Did David continue his legacy of faith? Was he a man with large faults, but even larger faith? Let’s look at 2 Samuel 3.
Did David feel entitled to take more wives? Is polygamy selfish, where wives lack a husband’s exclusive companionship? Is narcissistic privilege a problem with human leadership?
After this, a state of protracted war existed between Saul’s dynasty and David’s dynasty, and the dynasty of David continued to grow and become strong while the dynasty of Saul continued to grow weaker. During this time, sons were born to David while he was living in Hebron. His firstborn was Amnon by Ahinoam from Jezreel, his second was Chileab by Abigail, widow of Nabal from Carmel, his third was Absalom by Maacah, daughter of King Talmai from Geshur, his fourth was Adonijah by Haggith, his fifth was Shephatiah by Abital, and his sixth was Ithream by David’s wife Eglah. They were all born to David in Hebron. (2 Samuel 3:1-5 ISV)
Was David’s polygamy a direct violation of the law against kings multiplying wives and wealth for themselves?
The king must not take many wives for himself, because they will turn his heart away from the Lord. And he must not accumulate large amounts of wealth in silver and gold for himself. (Deuteronomy 17:17 NLT)
Did a false accusation cause Abner to switch loyalties from Ishbosheth to David?
And it came to pass, while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, that Abner made himself strong for the house of Saul. And Saul had a concubine, whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah: and Ishbosheth said to Abner, Wherefore hast thou gone in unto my father's concubine? Then was Abner very wroth for the words of Ishbosheth, and said, Am I a dog's head, which against Judah do shew kindness this day unto the house of Saul thy father, to his brethren, and to his friends, and have not delivered thee into the hand of David, that thou chargest me to day with a fault concerning this woman? So do God to Abner, and more also, except, as the Lord hath sworn to David, even so I do to him; To translate the kingdom from the house of Saul, and to set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan even to Beersheba. And he could not answer Abner a word again, because he feared him. (2 Samuel 3:6-11 KJV)
What message did Abner send to David? What demands did David make?
Then Abner sent messengers to David in his place, saying, “Whose is the land? Cut your covenant with me, and behold, my hand shall be with you to turn all Israel over to you.” And he said, “Good! I will cut a covenant with you, but I ask one thing of you, namely, you shall not see my face unless you first bring Michal, Saul’s daughter, when you come to see my face.” So David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, saying, “Give me my wife Michal, to whom I was betrothed for one hundred foreskins of the Philistines.” And Ish-bosheth sent and took her from her husband, from Paltiel the son of Laish. But her husband went with her, weeping as he went, and followed her as far as Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, “Go, return.” So he returned. (2 Samuel 3:12-16 LSB)
What events transpired that began to turn the kingdom to David?
Now Abner had a consultation with the elders of Israel, saying, “In times past you were seeking for David to be king over you. Now then, do it! For the Lord has spoken regarding David, saying, ‘By the hand of My servant David I will save My people Israel from the hand of the Philistines, and from the hands of all their enemies.’” Abner also spoke to Benjamin; and in addition Abner went to speak to David in Hebron everything that seemed good to Israel and to the entire house of Benjamin. Then Abner and twenty men with him came to David at Hebron. And David held a feast for Abner and the men who were with him. Abner said to David, “Let me set out and go and gather all Israel to my lord the king, so that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may be king over all that your soul desires.” So David let Abner go, and he went in peace. (2 Samuel 3:17-21 NASB)
What gossip began to be spread against Abner by Joab?
Just then David’s men and Joab returned from a raid and brought with them a great deal of plunder. But Abner was no longer with David in Hebron, because David had sent him away, and he had gone in peace. When Joab and all the soldiers with him arrived, he was told that Abner son of Ner had come to the king and that the king had sent him away and that he had gone in peace. So Joab went to the king and said, “What have you done? Look, Abner came to you. Why did you let him go? Now he is gone! You know Abner son of Ner; he came to deceive you and observe your movements and find out everything you are doing.” (2 Samuel 3:22-25 NIV)
What was perhaps the real reason that Joab conspired to kill Abner?
And when Joab had gone from David’s presence, he sent messengers after Abner, who brought him back from the well of Sirah. But David did not know it. Now when Abner had returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gate to speak with him privately, and there stabbed him in the stomach, so that he died for the blood of Asahel his brother. Afterward, when David heard it, he said, “My kingdom and I are guiltless before the Lord forever of the blood of Abner the son of Ner. Let it rest on the head of Joab and on all his father’s house; and let there never fail to be in the house of Joab one who has a discharge or is a leper, who leans on a staff or falls by the sword, or who lacks bread.” So Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner, because he had killed their brother Asahel at Gibeon in the battle. (2 Samuel 3:26-30 NKJV)
Did David actually mourn for Abner, even composing a song in his memory?
