2005 Bible Reading

This page is not a commentary, nor an outline. It is something to bear in mind in this kind of reading. These materials I learnt from two books by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart (How to Read the Bible for All Its worth; How to Read the Bible Book By Book). You could consult these books if you are interested.

(Pastor Raymond)

1 & 2 Samuel

I am issuing this page together with 1 & 2 Kings because it is the order the Hebrew Old Testament has them, as a continuous sweep of Israel’s history from Judges to the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. These four books are separate from 1 & 2 Chronicles, belonging to the group of books known as the “Former Prophets,” presenting God’s perspective on the history of His people.

To cover 1 & 2 Samuel effectively, it is best to keep the beginning and end in view. (These two books were broken into two to fit the size of the scroll and should be considered as one compilation.) It begins with the last judge Samuel who would usher in the monarchy; it ends with the decline of David’s reign. The remainder of their history will be picked up in 1 & 2 Kings. Breaking 1 & 2 Samuel down into 4 parts will aid appreciation:

Part 1: 1 Sam 1-7 About Samuel

Part 2: 1 Sam 8-15 Samuel and Saul, the last judge and the first king, overlap.

Part 3: 1 Sam 16-31 Saul and David overlap, with the former giving way to the latter.

Part 4: 2 Sam David dominates, with promises in chapter 7 and sin in 10-20.

1 & 2 Sam captures Israel’s transitions: from rule by judges to institutionalized kingdom, from ungodly king to a loyal king, and more importantly, from a wandering ark of covenant to what was prophesized in the Book of Moses (e.g. Ex 12:11), the “place the LORD your God will choose”—Jerusalem.

The theme of true worship at the place of His dwelling, that is His presence, begins with a condemnation of Eli: “you scorn my sacrifice and offering that I prescribed for my dwelling” (1 Sam 2:29). Then in chapters 4-7, the glory departed from Israel when the ark was captured from its temporary residence in Shiloh. But it is not the end of the story. When the loyal king rules, the ark makes a return to its rightful place in Jerusalem in 2 Sam 6. David’s thought to build a “house” for Yahweh is rewarded with the promise of eternal “dynasty” in 2 Sam 7, an extremely significant chapter in Jewish history and in the Messianic interpretation of Jesus in the New Testament. Although David could not build the temple, the book ends with him erecting an altar at the threshing floor of Araunah (24:18-25), the place where the temple would be built.

The theme of covenant loyalty of the two kings cannot be missed. Although Israel rejected the direct rule of God (theocracy) for the rule via kings (monarchy), the kings would still need to lead the people in obedience ultimately to Yahweh. In this regard, Saul failed (1 Sam 13-15) and spiraled downward to consulting with a witch (1 Sam 28). David, on the other hand, was shown in disproportionately great details (2 Sam 10-20) to have also failed. But the difference was that David repented with prayers and sacrifice. In reading the lives of these two kings, we should see that kings in God’s scheme, represented the people to God and also represented God to His people. That is why the king must exhibit faithfulness to God and righteous to the people. This understanding should pave the way for seeing Jesus Christ as representing the perfect Israel in obedience, and as representing the righteous God to those who look to Him.

Comparing the lives of Israel’s first two kings also yields rich insights into the way Yahweh deals with people. God does not look at men like humans do. Saul appeared to be the perfect king whilst David was a lowly shepherd boy. But God chose the “lesser” to fulfill his covenant promises, just as He has done so with Isaac and Jacob in Genesis. The other insight is that God is gracious to repentant sinners. Witnessed to by 11 chapters of such great details (2 Sam 10-20), David’s sin could not lessen God’s grace. On the other hand, David’s sin, repentance and acceptance by God, pattern for the people of God in their sojourn.