Bible Lab S2 Ep. 12 - Character Studies in Kingship (1 Samuel 18 - 2 Samuel 9)

A Tale of Two Kings

Saul's story is a cautionary tale in how our own desires, left unchecked, can consume us. There is a lot to learn from this contentious time in Israel's history. Saul is falling apart, and David's credibility is ascending. Both of these characters provide a great deal of material for reflection. This week's discussion helps us navigate doing effective character study to apply lessons from their respective stories to connect to Christ and to us.

• Big Events: Saul's descent into depravity, the fall of Saul's house, David's Kingship established, civil war in Israel, moving the ark of the Lord
• Key Themes: God's favor and rejection, the power of mercy, David's code of honor, inquiring of the Lord first in everything
• Rabbit Trails: Finding positives in Saul's story, what to make of the story of Saul and the medium, ghosts + the afterlife, discussion about Christians and horror movies

Resources

• THE BIBLE LAB IS NOW ON YOUTUBE: watch the full episode and find clips to share on the LIFE BRIDGE YOUTUBE CHANNEL
• Bible Project Summary for the books of 1 and 2 Samuel:
  https://bibleproject.com/guides/books-of-samuel/
• ESV Book summary for 1 and 2 Samuel:
  https://www.esv.org/resources/esv-global-study-bible/introduction-to-1-2-samuel/ 
• The song Joel and Jake were discussing at the start of the episode - "Lower Still" by My Epic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00aTXLdaZAk 
  *Warning: this is a loud song with yelling*

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Each week during Season 2 of the podcast, we will break down the previous week's readings, including big events, key themes, rabbit-hole curiosities, and devotional thoughts.

If you want to follow along with our reading plan from cover to cover, you can find it right here. We'll be following the 3x5 reading plan, which covers 3 chapters a day and 5 on Sundays. 

Additionally, if you're looking for resources to compliment your study, check out The 3x5 Workbook by David Kalas. This is a great tool to challenge you by providing weekly review quizzes and answers to help your learnings stick. 

If you have questions you want covered on the show from your readings, email them ahead of time to biblelab@lifebridgegb.org!