Week 17, April 19–25: Judges 16–21; 1 Samuel 1–14; Psalms 48–54

• Sun      Apr 19 Judg. 16–18    Ps. 48
• Mon     Apr 20 Judg. 19–21    Ps. 49
• Tue      Apr 21 1 Sam. 1–2      Ps. 50
• Wed     Apr 22 1 Sam. 3–5      Ps. 51
• Thu      Apr 23 1 Sam. 6–8      Ps. 52
• Fri        Apr 24 1 Sam. 9–11    Ps. 53
• Sat       Apr 25 1 Sam. 12–14  Ps. 54

Things have gone from bad to worse to horrific in the book of Judges. It has been a difficult book to read; and yet, it is an important part of the canon of Scripture and God’s word to us. Its most important contribution to the message of the Bible may be in the negative image it portrays, which illuminates a positive, hopeful longing in contrast. What is missing in these dark stories is what we are left anticipating as the book comes to an end. With each cycle of Israel’s idolatry, oppression from their enemies, then God’s deliverance by the hand of a judge, it becomes clearer and clearer that something is wrong. When chapter 21 concludes and we are ready to turn the page, we are left with a strong perception that something, or someone, is missing. The last verse summarizes the problem, and hope, succinctly and poignantly:

In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. (Jdg. 21:25; cf. 17:6; 18:1; 19:1)

Ultimately, the Lord God is king of all, and he is the one Israel is to worship and obey. Since Genesis, we have also seen a thread of expectation for a king God himself will establish, one who will reign in righteousness over God’s kingdom among his people and all the nations for his glory. This faithful king would carry out the Lord’s sovereign rule with the Torah as his guide (Gen 49:10–12; Num 24:7–9, 15–19; Deut. 17:14–20). The hope of a coming king parallels the hope for an offspring, or seed, from Eve’s lineage (Gen. 3:15), one who will come and crush the head of the serpent and reverse the curse of sin.

When we get to the books of Samuel, right after Judges, we will see these two strands of hope come together in God’s promise to David. A king would come from David’s family line, from the tribe of Judah. David’s seed will be the one to reign on God’s throne forever. From our vantage point, and with the NT as our guide, we know this messianic promise was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Here in Judges, however, that king has not yet come. The sin and chaos of Judges increases the sense of anticipation for God’s promises to be fulfilled and for his king to reign. The need for God’s messianic king will become increasingly clear as we continue reading through the OT.

1 Samuel comes next in the reading plan. You might notice that we skipped Ruth, which is right after Judges in our English Bibles. This is the first time in this year’s reading where we see a variation between the English Bible order and the Hebrew Bible order, which is what we are following in the read thru, more or less. Ruth comes much later in the Hebrew canon (the Tanak), following after Proverbs in the third section, the Writings. (The Torah and the Prophets are the first two sections of the three-part Canon of the Hebrew Bible.) We will say more about the different canonical orders later, but for now just notice how the story moves quite seamlessly from the end of Judges to the beginning of 1 Samuel.

The situation in Israel is basically the same at the beginning of 1 Samuel as it was at the end of Judges. There is still no king in Israel and it appears everyone is still doing what is right in their own eyes. Things are not going well. There are priests at Shiloh, but they are corrupt and they dishonor God and violate his instructions in their role as priests. The first part of the book focuses on the young boy Samuel after whom the book is named. He will become a prophet and leader among God’s people, one the Lord raises up to fill the void of faithful leadership left by Eli and his sons. Samuel will also be the one responsible for anointing God’s chosen king.

The two books of 1 and 2 Samuel in our Bibles are probably best read as one. They tell one continuous narrative and they were likely separated at some point in history simply because they would have been too long to fit together on one scroll. With this in mind, the poems in 1 Samuel 2 and 2 Samuel 22–23 function as a sort of frame around the whole book of 1-2 Samuel. After you read through Hannah’s song in 1 Sam 2:1–10, take a few minutes to flip ahead and read David’s songs in 2 Sam 22:1–23:7. As is often the case with poems in the Bible, these poetic chapters at the beginning and end of 1-2 Samuel frame the book with a theological perspective. In this way, they help us understand what is truly going on in the stories about David and the period of monarchy in Israel’s early history as a nation.