1 & 2 Samuel: A Kingdom Comes
by David Firth, T&T Bloomsbury, £14.99
‘The process of reading involves a dialogue between the text and the reader,” says David Firth at the start of his multi-layered investigation into how the two Books of Samuel have been read over generations. Perhaps the most narratively thrilling books of the Bible, 1-2 Samuel have long enchanted, perplexed and delighted readers with their panoramic canvas of battles and royal succession.
Starting with the birth of the prophet Samuel to a barren woman, 1 Samuel charts that decisive moment in the history of Israel when kingship begins and priestly rule ends. After the warring years of Judges, the people ask Samuel for a king. Samuel is not enamoured of kings and his list of depredations the people will suffer under one reads like the transcript of a modern despot’s rule. God is also uneasy with kingship but the people continue to demand it; so God, through Samuel, grants them their wish and Saul is anointed as Israel’s first king.
