1&2 Samuel Short Course

THERE IS NO ONE HOLY LIKE THE LORD; THERE IS NO ONE BESIDES YOU; THERE IS NO ROCK LIKE OUR GOD.

1S 2:2

Part One

dive - THE SAME YESTERDAY, TODAY AND FOREVER |katie haldane

As you read 1 & 2 Samuel, you are going to hear stories and people that you probably have known for a while. We all loved the stories of David and Goliath that we heard at Sunday school, the stories of God talking to Samuel, we all laughed in juvenile delight as we were told about the king that was so happy to have the presence of God back in his city that he danced in his underwear.

dEEP DIVE - WHO IS REALLY IN CHARGE? | DR KYLE KEIMER

Who is really in charge? This is something that the Bible poses over and over to those who read it. In Exodus, God says He will give certain signs so that ‘they will know that I am God’ (the ‘they’ is both Israel and Egypt depending on the specific verse. Exodus 6:7; 7:5, 17; 8:22; 10:2; 14:4, 18; and others). Judges 6 highlights that it was not Gideon who won the battle against the Midianites, but God. Over and over again, God is the one who is in control, yet we sometimes forget this.

Part Two

DIVE -THE TWO REJECTS | katie haldane

How much are you loving the books of 1 & 2 Samuel? They really are incredible historical narratives of our faith! I mean who doesn’t love prophets with miraculous births, God taking out the enemy by just the presence of the Ark, wars, good looking Kings, jealousy, more wars, Kings dancing in their underwear before God, adultery, murder–I mean seriously this book is like an episode that could be on Netflix!

DEEP DIVE - FROM JUDGE TO KING | NATHAN ROSS

The books of 1 and 2 Samuel mark a major transition in the history of Israel. Leading up to this point the people of Israel operated as a theocracy, that is God was their sole authority and in most recent history spoke through the judges (see the book of Judges). Prior to that God worked through the Levitical priests and leaders like Moses and Joshua. But now, for the first time in their history, we see in the book of Samuel that the Israelites desire to have a king.

Part Three

DIVE - TELEVISION HAS NOTHING ON 2 SAMUEL | katie haldane

How are you going reading 1 & 2 Samuel? It’s full on, hey! I mean, let’s be honest, when we read the Bible, we expect it to be a little conservative, loving, slightly challenging; this is a holy book, a holy text. And then you read 1 Samuel, it has some intrigue, Saul gets a little out of control but nothing too serious. Next, we are introduced to David, this sweet little shepherd boy, singing to the Lord in the field lures us into a false sense of purity. Because then it begins in 1 Samuel 26, and by the time you turn the page to 2 Samuel, the drama is in full swing.

DEEP DIVE - DON'T LOSE HEART | KATIE HALDANE

The heart is talked about 29 times in the books of 1 & 2 Samuel. The word for heart in Hebrew is ‘leb’ meaning the ‘inner man, indefinite, soul, comprehending mind, affections and will’. In a time when God was establishing a human king and his kingdom in Jerusalem, the rise and fall of the kingdom would depend upon this one thing: their heart, affections and will towards God.