Prophets I Catholic Bible study Lesson 1

Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks
Through His Servants the Prophets

Volume I: A Kingdom Divided

Lesson 1 The LORD Announces He Is About To Do a New Thing
the First Book of Samuel 1:1–28
the First Book of Samuel 2:22—3:20
the First Book of Samuel 28:3–19

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)*
New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)*
Catechism of the Catholic Church
ex libris (in our library)
Aperuit Illis (Instituting the Sunday of the Word of God)
Tami Palladino’s visual-meditation journal
glossary for Thus Says the LORD—Volume I
cross references in Thus Says the LORD—Volume I
next lesson: Nathan Delivers Good & Bad News

This material coordinates with Lesson 1 on pages 4–13 in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided.

“Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant which they broke, and I showed myself their Master, says the LORD. But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each man teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”—the Book of Jeremiah 31:31–34

welcome to Volume I of our in-depth study of the biblical prophets
We invite you to check out the sample first lesson and video from Volume I of this Turning to God’s Word two-part Catholic Bible study. Our online pages link to the free related lesson videos, a glossary, and cross references in the biblical text, and include maps, additional commentary, and prayers based on the primary Scripture in each lesson. Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided contains 28 lessons and has been granted an imprimatur. It may be purchased from our website shop. The companion 23-lesson Volume II: Restoration & Redemption also is available for purchase. If you have a Bible-study question or comment, click on the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” button on any study page.

every Turning to God’s Word Bible study carries an imprimatur
Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided was granted an imprimatur by the Most Reverend Richard E. Pates, (left), bishop emeritus of the Diocese of Des Moines, on July 10, 2017; the censor librorum for the Diocese of Des Moines, the Very Reverend Aquinas Nichols, granted the nihil obstat. These are official declarations that a book or pamphlet is free of doctrinal or moral error. There’s no implication that those who’ve granted the imprimatur and nihil obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed in the work. Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible studies written after 2020 are being submitted to the Most Reverend William M. Joensen, Ph.D. (right), current bishop of the Diocese of Des Moines. The second volume of this Catholic Bible study, Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption, was granted an imprimatur by Bishop Joensen on June 11, 2021.

the popes inspire us—serious Catholics study the Word of God
In his apostolic letter Aperuit Illis (Instituting the Sunday of the Word of God) issued motu proprio (of his own accord), Pope Francis established the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time to be devoted to the celebration, study, and dissemination of the Word of God. The Holy Father’s apostolic letter was published on September 30, 2019, the feast of St. Jerome and the 1600th anniversary of the saint’s death. St. Jerome, who translated the Latin Vulgate Bible from Greek and Hebrew manuscripts, is famous for saying: “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ,” and he’s the patron of translators and librarians. In Aperuit Illis, the Holy Father calls attention to the sacramental nature of the Word of God, pointing to the unbreakable bond between Sacred Scripture and the Eucharist. In 2025, the Church will celebrate the Word of God on Sunday, January 26. We’ve posted a free digital version of Dialogue with God: Reading & Praying with Sacred Scripture, our guide to incorporating the Church’s traditional practice of lectio divina (sacred reading) into regular Bible study.

read more Church documents
Find links to magisterial documents referred to in Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible studies, including Aperuit Illis (Instituting the Sunday of the Word of God), at ex libris—magisterial documents. The page lists significant recent encyclicals as well as a number of historical Church documents.

a few reminders about Turning to God’s Word Bible studies
The most distinguishing feature of our Bible studies is that they’re Catholic. Each one has been granted an imprimatur, which means that a bishop has read the work and found nothing contrary to Church teaching on morals or faith. Note that the imprimatur makes no claim that a work is equivalent to Church teaching, simply that it isn’t opposed to what the Church teaches. Practically speaking, this means that you don’t have to accept Turning to God’s Word interpretations of Scripture, only that choosing to do so doesn’t amount to heresy. Choosing not to accept conclusions of a work that has been granted an imprimatur doesn’t immediately plunge you into heretical territory, but choosing not to accept Church teaching related to those conclusions does.

read the Catechism—how to avoid heresy
The imprimatur reinforces and validates the claim that Turning to God’s Word Bible studies are Catholic. All participants have a right to expect that discussions about our Bible studies will focus on Catholic teaching. That doesn’t mean that someone won’t occasionally have a question about Church teaching. Not knowing what the Church teaches about a particular issue isn’t heretical. Asking a question about Church teaching isn’t heretical. Failing to understand Church teaching isn’t heretical. Insisting that Church teaching is wrong is.

Most people who begin to study the Old Testament prophets in the context of the First and Second Books of the Kings are caught off guard by how many challenging theological ideas are found in Scripture. There are a surprising number of things many Catholics believe to be Church teaching that actually are not. In this study, we attempt to present Scripture and Church teaching related to the prophets as unambiguously as possible. When in doubt, you can refer to the Catechism of the Catholic Church or talk with your parish priest about any doctrine that remains unclear.

