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Return to Learning to Wait on God Series Return to Wednesday Bible Study 1
Samuel—An Introduction[1]
Tonight we are going to prepare for a new series which we will launch
next Wednesday evening, Learning to Wait on God. We’ll
be looking at the life of David before he became king of Next
Week: A new series begins… “Learning
to Wait on God” The
Life of David Before He Became King 1
Samuel 16-31
We’ll actually begin that series next week.
This evening I want to sketch the backdrop for a study of the life of
David by taking an introductory look at the book of 1 Samuel.
Discuss: Without looking,
what can you tell me about 1 Samuel? Historical
Setting of 1 Samuel 1.
The Patriarchs (2000 B.C.)
*Abraham, Isaac, Jacob
*The 12 sons of Jacob 2.
Captivity in
*lasted 400 years
*delivered 1440 B.C. 3.
Conquest of 4.
Period of the Judges
*lasted 300 years
*political, moral, and spiritual anarchy
The final verse of Judges sums up the deteriorated condition of those
days.
"...every man did that which was right in his own eyes." Judges
21:25
Q: How bad was it in To
give you an idea, turn to I Samuel.
Q: Who was the ruling
priest/leader in
Q: Eli's sons assisted him.
What kind of men were they? 2:12
"...worthless men; they knew not the Lord."
They didn’t know the Lord! Think
of that! These men were the
spiritual leaders in the land!
Q: What else are we told
about Eli's sons? 2:17
"sin...very great before the Lord...abhorred the offering" 2:22
"...they lay with women..." 2:25
"...hearkened not to the voice of their father..."
How bad was it in
Key: Just when it seemed the
nation would cave in due to its rottenness, guess what happened?
That's what 1 Samuel tells us. In
two words, here's what happened.
**God intervened!
Q: How did God intervene?
A: Through the seemingly
forgotten prayers of an obscure peasant woman named Hannah!
God heard Hannah. And God
answered her cry.
In order to appreciate the life of David (who enters the story in 1
Samuel 16), we must appreciate the structure of the entire
book of 1 Samuel. So let's
jump into a surveillance airplane and scan the book to see the big picture. An
Overview of 1 Samuel In
our English Bibles, we have two books called by Samuel's name, 1 & 2 Samuel.
In the earliest Hebrew Bible, there was no division between the two.
It was just called Samuel (deriving its name from the first main
character). The book is located in
the section known as the "Former Prophets" (which includes Joshua,
Judges, Samuel, Kings). The
Main Characters of 1 & 2 Samuel:
*Samuel--born in 1120 B.C.
*Saul
*David--died in 971 B.C.
Thus, 1 & 2 Samuel span a period of 150 years. An
Outline of 1 Samuel: I.
II.
Israel under the Leadership of Samuel (3-8) III.
Israel under the Leadership of Saul (9-15) IV.
Israel under the Leadership of both Saul & David (16-31) V.
Israel under the Leadership of David (II Samuel)
Discuss: Why did God give us
the book of 1 Samuel?
Think about something. When
God gave us the Bible, He used a variety of types of literature.
He could have used one type. He
could have just given us a theology textbook.
But He didn't. He used
poetry, songs, genealogical records, history, recorded sermons, parables, as
well as plain and simple commandments.
Did you realize that over 1/3 of the Bible is narrative literature.
What is narrative literature? Stories.
1 Samuel is narrative literature.
Q: Why did God give us
stories in the Bible?
Application: When you read
the Bible, keep this point in mind. God
used various kinds of literature when He gave us the Scriptures.
You can't interpret different kinds of literature in the same way.
eg--Do believe we should interpret Revelation literally?
Yes, but what do you mean by "literally"?
Should we interpret it the same way we do Ephesians?
No. Ephesians is a letter.
Revelation is apocalyptic literature.
It's a vision full of images and symbols.
Our question is always this--What did the writer mean by what he wrote?
So I Samuel is narrative literature.
It's also a historical record.
Key: 1 Samuel gives us theological
history.
It's history, yes. But it's a
special kind of history. God didn't
tell us everything that happened during the 150 period between 1120 and 971 B.C.
1 & 2 Samuel are very selective.
1 Samuel is history with a theological purpose.
Theme: 1 Samuel shows us how
God by His sovereignty reclaimed the nation of
Q: Who's the main character
in 1 Samuel?
Samuel?
No. Saul?
No. David?
No.
God is.
Listen. Why did God give us I
Samuel? God's intent in giving us 1
Samuel was not merely to give us "example stories."
His aim for telling us about Saul and David was not merely to challenge
us to be like David but don't be like Saul.
His aim is to teach us about Himself.
Challenge: Look for God
throughout the book.
That's why a study like the one we’re going to begin next week is so
necessary for us, and why it can be so practical for us.
Looking at David’s life in the book of 1 Samuel will help us to get to
know God better, and how to live for Him. To
Do:
1. READ I Samuel 16-31
2. Pray and ask God to use
this study to enable us to get to know Him better.
3. Read some background
information (Study Bible, Bible Dictionary). [1]
These are unedited
teaching notes used initially for a Wednesday evening Bible study at
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