Bird's-eye view
This single verse marks a monumental transition in the life of Israel and in the life of David. The death of Samuel is the falling of a great oak in the forest; it changes the entire landscape. He was the last of the judges, the prophet who had ushered in the monarchy, the man who had anointed both Saul and David. His death signals the definitive end of an era. The nation rightly mourns the loss of their spiritual anchor and moral compass. Immediately following this national event, the camera zooms in on David. The prophet who anointed him is gone, and David's response is to move further into the wilderness. This juxtaposition is deliberate and instructive. With his earthly vindicator and spiritual father gone, David is thrown more completely upon God Himself. The removal of this great human support is a necessary part of his training for the throne. The stability of God's covenant promise is not dependent on the life of God's most faithful servants.
Outline
- 1. A Great Man Falls (1 Sam 25:1)
- a. The Death of the Kingmaker (1 Sam 25:1a)
- b. A Nation's Grief (1 Sam 25:1b)
- c. The Fugitive's Response (1 Sam 25:1c)
Context In 1 Samuel
Chapter 25 sits squarely in the middle of the "David in the wilderness" narratives. In the preceding chapter, David had a signal opportunity to kill Saul in the cave at En-gedi and refused to do so, demonstrating his righteousness and his trust in God's timing. He spared his enemy. Now, in this chapter, he will be sorely tempted to annihilate a fool, Nabal. The death of Samuel in this first verse is the event that frames the entire episode. It raises the stakes for David. With Samuel gone, the most significant public figure who knew of David's anointing is removed from the scene. This would have been a great blow to David's morale and a great encouragement to Saul's paranoia. Samuel's death creates a vacuum, removing a powerful restraining influence in Israel and leaving David more isolated and vulnerable than ever before. This sets the stage for the test of faith and patience that the incident with Nabal will represent.
Key Issues
- The End of the Era of the Judges
- The Role of the Prophet in Israel
- The Relationship Between Divine Sovereignty and Human Agents
- David's Increasing Isolation and Reliance on God
God Buries His Workmen
There is a stark finality to the opening clause, "Then Samuel died." No fanfare, no lingering description, just a blunt statement of fact. A giant of the faith, a man who had dominated the spiritual and political life of Israel for decades, is simply gone. This is how God works in history. He raises up mighty servants for His purposes, and when their task is complete, He takes them home. The work is God's, not the man's. The death of a great leader is always a test for the people of God. Will they trust in the God who raised up the leader, or will they despair because the familiar instrument has been removed? The narrative of 1 Samuel is the story of God establishing His kingdom, and this verse reminds us that the foundation of that kingdom is God's own covenant promise, not the frail life of any man, however great.
Verse by Verse Commentary
1 Then Samuel died; and all Israel gathered together and lamented for him and buried him at his house in Ramah.
The verse divides into two distinct movements: a death and a departure. First, the death. Samuel's passing was a national event, and rightly so. He was the man God had used to deliver them from the Philistines, to call them back from idolatry, and to anoint their first two kings. He was the conscience of Israel. So it is fitting that all Israel gathered to lament him. This was not a pro forma state funeral; it was a genuine expression of national grief. They knew what they had lost. They buried him not in a grand public monument, but at his own house in Ramah. This is significant. Samuel was a great man, but he was great in his humility and his faithfulness to his own place. He finished his course and was laid to rest at home, among his own people. He was a ruler who had not forgotten where he came from.
And David arose and went down to the wilderness of Paran.
The conjunction "And" is freighted with meaning. The historian immediately connects the national event of Samuel's death to the personal response of David. While the nation mourns and stands still, David moves. He arose and went down. Where does he go? Deeper into exile. The wilderness of Paran was a more remote and dangerous region than the wilderness of Judah. This is both a prudent tactical move and a profound spiritual statement. Tactically, David understood that with Samuel dead, any moral check on Saul's murderous rage was now gone. Saul would feel freer to pursue him. David was now in more danger than ever. Spiritually, David was being weaned from all human support. The prophet who had called him out of obscurity and placed the anointing oil on his head was now in the grave. If David's confidence was in Samuel, that confidence was now buried with him. But if his confidence was in the God who sent Samuel, then that confidence remained unshaken. By moving to Paran, David was being driven by God's providence into a place of utter dependence on God alone. The props were being knocked out from under him so that he would learn to stand on the bare word of God's promise.
Application
The principle here is one that the church must constantly relearn. God's work is not ultimately dependent upon our favorite preachers, our trusted elders, or our most gifted leaders. God raises men up, uses them for His glory, and then in His wisdom, He lays them to rest. And the work goes on. The death of a Samuel is always a sorrow, and we are right to lament and give honor to faithful servants. But we are never to despair. The promises of God are not buried with the prophets of God. Our faith must be in the King, not in the kingmaker.
Furthermore, we see in David's response a pattern for our own lives. When God removes a significant human support, whether it be a mentor, a friend, or a particular stability in our circumstances, it can feel like we are being driven into the wilderness. And we are. But the wilderness is God's training ground. It is the place where He strips us of our self-reliance and our dependence on creature comforts so that we might learn to trust Him more fully. The death of Samuel was a necessary grief in David's life to prepare him for the throne. And the griefs and losses that God appoints for us are likewise necessary, preparing us for the weight of that glory which He has promised to us in Christ.