If a Church teaching seems particularly unsettling even after studying the Catechism and speaking with someone who’s knowledgeable regarding Catholic doctrine, you might want to examine whether there might be a personal or emotional reason why you’re having difficulty. Pray for God’s guidance and be open to receiving a different answer than you anticipated, possibly at a later time than you expected or hoped.

be respectful of the others in your group
Keep in mind that most people in your discussion group are there for a Catholic interpretation of Scripture. People from other faith backgrounds are welcome, but the focus of any Turning to God’s Word study always is going to be Catholic in nature. The following opening prayer emphasizes maintaining mutual respect amid differences of opinion:

Heavenly Father, send forth your Spirit to enlighten our minds
and dispose our hearts to accept your truth.
Help us to listen to one another with openness and honesty,
eager to learn from the talents and intuitions that you have given each of us.
Never let differences of opinion diminish our mutual esteem and love.
May we leave this meeting with more knowledge and love for you and your Son.
In the unity of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

You can find other opening prayers on our website. We especially like the following:

Lord Jesus, you promised to send your Holy Spirit to teach us all things.
As we read and study your word today,
allow it to touch our hearts and change our lives. Amen.

WHAT DO YOU THINK about interpreting Scripture?

The Church encourages Catholics to read and interpret Scripture on our own as long as we follow these two rules:
1) Our interpretation can’t contradict anything else in Scripture.
2) Our interpretation can’t contradict Church teaching.

In order to comply, we need to know everything else that’s in the Bible as well as everything that the Church teaches. That’s a tall order, which is why each Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study is submitted to the Church for an imprimatur. The imprimatur for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided is a guarantee that the Church finds nothing objectionable in the work. You’re free to agree with interpretations in this Bible study, but it’s not essential that you do so. There are many different interpretations in other commentaries, but few of them carry an imprimatur. This doesn’t mean that they necessarily pose any problems in regard to Catholic doctrine or morals, but there’s no Church guarantee that they don’t.

When considering opinions that haven’t been granted an imprimatur, don’t be afraid to ask questions. Our Bible studies address some common interpretations, but there are innumerable opinions floating around about the meaning of different passages in the Bible—including about the biblical texts on which this Turning to God’s Word Catholic study is based.

? Here’s the first question to ask about an opinion expressed in any commentary: How closely does it adhere to what we can read in the biblical text?
? Do viewpoints about the meaning of the Bible passages contradict anything else you already know from Scripture?
? Do they contradict anything from Church teaching? The Catechism of the Catholic Church addresses a large number of questions related to common Scripture interpretations.

what to expect from this Bible study
Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets is a two-volume Catholic Bible study from Turning to God’s Word that examines the Old Testament prophets in historical context. Volume I: A Kingdom Divided begins with the account of the call of Samuel to the newly defined office of prophet. It then moves to the First and Second Books of the Kings to establish a foundation based on circumstances in the two kingdoms of Judah and Israel after the death of Solomon. Volume I examines prophets vigorously involved in political and spiritual activity in both kingdoms before the second wave of the Babylonian Captivity in 586 B.C. Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets pays special attention to the personality, style, and primary message of each of the prophets speaking for the LORD at this time in salvation history. Volume II: Restoration & Redemption continues with a survey of the post-exilic prophets.

map notes—setting the stage
Almost all of the action in the First and Second Books of Samuel and the First and Second Books of the Kings takes place in a small area that’s part of a larger swath of land often referred to as the Fertile Crescent. Trade and travel routes in the ancient Near East traced a rough crescent shape from the Nile River in Egypt northward along the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea before veering east toward the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq). The descendants of Jacob occupied a narrow strip of land along the Dead Sea and Jordan River. Precariously situated in the middle of the trade routes linking Egypt and Mesopotamia, the area is roughly 150 miles long and 60 miles wide, marked by diverse geography. Near Hebron in the central region the altitude is about 3,000 feet above sea level; 25 miles away, the Dead Sea registers 1,290 feet below sea level, the lowest place on the planet. The northern region around Galilee is hilly and fertile, while the Negeb (also spelled Negev) to the south of the Dead Sea is an arid wilderness. The name comes from a Hebrew word meaning “dry land” and also has come to mean “south” based on its direction from Jerusalem.

After the death of Solomon, the united kingdom was torn into two parts. The southern kingdom of Judah encompassed territory settled by the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. The northern kingdom of Israel was made up of territory occupied by the remaining descendants of Jacob. Although it’s apparent that territory originally settled by the tribe of Simeon was absorbed into the territory of Judah at some time, scholars have no clear explanation about exactly when or how this happened. Click on the map (above right) to enlarge it. The original map is on page 12 in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided.

prophets differ from priests & kings (01:04:46)
In video presentations to accompany Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided, Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps comments about the biblical text for each lesson. In the first video, Matthew looks at the big picture with an eye toward building a foundation to aid in understanding the role of the prophets and how they differ from priests and kings. In addition, he explains how Old Testament history from thousands of years ago points to Jesus and is relevant to Christians in the present day. Especially interesting is a discussion about the failure of the priesthood at the time of Samuel, and the idea that institution of the priesthood and the person of the priest aren’t identical.

oops—Matthew misspeaks on the video
On this video for Lesson 1 “The LORD Announces He Is About To Do a New Thing,” Matthew misspeaks and says that Eli comes to live with Samuel. Matthew obviously meant to say that the boy Samuel is taken to live with the priest Eli. Matthew corrects himself later (roughly 25 minutes into the video). We apologize for the error.

