Synopsis of "So this is the message of 1 Samuel: Our lives should be marked not by trust in our own wisdom but by trust in God s. We should be marked not by being impressive but by being impressed with God absolutely taken with him and trusting him alone. The Message of the Old Testament, Location 5238 The two major themes of the work are monarchy and Yahweh's word. The offices of king and prophet (along with the priesthood in its oracular activity) exist by God's election and call (1 Sam. 2:28; 3:4; 10:24; 13:14; 2 Sam. 6:21; 7:8) for the protection and rule of his people. Theological Interpretation of the Old Testament, Location 1347 First and Second Samuel include (a) the career of Samuel, the kingmaker, (b) the career of Saul, the unfaithful king who, forsaking the covenant, became a tyrant; (c) the career of David, a truly theocratic king who founded the permanent and valid dynasty out of which the Messiah was to come. A Survey of Old Testament Introduction, Pg. 311 I hope that looking through [2 Samuel] together will help you better understand what you should do with the power and opportunities God gives you, as well as what you should do when you fail and sin. The Message of the Old Testament, Location 5389 takes one through the transition from judges over the nation of Israel to leadership by a King. While having a King is not against the plan of God, per the instructions God gives in Deut. 17, the people of Israel ask for a king at the wrong time and for the wrong reason. presents the continuing storyline that amidst the unfaithfulness of God s people God remains faithful. His sovereign hands do not work distantly from His people, but they work in the lives of specific individuals that He uses to lead the nation of Israel. Author: Unknown I. A Prayer Answered And A New Judge, Priest, And Prophet (1 Samuel 1-9) 1 Samuel opens during a time when the word of the Lord was scarcely heard (3:1). There are semblances of adhering to the Law, but blatant corruption exists even in the leadership of the priests (2:12ff). In the middle of this dark time of everyone doing what was right in his own eyes (Judges 21:25), there is a Godly barren woman who trusts that God will answer her prayers and provide a child. Through God s provision to Hannah the nation is given a Godly judge, priest, and prophet in the person of Samuel, who Hannah dedicates to the service of the Lord. a. Key Verses FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 1
i. An Answer to Hannah s Prayer & Dedication of Samuel 1 Samuel 1:26 28 (ESV) 26 And she said, Oh, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the Lord. 27 For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him. 28 Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord. And he worshiped the Lord there. ii. An example of the corruption of Eli s sons 1 Samuel 2:15 (ESV) 15 Moreover, before the fat was burned, the priest s servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, Give meat for the priest to roast, for he will not accept boiled meat from you but only raw. (violation of Lev. 7) Even the formal worship of God in Israel has become corrupt and lost its sense of God s holiness. The sons of Eli the priest are completely self-serving and without any regard for the Lord (2:12) The Drama of Scripture, Pg. 88 iii. Eli is told his sons will die because of their corruption 1 Samuel 2:34 (ESV) 34 And this that shall come upon your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, shall be the sign to you: both of them shall die on the same day. iv. The return of God speaking to His people 1 Samuel 3:1 & 4 (ESV) 1 Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision 4 Then the Lord called Samuel, and he said, Here I am! v. God will wake up Israel from her slumber 1 Samuel 3:10 14 (ESV) 10 And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, Samuel! Samuel! And Samuel said, Speak, for your servant hears. 11 Then the Lord said to Samuel, Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. 12 On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13 And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. 14 Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever. vi. Samuel God s man for the hour 1 Samuel 3:19 21 (ESV) 19 And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the Lord. 21 And the Lord appeared again at Shiloh, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord. FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 2
vii. Samuel the Judge 1 Samuel 7:15 17 (ESV) 15 Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. 16 And he went on a circuit year by year to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah. And he judged Israel in all these places. 17 Then he would return to Ramah, for his home was there, and there also he judged Israel. And he built there an altar to the Lord. viii. Samuel obeys the Lord through a bad request of the people of Israel 1 Samuel 8:7 9 (ESV) 7 And the Lord said to Samuel, Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. 9 Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them. Think about that for a minute. Did you ever consider that sometimes God will grant our very requests as part of his punishment of us? The Message of the Old Testament, Location 4904 ix. Israel s worldly view rather than Godward view 1 Samuel 8:19 20 (ESV) 19 But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, No! But there shall be a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles. The prospect of a coming king was a constant theme in the promise-plan of God, for it appeared in the promises to the patriarchs (Ge 17:6, 16; 35:11), in the prophecies of Balaam (Nu 24:7, 17 19) and in Deuteronomy (17:14 20). But the people had a false start with King Saul when they asked for a king for improper reasons. God s choice will fall to David in 2 Samuel 7, one of the most significant prophecies of the Bible. The Promise-Plan of God, Location 2702 x. A king fit for a nation based on outward appearances 1 Samuel 9:2 (ESV) 2 And he had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people. II. Saul becomes the King of Israel, but not a kingdom that will last forever (1 Samuel 10-16) FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 3
