Introduction to 1 & 2 Samuel

introduction to 1 & 2 samuel

This Sunday September 22, I’m eager to begin a new sermon series called, “The Chosen King,” from the books of 1 and 2 Samuel. We anticipate spending a little more than a year in these books, preaching through them chapter by chapter. As a unified, historical account, 1 and 2 Samuel focus on the rise and fall of three main figures – the prophet Samuel, King Saul, and King David. From beginning to end, they point to God’s design to care for his people through a king of his own choosing, ultimately directing our gaze to King Jesus!

Here are a few of the reasons I believe this is the right time for us to study these books together. First, we work hard as pastors to preach from every part of God’s Word confident God knows best what we need to eat, spiritually speaking! A physical diet consisting of a single food is no healthier than a spiritual diet consisting of a single biblical genre. We need to read and meditate on biblical history like 1 and 2 Samuel no less than wisdom literature, the gospels, or Paul’s epistles.

With the exception of Genesis and the first half of Daniel, we’ve preached none of the historical books in the Old Testament over the last 12 years. After a regional men’s retreat a few years ago where each of the main session speakers preached on the life of King David, the Lord stirred a desire in my heart to lead the church I love the most through the historical books of 1 and 2 Samuel. It’s good for our souls as believers to see how the covenant faithfulness God affirms in Deuteronomy works itself out in the history of Israel, even in messy situations resembling our own lives today.

Second, we cannot learn too much about how to see Jesus in the Old Testament. Scripture does not limit its witness to Christ to the red letters in Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. Consider what Jesus himself did in Luke 24:27! “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” That means there are sightings of the goodness and glory of our Savior on every page of the Old Testament, 1 and 2 Samuel included. Seeing how God raised up King David prepares our hearts to treasure David’s Greater Son, the True and Better King.

Third, believers who have grown up in the church often need help to learn from examples of godliness in Scripture without succumbing to moralism. For example: King David slew a giant, therefore you should slay the giants in your life, Christian, is not faithful exposition. The point of 1 Samuel 17 is that God always wins his battles! However, there is much to learn from David’s example of courageous trust in the God who wins his battles.

We believe Paul’s words in Romans 15:4: “Whatever was written in former days [think the Old Testament] was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Part of that hope-imparting encouragement comes from considering the contrast between examples of disobedient unbelief (Saul) and obedient faith (David). The real imperfections and faults in David’s life don’t undermine the encouragement. They make it all the more relatable to our own struggles and remind us God doesn’t save his own because they are perfect. He saves us because he is faithful! 

Finally, in a culture obsessed with justice issues, we need to study passages in Scripture that renew our confidence in the Lord to vindicate his people. Our hope for justice is not in the next election or Supreme Court decision. The Lord of Hosts is a God of justice. Blessed are those who wait for him. That was David’s experience again and again. He had plenty of opportunities to knock off Saul and assume the throne. You could even argue Saul deserved it after all he had done to harm David! But David refused. He waited for the Lord. And the Lord did not forsake him. We serve the same God today, brothers and sisters. Psalm 25:3 says, “Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame.”

That’s one of the reasons we’re going to intersperse our study of 1 and 2 Samuel with sermons from select Psalms. The superscripts in many Davidic psalms point to particular historical situations in 1 and 2 Samuel where David prayed that very prayer to the Lord. For example, Psalm 7 is rooted in David’s experience in 2 Samuel 16, Psalm 34 flows out of 1 Samuel 21, and Psalm 51 reflects David’s spiritual wrestling in 2 Samuel 11-12. Connecting the historical realities of our trouble to specific prayers for deliverance helps us join David in casting our cares on King Jesus.

May the Lord use this series to remind us just how much we need a King, and that in Jesus, God has provided the Chosen King we need!

Matthew Williams