Life Of David - Lesson 5

Young David - 1 Samuel 16:14-23

Prayer:

Lord as we look into your word open our hearts to love you more deeply, to be a people after your heart as David was a man after your heart.  Help us to grow to know you better, to handle your word with confidence, and to care for others with the strength & tenderness of a Shepherd.  Amen!

Last week we were introduced to David as a young man, likely a teenager, in the first part 1 Samuel 16.  David was the youngest son that his dad Jesse hadn't bothered to bring in from the sheep pens to the sacrifice, even though all of Jesse's sons had been invited.  Samuel, under God's direction, was using this time of celebration as a means to discover the man God had chosen for his next King of Israel.  Samuel discovered that the one chosen by God was missing, and he had him brought in to join in the celebration.  God indicated David was His choice, and Samuel anointed him with oil in front of his father & brothers.  How much David & his family knew about the anointing we're not told in the passage, but according to Josephus (an ancient historian), Jewish custom held that Samuel leaned down and whispered in the ear of David that he would be Israel's next king.  Now we continue David's story, but first...

Quickly Form Groups and answer these Questions:

1. From your knowledge, what are the duties of a shepherd & how might those duties have been used by God to train David to be a King?

2. Have you ever had a "Divine Appointment", a time when you knew with certainty that God prepared you & then placed you in space & time to be His hands & feet for another?  Share this experience with the group.

David is a Shepherd, a dirty job, a solitary job, a job that requires hard physical labor, and a job that to be done well requires courage, compassion, and dedication.  A Shepherd needs to know his flock as individuals, know their particular needs / quirks / strengths / weaknesses.  A Shepherd can call individual members of the flock with unique names / whistles / calls -- and the sheep recognized the voice of their Shepherd.  A Shepherd has to lead the sheep to pasture, to water, to shelter -- they can't find their own way, they don't know how.  A Shepherd tends their wounds, carries them if sick / injured / weak, and delivers the lambs.  A Shepherd is alert, always on watch because sheep tend to wander off, and on the watch for predators.  A Shepherd puts his life on the line to protect his flock from predators, or to rescue sheep snatched by predators.  Sheep aren't terribly active or exciting, so a Shepherd has to be able to entertain himself.  Obviously not just anyone is cut out to be a Shepherd, but David was, and this was the first part of God's training to prepare him to become Israel's king.

God had another stage of training in mind for David as well, training that would provide him with first-hand knowledge of the duties / responsibilities / benefits / troubles involved with Shepherding God's people.  God was setting up a divine appointment for David, he was going to bring David into Saul's inner circle, God was going to see His will done in and through David, David was going to become very valuable to Saul - almost indispensable, and God was going to use Saul to train David.

1 Samuel 16 v14: Remember that when Saul had first been called by God to be King, God confirmed the call by a serious of odd events, and at that point God's Spirit was "assigned" to stick with Saul.  But now... after Saul has failed to be obedient to God, God is removing His Spirit & sending an evil spirit to torment Saul.

Two important things to point out from this verse:

First: We must remember, evil spirits are still under God's control and may only operate as God allows... there are times when they must do God's will even if they don't want to - but I'm guessing this evil spirit was more than happy to torment the leader of God's people.

Second: This is before Pentecost, before the church age in which the Holy Spirit is given as a Permanent Seal.  Don't be confused, during Old Testament times the Holy Spirit would be given for a specific time & purpose, there are only two pre-Pentecost individuals in which scripture indicates that the Holy Spirit stays - David & John the Baptist.  I want to make this clear because I don't want you to be concerned that the Holy Spirit might leave you, if you are a believer today the Holy Spirit is your Permanent Companion - you don't need to be concerned that He will ever leave you.

v15-16: Apparently the activity of the evil spirit was evident to both Saul & those around him, we don't know how it manifested but it was recognized.  In those days, as today, music was seen as a means to affect the emotions - in this case to sooth the disturbed king.  One thing that struck me about this, this human king - a man of high standing in human eyes - is made a subject to an evil spirit - a being with the lowest standing in God's eyes.  God is making it clear - He has no respect for human position, and He has had enough of Saul & his disobedience.

v17-18: Saul approves of the idea of bringing in a musician & who gets recommended but our young future king David.  David at this point is already known as a musician, a warrior, and a well spoken & handsome young man.  David has not yet joined Saul as one of his warriors (at least not as recorded in scripture) but somehow his skill is already known.  

How might his skills as a warrior have been known?  Some possibilities:

• Local problems with bandits who came against his flock or his family or his town.
• Small local wars/skirmishes where his skills would have been displayed.
• Local contests with others in his community.

v19-20: Saul sends for David, unwittingly bringing his replacement into the throne room.  But where is the future king when he is called?  He's back with the sheep, he's doing the job he's been given until God calls him into His service.  We should look to this as an example, when we are serving God - in whatever capacity we are serving, we should continue to serve faithfully - even if we expect God may have bigger plans in mind for us.  What's interesting is that David keeps going back to his sheep... when he wasn't on assignment with Saul he was back to his sheep.  This is not a lazy guy, this is not a guy seeking the limelight, this is a guy whose heart is focused on service - whatever form that service takes.

