1 Samuel 23-25- David takes his men and flees from place to place in the wilderness, narrowly avoiding the murderous intent of Saul. Along the way David takes two new wives, one as a result of an insult from a fool.
1 Samuel 21-22; 2 Samuel 23:8-17 David has had enough of spears and assassins and makes his break with King Saul. He makes his way to the priests at the Tabernacle, with terrible consequences, and then to Gath, then to a cave and a wood. He is a man on the run and Saul is deadly in pursuit.
1 Samuel 18:10-20:42 The victorious David goes from success to success in Israel, but a violently jealous king plots his downfall.
1 Samuel 16:14-18:9 The young shepherd, anointed in secret, becomes a court musician and then a champion. David makes his name in a combat that is a very emblem of a plucky underdog taking on a much bigger opponent and the most famous champion of the Philistines ever falls to a youth with a rock.
1 Samuel 15-16:13 King Saul fails in an important mission and the kingdom is not just taken from his line, but now from him in particular. Samuel goes out to anoint a new king, this one found herding sheep in the field. The greatest king in Israel's history makes his entrance onto the stage.
King Saul moves to the front, Samuel to the background. Saul wins a great victory against the Philistines, but displays some of the character flaws that will lead to his ultimate downfall. His son Jonathon shows incredible bravery and faith.
Israel finally gets a king, a tall and reluctant son of Kish from the tribe of Benjamin. Will this be the king they have wanted? Can he be a source of salvation for the people of Israel?
1 Samuel 7:2-8 Samuel takes on the role of judge at Mizpah as all Israel repents. His time as a judge is briefly covered and, as his sons aren't up to the task of ruling, Israel asks for a king. The era of the judges in the promised land ends.
1 Samuel 3-7:1 The young man Samuel hears a voice in the night and hears a horrifying prophecy. Eli dies is ignominy, the ark is captured by the Philistines and then returned to Israel.
1 Samuel 1-2 The penultimate judge of Israel isn't doing a good job at keeping his own house in order and a childless wife of a Levite man is desperate for a son. One house is blessed, another cursed, and one of the men on whom the history of God's people hinge is born.
Ruth 1-4 A side story in the era of the judges. A young woman from Moab accompanies her bereft mother-in-law home to Bethlehem, catches the eye of a wealthy landowner, and enters the story of a coming King.
Judges 15:7-16:31 The Bible's strongest man rises to power, slaughters his enemies, performs feats of astounding strength, and falls prey to a nagging woman.
Judges 13:1-15:6 The most petulant of the judges, but he has great hair. Samson is born with the prophecy of an angel and tries to get a Philistine wife. The most famous riddle in the Bible and Samson starts a notorious career picking on Philistines. To be fair, they started it.
Judges 10-12 A few obscure judges lead Israel, but it doesn't seem to make any difference. Jephthah makes a foolish vow to get a chance at a victory over the Ammonites that he will regret and we find out where the term "Shibboleth" as a mark of belonging comes from.
Judges 8:30-9 Gideon lives forty years more as a judge, but sets Israel up for failure. His ephod will lead them into idolatry. The son of his concubine will take a bloody path to a throne, only to lead to his downfall and the downfall of a city. Yet another woman proves deadly in the stories of the Judges.
Judges 6-8:22 The most scared of the Judges, Gideon, takes a tiny force chosen by God and saves the people from the threat of Midian. Angels, a fleece as a test, whipping elders with thorns, and destroying pagan altars, life in the times of the Judges is never dull.
Judges 19-21: A Levite from Shiloh pursues his wayward concubine and is subject to one of the worst outrages in Israel's history. The story that most clearly explains why God continued to punish Israel with oppressors.
Judges 17-18 Micah installs a Levite with an impressive pedigree as his household priest, but the tribe of Dan wants their own priest. We found out a little of what it means when the people of Israel do evil in Yahweh's sight.
Israel begins the pattern of disobedience, oppression, salvation and repentance and the first of the saviors known as Judges are introduced. Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar and Deborah each in term bring salvation to Israel, but the people continue to fall away.
Joshua 11-24 Joshua and Israel complete the conquest of the promised land, distribute the land, and settle in it. Joshua comes to the end of a very successful life and the people of God are wanderers no more.