When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as Israel’s leaders.[a] 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not follow his ways. Samuel was so busy with ministry, he neglected to bring up…
1 So the men of Kiriath Jearim came and took up the ark of the Lord. They brought it to Abinadab’s house on the hill and consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the Lord. 2 The ark remained at Kiriath Jearim a long time—twenty years in all. This is…
And Samuel’s word came to all Israel. This feels like it could have been at the end of chapter 3. However, this seemingly simple sentence could also signify a significant amount of time passing. Originally, there were no chapters and verses. People put them in to make it easier for…
There was a certain man from Ramathaim, a Zuphite[a] from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah He has a great personality. Wait for it. son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. 2 He had two wives; one was…
Samuel is actually split up into two parts, one right after the other. 1 Samuel of “First Samuel” is followed naturally by 2 Samuel or “second Samuel.” It is a time of transition between Judges of Israel and full on Kings. The spiral of awfulness becomes institutionalized. “We want a…
We’re going to do this book all in one go. It’s short. There’s only four chapters. Chapter 1 1 In the days when the judges ruled,[a] there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for…
Ruth is a breath of fresh air after all the chaos of Judges. An illustration and reminder of how God actually wants to treat His people if they would get out of their own heads and listen! It’s a short book, and one continuous story, so, we shall read it…
In those days Israel had no king. Continuing the theme of not paying attention. And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking a place of their own where they might settle, because they had not yet come into an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. 2 So the…
Now a man named Micah from the hill country of Ephraim 2 said to his mother, “The eleven hundred shekels[a] of silver that were taken from you and about which I heard you utter a curse—I have that silver with me; I took it.” We are brought in right in the…
Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, so the Lord delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years. So predictable. The Midianites didn’t clue you in, maybe these guys will. 2 A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites,…