Jesse sends David along with gifts for the King, why do you think he sent the gifts?

• Perhaps he thought that the gifts were a means of winning Saul's favor.
• Perhaps he didn't dare send David without a gift that would indicate that they were respectful of the Saul's reign.
• Perhaps its just what was expected of anyone that is summoned to the throne.

v21-22: David impresses Saul, Saul likes him, and makes him one of his armor-bearers, and Saul makes a request from Jesse that David remain with him in his service.  We need to understand that these 2 verses & the one that follows are probably another one of those portions of scripture that is a summary - this didn't happen all at once... in fact in Chapter 17 we'll see that David is back home, and serving his father faithfully... but in time David will be a person that Saul finds indispensable.

v23: The evil spirit repeatedly came & left Saul, and its clear that the evil spirit would leave after David would come in & play his harp.  This is beyond the mere effect of music alone, it appears that the Spirit of God was at work through David's music to suppress the evil spirit & drive it away.  The Hebrew word indicating that Saul experienced relief is "ravach", which means "to be wide, to be spacious, to give space so as to bring relief" - we might say "to breath freely" or "room to breath".

Psalm 23 is a familiar Psalm, written by David, and its called the Shepherd's Psalm (Psalm means Song or Hymn).  It is possible that this was one of the songs that David sang for Saul to sooth him.  Psalm 23

We don't know why but for some reason singing is tightly tied to worship of God.  

There is a passage about singing in Job where God is speaking about what was happening during the creation.  Job 38:4-7

We also know that there is & will be singing in heaven. Revelation 5:6-14

We are also encouraged to lift our voices, even if they aren't beautiful, in praise to God.   We find encouragement to sing in the "Joyful Noise" Psalm, not credited to David.  Psalm 98

The following is a quote from a devotional on David written by Beth Moore:

"We find that David had the tenderness and sensitivity of an artist.  He was a musician and a songwriter.  David did not simply have talent.  Talent alone could not have soothed the torment of Saul.  David plucked the strings of his harp with tenderness and sensitivity.  He chose melodies that ministered to the aching soul.  You may rightly imagine that many of your favorite psalms were first sung by the young voice of David, wavering and cracking somewhere between boyhood and manhood to the accompaniment of a well-worn and deeply loved harp.  Yet we are also told he was a warrior, brave and strong.  The fingers that gently plucked the strings of a harp could also wind fiercely around a sling or a sword.... I deeply desire to be a woman of tenderness and strength because my dearest role model possessed both."

From the context of her book its clear that Jesus is the ideal role model, though David is also a good role model.  In my life I was blessed with a role model that demonstrated these two traits in good balance - my Dad - he's with the Lord now but his influence continues & I hope someday to demonstrate these traits as well as he did.

Quickly Form Groups Again, and answer the following questions:

3. Would you describe yourself as more strong than tender or more tender than strong?

4. What are the dangers of getting out of balance (strength vs tenderness) in either direction?

5. Who do you have that can be a real-life role model for you of these traits?

Closing Prayer: Teach us Lord to be more like you, to demonstrate both tenderness & strength, to be your hands and feet to a world in need.  Amen!

Life Of David - Lesson 4

Setting The Stage - Part 4

&

Delving into David

This week we'll finish Setting the Stage for our study of David, and actually start getting into the meat of David's story... we pick up at Chapter 15, the final chapter that is focused primarily on Saul.

Before we turn to chapter 15 I want to quickly clear up something that wasn't clear to me & probably wasn't clear to you as well.

(1 Samuel 1:1) Samuel's father Elkanah is called an Ephriamite; however, the NIV Study Notes indicate he is probably a Levite of the Koathite clans that had been allotted towns in Ephriam. (Joshua 21:20-21; 1 Chronicles 6:16, 22-23, 28; 1 Samuel 8:2) Though the genealogy in Chronicles isn't crystal clear the coincidence would be pretty amazing if this were a different Samuel.  So though Samuel wasn't necessarily assigned duties of a priest, he was at least of the priestly line.

1 Samuel 15: War against the Amalekites.

(1-9) God has given the Amalekites into Saul's hands, all He asks for is obedience to His commands.  Did Saul do as God Commanded?

• No, he spared King Agag & some of the best of the cattle & sheep - he was supposed to destroy all the people & all the cattle & sheep.

(10-13) God is grieved, Samuel is so troubled that he is up all night crying out to the Lord.  What is Saul doing?

• Building a monument in his own honor.
• Acting like he's done just as God wanted.

One of the things I used to tell my HS & JrHS students was "partial obedience is disobedience" - they hated that!!

(14-15) When Samuel confronts Saul, what sort of response does Saul give?

• He's justifying himself again!!

(16-21) We see a repeat of the same, Samuel confronts & Saul seeks to justify.

