The book starts with the miraculous birth of samuel in answer to his mothers earnest prayer. When woman takes her exalted place, god builds her a throne. God had anointed david as the successor to saul and had promised david that he would occupy the throne of israel. Historical setting of the book of 1 samuel preceding historythe period of the judges succeeding historythe monarchy 2. List at least one event that occurred during each period.
This free sunday school lesson helps students discover that in a world filled with sins darkness gods light shines through the lives of people who love and obey him. The reference to nabals3,000 sheep may be an allusion to sauls3,000 soldiers 1 samuel 24. Together, 1 and 2 samuel form one book in the hebrew bible. Samuel warns them that having a king has a down side. Easyenglish is a system of simple english designed by wycliffe associates uk. David suffers from what i call the lone ranger syndrome. This summary of the book of 1 samuel provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of 1 samuel. The book of 1 samuel records the beginning of israels monarchy. Samuel sought god when elis sons sought their own way. This unit birth and rule of samuel 1 samuel 17 a introduction. Then saul will stop hunting for me in israelite territory, and i will finally be safe. A bible study in easyenglish 2800 word vocabulary on the book of 1 samuel. I samuel outlined as an introduction text read i samuel 2. The best thing i can do is to escape to the land of the philistines.
The book of 1 samuel begins with a lengthy account of samuels birth, calling, and life in wartorn israel. When gods people expressed their desire for a king, saul was anointed by samuel as israels first king. The birth and calling of samuel 1 samuel by kelly henderson. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Samuels birth and lifelong dedication to the lord 1. The book of 1 samuel can be neatly divided into two sections. This division was followed by the latin versions and made its appearance in the hebrew text in daniel bombergs first edition a. The book of 1 samuel is set in israel during the transition between the period of the judges and the period of the monarchy.
For still as davids question, so gods answer, is upon supposition. Samuel means name of god, the life of samuel is a wonderful study of prayer, as we see his intercessory for. It would seem that the events of our text would be highly instructive to the kings alive in the days when 1 and 2 samuel were written and first read. These are all of the chapters of the book of 1 samuel. David and his men and their families settled there with. For his whole life he will be given over to the lord. Therefore, samuel was probably written before kings, which is dated between 561 and 538 b. The book of samuel, or 1 samuel and 2 samuel, form part of the narrative history of israel in the neviim or prophets section of the hebrew bibleold testament. Book of first samuel overview insight for living ministries. If you need help, consult a bible dictionary or similar reference work.
Samuel had recognized david as the future king 1 samuel 16. The book covers a period of 115 years from the birth of samuel through the turbulent times of saul to the beginning of david, the king who god chose. And the worst part is, saul doesnt even apologize for ripping samuel s clothes 27 29. God raises up david to be king of israel 1 sa 1620. David was anointed king of israel by god, and is a picture of the true messiah gods anointed one. The main theme of the study is israel wanting a king like all the other nations around them. When the people ask for a king, the lord instructs samuel to anoint saul as israels first king. As i mentioned, davids thinking was contrary to the word and promise of god. We hope this overview and outline of 1 samuel and 2 samuel are helpful to you.
Useful bible studies 1 samuel commentary study guide. Saul asks samuel to turn back and honor him before the people and elders of israel. Just previously david had affirmed that god would someday act on his behalf in removing saul from the throne 26. I have dedicated him as a naziriteall the days of his life. The restoration of the ark and defeat of the philistine army. There are slight variations in the way biblical scholars divide the contents of 1 samuel. There was a certain man from ramathaim, a zuphite from the hill country of ephraim, whose name was elkanah son of jeroham, the son of elihu, the son of tohu, the son of zuph, an ephraimite. Birth and rule of samuel 1 samuel 17 the first major division of the book of samuel figure 1 opens with the story of samuel, the prophet who would play a key role in davids rise to power. The best thing i can do is escape to the philistines. Originally there was only one book of samuel, but the lxx divided it into two.
But when he grew old, the people decided to ask the lord for a king who could lead the army. Samuel worships with him, perhaps to keep the kingship intact until a new king can be chosen 3031. This book begins the 500 year period of the kings of israel approximately between 1050 and 586bc. The first part of 1 samuel 17 tells about the life of samuel and how he helped israels army fight against enemies that were making raids in israel. From this we can conclude that the book came together sometime after the death of david 971 bc and perhaps even after the death of solomon 931 bc. From playing both ends against the middle to caught between a rock and a hard place 1 samuel 29. The book of 1 samuel relates how the israelites attempted to solve their problem with the philistines and other enemies. David among the philistines but david kept thinking to himself, someday saul is going to get me. In that short amount of time, this godcentered mom influenced her son to seek god. We are also told that ziklag, the city given to david in 1 samuel 27, is a city that remained a possession of israels kings to the day of the reader 1 samuel 27.
And david said in his heart, i shall now perish one day by the hand of saul. Both maon and carmel garden spot stood about14miles west of engedi and about7 miles southsoutheast of hebron. Consulting familiar spirits saul faced a terrifying conflict with the philistines. Watch our overview video on the book of 1 samuel, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. She anticipated that day and viewed david as having a good conscience then for not taking vengeance against nabal, since vengeance belongs to god. Whereas the book of first samuel shows israels transition from gods authority to sauls irresponsible rule, second samuel documents the transition back to godhonoring leadership under david david was anointed king of israel by god, and is a picture of the true messiah gods anointed one. We owe the division of the one volume into two to the septuagint. And the worst part is, saul doesnt even apologize for ripping samuels clothes 2729. Wenham, a series which is synonymous with excellent exegesis and superior application, this volume not only continues this legacy, but.
A workbook suitable for bible classes, family studies, or. It opens with samuels birth and then describes his role as judge over israel. Why the book of 1 samuel is important keith simons. Moreover, the book of kings appears to pick up the history of israels throne where samuel left off see 2 sam. Sauls life warns us that we must always remain loyal to god. This was a period in israels history of extreme spiritual and moral decay the same period that is described toward the end of the book of judges. Overview of the book of 1 samuel reformed answers to. Whereas the book of first samuel shows israels transition from gods authority to sauls irresponsible rule, second samuel documents the transition back to godhonoring leadership under david. Finding god s will, any witch way you can 1 samuel 28. While the people cry for a king, hannah cries for a child. When samuel grows old, he appoints his sons as judges, but the people begin to clamor for a king. Memorize the following 15 periods of bible history.
Then saul will give up searching for me anywhere in israel, and i will slip out of his hand. The present division into 1 and 2 samuel has been decried by some scholars. As the story unfolds, we will discover many similarities between nabal and saul, and the writer may have. An overview of 1 samuel including statistics of the book and background material. The books are named after samuel, the outstanding figure of the early section. Clicking on a chapter will show you the text of that chapter of 1 samuel in the bible king james version. The lord said from this place it may appear that gods answer by urim and thummim, was not by any change in the colour or situation of the precious stones in the breastplate of the ephod, but by a voice or suggestion from god to the highpriest he will he purposeth to come, if thou continuest here. It presents the role samuel filled as the prophet, priest, and judge for gods people. This commentary is a recent edition of the apollos old testament commentary series with editors david w. When saul turned away from god, david was waiting to succeed him.