Summary of 1 Samuel: The Story of Israel's First Kings

Verses to read

• “But Yahweh said to Samuel, 'Don't look on his face, or on the height of his stature; because I have rejected him: for I don't see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but Yahweh looks at the heart.'”

  1 Samuel 16:7

• “Samuel said, 'Has Yahweh as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying Yahweh’s voice? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.'”

  1 Samuel 15:22

Who was Samuel?

Samuel was a child born to a woman named Hannah. She had prayed very hard for a son and promised to give him to God's service. Samuel grew up in the temple with a priest named Eli. One night, God spoke to Samuel while he was sleeping. This was the start of Samuel becoming a prophet, which is a person who gives God's messages to people.

Samuel became a judge and a leader for Israel. He helped the people turn away from idols and start worshiping the one true God again. He was the bridge between the time of the judges and the time of the kings.

Why did Israel want a king?

The people of Israel looked at the countries around them and saw they all had kings. They wanted a king to lead them into battle and make them look powerful. Samuel was sad about this because he knew God was supposed to be their King.

God told Samuel to give the people what they wanted, but He warned them that a human king would take their crops and their children for his own use. Even with this warning, the people still chose to have a king.

The rise and fall of King Saul

Saul was the first king of Israel. He was tall and handsome, and he looked like a strong leader. At first, Saul was humble and won many battles. But soon, he started to do things his own way instead of following God's rules.

Because Saul stopped obeying, God told Samuel that Saul would not be king forever. God decided to choose a new king who would love and follow Him with all his heart.

David and Goliath

Samuel went to a town called Bethlehem to find the next king. He chose a young shepherd boy named David. David was not the oldest or strongest of his brothers, but God liked David's heart.

David became famous when he killed a giant named Goliath with just a sling and a stone. He wasn't afraid because he knew God was on his side. This victory made King Saul very jealous, and Saul spent many years trying to hurt David.

David’s time in the wilderness

Much of the end of 1 Samuel is about David running away from Saul. Even though David was the chosen king, he had to wait a long time to take the throne. He lived in caves and in the woods, but he refused to hurt Saul because Saul was still the king.

1 Samuel ends with a sad battle where King Saul and his son Jonathan die. This opens the way for David to finally become the king of Israel, which we read about in the next book, 2 Samuel.

Common questions

What is the main message of 1 Samuel?

The main message is that God wants our obedience and trust more than anything else. It shows that God looks at the heart of a person, not just how strong or important they look on the outside.

Why did God reject Saul as king?

God rejected Saul because Saul became proud and stopped following God's specific instructions. Saul tried to make excuses for his mistakes instead of saying he was sorry.

Who wrote the book of 1 Samuel?

The Bible does not name one specific author. It is named after Samuel because he is the most important person at the start of the book, but other prophets likely finished the writing after Samuel died.

Is 1 Samuel different from 2 Samuel?

Yes, they were originally one big book. 1 Samuel tells the story of Saul's reign and David's youth, while 2 Samuel focuses on David's time as the king of Israel.