1 Samuel

Awaiting God’s Timing

by John G. Ferch, MDiv

MOODY DISTANCE LEARNING

Moody Bible Institute

820 North LaSalle Boulevard
Chicago, Illinois 60610
© 2010 by THE MOODY BIBLE INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO
Revised 2011, 2012, 2014.

Edited by Kelli Fleck

All rights reserved. No part of this course, whether text, self-check

quizzes, or exams, may be reproduced in any manner, including
photocopy, without written permission. Permission is not needed
for brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD

BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972,
1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by
permission. All rights reserved.
Contents
Description 03

Requirements and Procedures 05

Academic Policies and Information 07

Lesson 1 The Big Picture 09

Lesson 2 Setting the Stage 17

Lesson 3 Failures in Leadership 27

Lesson 4 From Judges to Monarchy 41

Lesson 5 The Popular Choice 49

Lesson 6 Saul Forfeits His Legacy 55

Lesson 7 Saul Forfeits His Kingdom 69

Lesson 8 A Man After God’s Own Heart 77

Lesson 9 David’s Life as a Fugitive 85

Lesson 10 “Against God’s Anointed” 99

Lesson 11 Saul Forfeits His Life 107

Lesson 12 David’s Innocence in Saul’s Death 115

Quiz Answer Key 129

Bibliography 131

Analytical Outline: 1 Samuel 133

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Description
This course will provide a general exposition of the book of
1 Samuel. Emphasis will be placed on the book’s role and purpose
in the life of ancient Israel, along with appropriate applications to
believers’ lives today.

Objectives
At the end of this course, students should be able to:
• Articulate views on the book’s authorship and date of writing.
• Understand the purpose of the book and the message that was
intended for its original readers.
• Follow the narrative sequence of events described in the book and
place them within the broader timeline of biblical history.
• Effectively apply the theological principles communicated in the
book to their own lives and present-day situations.

Course Components
Your course consists of two components – this study guide and an
envelope containing four color-coded answer sheets.

The Study Guide

• The study guide contains all of the lessons and exams for this course.
There is a self-check quiz after every lesson (true and false questions
and/or multiple choice). An exam follows Lesson 3, 6, 9, and 12.

The Scantron Answer Sheets

• The color-coded Scantron answer sheets come with your course.
These correspond to the exams in your study guide. Please use
these sheets to mark your answers for each exam. Use only a #2
lead pencil to mark your answers. (Because these tests are
electronically graded, ink or harder leads are not acceptable.)

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Requirements and Procedures

Requirements
In order to receive credit, the four exams must be completed with
an overall average grade of 70% or better. A Grade Record Sheet is
provided at the beginning of your study guide to help you keep track
of your standing in this course.

Procedures
Please follow the procedures listed for completing the lessons and
exams in this course. As you complete each exam, mail the answer sheet
to Moody Distance Learning, 820 N. LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago,
IL 60610-3284, along with a self-addressed, stamped envelope for
the return of your graded answer sheet. If you prefer, you may send
multiple exams in one envelope. We request that you use the envelopes
provided for this purpose.

The Lessons
• Read the study guide at a time when you can concentrate. Pick a
time of the day you are most likely to be alert and relatively
uninterrupted.
• Read with a pencil or pen in hand. You will want to underline
words or phrases, even sentences, for later reference.

The Exams
• When you have completed all of the lessons that an exam covers,
go back and review the material in the study guide. You may want
to prepare by writing out your own outline of the material covered.
The outlines will help you focus on the major truths discussed in
each lesson.
• All exams are objective in nature and utilize the special answer
sheets, or Scantron forms, provided with this course.

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 When taking the exam, please follow these instructions:
• It is important that you select the proper answer sheet for each
exam. The answer sheet are as follows:
Exam 1 is blue
Exam 2 is green
Exam 3 is red
Exam 4 is tan
• Fill in the blanks at the top of your answer sheet. Please write legibly.
• We encourage you not to refer to your textbook or notes of any kind
while taking the exam.
• Please use a #2 lead pencil to mark your answers. Fill in the spaces
darkly and completely – be sure to erase any mistakes thoroughly.
• Mail your answer sheet to Moody Distance Learning along with a
self-addressed, stamped envelope for the return of your graded
answer sheet. If you prefer, you may send multiple exams of the
same course in the same envelope. Please use the envelope
provided with the course, for this purpose. Please do not send the
pages of the exam from the study guide.
• When you receive your graded answer sheet from Moody Distance
Learning, record your grade in the appropriate box on the Grade Record
Sheet. Please mail in the Grade Record Card with your last exam(s).
Keep your exams for future reference.

