This book presents the history of the prophet Samuel who restored law and order and faithful worship in Israel after the Hebrew people had repeatedly been unfaithful and worshiped idols during the period of the Judges.

One of the major themes in this book is the importance of honoring the Lord, because the Lord will always bless those who honor Him and keep His commandments; and those who do not, will not receive His blessings.

This book presents a description of the change in the form of government in Israel from a confederation 12 separate tribes governed by judges to a central government with a king.

Chapters 1-7 describe Samuel as a righteous priest, prophet, and the last judge to rule in Israel.

A woman named Hannah is presented as a woman of remarkable faith in the Lord who was without a child, but continued in faithful prayer, trusting the Lord to give her a son; and she promised to give him to the Lord.

When the Lord finally did bless Hannah with a son, she named him Samuel and dedicated him to serve the Lord forever. She took Samuel to the tabernacle to serve under the priest Eli. The Lord appeared to Samuel there and blessed him.

When the Philistines defeated Israel and captured the Ark of the Covenant, Samuel exhorted Israel to stop worshiping idols and serve the Lord. When Israel returned to being faithful to the Lord, the Lord subdued the Philistines.

Chapters 8-15 describe the history of Saul as the first king of Israel. The Israelites wanted a king. God was displeased with their request and through Samuel He warned them of the oppression that a king would bring upon them.

But the Lord consented to give Israel a king and He directed Samuel to anoint Saul. Saul reigned in righteousness for a time, but he eventually became unfaithful, disobeyed and did not honor the Lord, and was rejected by God. Then the Lord appointed David to replace Saul as king.

Chapters 16-31 describe the rise of David. As a youth, David was faithful to the Lord and the Lord God blessed David and gave him the ability to kill the Philistine giant Goliath who had been threatening to defeat the army of Israel.

The Lord then directed Samuel to anoint David to be the next king. When David defeated Goliath, he was greatly honored by the people. After that, King Saul became jealous of David and tried to kill him several times. But David gained many supporters, including Saul's son Jonathan. Eventually Saul was defeated by the Philistines and killed himself on the field of battle.