The Monarch Butterfly—An Illustration of Transformation—Part 17—I Samuel

Monarch Butterfly

God Calls Samuel Four Times

I Samuel follows the Book of Ruth and records Israel's transition from judges to a king. At the end of his life, Samuel acknowledges four Judges before there was a king in Israel that the Lord sent to deliver His people. Samuel is the last of those Judges, and then comes the Kingdom.

... the Lord sent Jerubbaal, Bedan, Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side; and you dwelt in safety.
— 1 Samuel 12:11

His call from the Lord is repeated four times and begins in verse four. It is the fourth call that a transition or change takes place. God calls his name twice in that instance, and Samuel responds to the Lord's voice.

1. The Lord called Samuel, and he said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, lie down again.” So he went and lay down.
2. The Lord called yet again, “Samuel!” So Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he answered, “I did not call, my son, lie down again.”Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor had the word of the Lord yet been revealed to him.
3. So the Lord called Samuel again for the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli discerned that the Lord was calling the boy. And Eli said to Samuel, “Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
4. Then the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.”
— 1 Samuel 3:4-10

This transition in chapter four begins with a battle with the Philistines in which four thousand Israelite men are killed, and the ark is captured. Eli, the priest of the time who had been chief for forty years, and his sons all died as was foretold. They went to battle in their own natural physical strength and power. The Spirit of God was not with them.

David and Goliath by Guido Reni

Four Slain Giants

2 Samuel records the history of King David and his military exploits. David's military career begins with his defeat of the giant Goliath, some 400 years after Israel defeated Og, another giant.

The Septuagint (Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament) states that Goliath was four cubits tall. The only Hebrew text of I Sam 17:4 found among the Dead Sea Scrolls also reads “four,” and the Jewish historian Josephus describes Goliath as “a man of vast bulk, for he was of four cubits and a span in tallness.

This account notes that four of Jesse's sons go down to the battle with the Philistines and Goliath. Three fought full-time, and one went back and forth between serving the King and tending the sheep.

The three oldest sons of Jesse had gone to follow Saul to the battle. The names of his three sons who went to the battle were:

1. Eliab, the firstborn, next to him
2. Abinadab, and the third
3. Shammah.
4. David was the youngest.

And the three oldest followed Saul. But David occasionally went and returned from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.

— 1 Samuel 17:13-15

David, the youngest and fourth of those who went down, fights the battle. David is the type and shadow of the Messiah King in this account. He illustrates how He both serves "The King," Father God, and tends the sheep, yet ultimately defeats all of our formidable foes! By the end of II Samuel, David's life is wrapping up, and there is another battle involving giants. Four of them were possibly related to Goliath.

These four were born to the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.
— 2 Samuel 22:22

An interesting description is given for one of them, who appears to be unnamed.

And there was yet a battle in Gath, where was a man of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant.
— 2 Samuel 21:20

So this giant had 24 fingers and toes (4 on each hand and foot).

Another notable giant in Scripture is recorded in Deuteronomy, whose bed was four cubits wide.

“For only Og, king of Bashan, remained of the remnant of giants; behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? Nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man.”
— Deuteronomy 3:11

One more giant.

Arba (four), the father of Anak he was the father of Anak who was the father of that giant race called the Anakim. (See Josh. 15:13; Josh. 21:11). Josh. 14:15 adds: “And the name of Hebron before was Kirjatharba (city of four); which Arba was a great man among the Anakims ... ”
— "Answers in Genesis

David's name occurs a total of 1076 (4x269) times in the Old Testament.

King Saul by Ernst Josephson

Saul is the Fourth to Prophesy

In 1 Samuel chapter 19, Saul is in hot pursuit of David, in a jealous rage over David's military victories. He knows the kingdom has been torn from him, as Samuel had prophesied, and he is doing everything possible to prevent it. He sent messengers three times to take David, but his plan unravels when each group encounters prophesying prophets, and then he begins prophesying himself.

Then Saul sent messengers to take David. And when they saw the group of prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as leader over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. And when Saul was told, he sent other messengers, and they prophesied likewise.

Then Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they prophesied also. Then he also went to Ramah, and came to the great well that is at Sechu. So he asked and said, “Where are Samuel and David?” And someone said, “Indeed, they are at Naioth in Ramah.” So he went there to Naioth in Ramah. Then the Spirit of God was upon him also, and he went on and prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah.

