Prof. Yehuda Elitzur

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1. Lesson 1: A Book of Personalities

   Prof. Yehuda Elitzur

   This biblical book is intent upon telling the story of the prophet Samuel, his parents, his background and environment, and his advent as a prophet in Israel. Unlike Joshua and Judges, the book of Samuel is a book of personalities. All the stories center around three outstanding persons: Samuel, Saul and David.

2. Lesson 2: The House of Eli

   Prof. Yehuda Elitzur

   The story of King Saul is the story of a chosen leader who is put to the test and is found wanting. Eli too is a chosen leader who fails in his task. The story of Eli is a kind of prelude, foreshadowing the great tragedy of Saul.

    

3. Lesson 3: The Rise of the Philistines

   Prof. Yehuda Elitzur

   What was the cause of this war? Who attacked? What did the attacker want to achieve? The Bible leaves these questions unanswered. Yet, we can find the answers by studying the history of the Philistine wars Israel and looking at the place of Aphek on the map.

4. Lesson 4: The Mockery of Dagon

   Prof. Yehuda Elitzur

   Underlying the Dagon story is the great prophetic debate with paganism and with the heathen notion of conquering and vanquished gods. The Bible teaches that the Philistine victory was due to the will of God, for the idols are nothing but “the work of men’s hands”. In the story of the Ark and Dagon we are taught that Israel’s failure, as well as its success, comes from the universal God who exists even within the temple of Dagon.

5. Lesson 5: The Nature of Samuel’s Leadership

   Prof. Yehuda Elitzur

   There is remarkable contrast in the personalities of the period of Samuel and the earlier Judges. This article highlights these differences in leadership styles and characteristics of the various leaders.

6. Lesson 6: The Kingdom is Born

   Prof. Yehuda Elitzur

   This article presents a new and surprising perspective to the story of Saul's election as king. 

7. Lesson 8: The War of Liberation

   Prof. Yehuda Elitzur

   This lesson describes the war of Liberation which marked the end of Philistine rule over Israel. 

8. Lesson 9: A United Kingdom

   Prof. Yehuda Elitzur

   The Biblical story of the battle against Amalek is a typical prophetic passage. The central themes of the story are the sin of Saul and the rebuke of Samuel, and throughout we are reminded of the prophetic teaching about life and religion. 

9. Lesson 10: Organizing a Kingdom

   Prof. Yehuda Elitzur

   Thanks to King Saul, the Israelite kingdom had become a political reality. Energetically Saul worked on the foundations of his kingdom, strengthening its military power and enhancing the prestige and honor of the royal court. 

10. Lesson 11: Early Years of David

    Prof. Yehuda Elitzur

    When David’s fortunes reached their lowest point and his prospects looked hopeless, he began actively to prepare his future assumption of the leadership of the nation. He had to exert all his abilities, his diplomatic skill and military prowess, to overcome seemingly superhuman obstacles. He knew the time had come to make a human effort in order to fulfill the divine promise of his kingship. 

11. Lesson 12: The Outlaw

    Prof. Yehuda Elitzur

    David was now faced with one of the most difficult tests in his career. How could he lead a troop of embittered fighters and at the same time keep alive the image of the beloved hero and the future king chosen by God?

12. Lesson 13: David Amongst the Philistines

    Prof. Yehuda Elitzur

    These chapters portray David’s zealous loyalty to his people although they pursued him, while he deceived the Philistines who gave him asylum at this time. Thus, David remained an Israelite first even at the most critical period in his life. The captain of the discontented remained the devoted and heroic son of Israel.

13. Lesson 14: Captain of a Troop

    Prof. Yehuda Elitzur

    David's leadership of his troops was one of his most difficult jobs, having had to keep in good grace with the Philistine king whilst not betraying his own people. This aspect was dealt with in the previous chapter; but also no less important is the question, how David managed the internal affairs of his troops. How did he stand up as a leader of a motley crowd of outlaws? Let us study the story of his captainship of the troops.

14. Lesson 15: The Negev in Antiquity

    Prof. Yehuda Elitzur

    To the Bible student of the 19th to mid 20th centuries, the Negev stories of the first book of Samuel seemed strange and hardly plausible. I Samuel tells about events that happen in the Negev, presenting a picture of ancient life in a flourishing area, dotted with numerous settlements and humming with activity.  Since, in modern times, before the establishment of the State of Israel, there were only about five big Arab villages between Hebron and Beersheba, while the rest of the surface was actually a huge desert, the Bible student of those days could barely imagine the reality of the Negev of biblical periods. Today, after the resurrection of the Negev that the last two generations have experienced, we are much more qualified to feel the spirit of the biblical story concerning the Negev. This essay describes the Negev during David's rule.

