Walter Beuttler preaches on the Book of I Samuel, highlighting the transition of Israel from a theocracy to a monarchy through the rise and fall of King Saul. The key theme of the book is prayer, emphasizing the importance of seeking God's will and intervention. The message reveals the absolute sovereignty of God and the consequences of rejecting His kingship over one's life, showcasing the intertwined relationship between human actions and God's ultimate purpose.

A. THE BOOK OF I SAMUEL 1. The two books of Samuel, of uncertain authorship, were originally but one book with one story 2. The first division into two books was made in the Septuagint about 260 B. C. 3. The book records the transition of Israel from a theocracy to a monarchy and relates the pathetic story of the rise and fall of King Saul 4. Saul could not bring himself into accord with the sovereignty of God. He could not consent to make his own will bend to that of God and as a result was eventually abandoned by Jehovah 5. The key word of I Samuel is “prayed,” 1:10-27. The book is full of prayer. It begins with Hannah’s prayer and Samuel’s name means “asked of God.” Throughout the years of his ministry, Samuel was a man of prayer, 12:23 B. THE MESSAGE OF THE BOOK 1. The book reveals the absolute sovereignty of God notwithstanding man’s attitude. It shows that although it is possible to reject God as king over one’s life, it is impossible to dethrone him 2. “There is no event or person escaping God’s control. Everywhere, and at all times. God governs events and reigns over persons and nations” 3. “Whether by obedience or disobedience, failure or loyalty, submission or rebellion, men act jointly with God, consciously or unconsciously, toward the achievement of his ultimate purpose” (With due acknowledgment to Pulpit ‘Commentary and G. Campbell Morgan – Living Messages of the Books of the Bible) CLOSE OF THE PERIOD OF JUDGES, 1-7 A. BIRTH OF SAMUEL, 1:1-2:11 1. In general, what does the birth of Samuel show, 1:1-19? The power of divine intervention 2. List the elements of Hannah’s prayer in: (1) 1:6-7- She had a great sense of need (2) 1:10 – She prayed with great earnestness (3) 1:10 – She prayed unto the Lord (4) 1:11- She dedicated the answer to God (5) 1:12 – She prayed with importunity (6) 1:17 – She prayed until she had an assurance 3. What does Hannah do in (1) 1:20-28? She keeps her promise to God (2) 2:1-10? She worships God for his intervention B. CALL OF SAMUEL, 2:11-3:21 1. What is said concerning Eli’s sons in (1) 2:12? That they knew not the Lord (2) 2:13-16, 29? They disdained God’s offerings (3) 2:22,3:13? That they made themselves vile (4) 2:30? That they despised God by their conduct 2. Wherefore does God reproach Eli in (1) 2:29? For honoring his sons above God (2) 3:13? For failing to restrain his sons 3. What do we see in 2:30? That there are promises of God the fulfillment of which is contingent on man’s attitude toward God 4. What, in principle, is seen in 2:36? Commercialized ministry – serving God for personal gain 5. Point out the religious conditions in 3:1: A revelation from God was unusual in those days 6. What is said about Samuel in (1) 2:26? He was in favour with God and man (2) 3:19? The Lord was with him (3) 3:19? The Lord blessed all his words (4) 3:21? The Lord revealed himself to Samuel 7. Comment on the following concerning Samuel: (1) 3:2-10 – Samuel had to learn the recognition of the voice of the Lord (2) 3:10 – He receives a revelation of the personality and manifest presence of God (3) 3:20 – The nation intuitively recognized Samuel to be a prophet of the Lord (4) 3:21 – Now that God had again a channel, he was able to reveal himself to the people C. END OF THE PERIOD OF JUDGES, 4:1-7:17 1. Comment on 4:3-5 in view of the taking of the ark by the Philistines in 4:1-11: The Israelites trusted in the symbol of the presence of God instead of in the God of the symbol 2. What is fulfilled in 4:11? The prediction in 2:34 and 3:11 3. Comment on 4:18 in the light of 2:29: Eli’s very sinning contributed to his death 4. Ascertain the meaning of “Ichabod,” 4:21: “The glory of the Lord is departed,” symbolical of the fact that the glory had departed from Israel 5. Point out the implications of Dagon’s fall before the ark of the Lord, 5:2-5: (1) It was a vindication of the power and supremacy of Jehovah (2) It was an exposure of the vanity and impotence of idols 6. The implication of the effect of the presence of the ark