(22-26) Samuel gets particularly brutal with Saul & lets him know just how dire his sin is "rebellion is like the sin of divination & arrogance like the evil of idolatry".  Samuel informs Saul that the Lord is rejecting him as king.  Saul finally admits his sinfulness, but starts making excuses "I was afraid of the people so I gave in to them"... this is the King, this is the guy that's a head taller than everyone else, this is a warrior, and he's more afraid of his image than of God?  Really ?!?  What does he ask Samuel to do & why?

• To forgive him, to come back & worship with him so that he can worship the Lord.

How does Samuel respond to Saul's request?

• Samuel says no!  God has rejected Saul & God's word is the last word as far as Samuel is concerned.

(27-29) What is the significance of the hem of Samuel's robe being torn?

• It is used by Samuel as an illustration of God tearing the kingdom of Israel away from Saul.
• Historical Significance: Symbol of authority (priests, kings, etc.) - the hem was special, it would be woven or embroidered in such a way as to symbolize the person's position (like bars on the shoulders of soldiers today), the hem could be pressed into wax on letters or documents to authenticate its source/authorship (like a signature or signet ring).

Saul's act damaged Samuel's hem, but it was Saul not Samuel whose authority was damaged.

(30-31) Saul again confesses & Samuel agrees to worship with him, but what is Saul really concerned about?

• His standing before the elders & the people.

(32-33) Samuel does Saul's job for him & dispatches Agag.

(34-35) Samuel & Saul part company, Samuel never goes to see Saul again, Samuel mourns for Saul, and God is grieved that Saul is king.

Two things I want you to keep tucked in your memory from this chapter:

• The significance of a Hem, because this is going to come up again with David & Saul.
• That Samuel & Saul don't see each other again during Samuel's lifetime, but they do see each other again - but its an odd passage in scripture that we won't get to for a while.

Lets get to David!!  Form 4 Groups for some questions - I'm going to have you go through the questions first & then I'll teach on this passage.

Read 1 Samuel 16:1-13 & answer the following questions:

1. Why do you think Samuel was mourning?  Who's life (be respectful & don't use actual names) do you mourn & why?

2. Under what circumstances is it wise to withhold information?  Are there times when it is ok to lie?

3. Why do you think God didn't just tell Samuel the name of the one He'd chosen?

4. What causes you to judge or be impressed by others (height / weight / clothing / race / fitness / possessions / personal style / ...)?  What should we look for instead?

5. Have you ever been the forgotten one, or the one who was left out or left behind?  How does that feel?  In what ways does it impact your outlook?

1 Samuel 16:1-13: David's anointing

v1: God announces to Samuel that the time for him to mourn over King Saul has ended, God has other plans, and God wants Samuel to get going.  God is very specific in his instructions, He says: "fill your horn with oil", "be on your way".  Then God tells Samuel that one of the sons of Jesse, who lives in Bethlehem, is His choice to be King.

I asked you to think about who you mourn & why - I mourn for a friend who's an atheist, he's destined for Hell (ouch!), I mourn for other friends & family members who claim to be Christians but whose lives scream otherwise (they're lost & think they're not), and I mourn for those in leadership who have moved our churches & our country in directions counter to the ways of God (they will be held accountable).  Mourning has a purpose - it inspires us to pray, and there is a time for it... and then we are to move on.

v2a: Samuel appears to be arguing with God when he says "How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me." but he's actually bringing up a valid concern.  From where Samuel lived (in Ramah) to get to Bethlehem he had to pass right through Gibeah (where Saul lived) - add to that the fact that Saul has already been told that God has rejected him... and there's an explosive situation brewing.  If you don't think Saul would have killed Samuel, if you think its not in his nature, just wait until we get further into this book & you'll see that Samuel's concerns were very real.

v2b: God knows about the potential problems & already has a plan in place, He instructs Samuel to take a heifer & go to Bethlehem to make a sacrifice - if anyone asks he's to say he's going to make a sacrifice.  In doing this he's not lying, but he's not giving away vital information about his actions.  In Beth Moore's Bible study materials on the life of David she makes an interesting point here: "when engaging in matters of espionage, it always pays to have a good cover story".

There are times when we are to withhold information, some I thought of:

• When asked by a friend to keep a secret, an example: I have a friend that had several miscarriages & shared with me that she was pregnant again, she asked me to pray & not to tell anyone until she was further along in her pregnancy.  It would have been wrong for me to give out this information even if asked directly about it.
• If someone inappropriately asks for private information, like intimate information or financial information, its perfectly valid not to answer them.
• When I did classified work for a Government Contractor, I was not allowed to speak about it... period!!

In the case here in this passage God in essence told Samuel "here's your mission, its classified, if asked this is what you're to say.  The cover story is a good one, Samuel was known to go & make sacrifices, so it worked.

3: God instructed Samuel to go find Jesse in Bethlehem & invite him to the sacrifice, and then God said "I'll show you what to do".  God could have told Samuel who He had chosen at this point, but He didn't.  God had an important lesson for Samuel to learn, one that's recorded in scripture for our sakes as well.

4: Samuel goes & does as God says, when he arrives the elders of the town are fearful & trembling.  Samuel was a powerful prophet, they may have feared that they had come under God's judgement.  They may have known of the time he prayed for rain (Chapter 12) & put the wheat harvest at risk.  They ask if he has come in peace.

