Genesis to Revelation: 1 and 2 Samuel Leader Guide: A Comprehensive Verse-by-Verse Exploration of the Bible

By Frank Johnson

Study the books of First and Second Samuel, beginning with Samuel and ending with David's death. Some of the major ideas explored are: God's holy purpose, the nature of sin, God's awesome power, the gift of God's Spirit,
obedience to God, the nature of revelation, confidence in God, and politics and faith.
Leader Guide includes:

A verse-by-verse, in-depth look at the Scriptures.
Background material, including word studies and history of the biblical setting.
Answers to questions asked in the Participant Book.
Application of the Scripture to daily life situations.
Discussion suggestions.
A variety of study options.
Practical tips for leaders to use.


More than 3.5 million copies of the series have been sold.

This revision of the Abingdon classic Genesis to Revelation Series is a comprehensive, verse-by-verse, book-by-book study of the Bible based on the NIV. These studies help readers strengthen their understanding
and appreciation of the Bible by enabling them to engage the Scripture on three levels:

What does the Bible say? Questions to consider while reading the passage for each session.
What does the passage mean? Unpacks key verses in the selected passage.
How does the Scripture relate to my life? Provides three major ideas that have meaning for our lives today.


The meaning of the selected passages are made clear by considering such aspects as ancient customs, locations of places, and the meanings of words. The simple format makes the study easy to use.
Updates will include:

New cover designs.
New interior designs.
Leader Guide per matching Participant Book (rather than multiple volumes in one book).
Updated to 2011 revision of the New International Version Translation (NIV).
Updated references to New Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible.
Include biblical chapters on the contents page beside session lesson titles for at-a-glance overview of biblical structure.
Include larger divisions within the contents page to reflect macro-structure of each biblical book. Ex: Genesis 1-11; Genesis 12-50; Exodus 1-15; Exodus 16-40; Isaiah 1-39; Isaiah 40-66.


The simple format makes the study easy to use. Each volume is 13 sessions.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Abingdon Press
• Release date: Jan 15, 2019
• ISBN: 9781501855559

Frank Johnson

Here, the author is an anthologized poet who taught at both elementary and college levels. Now retired, he has focused on writing stories for children, which has been a lifelong interest. He has earned a BS degree from St. Paul’s College in elementary education and his MA and EdD degrees from Columbia University. When the author writes about childhood experiences, he writes with insight and passion gained from working closely with youngsters and listening to their desires and interests.

Book preview

1

SAMUEL, A PROPHET OF THE LORD

1 Samuel 1–3

DIMENSION ONE:

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Answer these questions by reading 1 Samuel 1

1. Which of Elkanah’s wives has no children? (1:1-2)

Hannah has no children.

2. Where does Elkanah go to sacrifice, and who is the priest there? (1:3-5)

He goes to Shiloh. Eli is the priest there.

3. Why does Hannah’s rival provoke her? (1:6)

Hannah’s rival provokes her because Hannah has no children.

4. What vow does Hannah make to the Lord? (1:11)

She promises that if the Lord will give her a son, she will give him to God’s service.

5. How does Eli react to Hannah praying in the temple? (1:12-17)

First he thinks that she is drunk, but then he tells her to go in peace.

6. How does God answer Hannah’s prayer? (1:19-20)

God gives Hannah a son.

Answer these questions by reading 1 Samuel 2

7. How does Hannah describe God in her song? (2:1-10)

God is holy. God has knowledge. God brings death and life, poverty and wealth. God is just, judging, and powerful.

8. What sins do Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, commit? (2:17, 22)

They treat the Lord’s offering with contempt, and they sleep with the women who serve at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

9. What is the Lord’s attitude toward Samuel? (2:26)

God favors Samuel.

10. As a consequence of the sins of Eli’s sons, what will happen to them? (2:34)

They will both die on the same day.

Answer these questions by reading 1 Samuel 3

11. Where is Samuel when the Lord first speaks to him? (3:3)

Samuel is inside the temple of the Lord.

12. Why does Samuel fail to recognize the Lord when God speaks to him? (3:7)

Samuel does not yet know the Lord.

13. How does Eli advise Samuel to respond to God’s voice? (3:9)

Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.

14. What will God do to the house of Eli? (3:13-14)

God will forever punish Eli’s house because of the sins of his sons.

