Band-Aids on Bad Hearts

1st & 2nd Samuel introduction

by Trevor Estes

A mortal wound requires more than a Band-Aid, it requires major surgery; Israel learned this when they asked for a king.  

1st & 2nd Samuel was originally one large book. It was later divided in half to make the manuscript more manageable. These documents record an extremely significant period in the history of Israel, and point to a revelation about humanity and our interaction with God. 

Our problem is sin.  God has the only remedy.

Shocking?  Maybe, maybe not.  But the point is that it was a revelation to the people who lived during the time that Samuel documents.  At this time Israel was experiencing many problems as a nation, and Samuel records their attempted solution and its results.  To appreciate the problems they are experiencing, we need to review their history.  

The book of Genesis ended with Jacob’s 12 sons (and their families) settling in Egypt to wait out a famine that had struck their known world.  In Exodus we learn that the 12 families prospered and multiplied there, but were perceived as a threat to later Egyptian administrations.  They were made to be slaves to the Egyptians and were held in bondage for 400 years.  At the end of that time, God sent them a deliverer in Moses, who was to lead what had now become 12 distinct tribes out of Egypt where they would settle in a land of their own and become a united nation that were God’s own people- Israel.  

Unfortunately, Numbers records that after a miraculous journey through the desert to their promised land, the 12 tribes of Israel were frightened and intimidated by the inhabitants of the land and turned back.  That generation wandered in the desert for 40 years until all but two of them (Joshua & Caleb- who had believed that God would help them conquer the inhabitants) died and were succeeded by their children.  

Then it became the task of Joshua to lead the 2^nd generation of Israel into the promised land.  The book of Joshua records this and we discover there that they had overwhelming success; so long as they sought God’s direction and followed His instructions, their battles went miraculously well and they were able to occupy the land.  The only blemish on this part of their history is that they grew tired of fighting and settled into the land before they had cleared it of all the inhabitants (as God had instructed).  Because of this the book ends on a high note, with everyone excited about God’s faithfulness to His promises and enjoying the freedom they now have in the fertile land He has given them.  But a nagging question casts a shadow over the celebration- will their compromise in not driving out ALL the inhabitants catch up to them?  

Judges answers this question with a resounding YES.  In Judges we see the 12 tribes experiencing the consequences of their sin as the previous inhabitants not only attack and enslave them, but also lead them into worshiping their gods and living their lifestyle.  In Judges we see a repeated cycle: 

This cycle continues throughout the book of Judges in a downward spiral.  They progressively spend more and more time in slavery before they call out to God, and less and less time in faithfulness before they fall away from Him.  The book ends on an especially dark note with Israel having become another Sodom & Gomorrah (cf. Judges 19).  What started out with such hope and promise appears to have utterly failed.  It seems that it is impossible for a people to stay consistently faithful to God and walk in the blessings that come from obedience. 

In these dark times the story of Samuel begins.  It is still the era of the Judges, and Israel is still far from God.  Spiritually they are corrupt, which is made strikingly clear in the first chapter by Eli, the high priest who cannot distinguish between prayer and drunkenness.  The spiritual condition of the nation can also be seen in Eli’s sons, who oppress the people and use their priestly position for personal gain (cf. 1 Sam 2), and by the way the nation treats the Ark of the Covenant, which has now become little more than a lucky rabbit’s foot for them to pull out when they get in a bind (cf. 1 Sam 4).  Their enemies are recapturing the land and the Philistines are controlling their economy. 

As the nation assesses their situation they land on a solution.  They need a king!  Everybody else has one, but Israel doesn’t.  Surely this must be the source of their problems!  They demand a king, not realizing that what they are really doing is rejecting God and blaming Him for their problems.  Up until this point He has been their king.  The failure has not been due to His leadership, but is a result of their inability to be faithful and obedient.  

Nevertheless, in God’s patience and mercy he gives them their king- literally.  He gives them Saul, a king who is after their own heart, exactly what they had in mind.  When they see him they cheer.  He’s tall.  He’s rich. He’s handsome.  What more could they want?  1^st Samuel documents Saul’s reign, which seems promising at the beginning, but ends in oppressive and tragic failure.  

Then God gives them a second king, this time one after His heart.  He gives them David, who looks to God for direction and empowerment.  The nation is blessed and prospers in every sphere because they are following David, and David is following God. 

But David too has his own failures, and these cost the nation dearly.  Even as 2^nd Samuel ends, we see David and the kingdom walking out the consequences of David’s sins, and there are hints that his children will be incapable of leading the nation in the way David has.  

And so we come back to where we began.  Israel has a problem, but it isn’t leadership- it’s sin.  Sin is their mortal wound, and they need surgery.  A bad king will only create conditions in which their disease can spread and at best, a good king can be a Band-Aid to slow the bleeding.  What they need is open-heart surgery.  What they need is a transplant. 

And God is the surgeon.  2^nd Samuel 7 records a covenant God makes with David, a covenant in which He promises to provide David an heir whose kingdom will be eternal.  This promise finds its fulfillment in Jesus who broke the power of sin and offers us a heart transplant.