1 Samuel

To me, First Samuel marks a transition from the period of the judges into the leadership of prophets and kings. Samuel, Saul, and David each stand at the center of that change.
Samuel is shown in the center wearing the yellow I assigned to Ephraim when I created the tribal banners in Numbers. He also wears a plaid collar. In later paintings, I use this collar to identify a prophet.
The figure on the right represents a Philistine. It could be Goliath, or simply one of the many Philistines who fought against Israel and, for a time, captured the Ark of the Covenant.
The people wanted a king like the nations around them, and God directed Samuel to the man He had chosen. Saul came from the tribe of Benjamin, so he and his son Jonathan are shown in the red color I assigned to Benjamin’s banner. David is the ruddy, red-haired, freckled figure dressed in blue.
Saul fought many battles against Israel’s enemies, but he did not fully obey God’s commands. On one occasion, he took upon himself a priestly responsibility and offered a sacrifice. I represented that event with the offering on the stone altar behind him. Samuel then told Saul that his kingdom would not endure.
God later sent Samuel to anoint David as the future king, even while Saul was still alive. That is why both Saul and David appear in this painting.
Jonathan became David’s dearest friend. He recognized that David would one day become king, and he helped protect David when Saul sought to kill him. By shooting three arrows, Jonathan gave David the signal that he must flee for his life.
A staff stands between Saul and David. It could belong to either man.
At the top of the painting, where the grass changes from green to yellow, I tried to show the events Samuel witnessed almost as though they were appearing in a comic-strip conversation bubble.
There you can see the conflict with the Philistines, the capture and eventual return of the Ark, and the series of events that led Samuel to Saul: the lost donkeys, the loaves of bread, the jug of wine, and the prophets playing instruments.
If you look closely at the small figures in the upper-right portion of the painting, you will see Samuel dressed in yellow and holding a small red vial of oil as Saul is anointed king. Samuel also holds a crown over Saul’s head.
At the bottom, the larger figure of Samuel holds a blue vial of oil for David and raises the crown over him instead.
The leadership of Israel is changing, but God remains the One who chooses, directs, corrects, and establishes His servants.