Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “1 Samuel”
1Sam 22:1 David went from being a celebrated hero to having to flee in haste and hide in a cave. He has recently been anointed the future king of Israel, killed Goliath, become commander of Israel’s army, defeated the Philistines, married the king’s daughter and made a covenant with the king’s son Jonathan. But now he has fallen out of …
1Sam 17:1-3 The Philistines were a Greek people who originally came from “the island of Caphtor”, which is probably Crete (Jeremiah 47:4, Amos 9:7). They had settled on the coast of Israel, including the Gaza area. 1Sam 17:4-7 Since it is a bit uncertain how to interpret the measurement “six cubits and a quarter”, the estimate of Goliath’s length varies …
1Sam 16:1-3 The prophet Samuel was naturally saddened that King Saul had failed as king and had been rejected by God. But as it says in Ecclesiastes chapter 3, there is a time for everything; “4 There is a time for weeping, and a time for smiling. There is a time to mourn, and a time to dance. “(Ecclesiastes 3:4). …
1Sam 15:1-3 In Exodus chapter 17, we read how the Amalekites were the first people to attack Israel after their exodus from Egypt. Even then, God promised Moses that he will punish the Amalekites for this (Exodus 17:14-16). The reason for God’s tremendous wrath and punishment on the Amalekites was that they unnecessarily attacked Israel at its weakest, and also …
1Sam 14:1-3 Saul had not prepared anything special for this day, but sat under his pomegranate tree and pondered the poor odds against the Philistines and how to resolve this tricky situation. Saul himself had 600 men, while the Philistines had “6,000 horsemen and footmen as numerous as the sand on the seashore” (1Sam 13:5). Not only that, but the …
1Sam 13:8-9 The Philistines had the most soldiers and the best equipment. The only thing Saul had in his favour was God and the element of surprise. Perhaps Saul thought that the only way to have any microscopic chance of defeating the Philistines was to surprise them before they had time to gather for battle. That strategy probably wasn’t wrong …
1Sam 13:1 We often think of Saul as the failed king and David as the successful king, but at least Saul’s first years as king were seemingly okay. Had it not been for the events of this chapter, Saul’s kingship would have lived on. The situation in Israel was not very good. In verses 19-22 we see that the Philistines …
1Sam 12:1-2 In the previous chapter, the new king Saul won an important victory over the Ammonites, a victory that won Saul the confidence of the people. This means that from now on the people will consider King Saul to be the leader of Israel, and not the prophet Samuel as before. To make this transition as smooth as possible, …
1Sam 11:1 Saul is the new king of Israel, but as we see in verse 12, before this event he did not yet have all the people with him. The people observed him and wondered if he was really the right man in the right place. This is something that many leaders recognise, especially at the beginning of their leadership. …
1Sam 10:24 Saul was chosen, anointed, confirmed and endowed with the Holy Spirit. Now he is also finally made public. Saul demonstrates a healthy approach to leadership. Saul is in hiding and does not really aspire to the royal office. It is good that Saul does not put himself forward but waits for God to make him public. Similarly, we …