— 1 Samuel 17:20-23

Saul is the fourth and final to arrive, and he prophesied, too. God's plan will prevail despite any natural human effort. The Amplified translates this truth well.

There is no [human] wisdom or understanding or counsel [that can prevail] against the Lord.
— Proverbs 21:30

Saul was king of Israel for 40 years.

David and His 400 Men at the Cave of Adullam by Claude Lorrain

David's 400 Men

In 1 Samuel chapter 22, David is on the run from Saul and hiding in the cave of Adullam. Four types of people — about 400 men — came to him there.

David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his ...

1. Brethren and all his father's house heard it; they went down thither to him.
2. And every one that was in distress, and
3. everyone who was in debt, and
4. Everyone who was discontented gathered themselves unto him;

... and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.

— 1 Samuel 22:1-2

These four show us the development and establishment of David's rule, which included his family, a worldly bunch, the distressed, the in debt, and the discontented. It sounds like those to whom the Gospel was invitational to all the "whosoever's."

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
— Romans 10:13

This event marks the fourth of four divisions and serves as the book's transition point.

1. The story of Samuel to the death of Eli, 1:1-4:22.
2. From the taking of the ark to the demand for a king, 5:1-8:22.
3. The reign of Saul to the call of David, 9:1-15:35.
4. From the call of David to the death of Saul, 16:1-31:13.

— Scofield's notes

After Saul's death, the kingdom of David was established.

In his Thru the Bible Commentary, J. Vernon McGee makes an interesting observation about this development — our number four — and its connection to the earth.

"David is going to be schooled and trained in the caves of the earth ... He is forced to hide in the forests to escape the king's wrath."

Additionally, David makes four "fowl" references when describing his situation.

1. "I am hunted like a partridge" (1 Samuel 26:20)
2. "I am like a pelican in the wilderness" (Psalm 102:6)
3. "I am like an owl of the desert" (Psalm 102:6)
4. "I have become like a lonely bird on a housetop (Psalm 102:6).

"400 men" is mentioned four times in I Samuel (I Samuel 22:2, 25:13, 30:10, 30:17)

Throne

The Davidic Covenant and the Messianic Kingdom

The fourfold Davidic Covenant found in II Samuel chapter 7 foreshadows the establishment of God's Kingdom on the earth. David is a type of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords that the Messiah will be. It is also the fourth Covenant God made with man after the fall.

1. The heavens are Yours,
2. the earth also is Yours
3. The world
4. and all it contains

You have founded them.

— Psalm 89:11

Scofield notes that the Covenant establishes four things in relationship to the Davidic Covenant.

a house
a throne
a kingdom
and perpetuity

Walter Kaiser identifies at least four significant moments in biblical history that illustrate progressive revelation.

1. The promise given to Abraham in Genesis 12, 15, 17;
2. The promise declared to David in 2 Samuel 7;
3. The promise outlined in the New Covenant of Jeremiah 31,
4. and the day when many of these promises found initial realization in the death and resurrection of Christ.

— Michael A. Grisanti, Associate Professor of Old Testament

The phrase "I will be his Father" is stated four times in the Old Testament concerning the development and establishment of the Davidic Kingdom and Covenant.

Psalm 89—Davidic Covenant

Psalms 89:10-12 is the Psalm of the Davidic covenant, which discusses four possessions of God in his creation and uses directional terms to describe them.

Thou hast scattered thine enemies with thy strong arm.

1. The heavens are thine,
2. The earth also is thine:
3. As for the world
4. and the fullness thereof,

Thou hast founded them.

1. The north
2. And the south thou hast created them:
3. Tabor
4. And Hermon shall rejoice in thy name.

Charles Spurgeon weighs in on this topic.

Oh, what a blessed spirit the spirit of true devotion is! There is such life in it that it seems to quicken all inanimate creation and make the rocks and mountains to sing, and the trees of the wood to clap their hands, and the waves of the sea to praise the great Creator. So the whole world is like a great organ, and man, guided by God’s Spirit, puts his fingers on the keys and wakes the whole to the thunder of adoration and praise. Oh, to be taught of God to have a praiseful heart, for then all around us will be more likely also to praise Jehovah.
— Charles Spurgeon

Psalm 89 is divided into four parts and is once again connected with this covenant, and lists four things God does to build and establish.

