Book Review: 1 Samuel for You by Tim Chester

It was about a year or two ago that I went through the book of 1 Samuel as part of my personal Bible reading. Everytime, I read the book, I kept thinking in my head that Jesus is a better king, which is true. Throughout the Old Testament, we see great kings who followed God with all their heart and some not-so great kings who were just as wicked and evil as the days of Noah.

Of course when studying the Old Testament, one must proceed with caution as to make it a moralistic study which has been the case for many Christians. 1 Samuel is a book that promises a king and even shows us that there is a greater and better King. Tim Chester deals with this writing in the Old Testament in his latest book, 1 Samuel for You. Just as in his previous book, Chester takes the entire book and breaks it down verse by verse where the reader can understand.

As mentioned earlier, there is a tendency to take the Old Testament scripture and turn it into some form of moralistic teaching. The most famous passage in 1 Samuel happens to be David vs. Goliath and it is always attributed to facing your giants. Chester points out the David vs. Goliath is not about that. Chester points to Jesus and shows Him as the true Adam who took down our true giant which is sin. At the end of the book, Chester points out, just as I concluded from my own personal study of 1 Samuel, that Jesus is the better king. He is the King for all people and just one nation. Unlike all the other kings in the Bible, Jesus is a King that will never fail His people.

Pastors and teachers will benefit from this book as they study the Bible. It will also be a benefit to all Christians so they can see that 1 Samuel is not about being a good leader or facing your giants, but points to Jesus as the true and better King.

Thanks Good Book Company for letting me review this book.