WINFRED O. NEELY
OUTLINE
Introduction
I. The Rise and Conquest of King David (1:1–10:19)
A. David’s Response to the News of Saul’s Death (1:1-27)
1. David Learns of Saul’s Death (1:1-10)
2. David Grieves the Death of Saul and Jonathan (1:11-16)
3. How Have the Mighty Fallen! (1:17-27)
B. David the King vs. the House of Saul (2:1-32)
1. David Is Anointed King over Judah (2:1-4a)
2. The Lord’s Anointed King Reaches out to Jabesh-gilead (2:4b-7)
3. General Abner Makes Ish-bosheth King over Israel (2:8-11)
4. A Battle Spreads between the Houses of David and Saul (2:12-32)
C. The Growth of the House of David (3:1-39)
1. David’s House Increases as Saul’s Declines (3:1)
2. David’s Family Increases (3:2-5)
3. Abner Grows Stronger in the House of Saul (3:6-11)
4. Abner Makes a Covenant with David (3:12-25)
5. Joab Murders Abner (3:26-30)
6. David Mourns the Death of Abner (3:31-39)
D. The Murder of Ish-bosheth (4:1-12)
1. Ish-bosheth Loses Courage (4:1-3)
2. Mephibosheth Crippled in an Accident (4:4)
3. David Responds to Rechab and Baanah’s Treachery (4:5-12)
E. The Crowning and Conquest of David, the King of Israel (5:1-25)
1. David Becomes King over All Israel (5:1-5)
2. The King Captures Jerusalem (5:6-10)
3. Hiram Builds David a House (5:11-12)
4. David Enlarges His Already Large Family (5:13-16)
5. David Battles the Philistines (5:17-25)
F. Bringing the Ark to Jerusalem (6:1-23)
1. Israel Returns the Ark in the Wrong Way (6:1-11)
2. Israel Returns the Ark in the Biblical Way (6:12-15)
3. Michal Despises David (6:16-23)
G. The Lord Will Build David an Eternal House (7:1-29)
1. David Desires to Build the Lord a House (7:1-3)
2. The Lord Sends Nathan to David with a Message (7:4-17)
3. David Responds to God’s Promise (7:18-29)
H. David’s Victories and Righteous Rule (8:1-18)
1. David Triumphs over Many Enemies (8:1-14)
2. David Rules with Righteousness and Justice (8:15-18)
I. The Kindness of the King (9:1-13)
1. David Summons Mephibosheth (9:1-8)
2. Mephibosheth Eats Bread at the King’s Table (9:9-13)
J. Hanun Spurns the Kindness of the King (10:1-19)
1. David’s Servants Are Shamed (10:1-5)
2. Ammon Becomes a Stench to David (10:6-8)
3. Two Brothers Lead the Battle (10:9-14)
4. David Finds Victory over the Arameans (10:15-19)
II. Great Sin, Great Grace, Terrible Consequences (11:1–12:31)
A. War and Great Sin (11:1-27)
1. The King Is Intimate with Bathsheba (11:1-5)
2. David Tries to Deceive Uriah (11:6-13)
3. David Writes a Chilling Letter (11:14-21)
4. Uriah the Hittite Dies in Battle (11:22-25)
5. The Lord Views David’s Acts as Evil (11:26-27)
B. Great Grace, Terrible Consequences, and War (12:1-31)
1. The Lord Sends Nathan to David (12:1-15a)
2. David’s Baby Dies (12:15b-23)
3. David and Bathsheba Have Solomon (12:24-25)
4. David’s Army Wins More Victories (12:26-31)
III. More Fallout from David’s Sin in His Own Family (13:1–20:26)
A. Rape, Vengeance, and Murder in the Family (13:1-39)
1. Amnon Desires His Sister (13:1-3)
2. Amnon Rapes His Own Sister (13:4-19)
3. Absalom Comforts His Sister and Hates His Brother (13:20-22)
