Big Idea: The Lord decides the form of leadership for his covenant community, yet he sometimes gives his people a taste of what they want as a form of discipline.
Understanding the Text
In response to the people’s request, the Lord decided to give them a king, but he reserved the right to set the pattern for kingship. Recognizing the people’s need for security, he chose and commissioned a ruler ...
Big Idea: Sin sometimes has devastating consequences: God’s justice must be satisfied.
Understanding the Text
The Structure and Function of 2 Samuel 21-24: These final chapters of 2 Samuel are an epilogue. They are arranged in a mirror structure, in which the elements in the second half of the literary unit thematically correspond to those of the first half, but in reverse order, creating a mirr...
Big Idea: When faith wavers, the Lord’s chosen servants sometimes compromise their identity and resort to desperate measures that place them in a precarious position.
Understanding the Text
Convinced that Saul will never really abandon his quest to kill him, David, for the second time in the story, seeks asylum with Achish, the Philistine king of Gath (cf. 1 Sam. 21:9–15). On the first occasion ...
Big Idea: The Lord’s chosen servants should embrace the wisdom that he provides.
Understanding the Text
Chapter 24 ends with David’s being vindicated as Saul acknowledged David’s innocence, pronounced a blessing upon him, and assured him that he would someday be the king of Israel. However, he did not invite David to return to the royal court; Saul and David went their separate ways (v. 22). As ...
Big Idea: In the midst of a crisis, submission to the Lord’s will and wise action go hand in hand.
Understanding the Text
The tension in the plot heightens in this episode of the story. When the news of Absalom’s revolt and widespread support reaches Jerusalem, David decides to flee the city immediately. Apparently he feels that the city is indefensible, and he does not want Absalom to slaughter...
Big Idea: The Lord vindicates his chosen servants when they look to him for justice.
Understanding the Text
Chapter 23 ends with David’s escaping from Saul, yet one suspects that this is but a respite in the unfolding conflict. Indeed, once he has dealt with the Philistine problem, Saul resumes his pursuit of David. This time divine providence hands David an opportunity to kill Saul, yet he refu...
Big Idea: The Lord vindicates his chosen servants when they look to him for justice.
Understanding the Text
For a second time in the story, the Ziphites report David’s whereabouts to Saul (cf. 1 Sam. 23:19). Earlier Saul confessed David’s innocence and even asked the Lord to bless David (1 Sam. 24:16–21), but now again the king is ready to hunt David down and kill him. David decides once more to...
Big Idea: Faith in the Lord’s power to save can be the catalyst for victory.
Understanding the Text
In the previous chapter, Samuel anointed David as the new king. Having departed from Saul, the Lord’s Spirit came upon David, and the Lord sent an “evil spirit” to torment Saul.1Through God’s providence, David has arrived in Saul’s royal court and relieved Saul’s fears with his music. Now the stag...
Big Idea: When his chosen servants find themselves in a precarious position, the Lord is able to deliver them by his providence and renew their faith through his guidance and protection.
Understanding the Text
In 1 Samuel 29 the focus shifts back to David as the story continues where chapter 27 left off. A chronological flashback comes in chapter 29. According to 28:4, the Philistine army was en...
Big Idea: Sometimes God protects his chosen servants through other faithful servants who are willing to put God’s agenda above self-interest.
Understanding the Text
Saul persisted in his efforts to kill David, but Jonathan saved David again, risking his own life in the process. David was finally forced to run away, setting the stage for the next part of the story: David needs to wander from plac...
Big Idea: Even when the Lord regards his people’s lack of faith as a rejection of his authority, he warns them of the negative consequences of their rebellion.
Understanding the Text
Israel demands to have a king like the nations that live around them. They complain about the injustice of Samuel’s sons (1 Sam. 8:4–5), but the underlying reason for their demand is their desire to have a military ...
Big Idea: The Lord gives greater priority to obedience than to religious formalism.
Understanding the Text
In this account the narrator’s pro-David/anti-Saul agenda continues to gain momentum. In chapter 13 Samuel announced that Saul would have no royal dynasty, placing the king on thin ice. Chapter 14 did nothing to ease our concerns about Saul, as he exhibited a preoccupation with his own hono...
Big Idea: The Lord’s chosen servants cannot hide their sins from him.
Understanding the Text
Empowered by the Lord, David has experienced great success militarily and made Israel more secure than it has ever been. He obeyed the Deuteronomic regulations pertaining to the accumulation of chariot horses and wealth, promoted justice for all, and tried to model God’s faithfulness in his relationships...
