1 Sam. 1:1–15:35 Review · A Period of Transition: After the turbulent days of the judges, the people of Israel looked forward to better times. The economic and spiritual condition of the nation was deplorable, even though the Lord dwelled among his people and had appointed the priests to be their leaders.

1:1–28 · Samuel’s importance can be seen in the lengthy account of his birth. There are no birth narratives for Saul and David, even though they are kings. The story of Samuel’s birth is a testimony to the faith of his mother, Hannah (1:1–8). Like Sarah and Rachel, Hannah has great difficulty becoming pregnant, and barrenness was considered to be a mark of the Lord’s disfavor. To make matters worse, her husband, Elkanah, has another wife who has several children and who taunts Hannah the w…