Samuel11 May
The books of Samuel are the beginning of the monarchy in Israel. The first chapters explain the transition from the period of the judges. The primary figures in the books are Samuel, Saul, David, Nathan, and the children of David. A basic outline is:
I. The Story of Samuel – 1 Sam 1-7
A. Samuel’s birth and call (1-3)
B. The Ark Narratives (4-6)
C. Samuel, the last judge of Israel (7)
II. The Reign, and Failure, of Saul – 8:1-16:13
A. Israel demands a king (8)
B. Saul’s appointment as King (9-11)
C. Samuel’s farewell (12)
D. Saul’s rejection as king (13-15)
III. The Rise of David – 1 Sam 16:1-2 Sam 5:10
A. The anointing of David (16:1-13)
B. David in the court of Saul (16:14-21:1)
C. David the fugitive in the wilderness (21:2-26:25)
D. David and the Philistines (27-30)
E. David becomes King (1 Sam 31-2 Sam 5:10)
IV. The Reign of David – 2 Sam 5:11-20:22
A. David’s achievements (5:11-9)
B. David’s sins (10-12)
C. The aftermath of sin in David’s house (13-14)
D. Civil War (15-20:22)
V. Appendix – 2 Sam 20:23-24
A key Passage from Deuteronomy 17:14–20 will be fleshed out in the se books or Samuel & Kings.
When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,” be sure to appoint over you the king the Lord your God chooses. He must be from among your own brothers. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother Israelite. The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.” He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.
Thus we have in this brief passage, images of the king’s rule connected to the promise for the land. Further, the king must be an Israelite of God’s choosing. He shall not depend on his military for success, and he must not gain great wealth or numerous wives; he must trust wholly in God. His trust in YHWH is to be expressed in obedience to God’s Law and as one under the authority of YHWH he is to regard himself as equal to his fellow Israelites. There may also be the notion that he is to pursue his brothers’ well being in that he prohibits them from ever being sold as slaves again and that there is a recommitment to the Law at his succession to the throne.
5 Responses to “Samuel”
Leave a Reply
It seems as if God was extremely tough on Uzzah when he tried to keep the Ark from falling. Obviously it had to be handled in some way. Can you explain why this happened to him and not others that moved it.
Yeah, God was tough on him. No i can’t explain why God was tougher on him except that perhaps he was in charge of the improper move. (They should have carried the Ark)
Hi Steve and Sam, I have a question for you. IISam 24:1 Once again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and he caused David to harm them by taking a census. Are we missing something in the translation? I don’t get it. It doesn’t seem that God would cause a godly king to bring harm to His people.
1 Chronicles 21:1-Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel.
With these verses together we have a picture of what is taking place. The Lord allowed Satan to incite David to take the census, thereby reminding David that his strength does not rely on man, but on the Lord.
2 Samuel 24:10-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.”
He knew he was wrong before he was confronted about it.
What Satan meant for the destruction of Israelites AND JERUSALEM ITSELF, God used to humble David.
Thanks! It reminds me of what happens at the beginning of Job. Thanks for helping me see the fuller picture.