Big Idea: Repentance and renewed allegiance to the Lord are foundational to a restored relationship with him.
Understanding the Text
This chapter depicts Samuel as a spiritual and military leader. He revives Israel spiritually and politically and delivers them from Philistine bondage. This positive portrait of Samuel continues the contrast with Eli’s house so evident in chapters 2–4. Israel’s de...
Big Idea: The Lord expects his chosen servants to promote righteousness and to find hope in his faithful promises.
Understanding the Text
This poem is titled “the last words of David” (v. 1). It begins with a divine oracle that the Lord’s Spirit has spoken through David (vv. 2–4). This is followed by David’s response, which reflects on God’s covenantal commitment to him (vv. 5–7). The reference ...
Big Idea: The security of God’s covenant people depends on their allegiance to the Lord, who remains committed to them.
Understanding the Text
This chapter provides a fitting conclusion to the story of Saul’s accession to kingship. Facing a serious military threat from the Ammonites (12:12), Israel demanded a king like all the nations, for they thought such a king, supported by a standing army, ...
Big Idea: God’s people can forfeit their privilege and blessing by foolishly disobeying the Lord’s word.
Understanding the Text
As chapter 12 concludes, one hopes and may even expect that Saul will succeed. After all, empowered by the Lord’s Spirit, he defeated the Ammonites, and the rebellious people responded positively to Samuel’s call to covenantal renewal. Yet there was unfinished business....
Big Idea: God regards as enemies those who oppose his chosen servants.
Understanding the Text
In this next episode the focus briefly shifts from David to Saul, and we see the tragic aftermath of David’s visit to Ahimelek (21:1–9). Saul accuses the priests of being traitors and murders them and their families. Only one, Abiathar, escapes. He goes to David, who welcomes him and promises him protec...
Big Idea: Those rejected by God forfeit his guidance and must face the inevitability of judgment.
Understanding the Text
The narrator briefly suspends the story of David’s escapades while based in Philistine territory and turns his attention back to Saul. In chapters 29–30 he resumes David’s story before again focusing on Saul in chapter 31. The switch back and forth between the two principal ch...
Big Idea: Rebellion against the Lord culminates in humiliating defeat, but the demise of the Lord’s rebellious servants is to be lamented, not celebrated.
Understanding the Text
Chapter 31 returns the focus of the story to Saul and picks up where chapter 28 left off. Samuel’s prophecy of Saul’s impending death and of Israel’s defeat (28:19) is fulfilled. In 2 Samuel 1 the focus returns to David....
Big Idea: Even when the Lord appears to be defeated, he remains sovereign and invincible.
Understanding the Text
This chapter focuses on the ark, which was captured when the Philistines defeated Israel (4:22). Though one suspects Israel’s defeat was due to the Lord’s judgment upon Eli’s sons, the capture of the ark creates tension in the story and raises questions: How could the Lord allow the v...
Big Idea: The Lord’s willingness to dwell among his people is cause to celebrate, but he expects his people to respect his holiness.
Understanding the Text
When Samuel was young and Eli was old, the Philistines captured the ark of the covenant (1 Sam. 4). The ark wreaked havoc in Philistine territory: the image of Dagon in the Ashdod temple ended up decapitated, and the Philistines’ cities were ...
Big Idea: The holy God must be treated with respect.
Understanding the Text
This chapter continues the story of the ark. In the aftermath of the Israelite defeat at Ebenezer, the Philistines captured the ark and took it to Ashdod. But it brought death and destruction wherever it went in Philistine territory. Finally the people of Ekron insisted that it be sent back to its homeland (5:11). Chapte...
Big Idea: When choosing his servants, the Lord gives priority to inner character, not outward appearances.
Understanding the Text
In the previous chapters Saul lost his dynasty (13:13–14) and then his position as king (15:26–28). Chapter 16 is a turning point in the story: the process of Saul’s actual removal from kingship begins. God withdraws his Spirit and sends another spirit to torment Saul...
Big Idea: The Lord’s irrevocable promise to David is reliable and guarantees the realization of his purposes for his covenant community.
Understanding the Text
David has transported the ark, the symbol of God’s presence, to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 5). Knowing that the Lord is the true King of Israel (2 Sam. 6:2), who has defeated his enemies (5:17–25; 7:1), David naturally desires to build a “house” (...