Author: The two books that are now joined in I and II Samuel were originally only one book called "The Book of Samuel". Their true author is unknown; however, Samuel must have written much about what occurred in that time in the history of Israel. Moreover, other collected materials must have served as the author's source of the text. Three of these are mentioned in I Chronicles 29:29 as: "the Chronicles of the Seer Samuel", "the Chronicles of the prophet Nathan" and "the Chronicles of the Seer Gad". Gad as well as Abiathar had to have known what occurred in the court of King David, and either of the two could have given us these two books.
Date: The book should be dated to 931 B.C., after the division of the kingdoms after the Solomonic period, because of the commentary that appears in I Samuel 27:6, "Ziclag belongs to the kings of Judah unto this day". Although Israel is often differentiated from Judah, and David reigned over Judah for seven and a half years before the unification of the kingdom, Judah had no king prior to this date.
There is no mention or reference to the fall of Samaria in 722 B.C., which permits us to fix a date after that year.
Content: The Second Book of Samuel deals with David's ascent to the throne of Israel and the forty years of his kingdom. This is the central theme of this book.
It begins with the death of Saul and Jonathan on the battlefield of Mount Gilboa. Later, David is anointed king of Judah, his own tribe. The house of Saul attempts to hold the power in the person of Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, and Abner, the commander-in-chief of his army. Although the rebellion is crushed, the following summary describes the seven and a half years that elapsed before the nation became united under David: "There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David; but David was strengthened, and the house of Saul was weakened" (3:1).
David unified the political as well as religious life of the nation, bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem from the house of Abinidab, where it had been since its recovery from the hands of the Philistines (6:1-7:1).
The theme of the Messiah, the King to come, is presented when GOD establishes an eternal covenant with David and his kingdom: "your throne will be eternally established" (7:16).
David defeats the enemies of Israel and initiates a time of stability and prosperity. Sadly, however, his vulnerability and his weakness lead him to sin with Bathsheba and kill Uriah, her husband..
Although David repents once the prophet Nathan confronts him, the consequences of his action give place to the following judgment: "Now the sword shall never depart from your house" (12:10).
David's son, Absalom, after a long separation from his father, instigates a rebellion against the king and David escapes from Jerusalem. The rebellion ends when Absalom, caught in a tree by his hair, is killed by Joab.
There is a conflict between Israel and Judah over the question of the king returning to Jerusalem. The rebel, Sheba, makes the Israelites abandon David and return to their houses. Although David commits several errors and makes a series of unfortunate decisions, the rebellion is crushed and once again the king is established in Jerusalem.
The book ends with two beautiful poems, a list of David's mighty men and David's punishment for taking a census of the people of Israel. David repents, buys Araunah's threshingfloor and presents offerings to the LORD on the altar that he built there.
Historical Setting: (IBD) The Books of I and II Samuel describe a turning point in Israel's history. This was a time when the people became dissatisfied with their loose tribal form of organization and insisted on a united kingdom under the ruling authority of a king. For hundreds of years they had existed as a tribal society, with each tribe living on its own portion of the land and minding its own affairs. If a superior enemy threatened the entire nation, they depended on deliverance at the hands of judges, those military leaders described in the Book of Judges, who would raise a volunteer army to make their borders secure.
This system of defense, however, proved woefully inadequate when the Philistines began to flex their muscles against the nation with renewed intensity about 1100 B.C. These warlike people boasted of iron chariots, a well-organized army, and other superior weapons which they used with military precision against the poorly organized Israelites. The threat of this superior force led the nation to clamor for a king - a ruler who could unite all the tribes against a common enemy.
Saul was anointed by Samuel about 1050 B.C. to serve as first king of the nation. A gifted young man of great promise, he ruled for 40 years (Acts 13:21) before taking his life by falling on his own sword when the Philistines prevailed against him in a decisive battle (I Sam. 31:1-7). David, his successor, also ruled 40 years (II Sam. 5:4; I Chron. 29:27), from 1010 to 971 B.C. Building on Saul's beginning, David succeeded in driving out the Philistines, unifying the people, and conquering or establishing peaceful relationships with surrounding nations.
Special Considerations: (IBD) The story of David and Goliath (I Samuel 17) presents more than a dramatic encounter between two warriors. It also points up the contrast between David and Saul. Since he was tall himself, Saul should have been the one to face the giant (I Sam. 9:2). By his failure to meet Goliath, Saul demonstrated both his folly and his inability to rule. By rising to the challenge, David demonstrated his wisdom and faith, proving that he was GOD's man for the throne of Israel.
In addition to its stories, the books of I and II Samuel contain several poems, or psalms of praise to GOD. One such poem is the lovely Psalm of Hannah (I Sam. 2), in which Hannah rejoices in GOD's goodness in allowing her to conceive. The dramatic Psalm of the Bow (II Sam. 1), in which David laments the death of Saul and Jonathan, is another of these poems.
Purpose and Theology: (HBH)
Personal Application: This book reveals GOD's intervention in history. Although human beings are sinners and must be punished at times, GOD acted through them in order to fulfill his redemptive purpose, fully realized in Jesus Christ, the Messiah and King of kings (see Rev. 22:16).
In the same way, GOD established the Church in the world as the body of Christ to give testimony of Him and bring his purposes to pass over the earth to this day.
Christ Revealed: David and his kingdom point toward the coming of the Messiah.Chapter 7 of II Samuel especially anticipates the future King. GOD delays David's plans to construct a house for the ark. And he explains that while David couldn't construct a house, He is constructing David's, that is, a lineage that would remain forever.
In his victory over all Israel's enemies, his humility and dedication to the LORD, his zeal for the house of GOD, his combined fulfillment of the offices of prophet, priest and king, David is a precursor of the Root of Jesse, Jesus Christ.
The Holy Spirit in Action: Jesus explained the work of the Holy Spirit in John 16:8: "And when he comes, he will convince the world of sin, righteousness and judgment". In II Samuel the Spirit can be seen clearly working in these ways. Normally, the Spirit is manifested through the priest. He is seen as counsellor on the many occasions in which David "consulted Jehovah" through the priest or the ephod.
The persuasive work of the Spirit is revealed when the prophet Nathan revealed David's sin with Bathsheba against Uriah. He manifested David' sin, judged him and pronounced judgment.. This illustrates the full work of the Holy Spirit in the world, a microcosm, through His fullness in the Church.
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