1 Samuel
Teacher: Won Huh
1 Samuel tells the stories of the last two judges of Israel, Eli and Samuel, and then the first two kings of Israel, Saul and David. It tells the story of how Israel transitioned from a theocracy to a monarchy.
As you read through the many familiar stories, compare and contrast the first two kings of Israel, Saul and David.
- Did God choose Saul to punish Israel for wanting a king?
- Saul’s life can be summarized using his own words, “Indeed I have played the fool and erred exceedingly.”
- They start out similar but end very differently.
- David failed at times and had a rough life as a fugitive, but what was different about David?
- What made David “A man after God’s own heart”?
- Are you more like Saul or David? What makes the difference?
To better understand David, read the psalms he wrote during his fugitive years.
- Read Psalm 59 after reading 1 Samuel 19. “When Saul sent men to watch David’s house in order to kill him.”
- Read Psalm 34 after reading 1 Samuel 21. “When David pretended to be insane before Abimelech.”
- Read Psalm 56 after reading 1 Samuel 21. “When the Philistines seized David in Gath.”
- Read Psalm 142 after reading 1 Samuel 21. “When David was in a cave.”
- Read Psalm 52 after reading 1 Samuel 22. “When Doeg, the Edomite, came and told Saul, ‘David has come to the house of Ahimelech.’”
- Read Psalm 63 after reading 1 Samuel 23. “When David was in the Desert of Judah.”
- Read Psalm 57 after reading 1 Samuel 24. “When David fled from Saul, in the cave.”
- Read Psalm 54 after reading 1 Samuel 26. “When the Ziphites went and told Saul, ‘Is not David hiding among us?’”
- Read Psalm 23 after reading 1 Samuel. Not sure when David wrote this psalm but it summarizes David’s view of God.
Listen to the book of 1 Samuel from BibleGateway: ESV, KJV, MSG, NIV, NKJV
Short Outline of the Book of 1 Samuel from the Today's English Version:
- Samuel as judge of Israel (1:1 – 7:17)
- Saul becomes king (8:1 – 10:27)
- The first years of Saul’s reign (11:1 – 15:35)
- David and Saul (16:1 – 30:31)
- The death of Saul and his sons (31:1-13)