A. David and Goliath (chapter 17). 1. Goliath of Gath: a. Look up Joshua 11:22 and Numbers 13:28-33 in connection with Genesis 6:4 and explain who Goliath was. b. Was Goliath the last of the race of giants? Cf. I Chr. 20:4-8. c. How tall was Goliath? d. By consulting a Bible Dictionary or Encyclopedia […]
A. Saul’s disobedience. 1. The context of chapter 14:47-52: a. How does the list of Saul’s victories stand in contrast to the history of Saul and Israel after his disobedience as recorded here in chapter 15 (Compare with 16:14 and 17:11)? b. In light of I Samuel 8:11, what is the significance of the last […]
A. Saul’s victory over the Ammonites. 1. Events immediately following Saul’s election as king: a. What was the two-fold reaction to Saul’s presentation as Israel’s King in Mizpeh (chap. 10:24-27)? b. Do you think that either the joy of some or the dissatisfaction of others was for the correct reasons? c. Why did Saul return […]
A. Saul’s first meeting with Samuel. 1. Who Saul was: a. For what did Israel have to wait (8:22) after God promised them the king they wanted (9:15,16)? b. Why is Saul’s person so carefully described in 9:1 and 2 (cf. chap. 8:20 and 16:6,7)? Why are his generations also mentioned (Gen. 49:10, Deut. 33:7)? […]
A. Israel’s repentance. 1. The worship of Jehovah during this period: a. Why was not the ark brought back to Shiloh where it had been since the days of Joshua (Ps. 78:59, 60)? b. What very likely happened to the worship at the tabernacle because of the absence of the ark? c. What place of […]
A. The Ark in Philistia. 1. The ark in the house of Dagon: a. How did the Philistines account for their victory over Israel? Cf. Judges 16:23. b. What was the real cause of their victory (Deut. 28:25, 26; Judges 2:14, 15)? c. Why did they place the ark in the house of their god, […]
A. Eli and his sons. 1. The wickedness of Hophni and Phinehas: a. What does Scripture mean when it calls Eli’s sons “Sons of Belial?” I Sam. 25:17; II Kings 21:10-13; II Cor. 6:15. b. What particular sins did these men commit in the tabernacle? c. Why were their sins so serious? Ex. 39:30, 31; […]
A. The background of the book of I Samuel. 1. The book (read an introduction to the book; sometimes there is one in your Bible): a. What period of Israel’s history does the book cover? b. What are the characteristics of this period, both from an historical and a spiritual point of view? c. Are […]