1 Samuel Bible study guide

Group study · 7 sessions

Work through 1 Samuel in order

Read each passage aloud before discussion. The questions begin with observation, then move toward interpretation and faithful response.

1. Session 1 · 119 verses

   1 Samuel 1-5

   People and terms: Eli, Samuel, Hannah, Elkanah, Shiloh, Philistines

   • Before anyone explains it, walk through what actually happens here. Who does what, in what order?
   • What does the writer repeat? Repetition is usually the point, not a habit.
   • What surprised you, or what did you have to read twice?
   • Eli turns up in this section. What does the passage actually show, as opposed to what you already assumed?
   • The word ark is doing real work here. What did you assume it meant, and does the passage agree?
   • What did the writer choose to include here, and why that detail?
   • Where does this cut against something you already believe or already do?

2. Session 2 · 114 verses

   1 Samuel 6-10

   People and terms: Samuel, Saul, Philistines, Mizpah, Kish, Ashkelon

   • Tell the story back in your own words. What is easy to skip over?
   • Who is being addressed here, and what do they already know that we do not?
   • What is assumed rather than argued? Those assumptions are often the real claim.
   • Read this section from where Ashkelon was standing. What changes?
   • Define ark from this passage alone, without reaching for what you already know.
   • This is a story, not a lesson with a moral attached. What is it showing rather than telling?
   • What would actually be different this week if you took this seriously?

3. Session 3 · 115 verses

   1 Samuel 11-14

   People and terms: Saul, Jonathan, Philistines, Samuel, Gilgal, Aaron

   • What happens in this section that you would struggle to explain to someone who has never read it?
   • Which single verse carries the weight of this section?
   • What is left unsaid that you expected to be said?
   • What does the writer tell us about Aaron, and what is deliberately left out?
   • Where else have you heard honey used, and is it being used that way here?
   • Whose perspective are we given, and whose are we denied?
   • Who do you know who needs to hear this, and what stops you saying it?

4. Session 4 · 116 verses

   1 Samuel 15-17

   People and terms: Saul, David, Samuel, Jesse, Philistines, Agag

   • Read it once more, slowly. What do you notice the second time that you missed the first?
   • Where does the tone shift, and what causes it?
   • What question does this section answer that you had not thought to ask?
   • What would this section sound like if Agag were telling it?
   • The word sword is doing real work here. What did you assume it meant, and does the passage agree?
   • What would you have written differently if you wanted to make a point?
   • What is the hardest thing in this passage to accept, and why that one?

5. Session 5 · 111 verses

   1 Samuel 18-21

   People and terms: David, Saul, Jonathan, Michal, Achish, Samuel

   • If this were the only part of the book you had, what would you conclude about Jesus?
   • What does the writer repeat? Repetition is usually the point, not a habit.
   • What surprised you, or what did you have to read twice?
   • Michal turns up in this section. What does the passage actually show, as opposed to what you already assumed?
   • Define field from this passage alone, without reaching for what you already know.
   • What did the writer choose to include here, and why that detail?
   • If this is true, what have you been getting wrong?

6. Session 6 · 118 verses

   1 Samuel 22-25

   People and terms: David, Saul, Nabal, Keilah, Abigail, Philistines

   • Where does the pace change here, and what is the writer slowing down for?
   • Who is being addressed here, and what do they already know that we do not?
   • What is assumed rather than argued? Those assumptions are often the real claim.
   • Read this section from where Nabal was standing. What changes?
   • Where else have you heard cave used, and is it being used that way here?
   • This is a story, not a lesson with a moral attached. What is it showing rather than telling?
   • What would you want to be reminded of from this section in six months?

7. Session 7 · 117 verses

   1 Samuel 26-31

   People and terms: David, Saul, Philistines, Achish, Samuel, Abishai

   • Before anyone explains it, walk through what actually happens here. Who does what, in what order?
   • Which single verse carries the weight of this section?
   • What is left unsaid that you expected to be said?
   • What does the writer tell us about Abishai, and what is deliberately left out?
   • The word woman is doing real work here. What did you assume it meant, and does the passage agree?
   • Whose perspective are we given, and whose are we denied?
   • Where does this cut against something you already believe or already do?

Deep study

Keep the book in context

For fuller background, use the companion 1 Samuel commentary and the Bible dictionary as you work through each session.