March 19 - 1 Samuel (Part 2) & 2 Samuel (Part 1)

First Samuel can be summed up in one word:
REVIVAL!

It's a book that covers three main characters: Samuel, Saul and David. This week our focus is on David.

David
- More chapters devoted to David than any other Old Testament character
- Author of over half of the Psalms
- Quoted more often in the New Testament than any other Old Testament figure.
- David was a great warrior
- He had a heart for God and worshiped God
- Significant individual in God's plan for salvation
- David's story is not simply about what God did long ago, it's about what God is doing today and how God wants to minister to His people still today.
- God used David to bring revival to Israel.
- War - David's life is all about spiritual warfare. Spiritual war rages in a dramatic fashion and in seeing that we can apply some of the critical truths from David's life to our own.

Pastor lays out a timeline of 1 & 2 Samuel with Saul's reign and David's reign covering 1050 BC through 970 BC.

Pastor shares the story of David's defeat of Goliath (Philistine giant) in exciting detail.

After defeating Goliath in his mid-teens David began to rise to fame. In his early 20s he was a respected general in the Israelite army with a history of victories. Shortly thereafter his life is turned upside down because Saul, possessed by an evil spirit, is obsessed with wanting to kill David.

Saul vs. David (verses all from 1 Samuel)
- Two spear attacks (18:10-11)
- "Let the Philistines do it!" (18:25)
- Sends Jonathan and friends (19:1)
- Spear attack (19:9-10)
- Home invasion (19:110
- Three companies to Ramah (19:18-21)
- Saul to Ramah (19:22-24)
- New Moon Feast (20)

There is obvious spiritual warfare in several of these accounts. The enemy trying to thwart the plans of God and to destroy the seed of Abraham who would become the Messiah.

King Saul rejected the Lord's guidance in his life, disobeyed the word of God over and over, and as a result he opened himself up to evil spirits. And that evil spirit seeks to destroy David.

Through all the persecution from Saul, David continued to serve King Saul, continued in his position in the army, but he knows his days are numbered, so he flees to Ramah and the spiritual war continues. At the new moon feast Jonathan, Saul's son, advises David to flee from his dad who is determined to kill David.

David flees and has many years as a fugitive.

David the Fugitive (all verses are from 1 Samuel)
- Nob (21:1-9)
- Gath (21:10ff)
- Abdullam (22:10
- Moab (22:3)
- Stonghold* (22:4-5)
- Forest of Hereth (22:5)
- Keilah (23:1ff)
- Desert of Ziph (23:15ff)
- Desert of Maon (23:25)
- En Gedi! (24)
- Carmel-Nabal/Abigail (25)
- Hakilah* (26)
- Gath (27)
- Ziklag(27-30)

Pastor shares the story of David's years on the run in riveting detail.

In a battle against the Philistines, Saul is killed and David is anointed King over Judah in the south and 7 years later he will become king over all of Israel, including the north after the death of Saul's son, Ishbosheth.

Join us next week for the rest of David's story and a look at Solomon's kingship as we study 2 Samuel and 1 Kings.

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Our Bible in a Year study will walk you through the Bible book by book taking you from Genesis to Revelation, revealing Jesus throughout both the Old and the New Testaments! In Ephesians 6, the word of God is called the sword of the spirit, and a sword is best used when you take it out of the scabbard to use it! Hebrews 4:12 says the Word of God is alive and active! Meaning it is not dry, dusty, old stuff. It is living and active! And because it is the Living Word, it has the power to impact us still today!

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