5: Samuel assures the people that he has come in peace, and tells them he's come to sacrifice to the Lord.  He instructs them to consecrate themselves & come to the sacrifice with him, and we're told that Jesse & his sons are specifically invited.

Consecrate: "make holy", to Consecrate yourself in Samuel's day involved both preparing spiritually as well as going through the process of becoming ceremonially clean.

6: Samuel see's the oldest son & thinks this must be the guy... 

7: But God has an important lesson for Samuel as well as for us.  We are not to be impressed by outward appearances, what really matters is a person's heart.

I have to confess: in the past I have judged people with: tattoos, heavily pierced, scantily or suggestively dressed.... Where I grew up these things indicated that the person was involved in the local drug culture - a culture that nearly ruined my brother's life & cause my family horrible pain.  I also have to confess that I'm prone to admire people who are: smart, fit, strong, musically / artistically talented.  But I most appreciate those who demonstrate a great deal of love, compassion, and mercy.

We all have biases - a couple examples: I have a friend that won't wear sleeveless tops because she was taught that baring her whole arm was suggestive.  I've traveled to places where a woman wearing shorts would be assumed to be of questionable morals.

We must be careful!!  We must not judge!!  We must take the time to get to know the hearts of people... their hearts reveal their true nature.

8-10: Samuel continues to meet Jesse's sons one-by-one, until he's met all that Jesse brought, and God has not chosen any of them.

11: I can't help but imaging Samuel at this point scratching his head & wondering what is going on!!  So he asks Jesse "Are these all the sons you have?".  Remember Samuel specifically invited Jesse & his sons to come to the sacrifice, now Jesse admits that he didn't bring one of his sons... Woops!!  I can't help but wondering if this was intentional or not, but either way it shows that Jesse didn't consider David worth bothering to bring... he was just the youngest who was out tending the sheep.  I wonder if this is the treatment David was used to getting, being the youngest, being left out, being forgotten... Beth Moore said the following: "I believe his wisdom and meditative nature got their start in the loneliness of a little brother accustomed to being put down and ostracized.  Did he inherit the duties of keeping sheep, or where the woolly creatures preferable to the company of taunting brothers?"

We all have times when we feel like the one left behind, the forgotten one, the outsider, some of us have struggled more with this than others.... Its beautiful to see how God can take our pain & use it both to draw us near as well as to serve His purposes.

Anyway... Samuel insists that the entire even needs to wait for this youngest son - and he would need to be brought home & cleaned up first... I bet that got people wondering!!

12: David arrives & he's a healthy & handsome young man - the one God has picked!

13: So Samuel anoints David, and it says he does it in the presence of his brothers - remember that when we get to the Goliath passage - but it doesn't specifically say that he informed David he would be King, yet I would hazard a guess that David was told as much.  In any case it tells us "from that day forth the Spirit of the Lord come upon David in power".  Finally Samuel leaves & returns home.

(Time Permitting:) Psalm 78:70-72:

He chose David his servant

and took him from the sheep pens;

from tending the sheep he brought him

to be the shepherd of his people Jacob,

of Israel his inheritance.

And David shepherded them with integrity of heart;

with skillful hands he led them.

Pray: I thank you God that you can take the worst things in our lives, and turn them around... to make Your best come out of them.  Lord I pray that as we go through this next week, as we encounter difficult or painful circumstances, that we would remember that You can use our pain to Your glory.  Thank You for time in your word & in fellowship with each other.  Amen

Life Of David - Lesson 3

Setting The Stage - Part 3

We've been preparing for studying David by getting caught up with the portions of 1 Samuel that serve as introductory (or preparatory) material.  In the last couple weeks we've quickly worked through chapters 1-11.  We've learned a bit about the state of the nation of Israel at the end of the era of the Judges, and seen the transition into the era of the Kings with King Saul.  We're currently spending some time getting to know Saul as his life & David's are quite intertwined.

In chapters 9-11 we get introduced to Saul, learn a bit about his family & his character.  We got to learn about his encounter with Samuel & the unusual way God confirmed Saul as His choice.  We also saw King Saul get off to a little bit of a shaky start, but soon he is victorious & is heartily accepted by the people with great celebration.

1 Samuel Chapter 12:

In this chapter Samuel (last of the great Judges) challenges the people before God to expose any wrongdoing on his part,  and they find none.  Samuel reminds the people of the government God set up (Theocracy) which they rejected in favor of a Monarchy.  Samuel warns the people that if they or their King do not honor God there will be consequences (verses14-15).  As punishment for asking for a king Samuel prays & God brings rain just when the wheat is ready to harvest (can ruin the crops), the people ask for mercy & verses 20-25 give Samuel's response.

This chapter (12) is called "Samuel's Farewell Speech" Samuel is old but not ill or dying, Samuel isn't getting ready to leave Israel, and Samuel is going to be around for Saul to consult, so why is Samuel making this "Farewell Speech" at this point in time?

