1 SAMUEL

(Answers)

 

Updated 12/2023

CHAPTER 1

  1. Hanna prayed for a son.
  2. Hanna would make her son a Nazarite, and give him to the Lord all the days of his life.
  3. Eli He thought Hanna was drunk with wine.
  4. Hanna named her son Samuel.

CHAPTER 2

  1. The sons of Eli were not following the law of sacrifices as was recorded by Moses. They took more than their share and the best pieces of the sacrifices. They did not give first the portion to God. They also lay with the women who came to the tabernacle.
  2. Eli spoke to his sons but he did not stop them. He should have had them removed from their positions and possibly stoned according to the commandment of the law to remove the evil from Israel.
  3. God  warned Eli there would be no old men in Eli's family and his sons would die on the same day.

CHAPTER 3

  1. God revealed to Samuel He would now carry out the word He had spoken against Eli and his family.
  2. According to the word of God the iniquity of the house of Eli could never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.

CHAPTER 4

  1. The sons of Eli went with the ark to the battle against the Philistines, and there they were killed.
  2. When Eli heard his sons were dead and more particularly that the ark was captured, he fell off his chair backward and being old and heavy he broke his neck.

CHAPTER 5

  1. The false god, Dagon, fell down on its face before the ark of God. It's head and hands were broken off at another time.
  2. The Philistines died, were stricken with tumors, and had rats plague their land (ch. 6) wherever the ark was sent.

CHAPTER 6

  1. The Philistines removed the ark from their presence with a test to see if the God of Israel had been the one against them.
  2. They would send the ark on a cart with a trespass offering pulled by two cows that had never been yoked. If the cart was pulled by the cows toward Beth Shemesh, they would know God was the One against them. If it went any other way, they would say it had been by chance that all these things had happened to them.
  3. The cows went straight to the road to Beth Shemesh.
  4. The people had looked into the ark of the Lord.
  5. They moved the ark to Kirjath Jearim.

CHAPTER 7

  1. Eleazar, the son of Abinadad, was consecrated to watch over the ark.
  2. God sent loud thunder on the Philistines and confused them.
  3. Samuel called the memorial Ebenezer, "Thus far, the Lord has helped us."

CHAPTER 8

  1. Samuel's sons did evil.
  2. The people wanted a king to judge them and lead them in their battles.

CHAPTER 9

  1. Saul, the son of Kish was chosen for king of Israel.

CHAPTER 10

  1. All the things Samuel told Saul would happen came true. He believed and accepted God's plan for him. He opened his heart and was filled with the Spirit of God.

CHAPTER 11

  1. The Ammonites wanted to put out the right eye of each of the men of Israel when they surrendered.
  2. Saul cut up an ox into pieces and sent it throughout all the territory of Israel and said thus it would be done to their oxen if they did not come out to the battle.
  3. 330,000 men came to the battle.
  4. Saul did not want the men to be put to death for it was a great day of salvation of the Lord that day.

CHAPTER 12

  1. Samuel told the people how righteous God had been to them, how He had delivered them out of the hand of their enemies every time, and to consider all the great things God has done for them. He also reminded them that God would punish them if they did not follow His commandments.
  2. The people had asked for a king when God should have been their 'king'.

CHAPTER 13

  1. Saul did not show trust or patience in God. He took matters into his own hands instead of waiting on God. The sacrifice was to be done by the priest, not Saul
  2. Saul and his son Jonathan had weapons but their men did not for the Philistines had removed all the blacksmiths.

CHAPTER 14

  1. Jonathan’s confidence was in God. He knew God could save them from their enemies with the hand of many or just a few.
  2. Saul would not let anyone eat until the Philistines were defeated. This only made the people hungry and weak. They had no strength to fight the Philistines.

CHAPTER 15

  1. Saul was to utterly destroy every man, woman, child, infant, and animal.
  2. Saul did not utterly destroy the Amalekites. He saved the best animals, anything that was good, and kept the king alive.
  3. Saul had turned from following Him. God regretted having made him king.
  4. a. Saul claimed he was going to sacrifice the animals to God. b. Samuel told Saul it is better to obey and heed the voice of the Lord than to offer sacrifices.

CHAPTER 16

  1. God chose David, the son of Jesse, of Bethlehem to be king over Israel.
  2. The Spirit of God came upon David once he was anointed by Samuel.
  3. David became an armor bearer to Saul and also played the harp for him in his times of distress.

CHAPTER 17

  1. Goliath was six cubits and a span tall. This would make him over nine feet tall.
  2. If anyone fought him and killed him, the Philistines will be Israel's servants. If he killed the Israelite, then they would be the Philistines' servants.
  3. David rose to the challenge of Goliath.
  4. God had delivered David from the lion and the bear. God would deliver him from Goliath.
  5. David used a sling and a smooth stone which struck Goliath in the forehead. Goliath was then killed and beheaded with his own sword.

