Lesson #01

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RETURN TO SYLLABUS

1 SAMUEL
Lesson #01
INTRODUCTION

• Who wrote the book of 1 Samuel?
• The authorship of this book is unknown though it is generally believed that the first 24 chapters were written by Samuel.
• 1 Samuel 25-31 and 2 Samuel may have been written by Nathan and Gad (See 1Chr 29:29).
• Originally 1 and 2 Samuel were one book.
• To whom were 1 and 2 Samuel written?
• These two books were written to the Jews as a history of God’s working with His people. Therefore, they are considered historical books.
• What is the location of the action in these books?
• Israel, the promised land.
• When were these two books written?
• They were written somewhere between 900 BC and 722 BC.
• Historical Background: What was happening at the time?
• The first 8 chapters of 1 Samuel belong to the period of the Judges that began with the book of Judges.
• What do we know about the period of Judges?
• It was a time when the 12 tribes of Israel were not united into one nation. Therefore, it was a time of disunity, and the people depended upon various judges who ruled specific areas of territory for short periods of time.
• Samson was a judge in Hebron.
• Eli was a judge in Shiloh where the arc of the covenant was located.
• Samuel became the judge in Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah. He was the last of the judges.
• Samuel is also considered the first in the list of the prophets, even though there were prophets before him in reality, such as Moses.
• Samuel was also a priest.
• Judgeships were not prescribed by the Mosaic Law though God did approve them. (Jdg 3:9,15)
• Judges were military and civil managers in a supervisory capacity.
• The remaining chapters of 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel belong to the period of the Kings.
• What do we know about the period of Kings?
• This was a period that began with the Israelites request for a king. God reluctantly permitted the first king, King Saul.
• Therefore, we can say that Saul ruled in God’s permissive will.
• The second king was David, who ruled in God’s perfect will.
• The third king was Solomon, who was a mixture of good government and bad government.
• After king Solomon, the nation broke into two nations ruled separately by a list of kings, most of which were evil.
• The Political Conditions:
• During the cycle of judges, there were frequent invasions from enemies outside Israel, such as the Philistines as well as inter-tribal warfare within Israel.
• Religious Conditions:
• Num 20:25-29 said that the High Priest must be descended from Eleazar who was the son of Aaron from the tribe of Levi.
• However, for some time they allowed priests descended from Aaron through Ithamar to be high priests.
• Therefore, there was a gradual disregard for God’s order of things.
• Even Samuel was a Levite but was not from the line of Eleazar.
• There was a degeneracy of the tabernacle and the offerings and worship in general which began in the priesthood. (1Sam 2)
• Worship in Israel was similar to Canaanite worship. Many people hated to come to worship.
• The majority of the people refused to listen to the voice of their prophets. However, there were a few of a righteous remnant.
• The Arc of the Covenant was located in Shiloh. It was not taken to Jerusalem until 20 years later by David. (2Sam 6)
• International Conditions:
• The great empires of the world were in a state of weakness allowing Israel to develop nationally during the times of their kings.
• The Hittites of Asia Minor had passed into insignificance.
• Assyria was in a state of decline.
• Egypt was weak and involved in internal conflict.
• The Philistines, having recently migrated from the Aegean Islands and Asia Minor (about 1168 BC) constituted Israel’s main threat.
• The Philistines had a monopoly on iron that gave them a military and economic advantage. (1Sam 13:19-22)
• The threat of the Philistines, however, was an impetus to Israel to unite against a common enemy.
• The purpose for the book of 1 Samuel:
• This book was to be an historical and official record of the ministry of Samuel as well as the development of the monarchy through the reign of King David.
• The theme of the book:
• There is a threefold theme:
• =1= The effects of sin:
• Personal effects.
• National effects.
• =2= The working of the Holy Spirit.
• The indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament was selective and temporary. (1Cor 12:13 Rom 8:9)
• =3= The sovereignty of God
• God’s theocratic kingdom on earth.
• God intended to manifest his sovereignty as He established, commanded, and deposed the rulers of Israel.
• God’s permissive will in action.
• Errors in attitude and timing.
• Sin and evil in action.
• God’s perfect will in action.
• God wills to permit evil but not to cause it for He is not the author of evil (Jam 1:13)
• The theme for our study:
• The theme for our study is “practical answers for daily life.”
• There are some interesting questions that we will discuss and answer as we make our way through the book.. Therefore, our theme is to solve some very practical questions that pertain to daily Christian living. For example:
• =1= What is God’s responsibility to children? (1Sam 1,2)
• =2= What are the reasons why children rebel? (1Sam 2-3)
• =3= What are the consequences of God’s permissive will? (1Sam 8, 12)
• =4= How does the Holy Spirit work in individual lives? (1Sam 10, 16)
• =5= What causes deteriorated relationships? (1Sam 14)
• =6= What causes God’s anointing glory to depart? (1Sam 15)
• =7= What are the results of compromising God’s will? (1Sam 15)
• =8= How does the Lord train people for leadership? (1Sam 16-17)
• =9= How does one overcome a giant problem? (1Sam 17)
• =10= Why do we need to engage in spiritual warfare? (1Sam 17)
• =11= How does God bring us to trust him? (1Sam 18-20)
• =12= How should we respond to opposition from others? (1Sam 24)
• =13= What results from right motives but wrong actions? (1Sam 25)
• =14= What are the results of wrong decisions? (1Sam 27-30)
• Outline for 1 Samuel:
• 1 = The ministry of Samuel (1:1-7)
• Samuel’s birth (1:1-2:11)
• The corruption of the priesthood (2:12-36)
• The call of Samuel (3:1-21)
• The judgment of Eli’s house (4:1-22)
• The wanderings of the Arc of the Covenant (5:1-7:2)
• The victory over the Philistines (7:3-17)
• 2= The reign of King Saul (8-15)
• Israel’s demand for a king (8:1-22)
• Israel’s acquisition of a king (9:1-10:27)
• Israel’s victory over the Ammonites (11:1-15)
• Samuel’s charge to Israel (12:1-25)
• Jehovah’s rejection of King Saul (13:1-15:35)
• 3= The rise of David (15-31)
• David’s rise as a shepherd (16:1-17:58)
• David’s service in Saul’s court (18:1-20:42)
• David’s adventures as a fugitive (21:1-31:13)
• The sources of material for this study:
• First and Second Samuel by J. Carl Laney
• New Standard for Living: A Man After God’s Heart by Charles Swindoll
• Misc. notes.

