The final words of the book of Judges prepare us for the situation which the last, and the greatest, of the judges had to face: 'There was no king in Israel at that time. Everyone did just as he pleased. '

We have said that the confederacy of the Israelite tribes held together in spite of pressures from outside Canaan, the presence of the Philistines and groups of Canaanites inside Canaan, and tensions between some of the tribes. But it is not clear how much longer the confederacy could have survived without the emergence of a stronger leader than had been seen since the death of Joshua. During the eleventh century the Philistines grew in strength and gained control over much of the land in which the Israelites had settled. They became a serious threat and remained so throughout the life of the last of the judges, the prophet Samuel. Samuel proved to be the most important leader of the Israelites since Moses and only a man of his significance could have brought his people through the crisis caused by the Philistines. The time had come when the confederacy had to become something stronger, or break. The nation of Israel had to emerge from the tribal confederation, and for this to happen a leader was needed who had the support of all the tribal communities. The final words of the book of Judges indicate that tribal and local loyalties and interests frequently blinded the Israelites to the urgent need for unity and concerted policies in the face of the increasing Philistine threat.

Before studying the significance of Samuel's leadership through selected chapters from the first book of Samuel, it should be said that in the two books of Samuel there is writing of the highest narrative and historical value, as well as great religious insight.