The scene now shifts westwards, from the hills towards the coastal plain, which the Philistines had conquered a century earlier. This small but powerful nation had begun to dominate parts of Israel in the time of Samson, and their well-trained army now posed a new threat. It is not surprising, Read More →

The first king was Saul, and he naturally plays a prominent part in the story. But the biblical author never lets us forget Samuel; indeed, in the biblical writer’s view Samuel remained the real leader of Israel, even when he had handed over military and political affairs to the new king. Read More →

How will Samuel go about finding and making a king? Naturally every reader must have known that Saul had been Israel’s first king, so the introduction of his name causes no surprise. The story goes on to explain the circumstances in which Samuel and Saul met. Read More →