Within the Old Testament, 1-2 Samuel is often fertile ground for preaching. But, sadly, many sermons preached from 1-2 Samuel are not much more than moral examples. Be like David (1 Sam 17); don't be like David (2 Sam 11-12). While there is absolutely a place for God's people today to learn from the examples of David and others (see Hebrews 11), making that the focus does not do justice to Jesus' claim that the entire Old Testament points to him (Luke 24:44-49). So how can one preach 1-2 Samuel in a way that is gospel-centered and Christ-focused?
Jim Hamilton, who is Associate Professor of Biblical Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and also Preaching Pastor at Kenwood Baptist Church, has written a helpful article on typology in the Southern Baptist Journal of Theology. But even more helpful than his discussion of typology is how Hamilton walks through the numerous typological connections between David as portrayed in 1-2 Samuel. If you want to grow in your understanding of how 1-2 Samuel points to Christ, you need to read "The Typology of David's Rise to Power: Messianic Patterns in the Book of Samuel" SBJT 16.2 (2012): 4-25.