Hearing God
Political unrest, social and economic pressures, temptations to put hope in human leaders and false gods: these descriptors may feel familiar to us in AD 2020, and they also describe the setting in 1 and 2 Samuel. By studying the people in these books, who experienced the transition of Israel from a tribal community overseen by judges to a new monarchy, we can draw parallels to our own experience. These individuals were flawed and very human, just like us. God was at work in their lives and in their nation, just like now. As in our time, God raised up leaders who followed God, and leaders who fell away, and God spoke through prophets to those with ears to hear. People were oppressed and treated unjustly, and the community struggled together toward faithfulness during a tumultuous time.
lessons
1. Hannah (1 Samuel 1:9–23; 1:26–2:10)
2. Eli: God’s Truth to Power (1 Samuel 3:1, 10–20; 4:1, 4, 11–19, 22)
3. Samuel the Judge (1 Samuel 7:15–17; 8:1–10; 16:1–12)
4. Saul: Responding to God’s Call (1 Samuel 10:20–27; 15:15–28)
5. David and Saul (1 Samuel 18:6–16; 24:1–12)
6. Michal (1 Samuel 19:8–17; 2 Samuel 3:12–16; 6:16–23)
7. Abigail (1 Samuel 25:14–38)
8. Jonathan and Mephibosheth (1 Samuel 14:36–46; 2 Samuel 4:4; 9:6–7; 16:1–4; 19:25–29)
9. David as King (2 Samuel 5:1–13; 24:10–16, 18–19, 24–25)
10. Bathsheba and Nathan (2 Samuel 11:1–9, 26–27; 12:1–15)
11. Tamar (2 Samuel 13:1–22)
12. Absalom: The Sins of the Father (2 Samuel 16:15–22; 18:28–33)
13. God in the Books of Samuel (1 Samuel 5; 2 Samuel 7:1–12)
writers
Mark Almquist-Murray,
Micah Bales,
Keith Barton,
Cherice Bock,
Paul Bock,
Mark Bredin,
Mark Condo,
Judy Maurer,
Christy Randazzo,
Ed Schneider,
Darla Tillman-Samuelson,
Elizabeth Todd,
Melinda Wenner Bradley,
Brian Young