Samuel was the first real prophet to rule Israel. He had the unique ministry of being a prophet, a judge and a priest. He established schools of prophets, training young prophets for the purpose of guiding Israel. He, and his prophets, controlled the spiritual realm in Israel and no major decisions were made except by his consultation. When Israel clamored for a King to lead them Samuel anointed the first two Kings of Israel being Saul and David. When Saul proved to be a rebellious King, he...
The Book of Joshua is the sixth book of the OT – the first of the Former Prophets (i.e., the historical books, which conclude with Nehemiah). In broad outline, the book tells of Israel's conquest of Canaan under Joshua after the death of Moses (chaps. 1-12) and Joshua's subsequent distribution of the land among the tribes (chaps. 13-19). Six cities are then designated places of asylum (chap. 20), and forty-eight are reserved for Levites (chap. 21). The east Jordan tribes then...
Book of Ruth is the story of a heathen woman Ruth from Moab who later became part of the lineage of Jesus Christ. It illustrates how God put together the lineage of David and Christ using a pagan and a prostitute as part of the family tree, due to their faithfulness and willingness to abandon their own cultures and accept Jehovah (YHWH) as the one true God. The exact date of the book is unknown but it occurred within the time of the Judges, probably during Gideon's reign. Samuel is...