1. “I have made a covenant with My chosen;
2. I have sworn to David My servant,
3. I will establish your seed forever
4. And build up your throne to all generations.”

— Psalm 89:3-4

The word covenant is used four times in this Psalm. God making a covenant with His Chosen is at the heart of this Psalm, the Gospel, and any hope of transformation.

1. I have made a covenant with My chosen. (Psalm 89:3)
2. ... My covenant shall be confirmed to him. (Psalm 89:28)
3. My covenant I will not violate (Psalm 89:34)
4. You have spurned the covenant of Your servant (Psalm 89:39)

Later in this same Psalm, God does four things that exhibit His rule and reign in the earth.

O Lord God of hosts,
Who is mighty like You, O Lord?
Your faithfulness also surrounds You

1. You rule the swelling of the sea;
2. When its waves rise, You still them.
3. You Yourself crushed Rahab like one who is slain;
4. You scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm.

— Psalm 89:8-10

In the New Testament, Christ displays the fulfillment of the Messiah/Kingship.

Now, when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”
But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”
— Matthew 8:23-27

The New Testament's "Son of David" is fulfilled in Christ the Messiah, as He is referred to as such 20 times (4 x 5). The book of Matthew, which portrays Christ as King, uses the phrase "Kingdom of Heaven" 32 times (4 x 8). According to C.I. Scofield

" ... the kingdom of heaven is Messianic, mediatorial, and Davidic and has for its object the establishment of the kingdom of God in the earth ... the kingdom of heaven is the earthly sphere of the universal kingdom of God."
... His Kingdom come, His will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

In "The Self-Interpreting Bible," John Brown comments on this thought.

"The faithful in the church believe that God has established a spiritual "Kingdom of Heaven" through the atoning work of Jesus Christ, and the benefits of the kingdom have been freely offered to all. That kingdom is represented in parables, which present it in different aspects: first, concerning the entrance to the kingdom; second, on the privileges and duties of the kingdom; third, showing the relation of the kingdom to the world; and fourth, those which refer to the future world of spirits."

The Davidic dynasty, a theocracy between God and His people, lasted 400 years and was foretold in Ruth 4. David was from the line of Judah, the fourth son of Jacob.

Psalm 107

Psalm 107, written by David, is a thanksgiving Psalm relevant to our study. The discussion begins with four lands where God's people are scattered.

Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,
And gathered out of the lands,
From the east and from the west,
From the north and from the south.

— Psalm 107:2-3

Verse four expounds.

1. They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way
— Psalm 107:4

Their wanderings illustrate the futility of this physical life on the earth with all its limitations. These wanderers are the first of four peoples and scenarios or calamities that man finds himself subject to in this Psalm, ranging from natural circumstances such as hunger and thirst to one's own sinful choices.

2. Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
Bound in affliction and irons—
Because they rebelled against the words of God,
And despised the counsel of the Most High.

— Psalm 107:10-11

3. Fools, because of their transgression,
And because of their iniquities, were afflicted.

— 107:17

4. Those who go down to the sea in ships,
Who do business on great waters,

— Psalm 107:23

Verses 17-22 are located in the fourth section of this Psalm. On all four occasions, they cry out to the Lord, and He delivers.

They cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He delivered them out of their distresses.

— Psalm 107:6,13,19,29

This four-times-mentioned statement accompanies their rescue from the Lord.

Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!

— Psalm 107:8,15,21,31

The four examples give us metaphors for how God can deliver us in any sphere of calamity, from the desert wilderness to the sea where we may find ourselves. When we cry out to Him, He can deliver and save us.

The Expositor's Bible Commentary observes that in verses 33-42, the psalmist ascribes to the Lord the power to "change" things and notes that His authority is limitless, capable of reversing the condition of anything.

He turns rivers into a wilderness,
And the water springs into dry ground;
A fruitful land into barrenness,
For the wickedness of those who dwell in it.

He turns a wilderness into pools of water,
And dry land into water springs.
There He makes the hungry dwell,
That they may establish a city for a dwelling place,
And sow fields and plant vineyards,
That they may yield a fruitful harvest.
He also blesses them, and they multiply greatly;
And He does not let their cattle decrease.

When they are diminished and brought low
Through oppression, affliction, and sorrow,
He pours contempt on princes,
And causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way;
Yet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction,
And makes their families like a flock. The righteous see it and rejoice,
And all iniquity stops its mouth.

Search This Blog

Blog Mover