Wednesday, September 5, 2007

13 Things Concerning 1st Samuel: The First Book of Kingdoms

The image seen here is Michelangelo's David.

The book of 1st Samuel is the first time we are introduced to David and his interesting story from being a boy shepherd to King of Israel.
Here are some other facts concerning the book of the Bible that details the kings of Israel.

1. The book is named for Samuel. He was a judge who annointed Saul and David, the first two kings of Israel.

2. In the Hebrew Bible 1st and 2nd Samuel were originally one book and must be considered together.

3. The people of Israel desired a king and asked God for one. Saul, the first king was a failure while the second king, David, though a flawed character did succeed.

4. This history of Saul and David answers questions for Israelites possibly living in Solomon’s day such as: 1. Were they wrong to ask for a king? 2. Since God rejected Saul as king, why should the Israelites suppose that David’s line will continue?

5. As you read both books you can compare the dangers of having a king (1 Sm 8) with the hope for an enduring dynasty (2 Sm 7).

6. The lesson learned is God’s plan will continue despite human evil (2 Sm 7:16).

7. Three heroes are found in 1st Samuel that teaches about mankind. They are Samuel, Saul, and David. Samuel failed as a parent even though he was dedicated to God. Saul had many things going for him. He was handsome and a talented leader, however, he failed miserably in his task of remaining glad when confronted with God’s will. In 1st Samuel, David’s life indicates we don’t always know when and why God will choose us. God doesn’t always choose those we would think would be chosen. Once chosen we may face great difficulties, but should serve whole heartedly.

8. The two kings presented in 1st Samuel represent foreshadowing of Christ, Israel’s true king, Jesus Christ.

9. Jesus is connected to the family line of David and is called the Son of David.

10. Samuel’s role as priest, prophet, and political leader foreshadows Jesus’ role as prophet, priest, and king.

11. Within 1st Samuel is the first time we see “annointed of Yahweh” mentioned which is significant since Messiah means “annointed one”.

12. The events in this book occur sometime between 1105-1010 B.C., and this is the first book of the Bible where scholars begin to agree concerning the time period.

13. The author is relatively unknown and is someone who used sources since none of the characters within 1st Samuel could have witnessed all of the events found within the account.

You can see other 13s HERE.

You can see more fact lists about the various books of the Bible HERE.

1 comment:

Judy Callarman, Scrabble Has-Been said...

Very interesting--I love the Old Testament and its resounding message that God's plan will prevail in spite of man. I was amazed when I finally discovered that the Old and New Testaments are all part of the same story.

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