Bible Studies, Inspired by Faith and Science

1. What is the story of Amnon and Tamar? 2. Why did Absalom run away? 3. Why did David run away? 4. How did Saul’s supporters respond to David’s losing Jerusalem? 5. What is the connection between Ahithophel and Hushai? 6. How did David reunite the kingdom? 7. What happened to Sheba son of Bichri? 8. How did David appease the Gibeonites? 9. What happened when David tried to count the Israelites? 10. How did Solomon inherit the throne? David’s relationship with Bathsheba leads to unfortunate consequences. Nathan the prophet tells him (2 Sam 12) God’s will allow some very visible betrayals, the first of which is when David’s son Amnon rapes another son’s sister, Tamar. Absalom arranges to kill Amnon (2 Sam 13), and David gets word that all his sons are dead—the usual exaggeration of the grape-vine. In the end, all return, except Amnon who’s dead and Absalom who runs away. David mourns Absalom and his captain Joab arranges a reunion (2 Sam 14), but the rift remains. Absalom begins to usur...

1. Who became King of Israel when Saul died? 2. How did David respond to political assassinations? 3. How did David and Michal get back together? 4. How did David conquer Jerusalem? 5. Why did the Philistines leave their idols behind? 6. What happens to anyone who touches the ark? 7. How did David and Michal break up again? 8. Why didn’t David build a temple? 9. What happened to Saul’s sons? 10. Who was Bathsheba? David was welcomed at king in Judea after defeating the Amalekites, but Saul’s son Ishbosheth became king of Israel, appointed by Saul’s captain Abner (2 Sam 2). Judah and Israel fought, with David winning after a disagreement between Abner and Ishbosheth (2 Sam 3). Abner returns Michal to David, but is killed by David’s captain Joab when he leaves. Ishbosheth’s remaining captains kill him and are killed by David in reward—he’s clearly not too enamored of political assassination. David settles his warriors on the borderlands, giving them good reason to fight in defense, then ...

1. How was David anointed king? 2. When does Bethlehem first appear in the Bible? 3. When did Saul first meet David, and what happened? 4. How old was David when he fought Goliath? 5. How did David and Jonathan become friends? 6. How did David and Saul become enemies? 7. How did David escape from Saul? 8. Whose side did David fight on? 9. How many wives and concubines did David have? 10. How did David begin his reign? When Saul lost favor with God Samuel annointed the next king (1 Sam 16) from among the sons of Jesse of Bethlehem. (Bethlehem was where Rachel was buried (Gen 35), homeplace of the judge Ibzan (Jud 12:8), Naomi (Ruth), the Levite who served a king instead of God (Jud 17:7), and the concubine whose death in Gibeah led to war with Benjamin (Jud 19-20). Samuel was impressed by several sons, but God chose the youngest. That said, David already had a reputation as a warrior when he was called to play music at court for King Saul (1 Sam 16:18), and he was probably of similar ag...

1. What tribe is Saul from? 2. What human reasons would make Saul a good choice for king? 3. How did Saul raise an army? 4. What sort of army did Saul and Jonathan control? 5. How did Saul lose God’s favor? 6. How did Jonathan lose Saul’s favor? 7. What is a prophetic frenzy? 8. How many giants are there in the Bible? 9. Did David join Saul’s army? 10. How did Saul die? Saul was a Benjaminite—a king chosen from the smallest tribe reduced the likelihood of other tribes battling for favor. Also, Benjamin occupied the mountainous land north of Jerusalem, where the Philistines were strong, making Saul highly motivated to fight. And Saul cut an impressive figure. Sent out to search for his father’s missing asses, Saul ends up seeking Samuel’s advice. Meanwhile, God tells Samuel the promised king is approaching. King and prophet eat together; then Samuel anoints Saul, prophesying how he’ll find the asses and who he’ll meet on the way, thus convincing him of God’s favor. When Saul meets a tro...

1. Who was Samuel’s mother? 2. How did Samuel end up serving in the Temple? 3. What connection is there between Samuel and Samson? 4. Who were the Philistines? 5. What’s special about Shiloh? 6. What tribe did Samuel come from? 7. What happened to the priests, and what happened to the ark, and who is Ichabod? 8. What else was going on in Canaan when Samuel came to power? 9. What was the main Philistine advantage and how did they maintain it? 10. What was the main Jewish advantage and how did they lose it? The Bible records how God’s people traveled to Egypt to escape famine in the time of Abraham and again in Joseph’s time. Similar journeys were taken on a smaller scale throughout the time of Judges. Naomi and Elimelech, from Bethlehemjudah, moved as a family and stayed in Moab during a famine. Elimelech and his two sons died, leaving Naomi with two widowed Moabite daughters-in-law. The book of Ruth describes how Naomi returned to her people, where Ruth gleaned food from the fields of ...