The book also says nothing about sacrifice for sin, and David receives forgiveness without making one. Walters argues that the book of Samuel was self-contained, not a segment of the longer book of Former Prophets, and that Samuel was circulated independently to teach both the kings of Israel and Judah and the Israelites in exile who lived without king or temple. Samuel is more a book about “The King who is to come,” the only Messiah successor of David, than a king of Israel, and as such is able