Who was Israel's first king?

Saul was Israel's first king.

The people of Israel rebelled against God and demanded a king like other nations. Samuel was upset, but at God’s direction Samuel anointed Saul as the first king of Israel. God’s desire and intention was that the people would be presided over by a heavenly king—Himself. God gave them their earthly king but warned them of the troubles it would bring. Saul was not interested in leading God’s people and because of his disobedience, he ultimately is rejected by God. God’s intent was to rule the people as their heavenly king, but the Israelites didn’t trust that plan. God had a better plan that would later be fulfilled: a plan to send His Son, Jesus. Jesus would be the perfect King who would bring peace and salvation to the world.

Why was the Ark of God important?

The Ark reminded God's people that God was with them.

The Ark of the Covenant was a symbol of God’s presence with the people. As priests in Israel, Eli’s sons were responsible for leading the nation in worship of the one true God. Part of their responsibility would have been seeking God’s guidance on going into battle. Instead of seeking God’s direction, Eli’s sons took it upon themselves to send the Ark into the battle. God’s presence was always with the nation of Israel. The Ark symbolized God’s dwelling with and among His people. The Israelites mistakenly thought that if they had the Ark with them in battle, God would be there to fight for them. As a result of their sin, the Ark was captured by the enemy.  Eli’s sons and many other Israelites were killed in battle. As the Ark in the Old Testament symbolized God’s presence with the people, God gave His people something much greater than a sign: He sent His Son, Jesus.

 

Who spoke to Samuel?

God spoke to Samuel and Samuel listened.

 

Hannah had a good life but one thing for her was missing. Hannah wanted a child. At the tabernacle, Hannah became distressed and prayed that God would give her a son. God granted Hannah’s prayer and a year later she gave birth to a son named Samuel. As she had promised, Hannah brought young Samuel to the tabernacle to serve God. God spoke to Samuel and gave him a harsh message for Eli and his family. Samuel was used by God to share His Word, but the Gospel of John tells us that Jesus is the Word. Samuel told people what God wanted them to do, but Jesus showed people through His life how God wanted them to live. Jesus ultimately freed people from the power of sin by dying on the cross.

Who is our Helper?

Jesus is our Helper.

Ruth and Boaz: Hints of a coming Savior, Jesus Christ

Ruth was the daughter-in-law of Naomi, a woman from Bethlehem who had moved with her husband and sons to escape a famine in their town. After the husbands of both Naomi and Ruth died, the two women moved back to Bethlehem to Naomi’s family’s land.

Ruth went to gather grain in the fields of a man named Boaz, who turned out to be a family redeemer. The role of the redeemer was to take care of close family members when they were in trouble. Since Ruth and Naomi were both women, they would not be able to inherit the land previously owned by Naomi’s husband. As family redeemer, Boaz had the right to marry Ruth, claim the property, and take responsibility for Ruth and Naomi. Boaz did just that and took care of Ruth and Naomi.

Ruth and Boaz soon had a son whom they named Obed. Obed was the grandfather of King David and through David’s family line, God sent the perfect Redeemer, Jesus Christ. We need help because we sin; Jesus took responsibility for our sin and bought our salvation for us when He died on the cross.

Samson

What should I do when I sin?

I should ask God to forgive me.

Samson appeared to have all the makings of an impressive leader. God gave him a special calling and special strength. Samson had terrible taste in women, though, and he took his special calling for granted. As a result, he was captured by the Philistines, Israel's enemies. Though Samson disobeyed God, God used Samson to accomplish His purpose: delivering the Israelites from the Philistines. When Samson died, he killed many Philistines. God sent Jesus to save people from sin. Jesus died on the cross and rose again to rescue us from sin.