For this life-study of 1 and 2 Samuel, we need a spirit of wisdom and revelation to see what is revealed in these two books. In 1 and 2 Samuel there are four main persons—Eli, Samuel, Saul, and David—and at this point I would like to say a brief word about each of them. The crucial matters regarding these persons may be expressed in the following four statements, which are extracts of 1 and 2 Samuel:

1.Eli's failure in the people's degradation brought in the waning of the stale priesthood.

2.Samuel's ministry in the Nazarite vow ended the judgeship and brought in the priesthood for God's oracle and the kingship for God's administration.

3.Saul's fleshly life insulted the kingship in the divine government and caused him to lose it.

4.David's godly life secured the kingship in God's economy, and his indulgence contaminated the kingship of God's holiness.

At the beginning of 1 Samuel, there is a picture of Eli's failure. This failure took place in the degradation of the people of Israel. Eli was a priest who brought in the waning of the stale priesthood.

Samuel's ministry brought in the prophethood for God's oracle and the kingship for God's administration. The priesthood ordained by God was supposed to do two things: to speak the word of God and to carry out God's administration, His governmental dealing with His people. Thus, on the one hand, the priests were God's spokesmen and, on the other hand, they were God's representatives. They spoke the things of God, and they represented God in His administration. Because the priesthood at the time of Eli was stale and was waning, Samuel was raised up to replace the stale and waning priesthood. Samuel did not have a failure. Rather, he had a ministry in the Nazarite vow that ended the judgeship and brought in the prophethood for God's speaking, for God's oracle, and also brought in the kingship for God's administration.

Although it may be difficult for us to understand Samuel, it is easy for us to understand Saul because he and we are sick with the same disease. Saul's life was fleshly, and our life also is fleshly. No matter what our nationality may be, we all are Sauls. Saul's fleshly life insulted, offended, the kingship in the divine government and caused him to lose it. He brought shame upon God's kingship in the divine government. In a sense, many believers have done the same thing and have lost their kingship.

David is a contrast to Saul. Whereas Saul's life was fleshly, David's life was godly. The word fleshly denotes the fallen man, and the word godly refers to one who is with God. Saul's fleshly life caused him to lose the kingship, but David's godly life secured the kingship in the divine economy. However, David's indulgence in lust contaminated and damaged the kingship of God's holiness. Although David did not lose the kingship wholly, he lost a very large part of it. Only one tribe, Judah, was left for him.

Let us now go on to consider several other introductory matters.