2 Samuel For You: The Triumphs and Tragedies of God's King

God's Word for You

by Tim Chester

2 Samuel is a story of triumph and disaster, both personal and national. It is the account of the rise and fall and rise of a great king, David of Israel. But it is also the story of the God who rules his people, who forgives his people, and who promises to send the King whose greatest fall will bring our eternal rise. This accessible, absorbing expository guide opens up this book for new and mature Christians alike. It is less academic than a commentary, making it a great resource for personal devotion, as well as useful for leading small group studies or sermon preparation.

Genres: Christian

204 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2017

About the author

Dr Tim Chester is involved in The Crowded House, a church planting initiative in Sheffield, UK. He was previously Research & Policy Director for Tearfund UK, and has been published widely on prayer, mission, social issues and theology. He is married to Helen and has two daughters.

Reviews

[Kyle McFerren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this quite as much as 1 Samuel For You, but it was still very good. Tim Chester does a good job at making connections between the text and other passages of Scripture and finds many parallels between David and Christ. He also draws your attention to the structure of 2 Samuel and the literary features used. Definitely gave me a much deeper appreciation for a book of the Bible that I usually don't connect with a whole lot.

[Jeremiah · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the problems I have found is that Christians have a hard time reading Old Testament (OT) books through the lens of the Gospel without guidance. I know because I am one of those people. That being said, this book (as well as all the other OT “For You” books I have read) do a good job of that for people, like me, who who lack that lens.

[Phil Butcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book in this series. I find them such an encouragement. This one really helps you see how the life of David finds it's true fulfillment in Jesus - and why that is such good news for us today!

[Rachael Stoldt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I typically don’t read commentaries on specific books of the Bible but I like the “for you” series. It was heavy and sometimes my eyes glazed over, but reading it while reading the scripture was insightful.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe 4.5 stars, but his last section on David’s census is so good that it’s hard not to give it 5 stars after just finishing it. Chester does a good job at walking through the text in a Christ centered way.

[Michael Willis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vintage Tim Chester, helpfully guiding through the themes and narrative of 2 Samuel, faithfully pointing from the 'christ' (David) to the 'Christ' (Jesus).

[Joe Debenedictis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book!

[Carl J Tomlinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book

Impactful Wonderful Historic and exciting. I recommend it to everyone and anyone! I could hardly put the book down. Read it!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful — points to Jesus, full of context and history.

[Ferry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Biblical Drama

Part of the bible in which there are twists and turns. Showing how amidst our life, God is the King and He is in control.

[Wassenario · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it

[Heather Donaghy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 1 & 2 Samuel For You commentaries are brilliant resources for anyone who wants to take whole book Bible study seriously. I read these in Lockdown in April and May 2020, and really enjoyed them.

I found these much easier to read and navigate than the verse by verse breakdown of older Bible commentaries. The context, the big picture of the people, places and trajectory of Bible history are clear and really helpfully pointed out throughout, but this is really well balanced with application and what God’s word is saying into the post-Christian west today.

The faithful, yet imperfect and very human King David is the archetype and pointer to Christ, the true and perfect Saviour King. These commentaries do a great job of getting the reader to see Jesus in the pages of 1 & 2 Samuel as well as God’s incredible grace and patience for King David and the people of Israel.