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Galatians 5:16-23 teaches that at any moment we are either walking by the Holy Spirit or according to the sin nature. Walking by the Spirit, enjoying fellowship with God, walking in the light are virtually synonymous. During these times, the Holy Spirit is working in us to illuminate our minds to the truth of Scripture and to challenge us to apply what we learn. But when we sin, we begin to live based on the sin nature. Our works do not count for eternity. The only way to recover is to confess (admit, acknowledge) our sin to God the Father and we are instantly forgiven, cleansed, and recover our spiritual walk (1 John 1:9). Please make sure you are walking by the Spirit before you begin your Bible study, so it will be spiritually profitable.

1st and 2nd Samuel (2015)

1st and 2nd Samuel (2015)

February 2015 - November 2020

The quote from the title slide is from the words of a young David in 1 Samuel 17:37, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine”, that we derive the central theme for this study of 1st and 2nd Samuel, THE BATTLE IS THE LORD’s.

We all face overwhelming circumstances in our life and the only thing that can give us strength to overcome those horrific circumstances is a realization that it is not by our might or power, but by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is the only way that we can overcome and address the challenges that we have in life.

One scholar has praised the writing of Samuel: “It is no exaggeration to say that the author of Samuel produced what is still the best book ever written in the Hebrew language.”

In this series we will cover an array of significant biblical teachings on everything from how to face and surmount the giants in our lives, to biblical worship and praise, to the divine viewpoint of politics and leadership, to the importance of the Davidic Covenant and Messianic prophecies, and so much more. An understanding of these key teachings in Samuel is foundational to the rest of the Old Testament, the arrival and mission of the Messiah, the gospel, and many passages in the New Testament. Every believer should have a thorough understanding of the material covered in this series.

Note: Classes in this series are arranged with the most recent class appearing first.

Video DVDs of these lessons can be ordered here and here.

To view all video Bible studies in the 1st and 2nd Samuel series, click here (Vimeo) or here (YouTube).

To listen to this series as a podcast, copy and paste the following URL into your podcast software.
www.deanbibleministries.org/podcasts/2015-12samuel.xml
 
Tue, Jun 14, 2016
Passage: 1 Samuel 15
Duration: 1 hr 0 mins 23 secs
Does God ever call for a holy war such as the Crusades? Listen to this lesson to learn that for a certain period of time after the Jews were given their land God authorized certain evil groups of people whose sins defiled the land to be destroyed under a principle called charam. See how this warfare differs from the Islamic belief of jihad. Find out that believers today are to engage in spiritual warfare with the same determination to root evil out of their own lives.
Tue, Jun 21, 2016
Passage: 1 Samuel 15 & Joshua
Duration: 1 hr 6 mins 53 secs
Are Christians supposed to destroy evil? Listen to this lesson to hear that God does not authorize individual acts of violence against evil people. Learn how God, under the principle of charam, used the Israelites to remove evil civilizations from the Promised Land. Learn how the archeological studies done in the site where Jericho was located substantiates what the Scripture says and can give us confidence in the Word of God.
Tue, Jul 05, 2016
Passage: 1 Samuel 15 & Joshua 7-8
Duration: 1 hr 4 mins 27 secs
What can we learn from the conquest of the land when the Israelites were entering under Joshua’s command? See that archaeologists have located many of the sites of these battles. Hear about some of the controversy that occurs in deciding on an exact location. See that the wars that destroyed evil civilizations were a part of God’s sovereign plan and had to be carried out in strict accordance with His justice and righteousness. Learn about how one man sinned and 36 of the military were killed in battle. See that sin in our life must be dealt with by confession.
Tue, Jul 12, 2016
Passage: 1 Samuel 15:1-11 & Deuteronomy 20
Duration: 1 hr 1 mins 43 secs
What instructions did God give to Israel when they went to war? Listen to this lesson to learn that the priests were to tell the military about the terms of warfare. See that not all war was to destroy civilizations, but only those people who had flaunted God’s grace for many, many years were to be utterly annihilated. Hear how Samuel told King Saul that God was the ultimate authority. Learn from this lesson that when things are not going right in our lives we need to keep our eyes on God and His character.
Tue, Jul 19, 2016
Passage: 1 Samuel 15:23
Duration: 1 hr 4 mins 11 secs
Does God ever regret or become sorry for anything? Listen to this lesson to learn that God never changes and when Scripture applies certain figures of speech to God, it is to help us understand His policies. Hear Saul’s rationalizations for disobeying God and how we all have arrogance skills we need to confess. Understand that God prefers obedience from us rather than our sacrifices or going through rituals.
Tue, Jul 26, 2016
Passage: 1 Samuel 15:23
Duration: 1 hr 5 mins 9 secs
Do you think of voodoo magic when you hear about witchcraft? Listen to this lesson to learn what the Bible uses as a comparison to the occult. Hear a number of Scriptures that emphasize why we should obey authority. See an explanation of rebellion beginning with the angelic revolt in eternity past and find how out all things will be brought under submission to Christ at His Second Coming. Look inward and see where you rebel against God verbally, by your thoughts, or by your actions.
Tue, Aug 02, 2016
Passage: 1 Samuel 15:23-35
Duration: 1 hr 8 mins 22 secs
Are there times when we have the right to disobey government authority? Listen to this lesson to learn what the Bible says is the only exception to obedience to authority. Hear about two situations in Daniel that show how believers are to live in a pagan world. Find out that there are God-given distinctions between the roles of men and women. See that divination is an acceptance of the authority of demons. Recognize that when we violate the laws of establishment that we are in rebellion against God.
Tue, Aug 09, 2016
Passage: 1 Samuel 16-31
Duration: 1 hr 11 mins 33 secs
Two men. Two kings. Saul and David. Listen to this lesson to see the contrast between the one who was disobedient to God and the one who loved God and wanted to grow spiritually even though he had many failures. Find out about the pattern in the Saul/David relationship that foreshadows the rule of Satan over the earth. See how David is a type of the future Church Age as he and his followers were outcasts being trained to rule and reign in the future.
Tue, Aug 16, 2016
Passage: 1 Samuel 16:1-13
Duration: 1 hr 7 mins 53 secs
If you like to hear about the lives of great men, be prepared to learn about the riveting life of King David. Learn why God declared him to be a man after His heart. Hear that David was not perfect but that he had the right mental attitude of toughness and responsibility and devotion to God. Find out four functions of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament. Learn from David that it’s not our background but our submission to God’s authority that counts.
Tue, Aug 23, 2016
Passage: 1 Samuel 16:14-23
Duration: 1 hr 6 mins 17 secs

Do you know that everyone, believer and unbeliever alike, is influenced by the thinking of demons? Listen to this lesson to learn that any thoughts and ideas that are not biblical are demonic. Find out what happened to Saul when the Spirit of the Lord departed from him and an evil spirit descended. See that he is mentally tormented in a way that completely paralyzed him with fear. Learn how David was brought out of the sheepfold and into the court to play the harp to sooth Saul. Learn that God was working out His plan for David, the future king of Israel.

Note that the video for this class includes two videos from the Museum of the Bible, which are located at: Museum of the Bible Overview and Museum of the Bible Fly-Through. Click to visit the Museum of the Bible website.

Dr. Dean also mentioned Gatestone Institute if you're interested in news from Europe and the Middle East.