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The Bible Year

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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Mar 30, 1916

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 93, No. 16.

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The Bible Year

Assignment for April 2 to 8

April 3: 2 Samuel 1 to 4.
April 4: 2 Samuel 5 to 8.

First and Second Samuel

“The great event in the books of Samuel is the establishment of a monarchy.
“The three leading characters are Samuel, Saul, and David.
“These books open with the aged priest Eli as the priest, judge, and leader of the people. Samuel is born in answer to prayer; he takes the place of Eli. The people ask for a king; Saul is given. Saul, proving unworthy, is deposed, and David takes his place. The books close with the end of his reign.

“The Last Judge of Israel

“Samuel has been placed next to Moses in the great work which he did. Moses, under God, was the founder of the theocracy. Samuel was the founder of the monarchy; he is one of the most majestic figures in the Old Testament; his public and private acts are above reproach. When he became judge, the tribes were at war with the surrounding nations and with themselves; the national religion had fallen into decay. When he died, the tribes had become a nation respected and feared by their enemies, and Jehovah’s religion was firmly established.

“The Rise of the Monarchy

“Necessity. It is evident that God intended the Israelites to become a great nation living immediately under his government and knit together by faith in him. But they proved themselves unworthy. They disregarded God’s commands, fell into evil ways, and were fast losing their national and religious life.
“Steps leading to the kingdom. The experience and condition of the people under the later judges constituted the first step. It was clearly seen that for salvation from their troubles a strong union must be made. Samuel was ordered by God to accede to the people’s wishes; reluctant at first, he finally yielded, and anointed Saul as king.

“The First King

“Saul is one of the most dramatic as well as one of the saddest characters in Old Testament history. As a young man he gave promise of a very bright career. His ability as a leader, a statesman, and a warrior was of the first order. He assumed the reins of government with great zeal, and soon made his power felt throughout the land. But his fault was in the fact that he tried to reign like the kings round about him, and not to regard himself as truly a subject of God as any one of his people. Feeling his rejection most keenly, the latter end of his life was embittered by fits of deep melancholy.

“The Second King

“David, the shepherd lad called to be king in place of Saul, proved himself to be an almost ideal king. The keynote of his character is struck in his duel with Goliath. ‘Then said David, . . . Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts.’ In this supreme trust in God is marked his entire difference from Saul. After the death of the first king, David was invited to the throne of Judah. The northern tribes remained faithful to Saul, and Ishbosheth, his son, reigned over them until his assassination, when they invited David to be their king; he was then crowned a second time in the city of Hebron.
“The home policy of David was centralization of power. Soon after he became king of the whole nation, he besieged Jerusalem (then called Jebus), and taking it, made it the political and ecclesiastical capital of his kingdom.
“After coming into the Land of Promise, the Hebrews had worshiped at many local shrines, such as Gilgal, Tabor, and Bethel; now all these were broken up, and the worship centered at the temple. The importance of this change cannot be overestimated.
“The foreign policy of David was strong and vigorous. He was not content to wait and repulse attacks, but carried on a war of conquest. The hereditary enemies of Israel, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Edomites, the Scythians, and the Amalekites, were made vassals, and the borders of the kingdom extended from the Mediterranean to the Euphrates. . . .

“Rise of the Prophetic Order

“One of the most striking features of these books is the order of the prophets, which suddenly presents itself. No explanation is given for its origin. Up to this time the priest has been the chosen medium through which God communicated his will to his people. Now the prophet to a great extent takes his place. This order represented the independence of the moral portion of the nation and the divine will as distinct from government or priestly enactment.
“Schools were established, in which the prophets were trained for their work, much like our theological seminaries today. Such a school was situated at Ramah.
“Instruction was given in the sacred books and in poetry. The pupils were also taught to play upon musical instruments.
“Results. They were far-reaching. The graduates of these schools became teachers of religion and patriotism. They made copies of the sacred law and kept the text free from error. They became the preachers to the people, denouncing national, family, and individual sins. They encouraged the people in times of trial or disaster. All the prophets did not possess the prophetic gift. In a number of cases the inspired prophet came from the prophetic school, but the prophetic gift was from God. The inspired prophets predicted the captivity, the return, and the coming glory of Messiah’s reign.”—Henry T. Sell, D. D., in “Bible Study by Books.”