• He's no longer the one who will lead the people.  (He is however, still a Judge & a Prophet of God).
• The responsibility for Israel is being placed in King Saul's hands.
• He is a ruling dignitary that is stepping down to make a place for the new dignitary.

1 Samuel Chapter 13:

(1-2) Saul has chosen an army of 3000.  Who is Jonathan?

• Saul's son & (later) David's best friend.

(3-4) We're not told why Jonathan attacked the outpost, and he's not corrected for his actions, but apparently this provoked the Philistines. Saul summoned the people of Israel to Gilgal, does anyone know why? (hold that thought & we'll catch back up to it)

(5-7a) The Philistines are on the attack & Israel is hard-pressed.... but wait a minute!!  Didn't we read in Chapter 7 that the Philistines left Israel alone for the rest of Samuel's life? (7:13-14) How do you explain that?

The book of 1 Samuel isn't necessarily strictly chronological, like many modern-day novels it will take you down one branch of a story, then back up & take you down another.  Also, its common in Biblical texts to have a summary of action, followed by a more lengthy & detailed description of the events involved (early parts of Genesis are a good example. 

<Write On The Board>

1 Samuel 1-7 are focused on Samuel, his birth, his calling, and his role as Judge & Deliverer - which lasts throughout his lifetime.

1 Samuel 8-12 backs up to a specific set of events in the middle of Samuel's lifetime, and are focused on Israel's request for & establishment of the King.

1 Samuel 13-15 are focused on Saul as the king

(7b-8) Here is another example of things seeming to be out-of-order in the chronology, to understand what I mean lets turn back to 1 Samuel 10:8.  Notice this is just after that bizarre day that Saul has seeing Samuel's prophecies about him fulfilled.  But the passage we're in today is believed to be about 2-3 years later, so what gives?  How do we explain this?

Its not clear, but as we'll see in the next verses apparently both Samuel & Saul knew precisely when as well as where (Gilgal) Samuel was to wait for Saul.  I think we have to assume that we just don't have enough of the conversation between the two (in chapter 10) recorded, its also possible that this was a routine established by God for Samuel & Saul to go to Gilgal & make sacrifices & inquire of God every time before engaging the nation in large-scale battle (the nature of the land/cultures of the day would have made small scale skirmishes common).

So the men were quaking & beginning to scatter because Samuel hadn't arrived, lets see what happens next (9-12).  What was wrong with Saul's actions?

• He was not the one appointed by God to offer the sacrifice.
• His pride told him that it was ok for him to make the sacrifice.
• He tries to justify his actions.

We all try to justify our actions, we want to see ourselves in the best light possible, what is the danger in this?

• Our pride makes us think that we're ok.
• We start taking liberties God never intended for us to take.

What should be our ONLY source of justification?

• The righteousness of Christ imputed (laid upon) to those who have accepted Him as Savior & Lord.

(13-14) What are the consequences of Saul's actions?

• He is scolded by Samuel.
• He lost the honor of having God establish his kingdom over Israel forever.
• God has sought out another to be the king & leader of the people.

(15-22) What kind of shape is the army in now?

• Down to 600 men.
• No swords (except Saul & Jonathan) & spears because they had no blacksmiths.

1 Samuel 14: War against the Philistines

(13:23-14:14)  What do you think of Jonathan?  Who does Jonathan credit with the victory?

• Brave, skilled warrior, trusting in God & giving God credit for the victory.

(15-23) God is still the God of Israel, defending His people, and Saul appears to be successful.

(24-30) Saul in his success is making rash decisions, he is not acting in wisdom, yet God continues to give Israel success.

(31-35) Saul's men are behaving in an ungodly manner, and Saul corrects their behavior.  What do you find interesting in verse 35?

• This is the first time Saul has built an altar to the Lord!!

Suddenly we see Saul trying to "do the right thing"... but I can't help but wonder if he wasn't just trying to look good in the eyes of his men.

(36-37) Saul is being rash again, presuming upon God, and God is not giving him an answer.

(38-39) Saul doesn't see his own behavior as a problem, why does he think God is not giving him an answer?

• He thinks someone in their midst has sinned.

Since God is not speaking to Saul directly, Saul resorts to using the Lot (Urim & Thummim) to determine where there may be a problem. (40-42)

Now Saul knows that somehow his answer lies with Jonathan, but he's still presuming that someone else is the problem & not him.

(43-45)  The men show much more wisdom than Saul, Saul tries to claim that God want's Jonathan to die, but the men realize that God has been working through Jonathan on Israel's behalf.

(46-52)  This seems to sum up Saul's life & reign - but remember how I said that sometimes the Bible isn't chronological - because chapter 15 gets into more detail on Saul again, this next time in his dealings with the Amalekites.

Life Of David - Lesson 2

Setting The Stage - Part 2

In order to understand the life & times of David we need to back up a bit, and skim through the first several chapters of 1 Samuel.  The story of David starts coming in at Chapter 16, though he's hinted at in Chapter 13.  Last week we covered Chapters 1-8 very quickly & this week we pick up at Chapter 9 which introduces Saul.

