These two books, 1 and 2 Samuel, are named after the prophet Samuel. They see the introduction of kings into Israel, and cover the reigns of Saul and David. It is interesting that God never wanted Israel to have a king, for He was meant to be their king. Yet He allowed them to have a king, and worked through the kingship to bring about His own plans. David is a type of the Messiah, and one of the messianic titles is "son of David". In the end God did become king as Jesus Christ. This shows us how God's will works. In the end it is God's will the prevails, but it does not happen in a rigid mechanistic manner, it does not override human freewill.
We don't know who wrote 1 and 2 Samuel, but there is a reference in Samuel to the Book of Jashar (2 Sam 1:18), and Chronicles refers to the annals of King David, the records of Samuel, Nathan and Gad. So it seems that these people kept records, and they would serve as a source for the material in 1 and 2 Samuel.
The period covered by the books of 1 and 2 Samuel is roughly 1105 BC (birth of Samuel) to 970 BC, the end of David's reign.
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