Saul is anointed King by Samuel, but is not immediately trusted as the nation s leader. Israel eventually recognizes Saul as the King of the entire nation, but Saul quickly departs from the commandments of the Lord. While Saul reigns for many years, he lives through most of his reign knowing that the kingdom will be taken from his hands and given to another due to his blatant disregard for God s Law and commands. i. Saul is anointed King 1 Samuel 10:1 (ESV) 1 Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on [Saul s] head and kissed him and said, Has not the Lord anointed you to be prince over his people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of the Lord and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies. And this shall be the sign to you that the Lord has anointed you to be prince over his heritage. ii. Kingship is not without direction 1 Samuel 10:25 (ESV) 25 Then Samuel told the people the rights and duties of the kingship, and he wrote them in a book and laid it up before the Lord. Then Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his home. The people were not to appoint anyone who was not chosen by God, and the king was not to do his own will and pleasure: he was to rule according to the law of God. Thus Israel still had a theocracy of sorts, where the king merely reigned as a viceroy of Yahweh, the heavenly Sovereign. The Promise-Plan of God, Location 2750 iii. Repetition of the basis of God s blessings on His people 1 Samuel 12:14 15 (ESV) 14 If you will fear the Lord and serve him and obey his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, and if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God, it will be well. 15 But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you and your king. iv. Realization of their sin comes too late 1 Samuel 12:19 (ESV) 19 And all the people said to Samuel, Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask for ourselves a king. v. Saul s impatience leads to the loss of his kingdom 1 Samuel 13:9 10, 13-14 (ESV) 9 So Saul said, Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering. 10 As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him and greet him 13 And Samuel said to Saul, You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 4
he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you. In all this, Saul epitomizes the kings of Israel. In the centuries to come, they will on the whole lead the nation not to greater obedience to God but to greater disobedience. They will lead the people not to freedom from the surrounding nations, as God had done through the judges, but to oppression from them. The Message of the Old Testament, Location 4987 vi. The man after God s own heart is identified 1 Samuel 16:11 14 (ESV) 11 Then Samuel said to Jesse, Are all your sons here? And he said, There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep. And Samuel said to Jesse, Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here. 12 And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, Arise, anoint him, for this is he. 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah. 14 Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the Lord tormented him. vii. David not yet King, but brought into the King s house 1 Samuel 16:21 23 (ESV) 21 And David came to Saul and entered his service. And Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor-bearer. 22 And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David remain in my service, for he has found favor in my sight. 23 And whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him. III. Saul spirals into destruction while David rises to prominence (1 Samuel 17-31) The Sprit of the Lord is no longer upon Saul, but upon David. David quickly rises to prominence in the eyes of the people through the defeat of Goliath and the Philistines. David marries into Saul s household, but quickly becomes an object of Saul s wrath. Therefore, David spends the balance of 1 Samuel in a very tenuous situation. Through all of the attempts by Saul to rid himself of David, it is clear that the plans of man cannot defeat the purposes of God. a. Key Verses FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 5
i. David s disdain over the defiance of God 1 Samuel 17:26 27 (ESV) 26 And David said to the men who stood by him, What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God? 27 And the people answered him in the same way, So shall it be done to the man who kills him. ii. God does not need a champion like the Philistines 1 Samuel 17:45 47 (ESV) 45 Then David said to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord s, and he will give you into our hand. What is good and right about David is that he has faith and confidence in the God he serves! He knows that God is the point, and that God will supply! The Message of the Old Testament, Location 5080 iii. Saul s jealously sets in on David 1 Samuel 18:8 9 (ESV) 8 And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands, and what more can he have but the kingdom? 