15. How does Eli react to Samuel’s message from the Lord? (3:17-18)

He accepts it as God’s will.

16. What does Israel know about Samuel? (3:20)

Israel knows that Samuel is a prophet of the Lord.

DIMENSION TWO:

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE MEAN?

Background Information on First and Second Samuel. The authorship of First and Second Samuel continues to perplex scholars. Most scholars agree that these books are collected arrangements of different stories and sacred traditions. That traditions from different perspectives have been assembled here is clear even to the untrained eye. In 1 Samuel 8, the idea of kingship is unacceptable to both God and Samuel. In chapters 9 and 10, Samuel consecrates Saul as king with God’s blessing. In 1 Samuel 16, David comes to Saul as a musician. But in chapter 17, Saul seems to have no knowledge of David-the warrior who kills Goliath.

Some parts of these books interrupt the story line. Examples are the ark narrative (1 Samuel 4–6), Eli’s sinful sons (1 Samuel 2:27-36), and the song of Hannah (1 Samuel 2:1-10). Parts of these books portray the institution of kingship as essential to Israel’s political well-being, in view of the Philistine menace. Other parts consider the monarchy a potential violation of the first commandment, since most other nations at this time consider their kings to be divine.

A twentieth-century German scholar, Martin Noth, has developed the theory that during the Exile (587–538 BC), different traditions and stories were brought together. These parts were arranged in chronological order by an anonymous editor known as the Deuteronomistic historian. The purpose of this massive historical work was to describe the sins of apostasy by the kings of Israel and Judah. These sins of disloyalty to the Lord, forewarned in Deuteronomy 30:15-20, led to the destruction of both kingdoms.

In order to understand Samuel’s role in early Israelite history, we need to know something about his time. Most scholars date Samuel to the last quarter of the eleventh century BC (about 1025). The Hebrew tribes had no centralized government and no formal state at that time. They were a loosely joined group of tribes who lived in the rural and semi-rural areas of Canaan. Most members of these tribes worshiped God at major religious centers such as Shiloh and Bethel.

In situations of crisis, usually arising from a threat by the neighboring Philistines, these tribes united around a single individual for military protection. These individuals were known as judges. When the crisis was resolved, the judges returned to their previous occupations. This eventful and exciting period is portrayed in the Old Testament book of Judges.

In addition to political uncertainties, the Hebrew tribes also faced the religious temptation to worship the Canaanite god Baal instead of the Lord. More than once in the days of the judges, Israel was unfaithful to its covenant with God. As a result, God punished Israel with attacks from the Philistines. Two quotations from the Old Testament provide summaries of the political and religious chaos in Canaan during the eleventh century:

In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit. (Judges 21:25)

In those days, the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions. (1 Samuel 3:1)

1 Samuel 1. The exact location of Samuel’s birthplace is uncertain. First Samuel 1:1 says that his parents lived in Ramathaim (in Ephraim). However, in 2:11 and elsewhere, Ramah (in Benjamin) is mentioned as his ancestral home. Most commentators and historians prefer the Ramah site in Benjamin as Samuel’s authentic home.

The word ramah means high place, and refers to a number of different sites in early Israel. So the confusion about Samuel’s birthplace is understandable. The Old Testament also associates Samuel with Shiloh, the site of the ancient sanctuary housing the ark of the covenant.

As the participant book states, Shiloh is an important religious center in early Israelite worship. In fact, Shiloh is even designated as a temple, which indicates its prominence as the site of the famous ark.

The ark is a sacred box that contains objects of importance to Israel’s early religion. Among the tribes, the ark is the visible symbol of God’s earthly presence. Where the ark resides, God can be found.

Shiloh is also important among the early Israelite sanctuaries because an annual feast occurs there (Judges 21:19). Other early religious sanctuaries are Bethel (1 Samuel 10:3), Gilgal (1 Samuel 7:16), Mizpah (1 Samuel 7:5-6), and Beersheba (1 Samuel 8:1). All these cultic sites were closed later by King Josiah, who wanted to restrict the worship of God to Jerusalem.

