Message Theme & Verses: 2 Samuel
Memory Verse: 2 Samuel 7:26 And your name will be magnified forever, saying, “The Lord of hosts is God over Israel,” and the house of your servant David will be established before you.
2 Samuel is a continuation of the story in 1 Samuel and they were a single book in the past. In 1 Samuel, we learned about Israel’s first king, Saul. Now in 2 Samuel, we follow the kingship of Israel’s most beloved king, David. We follow David’s ascension to the throne of first Judah and then all of Israel. Samuel takes us through both his glorious kingship and his eventual failure, ending with David’s reflections of his life and his final words.
Of course many of the themes from 1 Samuel continued into this book, but we are allowed deeper insights into God and His plan as we explore God’s covenant with David and His promise of a Messiah.
God makes an eternal covenant with David, promising that His offspring will have a forever kingdom. God does not permit David to build a “house” for God. Instead, God tells David that his offspring will build the house. David’s son Solomon builds a beautiful, physical temple, but this is only a shadow of what is to come. It is in Jesus that we see the forever King on His throne, with His name lifted above all others.
The readers are able to see a full picture of David, both the good and the bad. We can follow his public life as king and his private actions as a family man. We can think of the story as a pyramid with everything going well for David until we hit chapter 11 and his sin with Bathsheba. Then, we see the consequences of this sin spread throughout his family and kingdom down the other side from this pivotal point.
All the while, David valued his relationship with God as the most important thing and was able to have peace because the Lord is his deliverer and had made with him and everlasting covenant.
Have someone tell the story of how they first met their spouse. Then explain that David did not do it in a good way.
Read 2 Samuel 11:1 – 12:23
Jesus in 1 Samuel
Remember that David is just a taste of what is to come. He is a brave, wise, and glorious king, but the heights to which he rises are matched only by the depths to which he falls. We see that even God’s chosen king needs a Savior. David is not the Messiah the people have been waiting for, but he points to Jesus. David, the shepherd king from Bethlehem became king at age 30, the same age that Jesus began His public ministry. Both were anointed to their God chosen position and victorious kings. When we read the life of David, we can think about how Jesus succeeded in all the ways where David fell short. When we see the good in David, we can know that he was filled with the Spirit of God and we have a glimpse of the grace God gives to His people.
Questions
What is the most beautiful or handsome feature of your spouse?
Who is the best king, president or leader you can think of? What made them good?
What could David have done to avoid sin?
What sins did David commit in the story? (Coveting – David wanted something that wasn’t his, Lusting – David was at first just attracted and tempted which are not sin, but he let the temptation take hold and turned it into sin, Stealing – David stole Uriah’s wife, Killing – David murdered Uriah by sending him to battle where David knew he would die, Lying – David did not confess his sin and kept it secret until he was confronted by Nathan, Idolatry – David did not believe that God could satisfy him with the wife that God gave him and David loved himself and his lust more than God.)
How do you think David’s sin made people feel? Uriah? Bathsheba? Nathan? David’s wife?
Do you find it easier to be angry at someone else’s sin than angry at your own sin?
How did Nathan expose David’s sin? Do you think it was effective?
What does it mean to repent? (Repenting means that we accept what God says is true. It means we recognize that we have broken His law and deserve to be punished. Repenting is then turning away from our sin and turning toward following Jesus. It is not just saying “I’m sorry,” it is walking in newness of life.)
Do you tend to make excuses for your sin? How can you be better at repentance?
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