9 And Saul eyed David from that day on. iv. David respectful of God s leader and God s timing 1 Samuel 24:8 10 (ESV) 8 Afterward David also arose and went out of the cave, and called after Saul, My lord the king! And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the earth and paid homage. 9 And David said to Saul, Why do you listen to the words of men who say, Behold, David seeks your harm? 10 Behold, this day your eyes have seen how the Lord gave you today into my hand in the cave. And some told me to kill you, but I spared you. I said, I will not put out my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord s anointed. v. Saul begins his reign with victory, but his reign is ended in defeat 1 Samuel 31:3 7 (ESV) 3 The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by the archers. 4 Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and mistreat me. But FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 6
his armor-bearer would not, for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it. 5 And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him. 6 Thus Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on the same day together. 7 And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley and those beyond the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. And the Philistines came and lived in them. IV. David is made King over Israel and receives a promise from God regarding an eternal Kingdom (2 Samuel 1-10) David mourns the death of Saul, and one of Saul s sons is made King over Israel while David is made King of Judah. The House of Saul and the House of David struggle against each other until David prevails and is made King over all of Israel. David will reign over Israel for 40 years, but God gives a promise to David that his reign will never end. As followers of Christ, we now know that the Messiah, Jesus Christ, is the fulfillment of this promise to David. a. Key Verses i. David is made King of Judah and Ish-bosheth King of Israel 2 Samuel 2:4a & 10 (ESV) 4 And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah 10 Ish-bosheth, Saul s son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David. ii. David continues to grow in stature among the Israelites 2 Samuel 3:1 (ESV) 1 There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. And David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul became weaker and weaker. iii. David is made King over all of Israel and establishes Jerusalem as the capitol 2 Samuel 5:3 10 (ESV) 3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel. 4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. 5 At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years. 6 And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, You will not come in here, but the blind and the lame will ward you off thinking, David cannot come in here. 7 Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David. 8 And David said on that day, FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 7
Whoever would strike the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack the lame and the blind, who are hated by David s soul. Therefore it is said, The blind and the lame shall not come into the house. 9 And David lived in the stronghold and called it the city of David. And David built the city all around from the Millo inward. 10 And David became greater and greater, for the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him. iv. David has great success in subduing Israel s enemies and wants to build a house for God 2 Samuel 7:1 2 (ESV) 1 Now when the king lived in his house and the Lord had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, 2 the king said to Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent. v. Nathan prevents David from building God a house, but God tells David through Nathan the establishment of an eternal Kingdom 2 Samuel 7:12 17 (ESV) 12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, 15 but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever. 17 In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David. V. David sins and repents, but his family will turn on itself and challenges will come to his reign (2 Samuel 11-21) While David life s was characterized overall as a man after God s own heart and he served as a type of Christ, he was sinful like all other men. His sin did not cause God to remove the promise of an eternal Kingdom, but it did bring death and destruction to his family as well as constant challenges to his reign. David serves as a model of repentance to us, and a reminder as to how we must be ever vigilant when it comes to avoiding sin. David s sin quickly spirals out of control and leads to murder. Blessing turns to curse in the following chapters, where David's later disobedience and decline are candidly revealed, along with the destructive consequences these have, both for his family and for the nation. Theological Interpretation of the Old Testament, Location 1366 FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 8
