1 Samuel 23 – The Point of the Story
Before we delve into this chapter we need to take a step back and see the frame in which it sits. I’m sure many of you have read, or were forced to read, George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’ – his story about animals who take control of the farm from the abusive farmer, before the leaders become just like those they overthrew. It’s an allegory of communist Russia. Perhaps you, like me, enjoyed the story about pigs, sheep, and windmills until your English teacher started drawing out the lessons about the failures and hypocrisy of Communism. It seemed to spoil a perfectly good story, but the lessons were the whole point of the story.
1 Samuel is a bit like ‘Animal Farm’. It is a story about kings, successions, battles, and fugitives, full of examples to follow and avoid. But to see it only like this is to miss the point of the story. It’s not that 1 Samuel is an allegory like ‘Animal Farm’, a fable told to illustrate a point; it is history. But its point is not to inform us, entertain us, nor merely even to exemplify to us how to live as Christians. The point of this history is to point us to something else. This story of a king rising from obscurity to glory points us to a greater reality, a greater king, rising from obscurity to glory – Jesus.
Jesus himself taught this. In John 5:39 he declares that, “the Scriptures bear witness about me”. See Luke 24:25-27 and 44 as well. Yes, 1 Samuel does give us lessons to learn and examples to follow, but you do not just slide into David’s shoes in this story. David is more than you and me; he is the anointed king, the messiah, the christ. The point of the story is to point us to THE Christ. This week let’s look at 1 Samuel 23 with these Christ-centred glasses on. They will help us see Christ more clearly.
Questions
- Having read this chapter, what are your first impressions of how it points us to Jesus?
- Look at 2 Corinthians 3:18 to see what happens when we “behold” Christ in his Word?
Prayer Points
- Pray for “transformation” (2 Corinthians 3:18) as we behold the glory of the Lord this week.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.