As the story of Samuel and Saul continues, a confrontation over obedience takes place. Failures to follow God completely reveal decisive character flaws in Saul and serious consequences for Israel. Faithful believers serve God on His terms only!

Now that Israel’s new king has been duly confirmed and celebrated, Samuel closes the book on his own lengthy tenure of service as a leader for the nation. Having exonerated his character publically, he unleashes his full prophetic arsenal in evaluating Israel and calling her to faithful obedience to the One True God. This chapter climaxes the entirety of Israel’s per-monarchial history.

As heavy as the story that produces this penitential psalm of David is, there is a beautiful lesson of true freedom in Christ that comes through faithful confession. Without God graciously revealing David’s sin by Nathan, he would have remained trapped in condemnation. Instead, David was awakened to his sin and thereby freed to confess his sin and receive the joy of a gospel centered life. David is now an example to the world on how we too can be freed from our sins.

Most disciples who have been following Jesus for any period of time have had mountaintop moments—times when God feels so near, His presence is undeniable, and His glory is almost tangible. But often, those highs are followed by valleys of silence or struggle, leaving us wondering if we misunderstood what God was doing. In Matthew 17, the disciples experience one of the greatest “spiritual highs” imaginable: Jesus pulls back the veil and reveals His divine glory in what we call the Transfiguration. But this wasn’t just a spiritual thrill. The experience on the mountain was a purposeful display, meant to confirm who Jesus truly is, strengthen His followers for what lay ahead, and remind us today that the glory of Christ is not just a fleeting moment on a mountain but the eternal hope of all who follow Him.

When we truly see Jesus, we behold Him as He is—the Christ, the Son of the living God. God has clearly revealed His identity to us, calling us to trust in this truth and step forward in faith.

Chapter 8 moves forward many years to the end of Samuel’s life. With his inevitable death, Israel felt the impending danger of a leaderless nation surrounded by enemies. Their proposed answer to the uncertainty of the future, however, displays both a misunderstanding of true leadership and a rejection of the God who chose them to be His people.

In 1 Samuel 1, we saw the boy Samuel given as a gift to his mother. Now we see him given as a gift to Israel, a godly prophet/pastor with the anointing of the Spirit of God on his life. God’s greatest works are generally given through individuals made great by His power.

In a generation obsessed with mechanics of leadership, people seldom consider the Bible as a source of leadership instruction. In fact, the Bible is especially useful in this because it identifies something critical—how the presence of God impacts the success of a leader. I Samuel details great leaders; but God remains the primary actor in the human story.