Cover subtitle: First and second Samuel.

Includes bibliographical references.

Chapter 1. When Everyone’s Doing It 13 Chapter 2. Ichabod or Ebenezer? 20 Chapter 3. When the Church Clamors for Conformity 28 Chapter 4. When God Gives a New Heart 35 Chapter 5. When Pride Prevails 43 Chapter 6. When Giants Threaten 51 Chapter 7. In the University of Adversity 60 Chapter 8. Choices That Destroy 70 Chapter 9. A King's Royal Resolves 79 Chapter 10. When God Says No 88 Chapter 11. When Temptation Lurks 98 Chapter 12. When the Creditor Collects 108 Chapter 13. When the Rock Speaks 118

The book of Samuel (1 and 2 Samuel appear as one book in the Hebrew Bible) is a story about people caught up in the great conflict between good and evil. Some of their choices are encouraging, some disappointing, but all help us better understand the cause-effect relationship of sin. How important those choices were is illustrated in the birth of two babies, one near the beginning of 1 Samuel, the other toward the end of the book. Ichabod arrives on the scene at a moment of national catastrophe. His dying mother named him Ichabod to remind her people that indeed the glory had "departed from Israel" because of the prevailing evils under Eli's weak leadership. Later in 2 Samuel another baby was born as a result of a tragic mistake by Israel's greatest leader. The unnamed son died because of his father's sin. Then a second son was born of this same union. The king named him Solomon, but the prophet countered with another name—Jedidiah. The name, meaning "beloved of the Lord," came as an assurance of redemption and forgiveness, in spite of the king's sin and bad choices. The narratives in Samuel herald the good news of the gospel in Old Testament garb. They remind us that in our human frailty and weakness we are no match for the enemy. But they should encourage us to believe that no matter how far we fall or how deep our wounds, we are never far from God's grace and mercy—if we choose to respond to Him (adapted from the introduction).