This week we
will finish the study of the Book of 2 Samuel in the Old Testament and begin
the study of the Book of 1 Timothy in the New Testament as well.
(1) NIV translates 23:1 as an “oracle” to point to the inspired and prophetic nature of its contents.
a. In this oracle, what are the four different “roles” that David is being introduced as ?
b. These four roles appear to be grouped into two pairs (Hebraic parallelism) for the sake of contrast: What might be the message behind each pair?
(2) V. 2 affirms the inspired nature of this oracle, and so it is appropriate to see what follows as prophetic.
(3) Of all descriptions David normally uses in his psalm, he highlights God as the “Rock of Israel”:
a. What might be his emphasis?
b. What has it to do with the prophetic utterance that follows?
(4) David prophesies about one future ruler:
a. Who might He be that rules not just over Israel, but all “men” (i.e. human beings)?
b. How would this Ruler rule?
(5) David likens this future Ruler as:
a. Light at sunrise without cloud: How does light at sunrise differ from light at other times? What does a cloudless morning denote?
b. Brightness after rain: What is being emphasized with this analogy?
c. How does our Messiah/Christ Jesus fit into this prophecy?
(6) V. 5 is being framed in the form of questions:
a. On what bases does David express his confidence of the fulfillment of this prophecy?
b. Read 2 Samuel 7:11-16 to see the “covenant” that David refers to.
c. Although we are not sure these “last words” were the last words ever spoken by David, or his last “oracle” in terms of “inspired words”, a person’s last words are always of significance. What “desire” is being expressed by David with these last words?
(7) What does the righteous rule of this future Ruler mean to the wicked and evil men?
(8) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
A list of 37 mighty men who were famous and contributed to the success of David’s kingdom was given in three groups; the “Three”, namely Josheb-Basshebeth, Eleazar and Shammah (vv. 8-12); the “Two”, namely Abishai and Benaiah (vv. 18-23) and the “Thirty” (vv. 24-38). The first three obviously gained the highest respect of David and his men (although the last list really numbered 31).
Vv. 8-12: The “Three”
(1) How special was Josheb-Basshebeth?
(2) How special was Eleazar?
(3) A bit more information was given about Shammah. How special was he?
(4) What did they have in common?
Vv. 13-17: While the Bible says the three in this story were part of the “Thirty” (see Note below), it would be odd that the names of these three mighty men were not mentioned. And since this story follows immediately the introduction of the “Three”, it is safe to assume that this was a story of the three greatest men among all the 37. From the location given, the feat mentioned here took place in the war with the Philistines described in 2 Samuel 5:17ff:
(5) Since David eventually did not drink the water brought back by the three, do you think he was totally without water, or did he simply yearn for the water from the well occupied by the enemies (probably known as the Well of David later on)? Why?
(6) Why did the three risk their lives in response to David’s words?
(7) What really distinguished these Three from the rest of the mighty men of David?
Vv. 18-23: The “Two”
(8) How special was Abishai?
(9) How special was Benaiah?
Vv. 24-38: The “Thirty”
(10) Although, we do not really know who these thirty men were, except their names, what might be the purpose of listing them in here?
(11) What does the inclusion of Uriah, the Hittite (v. 38), signal to you?
(12) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note:
The “Thirty” appears to be a general term or a round number used to denote this special elite group of mighty men, because while 2 Samuel 23 listed under the “Thirty” some 31 men, 1 Chronicles listed 16 more and still calls them the “Thirty” (1 Chr. 11).
(1) It is obvious that David was being held accountable for his census:
a. What did it have to do with the anger of the Lord burning against Israel?
b. The last time the anger of the Lord burned against them was in chapter 21. What was the reason given then (21:1)?
c. What might be the reason here?
(2) Joab obviously saw through the evil motive of David:
a. From the words of Joab, what was the reason for David taking such a census?
b. Why did Joab, a ruthless warrior himself, see that he must confront David?
(3) In spite of the advice of Joab and the army commanders, why did David still insist on the carrying out of his order?
(4) Verses 5-8 tell us the entire area covered by the census, basically from the southern tip to the northern end of the kingdom:
a. How long did the entire census take?
b. How large an army could David mobilize in case of war?
(5) Why was David’s conscience not stricken when confronted by Joab? Why was his conscience stricken now?
(6) Why did David consider his action a great sin?
(7) Was it? Why or why not?
(8) Taking census of the army is only a prudent thing to do for any nation, especially in war time. Why then was David’s action such a serious offense to the Lord?
(9) What is the main message to you today and how can you apply it to your life?
(1) Now that David had shown his remorse and repented, why did the Lord still choose to inflict punishment on him?
(2) God gave three options of punishment for David to choose from:
a. Why did God give him options?
b. Which option did David choose and why?
c. Which option would you have chosen and why?
(3) Since “the Lord was grieved”, He told the angel of affliction to stop:
a. What does this tell you about the Lord? (see David’s view of the Lord in v. 14)
b. Do you think the “end of the time designated” necessarily meant the end of the third day? Why or why not?
(4) In an effort to save his people from such a calamity, what did David do? Would you have said the same to the Lord? (v. 17)
(5) Why didn’t the Lord simply forgive David and stop the plague, but instead He asked David to offer a sacrifice?
(6) Why did David insist on paying Araunah for the threshing floor and the oxen?
a. Would the Lord not have accepted his sacrifice?
b. What did he mean by “I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offering that cost me nothing”?
(7) What does it mean by “the Lord answered prayer in behalf of the land”? (24:25 and 21:14)
(8) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?