If you miss being here for a lesson & would like a copy of the materials please provide me with an e-mail address.

Let's review quickly so anyone who wasn't here last week isn't horribly lost:

Israel, from the time of the Exodus until the time of Samuel was in an era known as the time of the Judges.  The form of Government was known as a Theocracy - i.e. God is their leader.  Judges led & worked to resolve civil matters, Priests led & worked to resolve religious matters.

1 Samuel chapters 1-8 (a short reprise)

Chapter 1 - Hannah is barren, cries out to God for a son, Eli the priest initially thinks she's drunk.  Eli learns of her grief, pronounces a blessing on her, Hannah has a son (Samuel) & commits him to God for life.  Hannah raised Samuel until he was weaned (~ 3 years old).

Chapter 2 - Records Hannah's prayer in which she rejoices in the Lord, she hands over Samuel to the care of Eli the priest.  Hannah only sees Samuel about once a year after that, but brings him a new robe each year (she never forgets him).  Eli's own sons (priests) are evil - there is a looming crisis in the Priesthood, a prophecy is recorded against Eli's family.

Chapter 3 - God audibly calls Samuel.  Samuel is noted as being 100% accurate as a prophet of God (passes the test of a true prophet).

Chapter 4 - The Israelites take the Ark into battle - behaving like pagans & presuming upon God.  The Ark is captured, Eli's sons are killed.  Eli gets the news & falls over & dies.

Chapters 5 & 6 - The Philistines have trouble as long as they have the Ark, they end up returning the Ark to Israel. (Read this on your own time - humorous account)

Chapter 7 - Samuel intercedes for Israel, the Philistines are routed, during his lifetime they no longer have trouble with the Philistines. (Other enemies are still around)

Chapter 8 - Samuel is the last of Israel's great judges, his sons are also acting as judges but they are corrupt - there is a crisis in the civil leadership of Israel.  The people ask for a king "like the other nations", effectively rejecting God as their king.  Samuel warns the people what will happen, they want a king anyway.

Now on to King Saul... Why is it important that we learn about King Saul in preparation for studying the life of King David?

• Saul was the 1st king of Israel, David was the 2nd.
• David served King Saul - their lives were intertwined.

Our approach for these remaining chapters that are pre-David: we'll read through relatively quickly & ask a few questions as we go.  I'm trying to get us through this material quickly so please follow along & be ready to jump in and read as we go along.

1 Samuel Chapter 9

(1 Samuel 9:1-2) What do we learn about Saul from these verses?

• He is a Benjamite (tribe of Benjamin)
• His father (Kish) is a man of standing.
• He was "impressive", "without equal", "a head taller than any of the others"
• On the surface he looks like "King" material.

(1 Samuel 9:3-5) What traits do we see in Saul up to this point?

• Obedient to his father, hard working.
• Concerned that his father might be worried about him.

(1 Samuel 9:6-13) What insight do you get about Saul from his interactions with the servant & his seeking out the "man of God"?

• Can be swayed (by the servant).
• Willing to seek out God for help.
• Wants to be fair to the "man of God" & offer a gift for his services.

(1 Samuel 9:14-17) How had God prepared Samuel to meet Saul?

• The day before God had told Samuel that a man from Benjamin would come.
• As Samuel approached Saul God indicated His choice.

What had God said about Saul?

• He would be from the tribe of Benjamin.
• He will deliver the Israelites from the Philistines.

(1 Samuel 9:18-21) What did Samuel say to Saul that might have caught Saul's attention & confirmed that Samuel was a "man of God"?

• The donkeys have been found.

What news did Samuel give to Saul about his future & how did Saul react to this news?

• All the desire of Israel is turned to Saul & his father's family. (what do you think this means?)
• Saul's response: I'm just a guy from a little family in a little tribe... why do you say this?

(1 Samuel 9:22-27) What actions did Samuel take with Saul & what purposes might they serve?

• Made Saul the guest of honor at his feast, provided him a special piece of meat set aside for him.  Purpose: publicly honor & call attention to Saul in the eyes of the people of his town.
• Invited Saul home & spent time speaking with him "on the roof" (in the culture of the day: common place for guests to be entertained), Saul & Servant stayed overnight.  Purpose: build a relationship with Saul, Samuel would be guiding Saul & Saul needed to know & trust Samuel.
• Sent the servant ahead so he could give Saul a message from God.  Purpose: a private moment for Samuel to instruct Saul.

What are your initial impressions of Saul?

What do you think Saul was thinking? & How do you think Saul was feeling?

1 Samuel Chapter 10

(1 Samuel 10:1-12) After Samuel anointed Saul for his new position of leadership, he lists off this strange set of circumstances that Saul is going to encounter... what happens?

• God changes Saul's heart.
• Everything Samuel said would happen did happen.

If something like this happened to you, how would you respond?

• I'd be praising God.
• I'd be freaked out & I'd tell everyone all about it.

(1 Samuel 10:13-16) How did Saul respond to everything that happened?

• Initially it appears he went to a "high place" - implies he went to worship God.
• He doesn't tell anyone about the wonderful things that have happened or that Samuel has anointed him to be Israel's leader.