The Scripture ranges for the videos that accompany this Catholic Bible study match the ranges for the sets of questions in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided. You can follow along as Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps discusses Lesson 1, “The LORD Announces He Is About to Do a New Thing,” on pages 4–13 in the study book.

a bit of overlap in this first lesson
People who’ve studied The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King and are familiar with the reigns of Saul, David, and Solomon may notice repeated themes at the beginning of Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided. The focus of the previous study was establishment of the monarchy in Israel and how it points to the way in which Christians share in the royal priesthood of Jesus. Because the office of prophet is established concurrent with the monarchy, some overlap is unavoidable to build a framework for understanding the role of the biblical prophets. The Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King provides background about the three rulers of the descendants of Jacob before the united kingdom split apart after the reign of Solomon.

Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided looks at development of the office of prophet, and how and why the prophet’s role differs from the roles of a king or a priest. This two-volume Catholic Bible study from Turning to God’s Word examines the special nature of the prophet’s intimate relationship with God and the way in which Jesus not only fulfills Old Testament prophecy but also speaks for God as the ultimate prophet. Finally, Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption wraps up the study with an emphasis on how Christians can fulfill our own baptismal calling to share in Jesus’ prophetic mission.

who wrote these books & when?
Tradition holds that the First and Second Books of the Kings were written by the prophet Jeremiah, but most present-day scholars believe that the book of Deuteronomy as well as the Books of Joshua, Judges, First and Second Samuel, and First and Second Kings are part of a single work. Often referred to as the Deuteronomistic history, the entire collection is widely thought to be the project of one compiler working from several sources. The First and Second Books of the Kings present a history of ancient Israel and Judah spanning the death of King David until the time of the release of Jehoiachin from imprisonment in Babylon, a period of about 400 years. Although scholars can’t be certain about the exact dates that these books were written, most believe that the final manuscript was assembled during the time of the Babylonian Captivity and completed after God’s people return to the Promised Land.

what purpose did the authors have in mind?
Like all historians, the authors of the First and Second Books of the Kings made decisions about what information they wanted to include to advance their viewpoint. Their primary purpose appears to have been to note details about whether the descendants of Jacob were faithful to God, and to record the consequences that resulted from disobedience. The biblical texts provide a theological explanation for the destruction of the southern kingdom of Judah at the hands of the Babylonians, and these texts offer an explanation as well of the return of God’s people from Exile. Where the prophets’ Old Testament audience saw hope for political independence for a remnant of faithful descendants of Jacob, Christians understand the prophets’ predictions of a Messiah in a spiritual sense, foretelling the opportunity of eternal salvation available to all men and women who are willing to follow Jesus.

read the Catechism—learn about typology
Samuel’s mother Hannah often is viewed as an Old Testament type of Mary, an image consistent with the Church’s definition of typology found in paragraph 128 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

128 The Church, as early as apostolic times, and then constantly in her Tradition, has illuminated the unity of the divine plan in the two Testaments through typology, which discerns in God’s works of the Old Covenant prefigurations of what he accomplished in the fullness of time in the person of his incarnate Son.

Hannah’s peculiar language
When Samuel’s mother takes her son to Shiloh so that he can abide in the presence of the LORD, she makes an unusual statement. In the First Book of Samuel 1:28, Hannah expresses her gratitude because the LORD has granted her wish for a child, and she tells Eli: “Therefore I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he lives, he is lent to the LORD.” The idea of lending something includes the understanding that it will be returned, but it’s difficult to imagine how Hannah thinks this can happen if Samuel is to be lent to the LORD for as long as he lives. Learn more about Samuel’s early life in Lesson 7 The Angel Gabriel Was Sent to a Virgin through Lesson 12 All Who Heard Him Were Amazed in our Catholic Bible study Scripture & the Rosary: New Testament Mysteries, Old Testament Parallels. These free downloadable lessons, which cover the Joyful Mysteries, only are available on the website during the liturgical season of Advent. Lessons covering the remaining Mysteries of the Rosaries rotate during the seasons of Lent and Easter and during Ordinary Time.

? Consider whether there’s a way in which Hannah’s mysterious statement makes theological sense.
? In what ways is Hannah similar to Mary?
? In what ways does Hannah differ from Mary?
? What about Hannah’s story points ahead toward Jesus Christ?
? What might explain why God chose Hannah to be the mother of Samuel?
? Consider what New Testament figure Samuel most resembles and why.

