1 & 2 Samuel Lesson 1

I Samuel
“The People Demand a King”

Key Verse: I Samuel 8:5 “And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”

Theme: The theme centers around Israel’s desire for a king. They chose less than God’s best and suffered for it. The failures of Israel bring about a divided kingdom. A note of failure runs through I Samuel.

Date: 940 B.C. (Approximately) Just after the death of Solomon. Events cover a period from 1100-1017 B. C. or eightythree years.

Writer: Samuel wrote the first twenty-four chapters, and it is believed that the prophets, Nathan and Gad wrote the remainder. (See I Chronicles 29:29)

Written: Written as books of Hebrew history. Originally I and II Samuel were written as one book. The division was made in the Hebrew Bible in 1517. They were called I and II Kingdoms while I and II Kings were referred to as III and IV Kingdoms.

The Book: Number in the Bible: 9th of 66 books in Bible. Number of chapters: 31. Number of verses: 810. Number in order of writing: 4th of 12 History Books of the Bible.

Purpose: To give an account of the history of Israel under the last two Judges. Eli and Samuel, and their first king, Saul, to explain the “monarchy.”

Divisions: 1. Eli becomes both Judge and Priest (Ch. 1, 2) 2. Samuel’s birth, life, and death. (Ch. 3-16) 3. Saul becomes King of Israel (Ch. 9-31) 4. Jonathan, David’s best friend. (Ch. 14-20)

Facts: 1. I Samuel is a portion of the Word of God written for our learning. (Romans 15:4) 2. It furnishes us with an important transitional link between the period of the Judges and the Kingdom of David. 3. It describes characters to be patterned after and others whose patterns are to be shunned. 4. It reveals the nature and will of God, the weakness and frailty of man, the unfailing purpose of God, the blessing which attends obedience, and the disaster which follows disobedience.

Outline: I. THE FAILURE OF THE PRIESTLY OFFICE—ELI A. Eli’s failure as a Priest (1:9, 13:2:27-36) B. Eli’s failure as a Parent (2:12-17, 22-25) II. THE FORMING OF THE PROPHETIC OFFICE—SAMUEL A. Samuel as a Person 1. His birth (1:1-8, 10-28;2:1-10) 2. His boyhood (2:11, 18-21,26;3:1-21) B. Samuel as a Prophet 1. Teaching the people (4:1-7:14) (a.) to wait (4-6) (b.) to war (7:1-14) 2. Reaching the people (7:15-17) III. THE FOUNDING OF

THE PRINCELY OFFICE—SAUL, DAVID A. The tragedy of Saul (8-15) 1. The finding of Saul (8-10) 2. The fitness of Saul (11-12) 3. The failure of Saul (13-15) B. The training of David (16-31) 1. As a lover of God (His years as a shepherd) 2 As a lord over self (His years as a courtier) 3. As a leader of men (His years as an outlaw)

Miscellaneous: The four-fold nature of Samuel’s ministry 1. As a Prophet (I Samuel 2:27-35) 2. As an Intercessor (I Samuel 7:5-8) 3. As a Priest (I Samuel 2:35) 4. As a Judge (I Samuel 7:15-17) I Samuel opens with a prayer. II Samuel closes with a prayer. Prayer is the key word in the book. It is found thirty times.

II Samuel
“The Reign of David”

Key Verse: II Samuel 5:4, 5 “David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah.”

Theme: The great prosperity and blessings of Israel under David’s reign on one hand, and the severe afflictions and judgment on the other. We see triumph turned to trouble through sin.

Date: 940 B.C. (Approximately) The same as I Samuel. Both books were one originally and were written covering approximately forty years of the reign of David.

Writer: Probably the prophets Nathan and Gad. (See I Chronicles 29:29)

Written: As Hebrew history

The Book: Number in the Bible: 10th of 66 books of the Bible. Number of Chapters: 24 Number of verses: 695 Number in order of writing: 5th of 12 History books of the Bible.

Purpose: To trace the career of David from the death of Saul to the closing days of David’s life. The suggestive types and examples in the book make it obvious that God has given us illustrations to teach us principles of the Lord.

Divisions: (Three different ways it can be divided) First Division 1. David’s reign from Hebron: 7 ½ years (Ch. 1-4) 2. David’s reign from Jerusalem: 33 years (Ch. 5-24) Second Division 1. David’s Triumph (Ch. 1-10) 2. David’s Sin (Ch. 11- 14) 3. David’s Troubles (Ch. 15-24) Third Division 1. David’s reign over Judah (Ch. 1-4) 2. David’s reign over all Israel (Ch. 5-7) 3. David’s kingdom expanded (Ch. 8-10) 4. David’s sin and its consequences (Ch. 11-14) 5. David’s problems with Absalom (Ch. 15-18) 6. David’s restoration to the throne (Ch. 19-20) 7. David’s final words and deeds (Ch. 21-24)

Facts: *The Royal line of Saul closed in tragedy. *All Israel was unified under David. *The first seven years David ruled from Hebron in Judah. *The whole land was unified and David moved his capitol to Jerusalem. *He built the Royal Palace. *He successfully defeated the enemy nations of the Ammonites, Moabites, Edomites, and the Amalekites. *The book is equally divided into David’s: (1.) Triumphs 1-12 (2.) Tragedies 13-24

Outline: I. DAVID’S TRIUMPHS OVER HIS FOES (Ch. 1-10) A. The Civil War (Ch. 1-4) B. The Conquest Period (Ch. 5-6) C. The Covenant of David (Ch. 7, 8-16) D. The Crowning Years (Ch. 8-10) II. DAVID’S TEMPTATION AND HIS FALL (Ch. 11-12) A. His Luxury (11:1) B. His Look (11:2) C. His Lust (11:3,4) D. His Lament (12:1-14) E. His Loss (12:15-23) III. DAVID’S TROUBLES BECAUSE OF HIS FAILURES (Ch. 13-24) A. Trouble with his kids (Ch. 13- 19) 1. The baby died (12:23) 2. Amnon assaults his sister (13:1-27) 3. Absalom kills Amnon (13:23-29) 4. Absalom rebels against his father (Ch. 14-19) B. Trouble with his Kingdom (Ch. 20-24) 1. Sheba’s revolt (Ch. 20) 2. Saul’s sons slain (Ch. 21) 3. Song of thanksgiving (Ch. 22) 4. Speaking his last words (Ch. 23) 4. Sin of numbering the people (Ch. 24)

Miscellaneous: In II Samuel we see: 1. Poetic Retribution: Saul’s History, Sin of David 2. Implicit Obedience is Enforced: David’s attempt to bring up the Ark on a cart resulted in Death of Uzzah. 3. Godly Repentance is Illustrated: Treachery, and murder lay heavy on David (Psalm 51) 4. Grace: In David’s treatment of Absalom and Mephibosheth.

-Outlines written by Dr. Tom Wallace

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