THE BOOK OF SAMUEL

Written by Rachael

STUDY ON - THE BOOK OF SAMUEL

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T R E A S U R E... S E E K E R S ... I N ... T H E ... O L D ... T E S T A M E N T - SAMUEL

'Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path......Where your treasure is

there is your heart also'

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TREASURE SEEKERS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

SAMUEL

TREASURE SEEKERS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT - 1 & 2 SAMUEL

Right both 1 & 2 Samuel are named after the person God used to establish kingship in Israel. Samuel not only anointed both Saul and Daved, Israel's first 2 kings, but he also gave definition to the new order of Gods rule over Israel that began with the incorporation of kingship into its structure....which up until then it had not had.

Samuels importance as God's representative in this period of Israel's history is close to that of Moses, since he, more than any other person, provided for covenant continuity in the transition from the rule of judges to that of monarchy.

So this is the point that rule moved from Judges as discussed in previous studies, to the rule of Kings....Saul and David being the first 2 appointed.

Both books were originally 1 book....It was divided into 2 parts by the translators of the Septuagint ( Greek translation of the Old Testament.

Was written circa (around) 930 B.C, soon after David's reign, 1050-970 B.C....the setting is the Land of Israel under David's rule. The book was named after the prophet who anointed David and guided him in godly living.

You have David's successes and his struggles, but how through these the kingdom grew....

however much growth or how many changes we experience, God provides for us if we love him and highly regard his principles, Gods work done in Gods way never lacks Gods supply of wisdom, energy and strength!

On reading the end of the first and beginning of second,the 1st book about Saul til his life end, and the 2nd book from the beginning of Davids reign....so thats probably why on translation the book was divided where it was, to separate the 2 kings and their paths...also another half way to point out, is that David was born halfway between Abraham and Jesus!

David grew popular, he realised that God was behind his success...God pours out His blessings on us because of what Christ has done...God doesnt see personal greatness as something to be used selfishly, its to be shared and shone out! to be an instrument for God.......loving others as God loves us!

Have yourself ready for God's service, be faithful, trust and be obediant, Gods provision meets every need, the provision sometimes needs serving out to others!

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Now David never mentions his father, and yet to his father he was the lad that kept the sheep, who wasnt worthy to go to the religious feast...

This had me thinking of Jesus, whom to his father on earth, He was a carpenter and Jesus does He ever mention Joseph? And yet both embrace, address and turn to God the Father!!

Jesus always followed His Fathers will, was tempted and in the desert for 40 days and is the King of kings, He was without sin, a willing vessel....

David also followed the Fathers will, and when His sin was revealed to him, he repented, there was still consequences, reigned for 40 years as king...in the promised land. He was a willing vessel too...

I find it interesting that Moses led the Israelites in the desert for 40 years....he too was imperfect, and had consequences to sin, one of which was he would not reach the promised land...then you have David who reigned for 40 years as king...

Faithfulness, patience, courage, generosity, commitment, honesty..as well as other God honouring characteristics such as modesty and repentance

I'm picking up on David's character that he always wanted to do what God did, and instantly repented of what he did wrong when it was pointed out it just needed pointing out sometimes, but because of his perseverance, he too received the crown of life...or the crown as king.....

which then has me think of Jesus who is King of kings who was in the desert for 40 days.....and how we too are told in James 1, that perseverance brings its own reward of the crown of life!

Moses was to do with the Old Covenant and bringing in the laws of God, but wouldnt see the fruit of that, and yet David lived in the fruit of that AND was the beginning of something new with the monarchy....also God said to both Moses and David that they would be famous....and that they have become!!

Reminds me of the passing over of the Old to the New with John the baptist and Jesus ....like a shadow, first Judges rule...then monarchy rule, first ruled by the law, then Jesus came to fulfill the law, there can be no king after Jesus unlike there was back in Saul and David's day, Jesus is the KING OF KINGS!

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Begins with the anointing of David to be king over Judah...covers 7 years 6 months reign as king of Judah and 33 years of king of Israel and Judah from Jerusalem...united, this too had me think of the Gentiles and Jews and how we are told that there is 1 Lord 1 Truth etc..and also how Jesus was on this earth 33 years also.

David was the greatest king of Israel....Jesus is the King of kings

2Samuel really is divided into 2 halves again, chapter 11 forming the dividing line between the 2 parts, where it also comes to the end of the 20th year of his reign...

Up to this point everything had gone great for David, but after this we find tragic things happened as the outcome of the success and victories which ended in him being exposed to temptations....seems the more triumphant he was the more temptations came his way.....remind you of anything?

Through faith you will always triumph, Hebrews 11 is a good example of faith and prophets, and faith has its fruits, you will know them by their fruits......sin always bears its bitter fruit of suffering and one sin can lead to another

David reigned over Judah for 7 years 6months because other tribes refused to accept him as Saul's successor as king of Israel...Saul's son Ishbosheth was proclaimed king by Abner, Saul's captain of the army in opposition to David, and all the tribes except Judah accepted it.

His actions in this position was right, just and in walking with Gods will....His experiences through the past 7 perfect years of preparation and discipline had taught him wisdom of waiting for Gods time, guidance and will!

