🎥 Video Lesson
📖 Course Notes
The full course notes for this lesson are available in the official course textbook, Cover to Cover: Old Testament (Village Schools of the Bible, 2022). Please download or view the PDF below to study the material for this lesson.
📖 Download / View Course Notes (PDF)
1 and 2 Samuel record Israel’s transition from the rule of judges to the monarchy. The downward spiral of Judges continues until Samuel, the last judge and a prophet, anoints Israel’s first kings.
📌 1 Samuel
Samuel anoints Saul as the first king of Israel. Saul proves to be a disappointment; we read of his rise to power and his rejection by God because of his disobedience. God then instructs Samuel to anoint David, still a shepherd, as king. Much of the book follows the tension between Saul and the God-chosen David.
📌 2 Samuel
David reigns as king. God establishes the Davidic covenant, promising David an everlasting throne (2 Samuel 7) — a key point in the story of redemption. God blesses David despite his blatant sin (2 Samuel 11-12) and the resulting dysfunction of his family, showing both God’s justice and His faithfulness to His promises.
🔴 The Scarlet Thread of Redemption — Jesus Revealed in 1 & 2 Samuel
The rise of David and the covenant God makes with him point directly forward to Jesus Christ, the promised Son of David and eternal King.
📌 David — A Forerunner to Jesus
David, the shepherd-king chosen by God, is a forerunner to Jesus, the Good Shepherd and King born in David’s own town of Bethlehem.
📌 The Davidic Covenant
God promises David an eternal throne and an everlasting kingdom (2 Samuel 7:12-16). This unconditional covenant is fulfilled in Jesus, whose kingdom will have no end (Luke 1:32-33).
📚 Key Scripture
“Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.” — 2 Samuel 7:16
📝 Study Questions
- Why did God reject Saul as king, and what does this teach us about obedience?
- What are the key promises of the Davidic covenant in 2 Samuel 7, and how are they fulfilled in Jesus?
- How does God’s response to David’s sin (2 Samuel 11-12) show both His justice and His grace?
- What can we learn from the contrast between Saul’s and David’s hearts toward God?
📝 Lesson Quiz
Test your understanding of this lesson. You must score 100% to pass — you can retry the quiz until every answer is correct.