The History of Eli and Samuel: The Last Judges of Israel

By James Allen Moseley

Did you know that Eli and Samuel were contemporaries of Samson? That Samson and Samuel were both Nazirites - consecrated to God through special rites - but that Samson broke his Nazirite vows, while Samuel kept his? That Samuel, by tradition, wrote the Book of Judges and most of 1 Samuel? The story of these two men covers the transition of Israel from a theocracy, ruled by Judges accountable directly to God, to a monarchy.If you want to know the true, full story of Israel's last Judges, this book is for you. If you are a believer, it will enhance your devotions by helping you know the Biblical narrative more intimately. If you are a skeptic, its logic will challenge your doubts.Here you will discover facets of this era - surprising things in plain sight - in the ink on the pages of Scripture - but that many have overlooked.This book will tell the story of Israel's Judges in a chronological, historical and analytical way. Why is this necessary? Why not just read the Bible? You should. But much of the Bible tells its story in ways that challenge the modern reader. First, Bible often records events topically, not chronologically, which is a challenge for us, since we are used to linear accounts. If you realize that a certain event happened before another event, even though its telling is grouped with a another, similar event topically, you may understand much better why the people in the story did what they did.Second, the Bible records many incidents that it does not endorse. When we read about some of the disgraceful behavior of the patriarchs, we never read about God approving of them. One of the reasons we can trust the accuracy of the Bible is that it makes no effort to whitewash its main characters. The point is that God can make all things work together for good even through imperfect humans.Finally, Bible stories unfold in historical contexts with which few of us are familiar. It is next to impossible to understand much of Jeremiah, for example, without knowing the world-shaking events to which he was reacting. But when you do know his circumstances, your appreciation of God's word through Jeremiah will be more vivid and rich.As I tell the Bible story, I will give comments and explanations about passages that seem to invite them. Some of my comments will touch on theological controversies. I have views on such controversies, but of many of them, my view is that good arguments exist on either side. Yet since misunderstandings about theological ideas - too often propounded from pulpits - may keep people away from the Bible and God, I will briefly address some of these controversies in the hope of settling a few. It is valuable to debate these issues, but unnecessary to become enemies over most of them, since either way Scripture stands uncompromised.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1701858894
• ISBN13: 9781701858893
• Release Date: October 2019
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 132 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.0" x 9.0"