2 SAMUEL INTRODUCTION

THE LORD WILL ESTABLISH A HOUSE FOR YOU

2 Samuel Study

Key Verse: 7:11b

“The LORD declares to you that the LORD himself will establish a house for you.”

  • The title “2 Samuel”

2 Samuel is continuation of 1 Samuel. Because the major focus is on David and his kingdom, we may wonder why this book is titled “2 Samuel.” For, in the original Hebrew, the books of 1 and 2 Samuel are not divided; they are one entire narrative. But they were divided into two books during the Septuagint [Greek] translation during 300-200 BC. While 1 Samuel focuses on the LORD who had raised David to be a man after his own heart, 2 Samuel is about how the LORD had established David as a king over Judah, a tribe, and then over Israel, the united kingdom of the 12 tribes.

  • Author & date of writing

Samuel was already dead. (1Sam 25:1) 1 Chronicles 29:29 suggests that the prophets Nathan (2 Sam 7:2) and Gad (1 Sam 22:5) could have been authors. The book seems to have been compiled sometime between 970-722 B.C.

  • Author’s purpose of 2 Samuel

After the death of Saul, the first king of Israel, David emerged to be king of 1 tribe Judah and then king of the united kingdom of Israel. During this time (2Samuel 1 to 10), David demonstrated his godly character as a shepherd king. God was pleased to give David his promise (2Sam 7:5-16) concerning the eternal kingdom the LORD would establish for David. “And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning.”(7:10) “Your house and your kingdom will endure before me; your throne will be established forever.” (7:14)

But in time of God’s blessing, David became complacent. He committed adultery with Bathsheba and murdered her husband Uriah. God forgave David when he repented. But David had to chew the bitter fruit of his sins through the family feuds.

  • Characteristics of 2 Samuel

(1) Kingship: The first unique characteristic of 2 Samuel is godly kingship. God established David in the place of Saul as a king who would obey God’s word and be shepherd for his people Israel. When David relied on God in prayer and sought after God’s own heart, God was pleased and people lived under God’s blessing.

(2)Covenant: In chapter 7, God established a covenant with David concerning the eternal kingdom. Thus together with Abraham, David has become a pillar of God’s work and history, looking forward the kingdom the Messiah would establish.

(3) Contrasts: There are a few contrasts, between David a man after God’s own heart and David a sinner, and the kingdom under a shepherd king and a nation under the influence of his sin. God was pleased with David and his willingness to do something for God. But God was grieved and displeased when he sinned against him.

(4) Sin and Divine chastisement:Some may think that sin is not so serious because David was forgiven of his sins when he repented.But the second half of the book is about how severely God dealt with David’s sin problem. When David became lazy neglecting God’s mission as a king, he sinned greatly against God. Mission seems to be burdensome. But living according to God’s purpose daily is not only to grow to be a man after God’s own heart but also a way to avoid sin before God. No sin is light and no one is immune to sin. Each of us must have fear of God and not sin.

(5)David’s mighty men: David’s mighty men killed four Philistine giants as he had done to Goliath. David’s 3 and 30 mighty men were his coworkers in establishing the united kingdom of Israel.

  • Major themes

The major theme of 2 Samuel is that God fulfills his promises. When David lived as a man after God’s own heart, God expanded Israel’s territory as he had promised Abraham in Genesis 15. God also established David as a shadow of the coming Messiah. God also fulfilled his words by punishing David and his family according to his sin. God is Sovereign King who rules and overrules men’s history. And when they are obedient, they become a part of fulfilling God’s promises. But when they sin against God, they become the object of God’s judgment. While on earth, there is no perfect kingdom or perfect king.

  • Purpose of our study

Through this study we want to learn David’s godly kingship as a shepherd. We also want to learn how to maintain God’s blessing in light of David’s failure.

  • Outline of 2 Samuel
  1. David laments the deaths of Saul and Jonathan (1:1-27)
  2. David becomes king of Judah and Israel (2:1-5:5)
  1. David becomes king of Judah (2:1-7)
  2. War between the house of Saul and the house of David (2:8-3:5)
  3. Abner tries to unite the houses of Saul and David (3:6-21)
  4. Joab murders Abner and David laments (3:22-39)
  5. Ish-Bosheth, king of Israel, is murdered (4:1-12)
  6. David becomes king over all Israel (5:1-5)
  1. David makes Jerusalem the capital of Israel (5:6-6:23)
  1. David conquers Jerusalem (5:6-16)
  2. David defeats the Philistines through prayer (5:17-25)
  3. David brings the ark of God to Jerusalem (6:1-23)
  1. God’s promises to David and David’s prayer (7:1-29)
  1. God’s messianic promise (7:1-17)
  2. David’s thanks and prayer (7:18-29)
  1. The LORD gave David victory wherever he went (8:1-18)
  2. David showed kindness to Mephibosheth for Jonathan’s sake (9:1-13)
  3. David defeats the Ammonites (10:1-19)
  4. David’s sin and repentance (11:1-12:31)
  1. David’s adultery with Bathsheba (11:1-5)
  2. David’s murder of Bathsheba’s husband Uriah (11:6-27)
  3. Nathan rebukes David (12:1-12)
  4. David repents (12:13-25)
  5. David captures Rabbah and plunders it (12:26-31)
  1. David experiences the bitter consequences of his sin (13:1-20:26)
  1. Amnon rapes Tamar (13:1-22)
  2. Absalom kills Amnon and flees (13:23-39)
  3. Joab returns Absalom to David (14:1-33)
  4. Absalom’s conspiracy (15:1-12)
  5. David’s flight from Jerusalem (15:13-37)
  6. David meets Ziba and Shimei (16:1-14)
  7. Ahithophel and Hushai’s advice (16:15-17:29)
  8. Absalom’s death and David’s mourning (18:1-19:8)
  9. David returns to Jerusalem (19:9-43)
  10. Sheba’s rebellion (20:1-26)

X. Epilogue (21:1-24:25)

  1. A famine and the Gibeonites avenged (21:1-14)
  2. David’s mighty men defeated four Philistine giants (21:15-22)
  3. David’s song of praise (22:1-51)
  4. David’s last words (23:1-7)
  5. David’s mighty men (23:8-39)
  6. David counts the fighting men and God punishes Israel (24:1-17)
  7. David builds an altar at the threshing floor of Araunah (24:18-25)