This chapter serves as a type of farewell address. This is a way for leaders to give instructions to their followers before they leave or die. Samuel first established his holiness before calling on the people to repent of their desire to have a king. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/holy]] and [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/repent]])
It is common in Scripture to use Israel's history to show how faithful God has been. This gives the readers evidence to trust in Yahweh in their current situation. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/faithful]] and [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/trust]])