 HOMEWORK
1 SAMUEL 1
This is a self-study. Please do not send homework answers to the teacher forcorrection.

• Background information:
• 1Sam 1:3 uses the phrase “The Lord of Hosts” (Jehovah Sabaoth)
• This name of God is a special reference to warfare. God is Lord of heavenly warriors (angels). It is a name of power.
• God reveals himself to His people in the time of their need and at the point of their need.
• The people were in constant defensive warfare. Therefore, God is saying here that He is in control, and He will fight Israel’s battles for them. He will marshal all the heavenly hosts (the angels) to fulfill His purposes to help His people.
• Read 1Kin 22:19
• Read Luk 2:13 and Rev 19:14
• 1Sam 1:4-5 Monogamy and Polygamy
• Monogamy was ordained by God from the beginning for the highest happiness of man and woman. (Gen 2:21-24)
• Read Mat 19:3-6
• Read Eph 5:21-33
• Polygamy was not expressly forbidden in the Old Testament. (Deu 21:15-17 Deu 25:5-10) However it falls short of God’s ideal in marriage. The Old Testament often shows the unhappiness and family problems of a polygamous life style.
• 1Sam 1:11 mentions a Nazirite Vow
• Read Num 6:1-12
• The Bible names three men who were under the Nazirite vow from birth for life. They were Samson, Samuel, and John the Baptist.
• Preparation for 1Sam 1
• Read 1Sam 1:1-28
• What do you learn about God’s perspective regarding pregnancy, children, and abortion from this chapter?
• Read Mat 5:33-37
• What should be the Christian’s practice regarding oaths to God?
• Memory Verse: Psalms 127:3