When we consider ancient people, it’s easy to think we have little in common with them. But this course shows that certain qualities transcend time. Barren women long for children. Corrupt leaders abuse power. Kindness and faithfulness change lives. Jealousy drives a man to madness. Even “a man after [God’s] own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14) can wilfully sin and go to appalling lengths to cover it up. This study also covers a transition period. We’ll see how Israel moved from anarchy to monarchy, from instability to stability, from tabernacle to temple. And we’ll spend time with the people who made these transitions—Samuel, Saul, and David chief among them, but also Hannah, Eli, Jonathan, Joab, and Absalom. We’ll learn that they weren’t so different from us and that God was sovereign in their lives.