have one, too.
To which God said “you don’t need a king – you have Me.” But the Israelites insisted they wanted a king, so they end up with Saul. Saul is favored by God and wins a few battles, but then he sins against God by not slaughtering everyone after a victory like he was told to, so God withdraws his favor and Saul starts losing battles. He isn’t immediately deposed, however – that proves a long and torturous process as David, who was a servant of Saul, is seen to have God’s favor, so Saul tries to kill him, at which point David flees and starts building his own army/nation in exile.
Eventually, Saul is defeated, though not by David, and David becomes king of Israel by acclimation. He does some more smiting of enemies, acquires several dozen wives and concubines, all of which is just fine with God until the Bathsheba incident. David loses several battles before he receives forgiveness, and we don’t hear what happens to Bathsheba in all this – she doesn’t reappear until later. He must not have been entirely forgiven, though, because later we get the first Israeli civil war, as David is driven into exile and one of his many, many sons sets up as king in his place.
David’s army is victorious in the war, though, and David remains king, with waxing and waning levels of God’s favor exhibited through the outcomes of battles and other events. At one point, he is offered a choice between three years of famine, three months of military defeat, or three days of pestilence as punishment for his sins…none of which sound like they really punish him, but one suspects this is in line with the idea of the royal aura which is so emphasized in Shahnameh (and which I make some reference to, by another name, in Golems and Kings). This is something of a recurring theme, it seems, and ties into the larger takeaway I had from reading Samuel…
…Which is that Samuel reads much less religiously than the preceding Old Testament texts, both Deuteronic and otherwise. Aside from the references to a particular god, it reads much like other ancient works from a variety of traditions both religious and secular, without the clear moral lessons or emphasis on the distinctiveness of God’s chosen people from the other peoples in the region. In Samuel, the assorted tribes of Israel come across as simply another people vying for control/freedom in the region, not much distinct from most of their adversaries and allies. This is especially true in the second book – the first contains a bit more of the “chosen people” emphasis of previous texts. It’s an interesting evolution. The control/freedom aspect is also worth addressing, because there is an implication emerging from the ongoing wars depicted here that the only truly free people were the victors.
Thus begins the reign of kings, which we will continue exploring in Kings (another book split into two, which we will be reviewing as a single book). In reading these texts as books, rather than as selected vignettes and parables, we experience a rather different, more historical, more complex story than the excerpts which exist in the popular understanding convey. To me, that’s the most significant reason for this exercise, quite aside from the religious relevance.
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