15. Lesson 16: The Battle of Gilboa

    Prof. Yehuda Elitzur

    This essay describes the process of conquering the Land of Israel from the Philistines.

16. Lesson 17: David Against Amalek

    Prof. Yehuda Elitzur

    This essay discusses David's encounter with Amalek, and the unique nature of this battle.

17. Lesson 18: The Israelite Kingdoms - Mahanaim and Hebron

    Prof. Yehuda Elitzur

    What was the Philistine attitude to David’s new Judean kingdom? It appears that the Philistines showed no opposition to David. Hebron was close to Philistine territory, and if they had not agreed to David’s kingdom they could have easily deployed their victorious army against Hebron. The significant fact of David’s rule in Hebron is that there was no war between Judah and the Philistines. Why did the Philistines not crush the budding and still weak Davidic kingdom? This essay explores these questions. 

18. Lesson 19: From Hebron to Jerusalem

    Prof. Yehuda Elitzur

    This essay discusses David's move from Hebron to Jerusalem.

19. Lesson 20: David’s New Conquests

    Prof. Yehuda Elitzur

    David’s conquests marked a new phase in Israelite history. Since Moses and Joshua led the invasion of Eretz-Israel, the Israelite military campaigns were planned for one purpose only, to obtain land for settlement. David was the first to fight in order to rule. The earlier mentality of defense now gave way to an exuberant drive for enlarging and strengthening the Israelite territory. The centuries of intermittent battles against enemy invaders had an important lesson to teach the new king. No longer would the Israelites wait for the enemy to come. Rather, they were establishing new frontiers for the Israelite kingdom and thus they were evolving a new aggressive strategy.

20. Lesson 21: The Government of David

    Prof. Yehuda Elitzur

    The ninth chapter of the second book of Samuel appears, at first glance, to consist mainly of the story of Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan- who was David’s loyal friend although he was heir to King Saul- and the kind treatment he received from David. But a close study of the chapter would point to some rather significant political events.

21. Lesson 22: History and Prophecy

    Prof. Yehuda Elitzur

    Why should the Bible single out the campaign against Ammon and describe it in great detail as opposed to the brief enumeration of the other wars? Surely, the other conquests were equally important. This essay answers this question and analyzes the messages we can glean from this battle. 

22. Lesson 23: David and The Royal Court

    Prof. Yehuda Elitzur

    These Bible chapters are essentially the story of a man called David. The whole book of Samuel is mainly a book of individuals, and appropriately its first phrase is “Now there was a man…”. In the case of David we read of his grave sin, his repentance, and his dire punishment. So much is told of David’s tribulations that we begin to wonder whether the scales are not tipped against him. Why is it necessary to emphasize so much failure and weakness of that great and successful king?

23. Lesson 24: This man David

    Prof. Yehuda Elitzur

    David was a courageous and confident man. He was never at a loss how to get out of an awkward situation, never at his wits ends. In his long and difficult career as a soldier and monarch he neither despaired nor panicked. He always coolly appraised his enemy and acted with speed and determination. However, his battle against his son, Absalom, reveals a new side of David. 

24. Lesson 25: Man of Blood

    Prof. Yehuda Elitzur

    This essay reviews David's many battles and military encounters, and claims that despite all of these wars, David maintained a man of peace with a passionate regard for human life. 

25. Lesson 26: Saul and the Gibeonites

    Prof. Yehuda Elitzur

    When a famine afflicted the country during three consecutive years, David was told by a prophet that the famine was a divine punishment for the grave sin that king Saul committed against the Gibeonites. Who were the Gibeonites? What was this sin? 

26. Lesson 27: Conclusion

    Prof. Yehuda Elitzur

    This essay serves as a conclusion to the books of Samuel, summarizing the content of the books and their purpose. 

27. Lesson 7: Shadow King Assumes Power

    Prof. Yehuda Elitzur

    This essay describes Saul's battles and his coronation and declaration as king. 

28. El pacto y su significado

    Prof. Yehuda Elitzur

29. Un reino antes de tiempo

    Prof. Yehuda Elitzur