Book of 1 Samuel Quiz: Samuel, Saul and the Rise of David

1. Why was Hannah so distressed at Shiloh, and what vow did she make?

1. Hannah had lost three sons in infancy — she prayed for one who would survive and dedicated him before birth to God's service
2. Hannah was barren and feared her husband would divorce her — she vowed to build a house for God if she received a son
3. Hannah was barren while Peninnah (Elkanah's other wife) provoked her — Hannah vowed that if God gave her a son she would give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor would touch his head
4. Her husband Elkanah had taken a second wife who had many children — Hannah prayed for the rival wife to stop mocking her

2. What did Eli the priest think when he saw Hannah praying, and what did Hannah say in response?

1. He recognised the Spirit of God on her and told her God had heard her prayer
2. He thought she was drunk because her lips were moving silently — she explained she was not drunk but was pouring out her soul to the LORD in great anguish
3. He thought she was reciting the law incorrectly and tried to correct her theology
4. He told her to stop disturbing worshippers with her weeping and return when she was composed

3. How did God call the young Samuel in the night, and what message did he give?

1. God appeared in a vision of fire and told Samuel he would be the next judge of Israel after Eli
2. Samuel had a dream in which God appeared and told him Israel was about to be destroyed by the Philistines
3. Samuel heard his name called three times — each time he ran to Eli thinking it was Eli who called. Eli realised it was God and told Samuel to say 'Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.' God then told Samuel of the judgment coming on Eli's house
4. Samuel was awakened by the sound of trumpets and a voice that told him to go to the tabernacle immediately

4. What happened when the Ark of the Covenant was captured by the Philistines in battle?

1. Eli's sons brought the Ark to battle against God's explicit command — which is why the battle was lost
2. Israel was defeated; 30,000 soldiers died; Eli's sons Hophni and Phinehas were killed; and when Eli heard the Ark was captured, he fell backward from his seat, broke his neck and died
3. Israel was victorious — the Ark's presence terrified the Philistines and they fled
4. The Ark was captured but God immediately sent a plague on the Philistines — they returned it before they could take it to their cities

5. What happened to the Philistine god Dagon when the Ark was placed in his temple?

1. Dagon's statue glowed with a strange light — the Philistines took this as Dagon celebrating his victory
2. Dagon's statue melted — the Philistines concluded that Israel's God had superior power and immediately returned the Ark
3. The next morning Dagon was fallen on his face before the Ark; they set him back. The following morning Dagon was fallen again — his head and hands broken off on the threshold
4. The walls of Dagon's temple cracked overnight — frightening the priests who moved the Ark to a storeroom

6. How did Israel ask for a king, and what did Samuel warn them would happen?

1. All the tribal elders came to Samuel at Ramah and said 'Give us a king to lead us such as all the other nations have.' Samuel warned that a king would take their sons for war, their daughters for labour, their fields and income — 'and you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen'
2. Saul led a group of elders to Samuel demanding kingship — Samuel told them a king would be chosen by lot and they must accept whoever God designated
3. The people gathered at Shiloh and voted for a monarchy — Samuel warned that a human king would replace the prophets and priests as the spiritual leaders of Israel
4. The Philistine threat caused Israel to petition Samuel — he warned that a military king would eventually turn Israel's armies against their own people

7. How was Saul chosen as Israel's first king?

1. God appeared to all Israel in the tabernacle and pointed to Saul by name
2. Samuel secretly anointed Saul after God pointed him out — Saul was then publicly confirmed by lot before all Israel at Mizpah, though he hid among the luggage
3. Saul proved himself in battle against the Ammonites and the people demanded he be made king after the victory
4. The tribal elders voted and Saul won by a large majority — he was the tallest and most handsome candidate

8. What was Saul's first great sin that led Samuel to say the kingdom would not endure?

1. He built a palace in Jerusalem before the temple — reversing the proper order of worship before residence
2. He offered a burnt offering at Gilgal before Samuel arrived — usurping the priestly role when Samuel was delayed and the army was deserting
3. He refused to go to war against the Philistines, leaving Samuel to raise the army himself
4. He took the best spoil from a battle instead of destroying everything as God commanded

9. What was Saul's second great sin in 1 Samuel 15, and what famous principle did Samuel state?

1. Saul built an idol for Israel's army to worship before battle — Samuel declared that idolatry was the worst sin a king could commit
2. Saul consulted a witch before battle — Samuel declared that divination was as serious as the sin of idolatry
3. Saul did not completely destroy the Amalekites as commanded — he spared King Agag and the best livestock. Samuel said 'to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams'
4. Saul made a treaty with the Philistines without God's permission — Samuel declared this was treason against the divine King

10. When Samuel went to anoint one of Jesse's sons as king, which son did God choose and on what basis?

1. Abinadab — the second son whose name meant 'my father is noble' — chosen to fulfil the meaning of his name
2. David — the youngest, who was tending sheep. 'The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart'
3. Eliab — the oldest and most impressive-looking — God chose him to honour Jesse's firstborn
4. Shammah — the third son who had the best military record among Jesse's sons