Hannah’s reward
While Hannah’s shame is removed when she conceives Samuel, there are more benefits in store for her. The First Book of Samuel 2:20–21 records that whenever she and Elkanah visited Samuel at Shiloh, Eli would bless them. The biblical text implies that Eli’s blessing has an impact on Hannah’s ability to bear more children: “And the LORD visited Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew in the presence of the LORD.”

Jerusalem wasn’t always the central worship location
The Book of Joshua 18:1 records that after the descendants of Jacob entered the land of Canaan, “the whole congregation of the sons of Israel assembled at Shiloh, and set up the tent of meeting there.” The First Book of Samuel 3:15 suggests that during the Tabernacle’s stay at Shiloh, the tent sanctuary housing the ark of the covenant seems to have been enclosed within a compound or replaced with a standing structure with permanent doors. As the first major religious center for the descendants of Jacob in the land of Canaan, the structure in Shiloh served as a precursor to Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem. The people assembled at Shiloh for feasts and sacrifices, and the Book of Joshua 18:10 indicates that it was at Shiloh where lots were cast under Joshua’s guidance to determine tribal territories. The twenty-first chapter in the Book of Joshua records that Shiloh also was the location where lots were cast to determine the Levitical cities.

pray with the Psalms—learn about when God forsook Shiloh
After the ark of God was captured by the Philistines and then returned to the descendants of Jacob, it never was taken back to Shiloh. This is referenced in Psalm 78:60-61: “[God] forsook his dwelling at Shiloh, the tent where he dwelt among men, and delivered his power to captivity, his glory to the hand of the foe.” God’s people seem to have lost much of their confidence in the LORD as their protector after the ark was allowed to fall into enemy hands, as is evidenced by their strong desire to have an earthly king like other nations. Prayed at Thursday Vigils (Week II), Psalm 78 will be included as part of Lesson 23 Hidden Lessons of the Past in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline, which is scheduled for publication in late summer of 2025.

Nob is another ancient worship site of the descendants of Jacob
The city of Nob is mentioned in the twenty-first chapter in the First Book of Samuel as the place where David, fleeing from Saul, is aided by the priest Ahimelech. Some scholars speculate that any priests in Eli’s line who remained alive after the death of Eli and his sons then migrated to Nob, which likely replaced Shiloh as the primary worship location prior to David’s conquest of Jerusalem. Learn more about Nob in Lesson 7 The Priest Ahimelech Helps David Flee from Saul in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King.

the sins of the sons
In the First Book of Samuel 2:22–25, Eli chastises his sons, who are priests, for having sexual intercourse with women who serve at the entrance to the tent of meeting. Scripture doesn’t spell out exactly what job these women had at the tent of meeting. Speculation ranges from the idea that they were members of a type of lay religious order to the notion that they worked as prostitutes. While it’s obvious that Eli is talking about his sons’ sexual impropriety, it’s easy in the sex-saturated secular culture of the present day to miss the full implication of why these actions of Hophni and Phinehas are offensive to the LORD. The neighboring nations all included ritual prostitution in their worship practices, connecting sex with the fruitfulness represented by abundant crops. Pagan worshipers believed that sexual activity pleased their gods, who then brought about favorable agricultural yields.

In the First Book of Samuel 2:27–36, an unnamed man of God makes a different accusation than Eli does when the man charges Eli as well as Eli’s sons with fattening themselves on the choicest parts of the offerings that the people have made to the LORD. While it’s true that priests were allowed to consume a portion of some particular sacrifices, this was a privilege limited to specific instances. Although many people consider the book of Leviticus dull reading, it provides valuable insight into the laws of sacrifice that God intended the Old Testament priests to follow.

blasphemy—you could look it up in our archives
Eli accuses his sons of sexual impropriety, and the unnamed man of God accuses them and Eli of keeping the best portions of sacrificial offerings for themselves. In the First Book of Samuel 3:13, however, the LORD tells Samuel that Eli’s house is going to be abolished forever because Eli failed to stop his sons from blaspheming. In the Gospel According to Luke 12:10, the word “blasphemy” shows up in a Christian context when Jesus teaches that every one who speaks a word against the Son of man will be forgiven; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit won’t be forgiven. To learn how blasphemy damages God’s reputation, read Lost in Translation, an online column in which Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps helps readers connect with ideas expressed in the original languages of the Scriptures. New Lost in Translation entries are posted on Mondays, and past entries are archived on our website. Contact us if you’d like to receive Lost in Translation by email every week.