in 5:6-6:5 is what? The same presence of God which brings blessing and victory to some, will bring curse and defeat to others, depending upon their relationship to God 7. The task ui the kine, 6:7-14, is full of practical spiritual significance. Suggest some points from: (1) 6:2 – The presence of God needs to be taken to its place in the hearts of men (2) 6:10 – This involves an irrevocable commitment to the task (3) 6:10 – It may mean a painful separation from loved ones at home (4) 6:9, 12 – It necessitates a divine impelling within one’s being (5) 6:14 – The ministry of taking the presence of God to its rightful place involves becoming a burnt-offering unto the Lord 8. What caused the loss of God’s presence, 7:3? (1) Departing from God (2) Idolatry – other objects of affection and attention which relegate God into a secondary place 9. The establishment of an “Ebenezer,” 7:9-14, was preceded by what according to (1) 7:2? A lamentation after God (2) 7:3-4? A return to God (3) 7:6? Confession of sin (4) 7:8? Supplication for deliverance ISRAEL’S FIRST KING A. RISE OF SAUL, 8:1-12:25 1. Comment on 8:1-3: The godliness of parents is no guarantee that they will have godly children 2. The people’s request in 8:5-22 was tantamount to what? Rejection of God’s throne rights 3. God does what in 8:9-22? He acquiesces to their request under protest 4. What is remarkable in 9:1-27? The providential leading of God in the early life of Saul 5. Give the purpose of the signs in 10:1-9: To bear witness to the certainty of what God has said 6. List the points of Saul’s good beginning from: (1) 9:21 – He was humble (2) 10:6, 9 – He was changed by God (3) 10:7 – God was with him (4) 10:10 – The Spirit of God came upon him (5) 10:15-16 – He kept God’s secret (6) 10:21-23 – He was modest (7) 10:26-27 – He was silent in opposition (8) 15:17 – He was little in his own sight B. FAILURE OF SAUL, 13:1-15:35 1. List the points of Saul’s failure from: (1) 13:8-14 – He did not wait for God (2) 14:35 – He did not put God first (3) 15:11 – He turned his back on God (4) 15:15 – He shifted responsibility (5) 15:17 – He became self-important (6) 15:18-23 – He rejected God’s throne-rights (7) 15:24, 30 – He feared man more than God RISE OF DAVID AND DECLINE OF SAUL, 16-31 A. RISE OF DAVID, 16:1-17:58 1. The choice of David, 16:1-13, demonstrates what? (1) The unreliability of human judgment (2) The difference between God’s criteria and man’s 2. What is most remarkable in 16:14-17:37? The providential leading of David 3. Comment on Eliab, 17:28-29, in the light of 16:6-7: Eliab’s evident pride, jealousy, and emotional instability disqualified him from being king 4. Note the pathetic contrast in 16:13-14: The Spirit of God departs from one and comes upon another 5. David’s victory over Goliath, 17:38-58 teaches us what? That God’s victories are not achieved by man’s methods and equipment B. PERSECUTION OF DAVID, 18:1-27:12 1. What takes place in 18:1-5? David is promoted 2. What is wrong with Saul in 18:6-11? He is jealous of David’s popularity 3. Why was Saul afraid of David in (1) 18:12? Because the Lord was with him (2) 18:15? Because of his wise behaviour 4. The preservation of David in 18:10-23:29 shows what? The ability of God to protect his own 5. In the light of 27:1-7, comment on: (1) 24:4-5 – David was conscience stricken for deviating ever so slightly from the respect due to the Lord’s anointed (2) 24:6 – David bases his allegiance to Saul on religious grounds as the anointed of the Lord, not on personal grounds as David’s persecuter 6. Notwithstanding Saul’s temporary remorse in 24:8-22, he continues to do what, 26:1-25? He continues to seek David’s life 7. How is God revealed in 25:2-42? As David’s avenger 8. Comment on 26:1-11: David refuses to act upon seeming providential circumstances in violation of divine principle and regards revenge as a matter of divine jurisdiction C. CLOSING DAYS OF SAUL, 28:1-31:13 1. What is evident from (1) 28:1-6? That God had departed from Saul (2) 28:7-25? That Saul had departed from God 2. Account for the appearance of Samuel in 28:11-19: God intervened and brought Samuel back from the dead as a rebuke to Saul 3. Chapter 31 records what? Saul’s ignominious death 4. With the death of Jonathan, the covenant between him and David in 23:17-18 was never fulfilled. What happened? Jonathan remained with his father instead of sharing with David all the risks and sufferings involved, (Heb. 13:13; 2 Tim. 2:12)