27 - 1 Samuel part 1 - I Will Give Him to the LORD

The book of 1 Samuel opens with the account of a man from the hill country of Ephraim named Elkanah during the period of the judges. This should sound familiar. The two vignettes that conclude the book of Judges are about Levites who travel to or are living in the hill country of Ephraim. These two vignettes are, in turn, connected to the book of Ruth, which also occurred during the time of the judges and all four of these accounts involve a journey.
In the account that opens the book of 1 Samuel, Elkanah’s once barren wife Hannah gives birth to Samuel who will become the last judge of Israel. So, this account is also connected to the accounts of the other judges, especially that of Samson. The accounts of Samuel and Samson each begin with a barren woman and a miraculous birth. Also, both Samson and Samuel were set apart to God from birth and both were given the task of delivering Israel from the Philistines. Chronologically, Samuel follows Samson as judge over Israel.
Finally, all of these accounts point to the transition from the time of judges to the time of the kingdom.