a. Key Verses i. David commits adultery 2 Samuel 11:1 5 (ESV) 1 In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. 2 It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. 3 And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? 4 So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she had been purifying herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned to her house. 5 And the woman conceived, and she sent and told David, I am pregnant. ii. David commits murder 2 Samuel 11:26 27 (ESV) 26 When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she lamented over her husband. 27 And when the mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord. iii. David s sin is uncovered and discipline is announced 2 Samuel 12:7 10, 14 (ESV) 7 Nathan said to David, You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. 8 And I gave you your master s house and your master s wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. 9 Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife 14 Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord, the child who is born to you shall die. iv. The next King is born 2 Samuel 12:24 25 (ESV) 24 Then David comforted his wife, Bathsheba, and went in to her and lay with her, and she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. And the Lord loved him 25 and sent a message by Nathan the prophet. So he called his name Jedidiah, because of the Lord. FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 9
v. David is driven from Jerusalem by his son 2 Samuel 15:13 17a (ESV) 13 And a messenger came to David, saying, The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom. 14 Then David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee, or else there will be no escape for us from Absalom. Go quickly, lest he overtake us quickly and bring down ruin on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword. 15 And the king s servants said to the king, Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king decides. 16 So the king went out, and all his household after him. And the king left ten concubines to keep the house. 17 And the king went out, and all the people after him. And they halted at the last house. vi. The brokenness of David over the death of his rebellious son 2 Samuel 18:33 (ESV) 33 And the king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And as he went, he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son! VI. David s reign comes to a close and Solomon is established as his heir (2 Samuel 22-24) The immediate results of David sin s come to a close, but at the close of his reign he again insights the discipline of the Lord for his sin. However, this time the discipline extends beyond his household to the entire nation. 2 Samuel ends with David again repenting and the Lord relenting from the punishment He sent on the nation of Israel. a. Key Verses i. David proclaims the source of his salvation and success 2 Samuel 22:2 4 (ESV) 2 He said, The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, 3 my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence. 4 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. ii. David sins against the Lord again 2 Samuel 24:1 (ESV) 1 Again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, Go, number Israel and Judah. iii. David must choose the punishment for his sin 2 Samuel 24:10 15 (ESV) 10 But David s heart struck him after he had numbered the people. And David said to the Lord, I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O Lord, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have done very foolishly. 11 And when David arose in the morning, the word of the Lord FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 10
came to the prophet Gad, David s seer, saying, 12 Go and say to David, Thus says the Lord, Three things I offer you. Choose one of them, that I may do it to you. 13 So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, Shall three years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days pestilence in your land? Now consider, and decide what answer I shall return to him who sent me. 14 Then David said to Gad, I am in great distress. Let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercy is great; but let me not fall into the hand of man. 15 So the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel from the morning until the appointed time. And there died of the people from Dan to Beersheba 70,000 men. iv. David repents and the Lord relents 2 Samuel 24:24 25 (ESV) 24 But the king said to Araunah, No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing. So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 25 And David built there an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel. Takeaways from : God continues to show His people a simple lesson that applies to all generations obedience brings blessing, but disobedience bring discipline. While Israel is given a King, the King like the judges leaves the readers wanting for a perfect leader of God s people. The impact of sin is not limited to the one or two individuals involved. Many times the sin spirals out of control leading to broader sin. In addition, the ripple effects of the sin can last for generations. (Ex. 34:6-8) Seeking Christ in the Old Testament Up until, we have seen the offices of prophet and priest. Now we learn about the office of king. So the final office of Christ is revealed through the establishment of an eternal kingdom in the line of David. The NT goes beyond comparisons, emphasizing that Jesus as Messiah also surpasses and contrasts with David, a great but flawed human being. Theological Interpretation of the Old Testament, Location 1399 Works Cited Archer, Gleason L. A Survey of Old Testament Introduction. Chicago: Moody, 1998. Bartholomew, Craig G., and Michael W. Goheen. The Drama of Scripture: Finding Our Place in the Biblical FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 11
Story. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2004. Dever, Mark. The Message of the Old Testament: Promises Made. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2006. ESV Study Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008. Vanhoozer, Kevin J. Theological Interpretation of the Old Testament: a Book-by-Book Survey. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2008. FBC Durham Bible For Life Page 12