11. What were Goliath's dimensions and his challenge to Israel?

1. Five cubits tall (about 7.5 feet) but wore armour weighing 200 shekels — it was the armour not the height that terrified Israel
2. Seven cubits tall (about 10.5 feet); he wore full armour and challenged Israel to an archery contest
3. Six cubits and a span tall (about 9.5 feet); he challenged Israel to send one man to fight him — if the Israelite won, Philistines would serve Israel; if Goliath won, Israel would serve Philistia
4. Six cubits tall; armed with three weapons — he challenged three Israelite warriors to fight him simultaneously

12. What did David say when he accepted Goliath's challenge, and how did he kill him?

1. 'God fights for Israel — today the LORD delivers you into my hand.' He threw his staff like a javelin and it struck Goliath's eye
2. 'I fight in the name of Israel's army — the courage of every soldier is with me today.' He used Saul's sword
3. 'You come against me with sword and spear, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty.' He used a sling and stone — the stone sank into Goliath's forehead and he fell facedown; David cut off his head with Goliath's own sword
4. David was silent — his actions spoke louder. He ran at Goliath and stabbed him with a shepherd's knife between the gaps in his armour

13. What was the covenant between David and Jonathan, and what did Jonathan give David?

1. David promised to make Jonathan his chief commander when he became king — in exchange Jonathan promised to warn David of Saul's plans
2. Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself — he gave David his robe, tunic, sword, bow and belt; they pledged their families' mutual protection
3. They swore an oath at Shiloh before God that their families would be intermarried for three generations
4. They swore to fight together against Saul if he turned against David — a military alliance sealed with an exchange of weapons

14. What song angered Saul after David's victory over Goliath?

1. 'All hail David, son of Jesse — our champion, our deliverer, our coming king'
2. 'David is God's anointed — his kingdom will last forever; his throne will never be taken from him'
3. 'The LORD gave victory to his servant David — his name will be great from Dan to Beersheba'
4. Women came out from all the towns singing: 'Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands'

15. How did Jonathan save David from Saul's plot to kill him?

1. He locked Saul in his chambers overnight and helped David escape through a window
2. He publicly challenged Saul's order to kill David — creating a scene that gave David time to escape
3. He revealed Saul's plan to the priests at Shiloh who smuggled David out of the country
4. He warned David that Saul planned to kill him, interceded with Saul on David's behalf, and when the threat returned he used a pre-arranged arrow signal to warn David to flee permanently

16. When David was given the bread of the Presence by the priest Ahimelech at Nob, what condition did Ahimelech ask about?

1. Whether David had been fasting — only those who had fasted could receive the consecrated bread
2. Whether David had brought a freewill offering — the priest would not give sacred bread without a proper exchange
3. Whether David was on a mission authorised by the king and whether his men had been ceremonially clean
4. Whether David's men were circumcised — uncircumcised men could not eat the sacred bread

17. What two occasions did David spare Saul's life when he could have killed him?

1. At the battle of Aphek and during the pursuit of the Amalekites
2. In the cave at En Gedi (David cut off the corner of Saul's robe) and in the camp at night (David took Saul's spear and water jug while Saul slept)
3. In the wilderness of Ziph and at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite
4. When Saul was sleeping in a field and when Saul was bathing in the Jordan

18. Why did the Philistine commanders send David away before the battle of Jezreel?

1. Achish's god gave a sign that David must not participate — the Philistine priests interpreted it as bad omens
2. David asked to be excused — he wanted to go protect his wives and property at Ziklag
3. They discovered David was a Hebrew spy who had been reporting Philistine troop movements to Saul
4. They feared David would turn against them in battle to regain Saul's favour — 'Is this not David, of whom they sang: Saul has slain his thousands and David his tens of thousands?'

19. What was the Witch of Endor episode, and what was its significance?

1. Samuel appeared to Saul in a dream and warned him not to go to battle — Saul went anyway as a sign of his defiance
2. Saul consulted a witch at Endor who gave him a potion that granted him a vision of future victory — but the vision was false
3. Saul found a medium to summon the ghost of Samuel — the spirit told him he would die in battle the next day along with his sons
4. Saul found a prophetess who channelled messages from the Canaanite gods — he was judged specifically for this act of idolatry

20. How did Saul die at Mount Gilboa, and what happened to his body?

1. Critically wounded by arrows, he asked his armour-bearer to run him through; when the armour-bearer refused, Saul fell on his own sword. The Philistines cut off his head and displayed his body on the wall of Beth Shan
2. He fell in battle while leading a charge — his sons all died around him and Saul was the last to fall
3. He was captured by the Philistines and executed publicly — his body was displayed as a trophy for seven days
4. He was killed in single combat by the Philistine champion — the rest of Israel's army fled when their king fell