? How have Eli and his sons been harming the LORD’s reputation?
? Consider why Jesus isn’t overly concerned about people saying things that will harm his reputation but only is interested in protecting the reputation of the Holy Spirit.

the mysterious unnamed man of God
Although the First Book of Samuel 2:22–36 never refers to Eli’s enigmatic visitor as a prophet, he clearly functions in that role. His description as a “man of God” strongly suggests that he’s a prophet, and at the very least indicates that he’s on intimate terms with the LORD. He arrives with a message that begins with the words “Thus the LORD has said …”, a phrase that very closely resembles the classic prophetic introduction in Scripture: “Thus says the LORD …” (sometimes translated as “oracle of the LORD …”). He goes on to list ways in which God has blessed Eli’s forefathers before he announces the LORD’s current displeasure with his priests, and the man of God discloses the punishment in store for Eli’s entire priestly line. Then in the First Book of Samuel 2:35, this unnamed man of God issues a startling and frequently ignored prophecy that places him among the first people in the Bible to predict the most astonishing event in salvation history—the coming of the Messiah: “And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before my anointed for ever.”

a dire warning
In addition to delivering news about the coming of the Messiah, the First Book of Samuel 2:30 records that the unnamed man of God also issues a serious warning about the priesthood: “Therefore the LORD the God of Israel declares: ‘I promised that your house and the house of your father should go in and out before me for ever’; but now the LORD declares: ‘Far be it from me; for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed.'” Moving forward, this warning will have strong implications for the priesthood, for the kingship, and for all of God’s people.

an even more serious message
When the LORD calls the boy Samuel, God repeats—in much stronger terms—his warning about the state of the priesthood at that time. The First Book of Samuel 3:14 records: “Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be expiated by sacrifice or offering for ever.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK about the word of the LORD being rare?
The First Book of Samuel 3:1 records that the word of the LORD was rare when Samuel was a boy at Shiloh. In the Old Testament, the phrase “word of the LORD” almost always is associated with God speaking directly to call a prophet into service.

? What might explain why the word of the LORD was rare at the time of Samuel?
? What’s Samuel’s first assignment as a prophet?
? What’s noteworthy about the LORD calling the boy Samuel instead of talking with the older established priest Eli?

read the Catechism—what’s happened to the prophets?
Paragraph 523 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that John the Baptist is the last of the prophets who preceded Jesus.

523 St. John the Baptist is the Lord’s immediate precursor or forerunner, sent to prepare his way. “Prophet of the Most High,” John surpasses all the prophets, of whom he is the last. He inaugurates the Gospel, already from his mother’s womb welcomes the coming of Christ, and rejoices in being “the friend of the bridegroom,” whom he points out as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” Going before Jesus “in the spirit and power of Elijah,” John bears witness to Christ in his preaching, by his Baptism of conversion, and in his martyrdom.

? Read the Letter to the Hebrews 1:2 to learn why there’s no continuing line of biblical prophets speaking the word of the LORD in the present day. What method does God instead now use to communicate with his people?
? What evidence points to Jesus in the present day?
? How can individual Christians serve as prophets to help direct others to Jesus?

something moderately amusing
After Samuel dies, Saul seeks out someone through whom he might communicate with the deceased prophet Samuel. In order to visit a medium in En-Dor, Saul disguises himself. The twenty-eighth chapter in the First Book of Samuel records that the medium doesn’t immediately recognize Saul, a detail that should alert readers about the hit-or-miss nature of clairvoyant abilities.

Abraham & Moses as prophets
The Old Testament specifically names two important figures as prophets prior to the time of Samuel—Abraham in the book of Genesis 20:7 and Moses in the book of Deuteronomy 18:15. Both fulfill the key job descriptions of prophet in that they sympathize with God, speak for God, and point toward Jesus Christ. It’s worth noting that both Abraham and Moses also exhibit characteristics usually associated with priests (they intercede with God for people who have sinned) and with kings (they function as political leaders). You can learn more about the patriarch Abraham in Lesson 8 The Call of Abram through Lesson 13 God Tests Abraham in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis. The Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus provides a wealth of information about Moses.

In the eighteenth chapter in the book of Genesis, Abraham intercedes with God for the people of Sodom, and in the thirty-third chapter in the book of Exodus, Moses intercedes for the people after the incident with the golden calf. In the fourteenth chapter in the book of Genesis, Abraham successfully leads his own standing army of 318 men against four foreign kings who have captured his nephew Lot. In the twelfth chapter in the book of Exodus, Moses leads the descendants of Jacob out of captivity in Egypt. The eighteenth chapter in the book of Exodus specifically describes Moses acting as a judge.

why should we care about Old Testament prophets?
The prophets point the way to Jesus. Christians can learn much by becoming familiar with the prophets’ lives and prophecies, which are recorded in the Old Testament. The mathematician and Catholic theologian Blaise Pascal, writing in the 1600s, made this comment:

“If a single man had written a book foretelling the time and manner of Jesus’ coming and Jesus had come in conformity with these prophecies, this would carry infinite weight—but there is much more here. There is a succession of men over a period of 4,000 years, coming consistently and invariably one after the other, to foretell the same coming. This is of quite a different order of importance.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK about applying Bible study to your life?
It’s easy to get absorbed in the historical narrative in the First and Second Books of the Kings and miss thinking about how the biblical text relates to our present-day world. Each lesson of Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided includes a sidebar labeled “Christian Connection.” These commentaries are designed to make it easier to reflect on ways that God’s Word applies to Christians by pointing out at least one way that the biblical text can be considered spiritually relevant in the here and now. You may think of additional ways, and additional application questions will show up on the online study pages and in the videos that accompany the lessons. That God’s word is living and active means that God continues to speak to individuals in the present day through Scripture passages written thousands of years ago.