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Lesson 1 The Big Picture

Authorship, Date, and Purpose

The book of 1 Samuel is home to some of the dearest stories
of the Christian faith. The story of David and Goliath has inspired
many a young believer to take a bold stand for Christ in the face
of overwhelming odds. Hannah’s desperate plea for a child has
strengthened countless faithful couples facing their own difficulties
in conceiving. Samuel’s long search to anoint the young David has
reminded all of us that our internal character is far more valuable and
important than any external appearance or credential. Considering
how ingrained the stories of 1 Samuel have become in the Christian
walk, we might question whether an in-depth study of the book would
be the most valuable use of time. Might it be more worthwhile to study
a more ambiguous or less familiar book?
For many of us, however, these stories exist in isolation—
encouraging and inspiring in their own right, but bearing little real
connection to the surrounding circumstances or events. We tend to read
1 Samuel as a storybook rather than as a novel. If we were asked the
stories’ significance to the nation of Israel or to the overall storyline of
Scripture, we would have a hard time coming up with an answer! We
might have a good idea of their spiritual significance to our Christian
walk, but we do not usually consider their connection to each other or
to the other events in the Bible. What is the overall plot of 1 Samuel?
What was the book’s intended message for the people of Israel to
whom it was originally written? How does this impact us today?
This 12 lesson course will focus on these questions. We will
certainly draw encouragement and application from the individual
stories mentioned above. More than that, however, we will attempt
to understand the overall message of the book as a whole. At the end
of this course, you will understand why these events happened and
what they reveal about God and His plan to redeem humanity. Woven
throughout all the individual stories of 1 Samuel is a single thread that
describes how God took His people, a loosely organized group of tribes
settled on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, and formed them

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into a powerful nation, led by a king as His chosen representative,
through which he would bless the entire world.
Before delving into this epic storyline, however, it is important to
briefly consider the background behind it. Who wrote the book? When
was it written? Perhaps most importantly, what situations in Israel
prompted it to be written, and what was the intended message? As we
consider these questions, it is important to note that 1 and 2 Samuel
were originally a single book. Most Hebrew copies of the Bible before
1516 ad contain only one book of Samuel, which was later split into
two separate books (presumably to better accommodate the space
constraints of the writing materials being used).1 When we talk about
these questions pertaining to the writing of 1 Samuel, then, we must
remember that 2 Samuel was also part of the original book when it
was written.

Author
In popular thought, the book of 1 Samuel is often attributed to the
prophet Samuel. In reality, its author is unknown. Its name “Samuel”
comes from the primary character of chapters 1-8, who remains a key
player until his death in chapter 25. This title does not necessarily mean
that Samuel wrote the book, however. In fact, his death in chapter 25
means that Samuel could not have written anything past 1 Samuel
24. This would leave seven chapters in 1 Samuel and all of 2 Samuel
unspoken for!
This is not to say, however, that Samuel did not have any part in writing
the book. 1 Samuel 10:25 specifically mentions that Samuel wrote down
the events surrounding King Saul’s coronation in an unnamed book:

Then Samuel told the people the ordinances of the kingdom,

and wrote them in the book and placed it before the Lord.
And Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his house.
(1 Samuel 10:25, nasb)

In the same way, other passages are attributed to different contributors.

Hannah was the original source of the prayer psalm in 1 Samuel 2:1-10.

1 Robert D. Bergen, vol. 7, 1, 2 Samuel, electronic ed., Logos Library

System; The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman
Publishers, 2001, c1996), 18.

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David wrote the funeral dirge sung for King Saul in 2 Samuel 1:19-27,
as well as other psalms recorded in 2 Samuel 22-23.
Considering these various contributors specifically indentified within
the books of 1 and 2 Samuel themselves, it appears that the book began
as a collection of documents written by several (perhaps many) different
individuals, each of whom wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Some of their works were originally recorded in other books that no
longer exist, such as the unnamed book used by Samuel in 1 Samuel
10:25 and the Book of Jashar used by David:

Then David chanted with this lament over Saul and Jonathan his
son, and he told them to teach the sons of Judah the song of the bow;
behold, it is written in the book of Jashar. (2 Samuel 1:17-18, nasb)

After they were written, a final author, also under the inspiration of the
Holy Spirit, edited all these works into their present form as a cohesive,
sweeping narrative. This final author served as the narrator of the story,
providing the necessary connections between stories and organizing
them to give shape and meaning to the book. His work is especially
evident in the various editorial comments found in several places, such
as the frequent statements about how things are “to this day”:

Therefore neither the priests of Dagon nor all who enter

Dagon’s house tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this
day. (1 Samuel 5:5, nasb)

Date
If the books of Samuel were written by a group of contributors,
the question of when they were written becomes a bit confusing. Of
course, some sections were written down very shortly after they actually
happened, such as the songs of Hannah and David. David’s reign lasted
from approximately 1010 bc to 971 bc, so Hannah’s prayer after the birth
of Samuel, which is presumably the earliest portion of the book, would
have originated one generation prior to this (perhaps around 1080 bc).2
Other portions of the book bear signs of being written later. Robert
Bergen notes in his commentary that 1 Samuel 27:6 mentions “the kings
of Judah,” a phrase which would probably not have been used until after

2 Ibid., 22.

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the kingdom of Israel divided into two separate nations of Samaria and
Judah in 931 bc.3
Even more telling is the editor’s explanation of the archaic term “seer”
in 1 Samuel 9:9:

Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he used

to say, “Come, and let us go to the seer”; for he who is called a
prophet now was formerly called a seer. (1 Samuel 9:9, nasb)

During the time period covered in 1 Samuel, prophets were generally

called “seers.” This was common at least until the northern kingdom of
Israel (Samaria) was carried into captivity in 722 bc (see 2 Chronicles
16:7, 10) and was even used by the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 30:10). This
means that it is likely that the book was not organized into its present
form until after the nation had been taken captive.