Why might Saul have withheld information?

• There's a hint in verses 11-12, Saul was in essence being taunted because he'd been prophesying.

(1 Samuel 10:17-22) Samuel is presiding over an official ceremony to select a king.  How was Israel's first king chosen?

• By tribe, then by clan, then by individual... likely using the Urim & Thummim.

How was Saul responding to this selection process & why do you think he responded this way?

• Saul was hiding.
• He may have been embarrassed, shy, timid, or afraid... He may not have wanted to face additional taunting or persecution... He may not have wanted to be controversial (and he would be as we'll see in the next few verses)... we're really not told why he hid.

(1 Samuel 10:23-27) Saul is presented as their king, what are the various responses of the people?

• "Long live the king!"
• Accompanied home by men that God had touched.
• Some troublemakers despised him & brought him no gifts.

In your mind, how is Saul starting out as king?

Why is his height a positive indicator to the people?

    How does this play out in our day (in business or politics)?

1 Samuel Chapter 11

(1 Samuel 11:1-2) What additional purpose, besides humiliation, might be served by gouging out the right eye?

• This was done at times to destroy the military capability of a people, specifically it would ruin the skills of their archers.

(1 Samuel 11:3-8) What did Saul do that got the people's attention?

• Cut up oxen & sent the pieces out with a threat.

Why did he do this?

• "God came upon him with power, and he burned with anger"

What was the result? 

• The people turned out "as one man".

(1 Samuel 11:9-10) What deceitful thing do the men of Jabesh do when they hear help is on the way?

• Tell the Ammonites: we'll surrender tomorrow.

Was it ok for them to lie in this way?

• This is tricky... they are at war, this is effectively providing the enemy with bad intel... 

(1 Samuel 11:11-15) How would you describe Saul's first attempt at military action?

• Successful!  All were killed or scattered.

How did the people respond to Saul's success?

• They effectively said: let's kill any who didn't want you as their king.

How did Saul respond to the people's suggestion?

• He said: no... God rescued Israel.

What was done instead?

• Samuel had Saul reaffirmed as king.
• Sacrifices were made.
• A great celebration ensued.

How is Saul doing as King?  What do you think of him at this point in his reign?

Life Of David - Lesson 1

Setting The Stage - Part 1

In order to understand the life & times of David we need to back up a bit, and skim through the first several chapters of 1 Samuel.  The story of David starts coming in at Chapter 16, though he's hinted at in Chapter 13.

Before we begin skimming who can tell me reasons why we should study David?

• Not 1st king of Israel, but the 2nd; however, he is the 1st king that is of the line of Judah. (Genesis 49:10)
• He is in the Messianic Line. (Matthew 1:1, 5, 6) From these passages we learn that he is the great-grandson of Ruth & Boaz (ref: book of Ruth).
• Large portions of scripture are dedicated to his life.  In a book on David, Charles Swindoll says the following:

"Would it surprise you to learn that more has been written about David than about any other biblical character?  Abraham has some fourteen chapters dedicated to his life, and so does Joseph.  Jacob has eleven.  Elijah has ten.  But do you have any idea how many are dedicated to David?  Sixty-six, if my counting is correct, and that does not include some fifty-nine references to his life in the New Testament."

• (1 Samuel 13:14 & Acts 13:22) David is the only one in all of scripture to be called "a man after God's own heart".

What do you know about David (his occupation & temperament)?

• Faithful shepherd, even in the presence of lions & bears. (1 Samuel 17:34-35)
• Fearless warrior, as we'll discover through many passages.
• When already anointed as the next king of Israel apparently he never brought it up, he served King Saul faithfully (for as long as that was possible) & respected Saul's appointment as Israel's king.
• (1 Samuel 16:18) Musician, brave warrior, speaks well, fine-looking, godly.
• From the numerous Psalms attributed to him we know he was a poet.
• He is reflective, moody, courageous, passionate... and fallible!!
• From the passages we'll learn that he was such a great guy that Jonathan, Saul's son,  was more than willing to relinquish any claim to be Israel's next king.
• He liked female company... he had at least 8 wives, from which he had 19 sons & a daughter... and this doesn't count his concubines or the children from his concubines.  If you like reading genealogies you can find info on David & his kids in 1 Chronicles 3.
• He wholeheartedly loved God!!

As 1 Samuel begins we are still in the portion of Israel's history known as the time of the Judges.

When was this era ushered in?

• During the Exodus while the nation of Israel was being led out of Egypt by Moses.  Moses father-in-law Jethro suggested that Moses find qualified men to help him make judgements for all the disputes that were arising during this trying time.  Moses did so & that was the start of the Judges.  The Judges were involved for matters civil law, the Priests were involved for matters of God's law.

What form of government did Israel have at this time?

• It was a Theocracy, God led his Priests & Judges by the power of His Spirit.  Just as later there would be good & bad kings, there were good & bad Priests & Judges.  The books of 1 & 2 Samuel are named after the last of the great godly Judges, Samuel, and 1 Samuel starts with the unusual beginnings of this amazing man who was not just a Judge but also a powerful Prophet.

