Israel in Transition The land is changing from the rule of judges to that of kings; from theocracy to monarchy. The Philistines in the west harass, plunder, and destroy. From his mother's desperate prayers to bear a son, to Samuel's old age, this fictional autobiography based on the book of First Samuel follows the Seer's life as he also transitions from his childhood calling in the Temple at Shiloh to leadership of the people of Israel and the crowning of two kings.