Give yourself permission to read 1 & 2 Samuel honestly.

1 & 2 Samuel is home to some of the most beloved stories in the Bible. It is here we find such Sunday School classics as David defeating Goliath, Saul descending into madness, and David’s unashamed dance before the ark of the covenant.

But what do we do with the rest of 1 & 2 Samuel—those stories that don’t make it onto our Sunday School favorites list? The stories of Michal. Jonathan. Abigail. Bathsheba. Amnon. Tamar. Rizpah. The stories we are so often encouraged to ignore.

And what do we make of the man at the center of them? The one after God’s own heart.

These are precisely the stories and questions Dr. Aaron Higashi explores in this accessible, funny, and heartfelt commentary. Through rigorous biblical scholarship, thoughtful application, and ingenious footnotes, Higashi centers the stories we so often overlook and critically assesses the ongoing legacies of the stories we choose to celebrate.

Integrating humor and insight, this is a commentary for anyone who has cringed in church while David’s character is celebrated from the pulpit. Who has questioned the example of a king who failed so miserably as a father. And has wondered at the heart of a God reflected in a man such as this.