4. Absalom Takes Revenge (13:23-36)
5. Absalom Flees to His Grandfather’s House (13:37-39)
B. David Restores Absalom to His Court (14:1-33)
1. Joab Enacts a Shrewd Plan on Absalom’s Behalf (14:1-3)
2. The Shrewd Woman Fabricates a Story (14:4-20)
3. David Recalls Absalom to Jerusalem (14:21-33)
C. The Flight and Return of King David (15:1–20:26)
1. Absalom Dethrones David (15:1-37)
a. Absalom Steals the Hearts of the People of Israel (15:1-6)
b. Absalom Conspires against the King (15:7-12)
c. King David Flees Jerusalem (15:13-18)
d. David Receives Unexpected Loyalty: Ittai and Hushai (15:19-37)
2. Ziba, Shimei, and More Sexual Abuse (16:1-23)
a. The Opportunistic Ziba (16:1-4)
b. Shimei Curses David (16:5-14)
c. Absalom Takes David’s Throne and Concubines (16:15-23)
3. Hushai, Ahithophel, and Three Other Men (17:1-29)
a. Ahithophel Advises a Small Attack (17:1-4)
b. Hushai Offers a Different Plan (17:5-14)
c. Hushai Sends Word to David through the Spy Connection (17:15-22)
d. Ahithophel Commits Suicide (17:23)
e. The Lord Provides through Three Men (17:24-29)
4. Defeat, Victory, and Guilty Grief (18:1-33)
a. David Assembles His Troops for Battle (18:1-5)
b. David’s Servants Fight Israel; Absalom Murdered (18:6-18)
c. David Hears of Victory and Loss (18:19-33)
5. Bringing the King Back (19:1-43)
a. King David’s Grief and Restoration (19:1-15)
b. David and Shimei (19:16-23)
c. A Conversation between David and Mephibosheth (19:24-30)
d. Barzillai the Gileadite (19:31-39)
e. Tensions between Judah and Israel over David’s Reinstatement (19:40-43)
6. Sheba’s Rebellion (20:1-26)
a. The Appearance of Sheba (20:1-2)
b. Providing for David’s Violated Ten Concubines (20:3)
c. The Pursuit of Sheba (20:4-8)
d. Joab Murders Amasa (20:9-13)
e. Another Wise Woman (20:14-22)
f. A Summary of the Restored Kingdom (20:23-26)
IV. Epilogue: Final Thoughts about David (21:1–24:25)
A. Atonement and Giant Killers (21:1-22)
1. Biblical Justice for the Gibeonites (21:1-9)
2. The Grief of Rizpah, Saul’s Concubine (21:10-14)
3. Renewed Conflict with the Philistines (21:15-22)
a. The Exploit of Abishai (21:15-17)
b. The Exploit of Sibbecai the Hushathite (21:18)
c. The Exploit of Elhanan (21:19)
d. The Exploit of Jonathan (21:20-22)
B. The Celebration in Song of the Lord’s Deliverance (22:1-51)
1. The Lord’s Central Place in David’s Life (22:1-4)
2. Divine Rescue from Mortal Danger (22:5-20)
3. The Moral Reasons for David’s Deliverance (22:21-25)
4. God’s Response to People Based on Their Character (22:26-30)
5. God’s Blameless Way and Divine Enabling (22:31-37)
6. The Victorious Pursuit (22:38-43)
7. David’s Exaltation from the Lord (22:44-46)
8. Gratitude to the Lord among the Nations (22:47-50)
9. Lovingkindness to David’s Descendants Forever (22:51)
C. David’s Last Words and His Mighty Men (23:1-39)
1. The Last Words (23:1-7)
2. David’s Mighty Men (23:8-39)
D. David’s Sinful Census and the Resulting Plague (24:1-25)
1. David Orders Joab to Number the People (24:1-10)
2. The Plague Strikes (24:11-17)
3. David Offers a Sacrifice to the Lord (24:18-25)