As we continue studying the book of 1 Samuel, I wanted to say a couple of things about the big picture. Thematically, 1 and 2 Samuel tell the story of the Lord’s commitment to be king over Israel and to bless Israel with His presence through a King after His own heart. Continually the Lord uses his chosen anointed ones to save Israel from their enemies and bless them. In 1 Samuel the anointed ones are the kings that God appoints through Samuel.

1 Samuel shows us how different the perfect anointed one would be as compared to the imperfect kings of Israel. In this way 1 Samuel points us to Christ, God’s greater anointed one. King David foreshadows Christ in his love of righteousness and saving Israel from their enemies. However, even David proves that he is not the Christ because of his sin and flaws. King Saul proves himself obviously not to be the Christ because of his violent madness. The Lord’s blessing Israel is despite Israel’s attempted rejection of God as King.

As I have studied 1 Samuel, I was reminded of that truth put in the Children’s Catechism: “Why do you need Christ as your King?” Answer: “Because I am weak and helpless.” In that way 1 Samuel is an invitation to weakness. God opposes the proud but exalts the humble. If we want to experience the glory of Christ’s Kingdom, we must become like the weak Israelites who entrusted their future to the mercy of their King.

 In 1 Samuel the Lord invites us to entrust our hearts, our lives, and our problems to the greater King after the Lord’s own heart, Jesus Christ. Praise God that he revealed His heart in our savior Jesus Christ. In a violent world, full of lies and treachery, manipulation, and indifference the cross of Jesus Christ tells a different story. A story of love, grace, and perfect justice. Praise God that Christ came for the weak and the helpless. What a wonderful truth - that the Lord invites us to become weak that we might receive Christ’s kingdom of eternal peace.