2Sam1...David waxed stronger and stronger, but the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker...the Israelites saw the difference between the weak character of Ishbosheth and the brilliant bold character of David, his success and victories, and they loved him.

Also worth pointing out again how David always looked to do what was right and just and also what God wanted...when the 2 men returned with the head of Ishbosheth having killed him in his bed, David had them killed, they were not instructed to go and do this, and do it with such shame...an example of loving the enemy?

King David showed justice, mercy, and fairness to Saul's family, enemies, rebels, allies, and close friends alike...his just rule was grounded in his faith in and knowledge of God, his use of justice offered hope for a heavenly, ideal kingdom. This hope will never be satisfied in the heart of man until Christ returns to rule perfectly

Saul's son should never have been crowned,it was very wrong because they knew that David has been appointed as Saul's successor by God!!

Davids right to kingship.......1) His human right - "We are thy bone and thy flesh"...2) His proven right "thou leddest out and broughtest in Israel".....3)His Divine right...."The LORD said thou shall be captain of..."

It speaks to us of Christ.....His 'right'to be King of our lives!

So david moved on to Jerusalem or as it was known at the time 'Jebus'. The Jebusites still ruled over it...they challenged David and mocked him......

When the heathen cities were attacked they carried their gods out and place them on the walls superstitiously, believing they would defend them....having heard that the Jews had described these gods as being the blind and the lame.....they mocked the Jews

Jesus, crowned King of the Jews, King of kings too was mocked....

David hated the heathen idols, conquered the city and it was renamed David's City, Jerusalem, the foundation of peace, when Jesus returns there will be a new Jerusalem!

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God made a Covenant of David, not just with him....."I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever and ever" 2Samuel7 covers the Covenant, it affects the whole history and future of mankind!

3 things are made sure to David, with Divine confirmation of the Throne of David...1) ... Posterity (all future generations).....2) Throne.....3) Kingdom!.... all of which promised forever and ever!

2 Sam. 8-10 - Here we see David's reign at its Zenith. Everywhere he was a victorious warrior. Never before had Israel been such a power among the nations!!

He conquered seven surrounding powers - the Philistines in the West, Syrians and Hadadesers in die North; the Ammonites and the Moabites in the East; the Edomites and the Amalekites in the South.

The secret of David's successive conquests is found in 2 Sam. 8:14, "and the LORD gave David victory"....David was a skillful general and a virtuous ruler.

People have criticised David's ways but actually he was far more generous and leniant that was usual to the prisoners of war...and if you think about it, far less barbaric than we are with the canons, bombs and aeroplanes that kill indiscriminately...think of the atom bomb!

Remember the state Israel was in when he took over and that when he died he left to Solomon, his son, a united nation that enxtended from the River of Egypt to the Euphrates, and from the red sea to Lebanon.....the nation of Israel conducted themselves with religious principles

Its the principle of the matter that counts, you ever heard that saying? the principles were good, trusting God, following God, being obediant to God, and repentance, again David was a great example to the people, of all this, just like the people were to follow his guidance, so he followed the Ultimate Guidance

David was very sad when Saul died, and throughout his reign, he made it a point of looking after any descendants of Saul, had one eat at his table always

See how David was a great man of God and yet stumbled like we can and do, ordinary person started off a shepherd boy....'he was the lad that kept the sheep, who of which was not worthwhile to the religious feast'... no one is worthy, but through Jesus, His love, the banner over us, brings us to the banqueting table!

We sometimes think that sinful pleasures and freedom from God's restraint will bring us a feeling of freedom, but sin creates a cycle of suffering that is not worth the fleeting pleasures it offers...we shouldnt excuse sin in our lives, just because we are in a time of success.

He fell as soon as he took his eyes off God, got distracted with the 'world' and all it had to offer....take your eyes out of the pit and focus them on the heavens, we need to look to and respond to that drawing into a deeper relationship with God...David's life showed that relationship with God....draw close to Him and He will draw close to you...

David sinned with Bath-sheba, he experienced the consequences of his sin which ruined both his family and the nation...he got complacent in his prosperity and ease led from triumph to trouble...

We see how repentance shows this in his life, when his sin was shown to him he was mortified, guilt ridden and repentant. Psalm 51 shows this, his self condemnation and deep repentance.....you need to read the whole psalm really, hard to pick out bits, so take some from beginning and end...

1 Have mercy on me, O God,

according to your unfailing love;

according to your great compassion

blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash away all my iniquity

and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I know my transgressions,

and my sin is always before me.

16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;

you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

17 The sacrifices of God are [c] a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart,

O God, you will not despise.

His inner life is revealed in the psalms really, its a total expression of his inner self, his expression from the heart, he had moved from his head and into his heart, both good and bad feelings and times, he expressed them, he kept no wall between himself and God, he hid nothing...

David's repentance is what separated him from the other king Saul....both sinned, both were sorry, but David was utterly 'contrite' because he had sinned against God, and turned from his sin....Saul was sorry, but not because he had sinned against God, but because through his sin he had lost the throne....he didnt repent and turn away from the sin.

If you want God to be pleased with you, you should do what pleases God?

Colossians 3...1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2Set your mind on things above, not on things of the earth.

One person can make all the difference, and that person can be you, with you family, your neighbour, your work colleagues, your associates...you can make all the difference as David did!

God bless :)