? Read “Called To Be Prophets” on page 11 in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided. In what ways might an individual personally be called to share in Christ’s prophetic mission and to sympathize with what God desires?
? How might regularly praying about Scripture help a Christian better to sympathize with what God desires?
? What other Christian connections can be seen in the biblical text for this lesson?

what’s in a name?
The Old Testament can be disconcerting. We’re not acquainted with the people who populate it, and many of the places mentioned no longer exist. The First and Second Books of the Kings include a number of unfamiliar names. It’s no small task to keep all of them straight. To learn more about the people and places that appear in this study of the prophets, visit our online glossary. The meanings of many names are included. Samuel’s name, for instance, means “God has heard” or “name of God.” Consider which meaning best describes the prophet.

ex libris—here’s an insightful book
If you’re looking for even more information about the prophets, check out this book by Abraham Heschel, a Jewish scholar. The Prophets, which has influenced how Christian scholars think about these Old Testament figures, is characterized by beautiful writing and insights based on the author’s intensely spiritual approach to the Hebrew Scriptures. Heschel’s grasp of who the prophets are sheds light on their original audience in ways that can deepen our Christian understanding about how all prophecy points toward Jesus, even though that isn’t a position held by the Jewish author. Visit ex libris—main bookshelf to read an excerpt and learn more about The Prophets and other books related to in-depth Bible study.

another video—one that could change the way you approach the Bible (40:44)
Even if you’re a veteran of Catholic Bible studies, we recommend that you watch an explanation of the practical benefits of approaching The Bible as the Living Word of God. This 40-minute video is distilled from a talk that Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps gave at a summer Bible-study retreat at Conception Abbey in Conception, Missouri. In this video, Matthew looks at how viewing Scripture as a living document can help us to develop a more intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. There are real benefits in setting aside what we think we know about Scripture to approach the Bible with the goal of learning what new things God is saying to us. Matthew examines the principles of lectio divina, the traditional Catholic approach to reading and praying with Scripture that’s foundational for all Turning to God’s Word Bible studies.

visual meditation as a form of prayer
If you like to draw, consider illustrating your prayers for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided. For inspiration, check out Turning to God’s Word co-founder Tami Palladino’s visual-meditation journal, created to accompany another of our Catholic Bible studies—The Letter to the Hebrews: An Explanation of the Mechanism of Our Salvation. Tami also illustrated Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers and The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness as well as some lessons in In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis and You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus.

Q&A—where to find some answers
Some people who are used to doing Bible studies from other publishers miss the answer keys included in those studies. One leader even admitted to us that she relied on answer keys so she didn’t have to spend time doing Bible study lessons herself. We sympathize with omnipresent time constraints, but we maintain that up-front answer keys provide people with a strong temptation to rely on someone else’s idea of what Scripture means instead of thinking more deeply about what God might be trying to say to them personally at that moment.

Q: Why don’t Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible studies provide any printed answer keys?

A: The Turning to God’s Word method of Bible study is dependent on participants directly engaging with the biblical text and looking to that text for answers to their questions. All of the factual questions in the lessons can be answered from the Scriptures. Sidebars in the lessons contain supplemental material written to help explain some of the themes suggested by the biblical text. Most of our studies, including this one, feature videos with each lesson.

Outside commentaries can shed light on individual texts, but many commentaries examine Scripture passages out of context. Some may focus on an academic rather than a spiritual approach to the Bible. If you’re confused about anything in our studies or in any related outside commentaries, we encourage you to browse our website for more information.

The goal of all Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible studies is to foster personal reflection leading to a more intimate relationship with Jesus. Consequently, each lesson contains reflection questions, and these necessarily don’t have any “right” or “wrong” answers. If you’d like to share your thoughts about any of our studies or need clarification about a question, commentary, or video related to the lessons, contact us using the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” button on any online lesson page. Because others may have the same concern, we routinely turn questions and comments we receive into anonymous Q&A items and add them to the relevant online study pages.

Q&A—three questions about Bible translations
We’re frequently asked what translation of the Bible is best. Sometimes we’re asked which translation is approved to be read at Catholic Masses. More infrequently we’re asked why we’ve chosen to reprint the Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE) for the biblical text in our printed studies.

Q1: Which translation of the Bible is the best one for Catholics to read?

A2: As far as which translation is “best,” we maintain that reading any translation of the Bible you have on hand is a great place to start. The old adage “every translator is a traitor” certainly applies to Scripture, but God’s basic message to his people can be found in any Bible. While there are English-language Bibles catering to a variety of special-interest Catholic groups, they generally reprint either a translation of the New American Bible Revised Edition (the NABRE) or a Catholic edition of the Revised Standard Version (the RSVCE or the RSV2CE), which are the Bibles read by most American Catholics. Both of these translations rely on archeological finds and scholarship that were unavailable in earlier centuries. Prior to the mid-1960s, many Catholics were familiar with the Douay-Rheims English translation, which was based on the Latin Vulgate. Originally translated by St. Jerome in the late 4th century, a version of the Vulgate has remained the official Latin translation of the Catholic Church since the 16th century. Prior to the mid-1960s, most Protestants read The King James Version.

