After Joshua died, God raised up Judges for about 250 years, Samuel was the last judge, before the time of the kings.
Hannah was a godly woman who was praying for a child, Eli blessed her, “Go in peace and the God of Israel grant your request.”
Hannah did give birth to a boy. They named the child Samuel.
In due time, Hannah took Samuel to the house of the Lord. “I promised the Lord that if he would give me a son, I would give the boy to the Lord’s work.”
So Samuel stayed with Eli, but the sin of Eli’s own sons was very great before the Lord.
One evening after Eli and Samuel said goodnight.
The Lord called Samuel; “Samuel.”
Samuel went to Eli’s room, “Here I am, you called me.” Eli replied;
“I didn’t call you my son, now go back to bed.”
Again this happened, and Eli sent Samuel back to his bed a second time.
“Samuel.” The Lord said. And once more Samuel went to Eli’s room.
Eli realised it was the Lord. So he told Samuel, “When He calls say, speak Lord, for your servant hears.”
And so it was that the Lord spoke with Samuel.
In the morning Samuel told Eli, “The Lord told me He would carry out the warnings that He has given you. Your sons made themselves vile and you didn’t restrain them.
Because you didn’t stop them, they will be killed, and you also will die without leaving a son to carry on your family name.”
It happened as Samuel said. The ark of God was captured. The news so upset Eli, that he fell to the ground dead.
Samuel took the place of Eli, and led the children of Israel back to the Lord.
At the same time as Samuel lived a boy named David. David was the great grandson of Ruth and was the youngest of seven brothers.
His job was to look after his father Jesse’s sheep.
When night came, he would lead the sheep into a pen, where he would sleep in the doorway, the shepherd was the door.
He would know all of his sheep by name and they would follow him.
One day a lion was about to attack his sheep.
David killed the lion with his sling shot.
Another time a bear came to steal from his flock.
But David killed the bear also.
PICTURE 09David wrote some wonderful songs in praise and thanksgiving to the Lord. His most famous song is psalm twenty three.
“The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul.”
The prophet Samuel met all of David’s brothers. He asked Jesse if he had any other sons and David was sent for.
As soon as he saw David, the Lord said to Samuel, “This is the one, anoint him.”
Saul was the first King of Israel and he summoned David to play the harp.
David found favour with Saul and he was appointed as the king’s armour- bearer.
So when an evil spirit troubled Saul, David played the harp and sang of God’s love and power.
Jesse’s three eldest sons were in the King army. One day Jesse said to David, “Take this bag of food to your brothers.”
The Philistines had a champion called Goliath who would shout, “Give me a man to fight with.”
David angrily said, “Who is this Philistine, that he dares to defy the army of the living God?”
Soon David was standing before King Saul. “I will fight the Philistine.”
But the king’s armour was too big and heavy for David.
David told the king, how God had helped him to kill a lion and a bear.
So carefully he chose five smooth stones from the brook.
Goliath growled, “Do you think I’m a dog, that you come to me with a stick?”
After praying David retaliated, “This day the Lord God of Israel, will deliver you into my hands.”
With that David swung his sling and the stone sank into the giant’s forehead.
David drew out Goliath’s sword and chopped off his head.
The Philistines immediately ran off, whilst the men of Israel gave chase.
King Saul rewarded David and made him captain over a thousand men.
The people sang, “Saul has killed thousands, but David has killed tens of thousands.”
Saul’s son Jonathan had a strong admiration for David and they became great friends.
David would often come and play the harp for the King.
One day, after Saul heard the women singing about David, he became very jealous and tried to kill him.
Saul said to his servants and Jonathan, “I want David killed.”
Jonathon pleaded with his father. Eventually Saul said, “As the Lord lives, David shall not be killed.”
Then Jonathan told David all that had happened and he reconciled David to the King.
Saul felt that Jonathan would never be king, because the people loved David.
Once again Saul tried to murder David and then David escaped from the palace.
David asked Jonathon, “Why does your father want to kill me?” But Jonathan refused to believe it.
The next day Saul told Jonathan, “As long as David lives, you will never be king?”
During this meeting, David was in hiding.
Jonathan tried to reason with his father, but this time Saul threw the javelin at his son.
In the morning, Jonathan went to fire some arrows in the place he knew David was hiding.
After sending his servant back to the city, the two friends said goodbye.
Then went their separate ways.
David collected some weapons and hid in the hills.
He lived in a cave and over 400 family and friends came to join him.
Afraid of Saul, they camped out in the forests.
But Saul and his men tracked David and they came close to him many times.
One time, when Saul was with three thousand men, David spied on their camp.
That night they made their way past the guards, to the tent where the King was sleeping.
One of the soldiers wanted to kill Saul but David wouldn’t allow it.
But they took the King’s spear and his jar of water and, as silently as they came, they left.
In the morning David shouted “Look! Here is the Kings spear and water jar.”
The King realised that David could have killed him.
“David I have sinned, I will not harm you, because you have spared my life.”
It was at this time that Samuel the prophet died.
Sometime later a messenger bought news to David that Saul and his sons had been killed
After hearing the news David wrote, ‘Look how the mighty have fallen.’
David played on his harp and sang love songs, concerning his greatest friend Jonathan.
The men of the Judah welcomed David.
And they anointed him as their king.
But the time would soon come, when David would become King over the whole of Israel.
It was at this time, that King David reinstalled the Ark of the Covenant.
David was king over Israel for forty years.
He had many wives and many children.
When David was fifty, he met Bathsheba. She became pregnant while her husband was away in the kings army.
So King David arranged for Bathsheba’s husband to be killed in battle.
David married Bathsheba and later they had a son, whom they named Solomon.