Sermon Tone Analysis

Intro

If a movie came out at Reading cinemas this week, and it was promoted as the most powerful storyline, with incredible drama and action, I would be keen for it.

It would really be dependant on how they presented the story or what scene they used in the ad.

What are the characters, do they blow stuff up, how do they affect the story? is there a hero or a villain? is the movie worth watching and should I buy popcorn?

if its popcorn worthy then its probably worth watching!

2 Samuel is just like this.. its full of powerful, dramatic, emotional action, an exciting story but not just that, its well crafted and thought through to engage readers of all ages on what God is doing in his creation.

Of course being in the OT its important to understand what it means to the original readers but not just that its important to engage you the youth of today, with what it means in your day to day.

Unfortunately we arn’t going to focus deeper on the book of 1 Sam, but your welcome to read it right through, in fact 1 Sam and 2 Sam are a part of one story and belong together.

To help us understand that 1 Sam and 2 Sam together I’m going to read Hannah’s prayer in :

Then Hannah prayed and said:s

“My heart rejoicest in the LORD;

in the LORD my horna u is lifted high.

My mouth boastsv over my enemies,w

for I delight in your deliverance.

2 “There is no one holyx likey the LORD;

there is no one besides you;

there is no Rockz like our God.

3 “Do not keep talking so proudly

or let your mouth speak such arrogance,a

for the LORD is a God who knows,b

and by him deedsc are weighed.d

4 “The bows of the warriors are broken,e

but those who stumbled are armed with strength.f

5 Those who were full hire themselves out for food,

but those who were hungryg are hungry no more.

She who was barrenh has borne seven children,

but she who has had many sons pines away.

6 “The LORD brings death and makes alive;i

he brings down to the grave and raises up.j

7 The LORD sends poverty and wealth;k

he humbles and he exalts.l

8 He raisesm the poorn from the dusto

and lifts the needyp from the ash heap;

he seats them with princes

and has them inherit a throne of honor.q

“For the foundationsr of the earth are the LORD’s;

on them he has set the world.

9 He will guard the feets of his faithful servants,t

but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness.u

“It is not by strengthv that one prevails;

10 those who oppose the LORD will be broken.w

The Most High will thunderx from heaven;

the LORD will judgey the ends of the earth.

“He will give strengthz to his king

and exalt the horna of his anointed.”

11 Then Elkanah went home to Ramah,b but the boy ministeredc before the LORD under Eli the priest.

This prayer is a wonderful prayer to God and it tells us several things:

God opposes the proud and exalts the humble, despite human evil God is at work & God will raise up a Messianic King - and so all the way through 1 & 2 Sam we see these recurring themes.

The main characters we are introduced to are Saul, David and the Prophet Samuel, and 1 Sam particularly focusses on the rise and fall of Saul and crosses over the rise and fall of David. 2 Sam focusses more on David as King.

God opposes the proud and exalts the humble, despite human evil God is at work & God will raise up a Messianic King - and so all the way through 1 & 2 Sam we see these recurring themes.

The main characters we are introduced to are Saul, David and the Prophet Samuel, and 1 Sam particularly focusses on the rise and fall of Saul and crosses over the rise and fall of David. 2 Sam focusses more on David as King.

Then we get to ch28 of 2 Sam, here I thought it was helpful to contrast the 2 characters from verse 3...

3 Now Samuel was dead,b and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his own town of Ramah.

4 The Philistines assembled and came and set up camp at Shunem,f while Saul gathered all Israel and set up camp at Gilboa.g 5 When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid; terrorh filled his heart.

6 He inquiredi of the LORD, but the LORD did not answer him by dreamsj or Urimk or prophets.l

7 Saul then said to his attendants, “Find me a woman who is a medium,m so I may go and inquire of her.”

18 Because you did not obeyz the LORD or carry out his fierce wratha against the Amalekites,b the LORD has done this to you today.

19 The LORD will deliver both Israel and you into the hands of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sonsc will be with me.

The LORD will also give the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.”

Here in contrast David fights and destroys the Amalekites that Saul should have wiped out ages ago.

David inquiredf of the LORD, “Shall I pursue this raiding party?

Will I overtake them?”

16 He led David down, and there they were, scattered over the countryside, eating, drinking and revelingq because of the great amount of plunderr they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah.

17 David foughts them from dusk until the evening of the next day, and none of them got away, except four hundred young men who rode off on camels and fled.t

18 David recoveredu everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives.

19 Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken.

David brought everything back.

20 He took all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock, saying, “This is David’s plunder.”

The bottom line… David humbled himself and listened to God and He was with him.

Finally in ch31 you can read about Saul’s death, but not just him but his sons and even his armour -bearer also died.

And this is how ch1 of 2 Sam begins.

The first point for today is:

The War Report and Transition into Kingship

This war report tells us how David responds to Saul’s and Jonathan’s death.

This was just read to you today, in the first 16 verses we have to wonder whether David’s action against the Amalekite was justified or not.

It sounds like this guy was in it for some some sort of reward, even though he had lied about killing the King.

in the first 16 verses we have to wonder whether David’s action against the Amalekite was justified or not.

It sounds like this guy was in it for some some sort of reward, even though he had lied about killing the King.

14 David asked him, “Why weren’t you afraid to lift your hand to destroy the LORD’s anointed?n”

15 Then David called one of his men and said, “Go, strike him down!”o

So he struck him down, and he died.p

16 For David had said to him, “Your blood be on your own head.q

Your own mouth testified against you when you said, ‘I killed the LORD’s anointed.’

”

Questions have been asked, and David’s innocence of seizing the throne from Saul needs to be seen, David justifies his position and in the transitioning into being the King.

David is basically in a real life version the Game of Thrones, he is the anointed King -in waiting must prepare himself for the struggle for the throne.

when Michael trains at Jui Jitsu, they often play a game called king of the mat.

To win the game you work with a partner to complete all the positions that the Trainer yells out.

The team that completes all positions in the game on time and is the last team to survive wins King of the mat.

14 David asked him, “Why weren’t you afraid to lift your hand to destroy the LORD’s anointed?n”

15 Then David called one of his men and said, “Go, strike him down!”o

So he struck him down, and he died.p

16 For David had said to him, “Your blood be on your own head.q

Your own mouth testified against you when you said, ‘I killed the LORD’s anointed.’

”

The the next point...

David Laments for Saul and Jonathan

in the first 16 verses we have to wonder whether David’s action against the Amalekite was justified or not.

It sounds like this guy was in it for some some sort of reward, even though he had lied about killing the King.

It tells us how David responds to Saul’s and Jonathan’s death. in the first 16 verses we have to wonder whether David’s action against the Amalekite was justified or not.

It sounds like this guy was in it for some some sort of reward, even though he had lied about killing the King.

In Hebrew the lament means a ‘funeral song’