As people become more interested in Scripture study, they also become more interested in reading the “right” Bible. Since very few of us are proficient in ancient languages, we’re forced to rely on the work of scholars who’ve spent years studying Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic, and Latin. In many cases, there simply isn’t an easy way to translate some of the original words and phrases of Scripture into English. The best advice we can offer is to choose an English translation that the Church has approved. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) offers guidelines. When questions arise, as they undoubtedly will, check out footnotes, commentaries, and other translations; talk to a knowledgeable priest; and—this part is most important—ask God to grant you increased understanding. You also can email us with your questions about Scripture. In many cases, Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps’ background in classical languages proves helpful. We frequently rely on him to shed some light on the linguistics involved in difficult passages

Q2: I’m having trouble locating the same Bible that I hear read at Mass. What translation is that?

A2: The Catholic Lectionary, a collection of biblical texts approved for liturgical use, isn’t the same as a Bible. The English-language lectionary used in the United States is primarily based on a 1970 translation. A close English translation outside the lectionary is the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE). The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) currently is working on a liturgical Bible based on the NABRE translation.

Q3: Why has Turning to God’s Word chosen to reprint biblical text from the Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE) instead of the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)?

A3: We currently use the Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE) as our primary biblical translation in our printed studies because scholars consider it to be a more faithful word-for-word translation than many other translations. Pope Benedict XVI quotes from the RSV2CE in his three-volume book, Jesus of Nazareth. The RSVCE is the Bible translation used in English translations of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The RSV2CE varies only slightly from the earlier RSVCE, which we link to on our online study pages. Any discrepancies between the RSV2CE and the RSVCE are pointed out on the online study pages. Turning to God’s Word cites The Abbey Psalms and Canticles in references to the Psalms in all of our printed studies.

pray with the Psalms—intensely emotional prayers
Although some scholars question David’s authorship of the Psalms, it remains indisputable that many of the Psalms address themes related to events that occurred during the period when David ruled over the descendants of Jacob. Reading and praying with the Psalms offers insight into the minds and hearts of people who lived during the time of David—and long afterward as well. These prayers express universal human feelings every bit as relevant to us in the present day as when the Psalms first were composed.

don’t get confused—Psalms numbering varies
Numbering of Psalms and their verses varies depending on translation. Parallel numbering for commonly used Catholic Bibles is noted in the citations index in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided and in the index in the sample lesson. For more information, see the Q&A on the online study page for Lesson 1 Set a Guard on My Mount in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers.

what’s happening when & where—each lesson features a timeline
It only makes sense to look at the prophets in terms of their place in history, but it can be challenging to keep track of that as well as to try to stay on top of who’s reigning in each kingdom at any given time. To make things easier, each lesson in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided includes a timeline showing the historical period described in the biblical text as well as the kings and prophets active then. Not all scholars agree on every date, so the ranges in these timelines should be viewed as approximate. The timelines for the first few lessons are relatively simple but get more complex as we move deeper into this Bible study. The timeline for this lesson, for example, only reflects the transitional period of the prophet Samuel’s life and the end of the reign of Saul, the first king anointed to rule the united kingdom of Israel.

Click on the timeline for Lesson 1 to expand it. It also appears on page 11 in the study book.

the best Catholic commentary about Scripture
To find out more about how Church teaching is supported by Scripture passages in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided, check out the Index of Citations in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Links (Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition [RSVCE*]) to the primary Scripture passages in the lesson and relevant paragraphs in the Catechism are provided here. Not every passage in the biblical text for this Catholic Bible study is referenced in a Catechism paragraph, however.

the First Book of Samuel 1:1–28—paragraph 489
the First Book of Samuel 3:9–10—paragraph 2578
the First Book of Samuel 28:19—paragraph 633

ways our glossary might prove helpful
In addition to providing information about geographical locations, our glossary also points out persons and places mentioned in the biblical text under multiple names or spellings. If you can remember a name but aren’t sure in which lesson it shows up, you can find it in the glossary, which lists every proper noun in the primary biblical text for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided.

to learn more, read more Scripture
If you’re having difficulty with a particular passage of Scripture, it can be helpful to read the relevant cross references—but looking these up can take time. To make that easier, we’ve compiled the cross references from the Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE)—the translation that we reprint in our study books. That list can be found at the top of every online study page, and it includes links to cross references in the primary biblical text for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided.

don’t forget about our indexes & extra online material
If you’re trying to locate information about a specific Scripture passage, you can look it up in the index at the back of the study book or sample lesson. If you want to find a particular commentary, you can look up its title in the topics index. To learn more about another book of the Bible for which there’s a Turning to God’s Word study, visit the online study directories to read the commentaries and watch any accompanying videos. Finally, if you have a question or would like to make a comment about any of our studies, you can use one of the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” buttons to email our authors.