Purpose
This leads us to the question, why were the books of 1 and 2 Samuel
written in the first place? Of course, there was certainly a historical
element to their writing. Having been carried into captivity, the people
of Israel would have wanted to preserve their history for access by future
generations. However, this in itself is not a complete answer. Every
historical account is written from a certain point of view and is shaped
for a specific purpose. For example, in 2009 a historian might write
an account of the Vietnam War in order to draw parallels and provide
commentary on the present day conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. In
the same way, the final author of 1 Samuel chose the stories he did and
edited under a divinely-inspired agenda. God inspired the compilation of
1 Samuel for a reason.
1 and 2 Samuel read not as mere history, but as an intentional defense
of the Davidic monarchy. Under captivity, the Israelites would have
naturally faced questions not only about their future, but also about the
real significance of things they had held dear in the past. The importance
of the national hero David, and more crucially the covenant that God
established with him (2 Samuel 7) would have easily been cast into
doubt. God had promised that David’s kingdom would be everlasting,

3 Ibid., 23.

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and that one of his descendents would reign forever. This promise of God
to David was central to Israel’s hope for a future Messiah.
It is quite likely that 1 and 2 Samuel were written to defend David’s
right to the throne and to remind the nation of its Messianic hope centered
in the dynasty of David. The people in captivity needed encouragement
and focus. God inspired the final author of 1 Samuel to gather together all
the previously inspired writings about David and to assemble them into a
complete and convincing narrative that would remind the people of their
reasons for hope and faith in Him. His actions in ages gone by indicated
He still had a plan for the present and the future. He would not forget His
people. His promise was secure.

Content and Structure

Having answered some of the preliminary questions surrounding
the origin of 1 Samuel, we are now ready to start considering the actual
content of the book! Before closing today’s lesson, we will briefly consider
a broad overview of the book to orient ourselves before we begin to study
the content in depth in the next lesson.
1 Samuel can be organized into three major sections. Theatrically
speaking, these might be considered three different “Acts.” Each act
centers on one of the three main characters of the book. Each lesson will
expand this outline with more detail as we get deeper into the book:

I. Samuel: Israel’s Final Judge (1 Samuel 1-7)

II. Saul: The King Israel Requested (1 Samuel 8-15)
III. David: The King After God’s Own Heart (1 Samuel 16-31)

The key verse of the book is 1 Samuel 13:14. This verse, spoken by
Samuel to King Saul, indicates God’s rejection of Saul’s family and brings
to light the book’s central message about the Davidic kingship.

“But now your kingdom shall not endure. The Lord has sought out
for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed
him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the
Lord commanded you.” (1 Samuel 13:14, nasb)

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Self-Check Quiz 1
This self-check test will help you evaluate what you have learned in
the preceding lesson and will also help you prepare for upcoming
exam. Indicate your answer to each of the following questions.

1. Each of the following individuals is specifically mentioned as a

contributor to the book of 1 Samuel except:
a. David
b. Hannah
c. Samuel
d. Saul
2. True or False: Samuel was most likely the primary author of 1 &
2 Samuel.
3. True or False: 1 Samuel was probably written to convince a faction
of Israelite’s loyal to King Saul to follow King David instead.
4. True or False: 1 and 2 Samuel originally comprised a single book
in the Hebrew Bible.
5. Which of the following individuals is NOT identified as a primary
character central to the structure of 1 Samuel?
a. David
b. Hannah
c. Samuel
d. Saul
6. What is the key verse of 1 Samuel? _______________________
7. Each of the following reasons were given for the writing of 1
Samuel except:
a. To recount Israel’s history
b. To explain the division of Israel into separate northern
and southern kingdoms
c. To encourage the Israelites during their captivity.
d. To defend the Davidic dynasty and God’s covenant
with David
8. True or False: Some of the content now found in the books of 1
and 2 Samuel was originally written down in other books.

14 Moody Distance Learning / 1 Samuel

 9. True or False: Through the individual writers of the various stories
that make up 1 Samuel were inspired by the Holy Spirit, the final
process of editing and redacting the content into its present-day
form did not require divine inspiration.
10. True or False: The various stories in 1 Samuel are meant to be read
individualistically and do not have any significant connection to
each other.

Refer to the answer key at the end of this study guide. Please do not
send your answers to Moody Distance Learning.

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