1 Samuel 1-2: The beginnings of Samuel

The story starts out with Elkanah & his two wives, one who had many children & one who had none - the one with none was Hannah.  Elkanah loved Hannah, treated her very well, and even gave her a double-portion whenever the family went to make sacrifices.  Unfortunately the other wife was cruel, she provoked Hannah because Hannah was barren & would bring her to tears.

What was the significance of being barren?

• Having children was viewed as being blessed by God, and in truth children are a blessing from God.  Not having children was a terrible stigma for a woman of Hannah's day, it didn't mean she wasn't loved by God, but it meant that in her culture in her day she was looked down upon.

Hannah was deeply troubled, and went weeping to God. (1 Samuel 1:10-11)

Hannah prayed, she made a vow to God that if He would give her a son she would dedicate the son to God's service for life.  She also said no razor would touch his head, what is the significance of this?

• Hannah was proclaiming that her son would be a Nazirite, a person specially devoted to the service of God.  Most Nazirites were for a limited amount of time, rather than for life.  Samson is an example of a Nazirite (I believe he was also one for life).

Eli the priest saw Hannah praying & thought she was drunk, when he realized she was not drunk but in anguish he speaks a blessing on her (1 Samuel 1:17).

The results: (1 Samuel 1:20), the name Samuel sounds like the Hebrew for "heard of God".

Hannah took care of Samuel until he was weaned, probably at about 3 years old. (1 Samuel 1:24-28; 2:11) Hannah did what she promised, she gave her son to the Lord by putting him in the service of Eli the priest, and though I'm certain this was hard she trusted God so completely that her prayer of dedication starts by saying "My heart rejoices in the Lord".  Later we see that Hannah never forgot Samuel (1 Samuel 2:18-19)

As soon as we read that the young boy Samuel is put under the care of Eli, we learn the true nature of Eli's sons (1 Samuel 2:12, 17), but Samuel is in good hands with Eli.

Hannah went on to have 3 more sons and 2 daughters, and Samuel is being raised "in the presence of the Lord" (1 Samuel 2:26).  Samuel isn't going to be a priest, he's not Eli's son, so a crisis is at hand in the priesthood (we'll reference this as Israel's Crisis #1).  And the second half of chapter 2 records God's prophecy against Eli's descendants (1 Samuel 2:33).

1 Samuel 3: God Himself calls Samuel

This simply must be read (1 Samuel 3:1-10), God Himself called out audibly to Samuel,  God was calling Samuel to be His Prophet.  Unfortunately the first Prophecy he's given is a one against Eli & his family.  Samuel loved Eli, and Eli was like a father to him, so giving the prophecy was hard... sometimes God asks hard things of us, but we can trust our lives in His hands.

What is the test of a true Prophet of God? 

• A true Prophet of God is 100% accurate!!  (1 Samuel 3:19-21)

1 Samuel 4: The Ark Captured & Eli's death

This chapter starts what we'll call Israel's Crisis #2, they're at war with the Philistines & they're loosing.  This is when they make a mistake (1 Samuel 4:3).

What was their mistake?

• Bringing the Ark of God into battle.

Why was this a mistake?

• They were behaving like pagans, acting like they could control God by brining His ark to battle.

What should they have done instead?

• They should have prayed or asked Eli to pray on their behalf.

(1 Samuel 4:11) the result of their actions is the capture of the Ark & the death of Eli's sons.

Eli gets the news (1 Samuel 4:16-18), from verse 18, when it says Eli "led" Israel that indicates he was a Judge.  Normally a Judge was appointed by a previous Judge, and possibly Samuel had been appointed by Eli to succeed him since later Samuel is acting as a Judge in Israel.

1 Samuel 5-6: The Philistines troubles with the Ark & return of the Ark to Israel

These 2 chapters provide a glimpse of God's sense of humor when dealing with those who don't trust Him as God... and clearly shows the foolish behavior of these people.  I'm going to encourage you to read these on your own, they just shouldn't be missed but aren't key to our understanding.  Suffice it to say God causes the Philistines trouble & they end up returning the Ark.

1 Samuel 7: Samuel helps Israel defeat the Philistines

After the Israelites spend many years mourning & seeking God Samuel gets involved.  He advises the people to rid themselves of their pagan gods & then intercedes with the Lord on Israel's behalf.  (1 Samuel 7:10, 13)

1 Samuel 8: Israel asks for a King

Now we get to Israel's Crisis #3 (1 Samuel 8:1-3), Samuel is getting older & his sons are bad guys... who's going to lead Israel now?  The Philistines are still a threat, the people want a strong leader (1 Samuel 8:4-5).

What mistake did the people make in asking for a king?

• Their mistake was two-fold: 
• They failed to trust God to provide them faithful leader.
• They wanted to have a government "just like all the other nations", effectively rejecting their current Theocracy (government with God as its head) for a Monarchy.

(1 Samuel 8:6-9), Samuel tells the people all that a King will demand of them ending with (1 Samuel 8:18)