Eli and his sons conduct worship at Shiloh. Their duties include offering sacrifices; instructing in cultic, ethical, and legal matters; and delivering oracles from God. As part of their salary, the priests claim selected portions of the sacrificial meal after the Lord’s requirements have been satisfied. The sacrificial meal and its accompanying offerings are primarily intended for the nourishment and appeasement of God.

The concepts of sacrifice and appeasement are foreign to modem ideas about God’s nature. However, we must remember that the Bible reflects very ancient religious practices. Sacrifice and pilgrimage were legitimate and meaningful cultic practices in the early days of Israel. How we honor and serve God changes with history and with revelation. We must resist the notion that our worship practices are superior to those of ancient Israel.

The expression LORD Almighty in 1:11 occurs here for the first time in the Old Testament. The word LORD (Hebrew: Yahweh or YHWH), is the personal name for Israel’s God. The name is initially revealed to Moses atop the holy mountain (Exodus 3).

In all likelihood, the word Yahweh was already a proper name for a deity when it entered Israel’s vocabulary. The similarity of YHWH to the Hebrew word for to be may signify a living, active, dynamic God in contrast to the Canaanite idols.

The term Almighty reflects the belief that God, in the form of the ark, stands at the head of the armies of Israel.

1 Samuel 2:1-10. The account of Samuel’s life is interrupted by Hannah’s hymn of praise and thanksgiving. Verse 11 of chapter 2 continues the story of Elkanah’s annual visit to Shiloh (1:28). Hannah’s hymn is theologically and historically appropriate to this situation. Its appropriateness is especially clear in verse 5: She who was barren has borne seven children. God has wrought a birth miracle through this otherwise childless woman.

Apart from this reference in 2:5, the description of God’s many blessings cited within the hymn could have occurred at any time to anyone. The faith this song exhibits is a remarkable testimony to God’s timely intervention on behalf of Israel. YHWH, the God of Israel, is active in history. This faith in God furnishes confidence and certainty.

The singer celebrates the Lord’s victory over the enemies of God’s people, and dramatizes the Lord raising up the lowly and suppressing the powerful. As in other hymns, the adversaries are unnamed. But the contrast between the powerful but faithless and the powerless but faithful is vivid.

The term anointed in verse 10 designates a person the Lord chooses to rule the people. A person anointed is empowered with strength and knowledge.

1 Samuel 2:12-26. The narrative of Samuel’s early life as a young priest at Shiloh continues now with a contrasting account of the wickedness of Hophni and Phinehas. The participant book describes the cultic nature of their sins. They demand the Lord’s portion of sacred meat and sexually abuse the women who work at the temple. The clear evaluation of their actions leaves nothing to the reader’s imagination: This sin of the young men was very great in the LORD’s sight (v. 17). Contrast this evaluation with that of Samuel in verse 26: ‘The boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the LORD and with people."

The statement in verse 25 that it was the LORD’s will to put them to death may strike a discordant note in the ears of modern readers. Many of us place a high value on individual freedom and self-determination. Phrases such as It’s never too late! and There’s always hope appeal to most of us and serve as incentives to continue what otherwise might be hopeless struggles. Also, we often react negatively to any notion that God’s will is coercive and unforgiving.

However, we must accept the Old Testament conception of God as an unchangeable God. Compare God’s attitude toward the Egyptian pharaoh (Exodus 14), or God’s attitude toward sinful Israel in Isaiah 6:10 or Amos 9:1-3. In these passages, God judges persons for evil and cannot be dissuaded.

But verse 25 says more about the nature and magnitude of the men’s sins than about God’s unalterable will. Their sins are a direct insult to God and a violation of God’s word.

The linen ephod mentioned in verse 18 is to be distinguished from the ephod used by the priest to determine God’s will (Exodus 28:5-14). The apparel is one more sign of Samuel’s priestly role. He is now totally immersed in the religious traditions of his day, and persons associate him with the cultic sanctuary at Shiloh.

1 Samuel 2:27-36. For a second time in chapter 2, the story of Samuel’s early life is interrupted. This time God’s messenger announces judgment against Eli and his house. It is not accidental that this announcement occurs just after the description of Hophni and Phinehas’s sins and Eli’s inability to restrain them. The seriousness of their sins (2:17) and the Lord’s wrathful displeasure (2:25) are now reconfirmed through the announcement of judgment delivered by an anonymous man of