Hannah's faithfulness is contrasted with Eli's and his sons' corruption. Hannah prayed for a son and kept her promise to dedicate him to the Lord's service in the Tabernacle. Her faithfulness led to her having a son, Samuel, who would become a priest who listened to God.

God longs for us to draw near to Him to have a relationship with Him, yet we are so prone to draw near to God with the desire to control Him. The Israelites learned not to mistake the Ark of the Covenant for the true power of God. Humans cannot control God to do their will by wielding the Ark like a magical item.

As the time of the Judges neared its end, the people of God began to demand to have a king over them like the other nations. This demand revealed the fallen heart's desire to rely on a system rather than upon God, the tendency to conform to the surrounding culture, and the temptation to make rash decisions due to impatience. God gave the Israelites their demanded king, and warned them of the dire consequences. Ultimately, through their unrighteous demand, He gave us the righteous King we need.

Although God chose Saul to be king, not because of any innate abilities of Saul, but because God chose to elevate him to ruler of the Israelites, Saul never viewed himself the way God viewed him. He believed he had to prove himself to be king material instead of trusting in God's ability to make him a worthy king. This led to Saul making many foolish, fearful decisions that went against God's commands and thus leading to him losing his role as king.

David was ready for the battle with Goliath because he had spent his life, young though he was, in the Word of God and trusting God with the "lions and bears" of life before he had to face the Goliaths.

The deep relationship David and Jonathan shared was based on a love and trust in God. They both put God first before anything else. They also both shared the three traits of a friendship of constancy, transparency and generosity. Rather than looking for a friend like Jonathan, try becoming a friend like Jonathan! But remember you can't have a friendship like their's unless you put God at the center.

David, already anointed to be the future king of Israel, had to wait on God for at least fifteen years before finally ascending to the throne. In those years of waiting for the promises of God, David had several opportunities to kill Saul but chose not to kill him as he trusted God to fulfill His promises in His time.