The Tanakh Podcast

God has decided to appoint a King. In this chapter we meet Saul.
But his persona is a far cry from what we might expect. Humble and unambitious, Saul goes looking for his father's donkeys and has an unexpected encounter with the prophet.

The people request a king. Samuel is upset. God views it as a rejection. But God tells Samuel to appoint a king anyhow. Why?

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Who was the person that managed to break the inexorable "Shoftim Cycle" - the constant waves of sin-invasion-salvation? It was Samuel!
Under his twenty-years of leadership, he brings the nation to a point at which they will consider abandoning their idolatry!
This chapter gives us a snapshot of Samuel in his role as national leader.

The Phillistines return the lost Ark. But when it arrives in Beit Shemesh, though the people bow and bring a sacrifice, 70 people lose their lives in a plague of God. Why? What did the people do wrong?

The Philistines perceive their defeat of Israel as a victory of their god Dagon, over the God of Israel.
But God knows how to retaliate!
The Ark of the Covenant unleashes a trail of havoc, destroying the Philistine's religious icons and causing death in their towns. The Philistines are petrified of the power of the Ark and decide to return it to Israel.
As we shall explain, there is a remarkable affinity between the plagues of Egypt and those unleashed against Phillistia.