1 Samuel 1-2
Hannah is barren. she prays for a son, promising him to The Lord. Israel is spiritually barren and needs new leadership. God gifts both with a newborn child — Samuel.
at the end of the Book of Judges, the author writes,
“In those days there was no king in Israel.
Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”
— Judges 21:25
Israel was a nation, but not a kingdom. the spiritual leaders were corrupt and aloof. and the nation wandered far from God.
thanks to the desperate prayer of a woman named Hannah, her son, the prophet Samuel, became the leader, priest, and judge of Israel. and God called him to anoint a King — one who believed, acted, and ruled after God’s own heart.
will a King unify an adulterous nation and bring them back to The Lord?
this is the story of The Book of Samuel.
books
* A Son to Me : An Exposition of 1 & 2 Samuel by Peter J. Leithart
* The David Story : A Translation with Commentary of 1 and 2 Samuel by Robert Alter
* Hebrew Bible : Translation & Commentary by Robert Alter
links
* this blog - skidmore.substack.com
more
* Five Coffees and a Book - FREE ebook and discussion guide
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