Although ancient Israel continued under the leadership of local judges for hundreds of years following the conquering of the land of Caanan, eventually the pull of a strong, united monarchy was too much to ignore — leading to the “golden era” reigns of Saul, David, and Solomon (circa 1,050 to 930 BCE), which we’ll be exploring in detail over the next three weeks.

The Hebrew Bible transitions to this time period with a short book entitled Ruth, which is set in the era of Judges (though it was likely written much later) and named after a Moabite woman who would go on to be the great grandmother of David. One of the ways the biblical text defies ancient conventions is found in the very names of the books themselves: that a woman from a foreign land would have a book named after her — but not a single one of Israel’s kings — would have been unfathomable in the ancient world. Indeed, even as we learn about what many would view as the greatest century in Israel’s history, the book containing that history is not named for renowned rulers like David or Solomon but instead for a prophet named Samuel.

The books of 1 and 2 Samuel — which were written as a single text before later being divided into two parts — are extremely rich texts, with numerous stories of those who defied the odds: from Samuel’s mother Hannah’s unlikely conception (recalling Sarah in Genesis and prefiguring Mary in the Gospel of Luke) to a young shepherd boy named David being anointed as king and defeating a seemingly invincible foe. As was the case with so many of the figures who preceded them, the unlikely nature of their rise served as a testament to God being at work in their lives — and their reliance on God to lead them.

Even though it was a “golden era,” it must be said that the years of the United Monarchy were not without significant troubles — from Saul’s failed reign to David abusing his power. Nonetheless, this time would continue to live long in Israel’s memory — particularly the reign of David, whom we’ll be covering in greater detail next week.

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