CHAPTER 18

  1. He became jealous of David because the women sang that David had killed more Philistines than Saul.
  2. He knew the Lord was with David, but that He had left him (Saul). He felt David would become king over the kingdom.
  3. He would send him out to battle and hoped the Philistines would kill him.
  4. Saul thought he could manipulate David through the marriage to his daughter.

CHAPTER 19

  1. Jonathan, Saul's son, became really close to David.
  2. David fled to Samuel at Ramah.
  3. Each group sent to take David at Ramah began to prophesy.
  4. When Saul went to Ramah he also began to prophesy.
  5. God was showing Saul that He was in control. Saul would have to do what God wanted him to do.

CHAPTER 20

  1. Jonathan believed his father would not do such a thing to David without telling Jonathan. (Saul was likely hiding his plans from Jonathan because he knew his son's favor for David.)
  2. During the Feast of the New Moon when David would not be at Saul's table, Jonathan would test his father. If Saul did not get angry because David was not present, then David was safe. If Saul became angry, then David was not safe from his father.
  3. Jonathan would shoot three arrows in a field and send a lad to retrieve them. David would be hiding and watching. If Jonathan called to the boy and said, "The arrows are on this side of you," it meant David was safe. If he said to the lad, "The arrows are beyond you," it meant David was not safe and needed to flee.
  4. It was not safe for David to return before the King.
  5. Jonathan was sad to see David have to go. Both of them wept together.
  6. David and Jonathan made a covenant of kindness between them and their descendants forever.

CHAPTER 21

  1. David sought food for he and his men with him and also a weapon.
  2. David pretended to be insane so the king of Gath would not kill him.

CHAPTER 22

  1. Everyone who was distressed, in debt, and discontented joined with David.
  2. Saul offered anyone who helped against David fields, vineyards, and to make them captains over men.
  3. Saul killed Ahimelech and eighty-five priests who wore a linen ephod.
  4. No other servants would lift a hand against God's priests. Doeg was the one who had informed Saul of the help the priests had given David.

CHAPTER 23

  1. a. David saved the city of Keilah. b. They would turn him over to Saul in fear of their lives.
  2. Jonathan knew that David would be king over Israel. He felt that he would be next in power with David.
  3. Saul was told the Philistines were invading the land. He left to defend his land.

CHAPTER 24

  1. Saul walked into the same cave in which David and his men were hiding.
  2. David cut off a corner of his robe while Saul was taking care of his needs.
  3. David would not strike a hand against the Lord's anointed. He knew God would be the one to remove His chosen vessel.
  4. Saul wept and told David he was more righteous than he. He seemed to be sincerely thankful and understanding.
  5. Saul asked David to not cut off any of his descendants after him.

CHAPTER 25

  1. Nabil was a rich man who was very harsh and evil.
  2. David asked for supplies and food since he had protected Nabal's men and flocks from any trouble.
  3. a. Nabal said he did not know who David was or where he was from and refused to help David. b. Nabal means 'fool'. c. David planned to destroy all the males of Nabal by daylight.
  4. Abigail, Nabal's wife knew of David and of her husband's harshness. She made haste to correct her husband's wicked heart.
  5. God struck Nabal and he died in ten days.
  6. David asked Abigail to be his wife.

CHAPTER 26

  1. David took Saul's spear and water jug that was placed by his head.
  2. David would not raise a hand against the Lord's anointed. He knew God would strike Saul or have him die in a battle.
  3. David ridiculed Abner, the commander of Saul's army.
  4. Saul promised he would not seek to harm David anymore.

CHAPTER 27

  1. David and his men went to live among the people of Gath, a Philistine city.
  2. David attacked the cities of the Philistines.
  3. David left no survivors so there would be no one to bring news to the king of Gath.
  4. The king of Gath believed David hated his own people, Israel, very much and would be a servant to him forever.

CHAPTER 28

  1. Saul sought a medium to bring up Samuel.
  2. Saul and his sons would be killed the next day in battle.
  3. David would be made king upon Saul’s death.

CHAPTER 29

  1. The majority of the lords of the Philistines thought he would turn on them in battle to gain favor from Saul.

CHAPTER 30

  1. The Amalekites had plundered their camp and had taken their women and children.
  2. David inquired of God through the ephod and the priest.
  3. An Egyptian servant of the Amalekites who was left behind when he became sick led David and his men to the camp of the Amalekites.
  4. David said God had given them all that they had received, and the plunder would be shared with all men regardless whether they had fought or not.
  5. David sent some of the plunder to some of the cites in Israel.

CHAPTER 31

  1. Saul and his sons were killed in the battle against the Philistines.
  2. Saul was wounded but fell on his own sword to avoid being abused and killed by the Philistines.
  3. The Philistines cut off the heads of Saul and his sons and hung the bodies on a wall.