Samuel

Well, I am trying to read through the Bible again. I am actually listening to it through the NIV Dramatized CD that my parents got me two Christmases ago. It is truly one of the best gifts I have ever received. Go to http://www.amazon.com/NIV-Audio-Bible-Dramatized-CD/dp/0310918634 to see exactly what I am talking about. My daily reading guide comes from http://www.studythebible.com/daily.htm

Here is a recap:

Hannah could not have children with her husband Elkanah so she prayed to the Lord and told the Lord that if she could have children she would dedicate him to the Lord. The Lord heard her and she was able to have children. This is part of her beautiful prayer:

1 Samuel 2:

“My heart rejoices in the Lord;

in the Lord my horn is lifted high.

My mouth boasts over my enemies,

For I delight in your deliverance,

2” There is no one holy like the Lord;

there is no one beside you;

there is no Rock like our God.”

So Hannah gives Samuel over to Eli, the priest, to live with. Later, Samuel actually hears the Lord calling him. She literally gives him to the Lord and has three more sons and two daughters. However, Eli’s sons were wicked and 1 Sam. 2:25 says, “it was the Lord’s will to put them to death.” Alrighty, then!

Then in chapter three, the Lord Calls Samuel. Israel gets impatient as they see other nations having kings. So they ask Samuel for God to give them a king - even though the Lord told them all what would happen if they had a king. Apparently, God being their only king was not good enough. So, Samuel anoints Saul, the son of Kish, who was a head taller than everyone else as king. The spirit of the Lord came upon Saul. Saul does end up being king for 30 years and has a son names Jonathan. Of course, Saul gets a big ego and has a statue built of him, and therefore, the Lord rejects Saul as king of Israel. God then sends Samuel to find a new king and Samuel finds David, the son of Jesse (David lives in Bethlehem). The Lord looks at the heart and saw a great heart in David. An evil spirit came upon Saul and the spirit of the Lord came upon David. Then, of course, David kills Goliath and Saul gets jealous. Saul tries to kill David, but Jonathan (Saul’s son) and David have a special friendship and a covenant. David marries Michal, the daughter of Samuel and Samuel hope that she will be a snare to him later on. The people of Israel keep on saying, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten of thousands,” which really makes Saul good and mad. Whew! Now we are to chapter 22.

Important people:

Samuel, the son of Hannah and anointed by God.

Eli, the priest of the time, godly man who God spoke to

Saul, king of Israel for 30 years and Samuel anointed him, no relation to Samuel and was a very tall man and was jealous of David

Jonathan, son of Saul, gifted warrior, and best friends with David

David, son of Jesse, from Bethlehem (the same place that Jesus is from) great heart, and the Spirit of the Lord was upon him

Sometimes this all gets confusing, especially all these names. That is why listening to the Bible really helps with the Old Testament because you do not get stuck on some hard names. I have learned more details in the Bible by listening to it on CD then anywhere else.