Notes: 1 & 2 Samuel
God guards the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked die in darkness because no one succeeds by strength alone.
1 Samuel 2:9
1 Samuel
- Last of the judges.
- God is Israel’s king
- Sometimes God uses human leaders to rally the people.
- Samuel represents the people before God as a priest, and delivers God’s messages to the people, as a prophet.
- His mom begs God for a child. Promises to give that child to the service of God. God delivers. Samuel is born. She delivers the child to the priest Ezra, to raise him in the priesthood.
- Samuel is last of the judges, and before he dies the people insist he choose a king for for them.
- Samuel chooses a donkey herder, Saul, as the first king.
- Saul is a good military leader, but he disobeys God and he loses God’s support.
- God chooses David, a shepherd, kills a Philistine (Goliath), to replace Saul as king. The Israelites love David. Saul is jealous. Tries to kill David. Instead Saul dies on battlefield by suicide. 1100-1000BC
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2 Samuel
- With King Saul dead, the Israelites declare David king.
- David is a great warrior and leader, but his family life is a mess.
- God helps David securei Israel’s borders against enemies (1010-970BC)
- David has his ups and downs as king.
- At God’s command, David’s son Soloman (who has become King Soloman), builds a temple to God in Jerusalem, which remains the most sacred city on earth.
- Notable events during David’s reign as king:
- Conquers Jerusalem and turns it into Israel’s center.
- Has sex with Uriah’s wife Bathsheba, she has a child, he has Uriah murdered.
- His son Amon raped his 1/2 sister, and David doesn’t punish him. His other son, Absalom, then has his men kill Amon in vengeance.
- Absalom is now prince and next in line. He plans to overthrow his father, David, but instead David’s men kill Absalom, although David told them not to.
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