1 Samuel Chapters 1&2 We are introduced to Elkanah, his 2 wives Penninah and Hannah. We learn who is the High Priest, who his sons are, and what they’ve been up to. God is setting the stage for a showdown between good and evil.
Shiloh, location of the Tabernacle during 1 Samuel
Chapters 3-5
1 Samuel Chapters 3-5
Journey of the Ark of the Covenant in Chapters 3-7
Artist depiction of Dagon fallen and broken before the Ark of the Covenant
An Ebenezer, or memorial stone, erected to memorialize God’s triumph
Chapters 6-7
1 Samuel Chapters 6&7
A memorial erected to celebrate the return of the Ark of the Covenant
Chapter 8
1 Samuel Chapter 8
Chapters 9-11
1 Samuel Chapters 9-11 with guest teacher Chris Seagler Saul is anointed as the king over Israel, a new villain surfaces and Saul must step up to become the king instead of just being called a king.
Chapter 12
Samuel reminds the people of Israel that they are to worship God alone, not even their new king. And this comes on the heels of Saul swiping in to save his people. Then Samuel reminds them of their foolish actions and subsequent need for rescue all the way back to the beginnings of their nation.
Chapter 13-14
Jonathan and Samuel take a remnant of soldiers to defend an area only to be surrounded and outnumbered. Jonathan steps out in faith while Samuel second guesses.
Chapter 15
Saul disobeys God’s simple command to wipe out the Amelekites, and then Samuel gives the bad news that his short tenure as king of Israel is going to end tragically and terminally.
Chapter 16
In what is seemingly bad timing, God directs Samuel to anoint another as the king of Israel while simultaneously removing the Spirit of God from Saul
Chapter 17
David confronts the men of Israel as Goliath challenges them. He ends up taking on Goliath and bringing victory to Israel because of his faith, not for his own glory
Chapter 18
Saul tried to entrap and ensnare David as David outshines Saul around every corner
Chapter 19
Saul gets talked down by his son from trying to kill David. But then David wins more accolades and Saul’s jealous rage takes over once more. He sends messengers to kill David, but Saul’s own daughter and David’s wife helps David evade Saul’s assassins. In a later attempt, the assassins begin to prophesy and preach, then again, and then finally Saul seeks to take David’s murder into his own hands only to be thwarted yet again my God.
Chapter 20
David and Jonathan set up a plan to discover the truth of Saul’s feelings about David. After hearing that Saul was fully engaged in treachery against David, Jonathan and David hug it out and then David is sent away to the relative safety of living life on the run from Saul
Chapters 21-22
After finding a place to rest with the priest Ahimelek, David is reunited with the sword of Goliath. He then heads down to the hometown of Goliath and requests permission to lay low there for awhile. But as the king there becomes suspicious of David’s motives, David pretends to be insane and then escapes to safety in the caves and mountains of the Judah wilderness. Saul hears of Ahimelek’s good deed in feeding David and his men and proceeds to slaughter all of the priest there at Nob, except for Abiathar.
Chapters 23-24
David hears of a town besieged by the Philistines and takes his men to rescue them. Saul hears of the rescue and declares that David is now trapped in the city but instead he and his men escape to the wilderness yet again. As David and his men were hiding in a cave, Saul enters to relive himself. David in a show of restraint does not attack Saul but cuts off the corner of his robe and then confesses to the act as Saul leaves the cave. Saul then professes that David is the better man and he will be king over Israel, all he asks is that his family line not be terminated.
Chapter 25
Samuel passes away and the nation mourns him. Not strictly done with being chased, David and his men flee to the southern end of Israel to let things cool down. While there, they befriend the shepherds of a very rich man and then send request for some aid from the rich fellow. David’s request is rejected, he sees blood and marches in vengeance only to be calmed down and fed by the rich man’s wife. God exacts His own vengeance and we see David beginning to experience some women issues. NOTE: I incorrectly said that Maon and Carmel were way up north in Israel. I was wrong, iI was thinking Mount Carmel. The map in Chapters 23-24 show a more accurate location. Sorry about that!
Chapters 26-27
David is being chased once again by Saul and his special ops. But in a moment of vulnerability, David sneaks in and takes some of Saul’s items and then distances himself so he can alert Saul to the situation. Once again, Saul confesses he was in the wrong and David and he split ways. David then flees to Gath again, sets up a camp outside of the city and proceeds to terrorize the surrounding villages while lying about it to the king of Gath.
