Andrew Stepp First Samuel
THINGS I CAN INVITE MY FRIENDS TO Ken Medema TONIGHT! 5pm Neighborhood Connect on the 22nd
Review of Basic Training What s the point of First Samuel and its context The Setting Outline Key questions Key characters This Week s Readings
Genesis God makes everything and it s really good for about 3.2 seconds. Exodus YAHWEH VS. RA FIGHT NIGHT ONLY ON PAY-PER-VIEW SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY! Leviticus STOP DOING GROSS STUFF. Numbers Israel makes a wrong turn near Mt. Sinai, refuses to ask for directions. Deuteronomy I SAID STOP DOING GROSS STUFF GOSH WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE. Joshua The hotly anticipated product launch of Moses 2.0. Judges A riveting documentary on the doctrine of total depravity. Ruth The Bachelorette: Hebrew Edition.
Genesis: Creation Jacob aka Israel moving to Egypt during the famine Exodus: Crisis with Pharaoh The Covenant at Mt. Sinai Leviticus: How everything is supposed to be organized Numbers: Preparation for invading Canaan. Mt. Sinai wandering around the wilderness encamped across the Jordan River from Jericho/Promised Land Deuteronomy The Patton/Rockne/Hoosiers Speech before they cross the Jordan
Joshua Israel invades and conquers the Holy Land. Judges The wheels come of the bus quickly in the Promised Land Immorailty and Idolatry galore! Ruth A small town of people choose to live faithfully to the covenant despite their culture and nation, and God uses them!
That was a clue!
1 Samuel (The FIRST book of the Kings ) & 2 Samuel 1 Kings & 2 Kings Begins with the last judge (1100 BC) who anoints the first two kings Ends with the last king and Israel s destruction by Babylon. (587 BC) These are FORMER PROPHETS God s perspective on the history of his people The covenant s perspective *
* The key to understanding the former and latter prophets is Deuteronomy!
Israel was not unified. Leadership was: L O T
Gross Idolatry (Judges 17-18) Gross Immorality (19-21) It s a train wreck like Israel.
The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the LORD (Judg 2:11; 3:7; 3:12; 4:1; 6:1; 9:23; 10:6; 13:1). In those days there was no king of Israel; all the people did what was right in their own eyes (Judg 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25).
Chapter 1: Tragedy Chapter 2: Kindness Chapter 3: Hope Chapter 4: Joy! Ruth 4:17 The women living there said, Naomi has a son! And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.
Samuel (1-7) Samuel and Saul overlap (8-15) Saul and David overlap (16-31) Samuel s birth around 1100 BC to the end of Saul s kingship in 1012 BC
It is not WILL they have a king? But What kind of king will the have? Deuteronomy 17:14-20 The King expected to be faithful to Yahweh and display his character. Will he do that? The role of kings in the Ancient Near East
God The ultimate good guy (THE Hero!) Samuel God s right-hand-man Saul the forgettable and unstable first king David the young up-and-comer Bonus: The Philistines
Descendants of Ham Mizraim (Egypt) (genesis 10:14) When Israel fled Egypt in the Exodus, they avoided the coast because the Philistines had already settled there. (Ex. 13:17) (The Mediterranean = The Sea of the Philistines Ex. 23:31) They had five cites: Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, and Gath.
Abraham and Isaac had relatively positive dealings with them (Gen. 20-21, 26) In Judges they are fought by Shamgar and Samson. In 1 Samuel, they: Capture the ark of the covenant. Destroyed Shiloh Restrict the production of iron, preventing Israel from making weapons.
He still uses barren women to provide his deliverance. (See Ch. 1) Still chooses the lesser to fulfill his purposes. (See Ch. 16) Still rules sovereignly and the one true God. (See Ch. 5)
Born by miraculous conception (like Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Benjamin, John the Baptist ) Famously listens to the voice of God calling him in the night. Replaces the Eli as the priest in Shiloh. Unites Israel and defeats the Philistines. His two sons who replaced him were wicked. Anoints the first two kings.
Looks like the guy everyone would choose to be king. Ignores his anointing from the very beginning. Ignores God s rules. Disobeys God s commands and expects no consequences. Values his glory over God s glory. Attempts to kill his son, Jonathan, after he makes a foolish oath. (Much like Jephthah in Judges) Becomes violently consumed with protecting his power. Commits suicide on Mt. Gilboa before the Philistines.
Chosen by God to be king, anointed by Samuel out of the seven sons of Jesse. (He would not have been chosen unless by God.) A renaissance man shepherd, warrior, musician, poet, king, politician etc. He whooped Goliath at the Alamo Valley of Elah.
Assumes leadership over Saul s armies Saul gives David his daughter in marriage in order to trap him; it fails She falls in love with him! Becomes BFF s with Saul s son Jonathan Takes the high road (integrity/respect) while Saul is trying to kill him. Manipulates the Philistines politically like a marionette. Lol!
Option 1: 1 Samuel 1-31 = 6,6,6,6,7 Option 2: 1-3 Samuel s Birth and Calling 7-10 transition from Judge Samuel to King Saul 12-15 Saul fails and is rejected as king 16-18 David is introduced; slays a giant! 28-31 Saul s Demise
CSMITH@FPCHOUSTON.ORG