ex libris—Church documents & books about religious topics
Link to magisterial documents referred to in our Bible studies at ex libris—magisterial documents. This listing includes significant recent encyclicals as well as a number of historical Church documents. Recommended books related to Scripture study can be found at ex libris—main bookshelf

memorize a favorite Bible verse (4:46)
Tami Palladino has created a short video about the benefits of memorizing Bible verses. Choosing a passage that you find particularly meaningful will make the task easier. There are inspiring verses in every book of the Bible, but some people in our Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible studies like to memorize a verse from their lesson every week. For more ideas and helpful tips, check out Tami’s video, Why Memorize Scripture? It’s less than five minutes long.

wondering how to pronounce some of these words?
The following links are to readings from the New International Version (NIV) Bible. To listen, open one of the links and click on the audio icon above the printed text. Although not taken from the translations used in our study materials, the NIV readings provide an audio guide to pronunciation of words in this lesson’s primary biblical texts. A close online version of the translation of the Bible used in Catholic liturgy in the United States as well as an audio guide for daily Mass readings for the current month can be found on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

the First Book of Samuel 1:1–28 (NIV)
the First Book of Samuel 2:22—3:20 (NIV)
the First Book of Samuel 28:3–19 (NIV)

close with Bible-based prayer related to this lesson
Many of our Catholic study groups like to conclude their discussions with a prayer based on the scriptural focus of their lesson, and some participants include Scripture-specific prayer in their individual study. If you’re uncomfortable composing your own Bible-based prayers, you can follow our four easy steps. If you prefer, you can use the following prayer based on this lesson’s biblical texts.

O God, throughout the ages you sent a number of prophets
to instruct and guide your people
before you sent your Son as your final and definitive Word.
Give us the faith, hope, and love to listen to your Word today
and to accept your will even in difficult situations.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ,
who leads his imperfect Church along the path of righteousness
toward the ultimate perfection of heaven. Amen.

Lesson 2 Nathan Delivers Good & Bad News—the Second Book of Samuel 7:1–17, the Second Book of Samuel 11:1—12:25, and the First Book of the Kings 1:1–40

you also may like our study of the book of Exodus
You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus, a 28-lesson Catholic Bible study with an imprimatur, provides an in-depth look at how significant events in biblical history that occurred thousands of years ago to descendants of Jacob remain relevant and even critical for present-day Christians to understand. The deliverance of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt and the giving of Ten Commandments are examined along with the development of Moses’ relationship to God. Click on the book’s cover to view a sample lesson.

start a Turning to God’s Word Bible study
Thank you for your interest in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets— Volume I: A Kingdom Divided . Information about beginning this or one of our other Turning to God’s Word Bible studies can be found at start a Bible study. Tami, Matthew, and I always are available to answer your Bible-study questions or concerns. Contact us if you’d like to start one of our studies or have your schedule listed with other TtGW study groups on our website. —Jennifer

*There are seven deuterocanonical books in the Old Testament—the Books of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and First and Second Maccabees, as well as some passages in the Books of Esther and Daniel. Protestants usually refer to these works as “apocryphal,” a word that means “outside the (Protestant) canon” because they’re excluded from most Protestant Bibles. The word “deuterocanonical” means “second canon”; Catholics use that word to refer to any section of the Catholic Old Testament for which there are no extant, or existing, Hebrew manuscripts. All of the deuterocanonical books appear in the Septuagint, the earliest remaining versions of which date to the 1st century B.C. This Greek translation of the Old Testament was in common use by Jews at the time of Jesus—but the same books aren’t found in existing Hebrew manuscripts, which aren’t as old as the oldest version of the Septuagint. Learn more by reading How Do Catholic & Protestant Bibles Differ?

Turning to God’s Word printed Bible studies use the 2006 Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE) translation for all Scripture references except those to the Psalms, which are taken from The Abbey Psalms and Canticles, prepared by the Benedictine monks of Conception Abbey and published in 2020 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Scripture on the online study pages for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided links to the 1966 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE). The New International Version (NIV) audio recordings follow the same chapter and verse numbering as the RSV Catholic translations, but the NIV translation doesn’t include the deuterocanonical books and passages.

The 1966 RSVCE uses archaic pronouns and verb forms such as “thee,” “thou,” “didst” in the Psalms and in direct quotations attributed to God. The 2006 RSV2CE replaces those with more accessible English. The few significant translation changes in the RSV2CE include rendering almah as “virgin” in the Book of Isaiah 7:14 and restoring the term “begotten” in the Gospel According to John 3:16.

Numbering varies for some passages in this Bible study. Turning to God’s Word studies (print and digital) follow the numbering in the Revised Standard Version Catholic translations (RSV2CE and RSVCE). Discrepancies in the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) are noted in the Index of Scripture Citations in the study book and the online sample.

You can learn more about the Psalms by viewing a sample lesson from the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers. The second part of that study, Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline, is scheduled for publication in 2025. Some verse numbers may vary in different translations of the Psalms.