Then David said to Joab and all those who were with him, “Tear your clothes and put on burlap. Mourn for Abner.” And King David himself walked behind the procession to the grave. They buried Abner in Hebron, and the king and all the people wept at his graveside. Then the king sang this funeral song for Abner: “Should Abner have died as fools die? Your hands were not bound; your feet were not chained. No, you were murdered— the victim of a wicked plot.” All the people wept again for Abner. (2 Samuel 3:31-34 NLT)
Did David so respect Abner that he fasted until sunset? Instead of taking personal revenge, did David leave that to God?
All the people came to urge David to eat bread while it was yet day; but David swore, saying, “God do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread or anything else, until the sun goes down.” All the people took notice of it, and it pleased them, as whatever the king did pleased all the people. So all the people and all Israel understood that day that it was not of the king to kill Abner the son of Ner. The king said to his servants, “Don’t you know that a prince and a great man has fallen today in Israel? I am weak today, though anointed king. These men, the sons of Zeruiah are too hard for me. May Yahweh reward the evildoer according to his wickedness.” (2 Samuel 3:35-39 WEB)
What was the real difference between David and Saul? Were David’s sins worse than Saul’s, but David repented while Saul made excuses? Is doing God’s will one reason why David was a man after God’s heart?
And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ (Acts 13:22 ESV)
Did David continue his legacy of faith? Was he a man with large faults, but even larger faith? You decide!
Waiting Patiently (2 Samuel 2)
How many years was it since Samuel anointed David king in Saul’s stead and he became king over just Judah? How much longer would David have to wait to be king of all Israel? How long have we waited for our king from heaven? Let’s look at 2 Samuel 2.
Where did God tell David to move to with his family and his men?
Then it came about afterward that David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go up to one of the cities of Judah?” And the Lord said to him, “Go up.” So David said, “Where shall I go up?” And He said, “To Hebron.” So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite. And David brought up his men who were with him, each with his household; and they settled in the cities of Hebron. (2 Samuel 2:1-3 NASB)
What did the men of Judah do with David? Was this his second anointing as king?
Then the men of Judah came to Hebron, and there they anointed David king over the tribe of Judah. When David was told that it was the men from Jabesh Gilead who had buried Saul, he sent messengers to them to say to them, “The Lord bless you for showing this kindness to Saul your master by burying him. May the Lord now show you kindness and faithfulness, and I too will show you the same favor because you have done this. Now then, be strong and brave, for Saul your master is dead, and the people of Judah have anointed me king over them.” (2 Samuel 2:4-7 NIV)
Would David have to wait a little longer before becoming king over all Israel?
But Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, took Ishbosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim; and he made him king over Gilead, over the Ashurites, over Jezreel, over Ephraim, over Benjamin, and over all Israel. Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. Only the house of Judah followed David. And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months. (2 Samuel 2:8-11 NKJV)
What happened after a senseless match set up by Abner and Joab?
One day Abner led Ishbosheth’s troops from Mahanaim to Gibeon. About the same time, Joab son of Zeruiah led David’s troops out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. The two groups sat down there, facing each other from opposite sides of the pool. Then Abner suggested to Joab, “Let’s have a few of our warriors fight hand to hand here in front of us.” “All right,” Joab agreed. So twelve men were chosen to fight from each side—twelve men of Benjamin representing Ishbosheth son of Saul, and twelve representing David. Each one grabbed his opponent by the hair and thrust his sword into the other’s side so that all of them died. So this place at Gibeon has been known ever since as the Field of Swords. A fierce battle followed that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by the forces of David. (2 Samuel 2:12-17 NLT)
Did Abner, commander of Saul’s army, also die that day?
The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel was as light of foot as a wild gazelle. Asahel pursued Abner. He didn’t turn to the right hand or to the left from following Abner. Then Abner looked behind him and said, “Is that you, Asahel?” He answered, “It is.” Abner said to him, “Turn away to your right hand or to your left, and grab one of the young men, and take his armor.” But Asahel would not turn away from following him. Abner said again to Asahel, “Turn away from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I look Joab your brother in the face?” However, he refused to turn away. Therefore Abner with the back end of the spear struck him in the body, so that the spear came out behind him; and he fell down there and died in the same place. As many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died stood still. (2 Samuel 2:18-23 WEB)
Did Joab, David’s military leader, pursue Abner, commander of Saul’s army?
but Joab and Abishai went after Abner. The sun was setting when they came to the hill of Ammah, which faces Giah on the road to the Gibeon wilderness. The Benjaminites rallied behind Abner, forming a single unit. Then they took their positions on the top of a hill. Abner yelled down to Joab, “Must the sword keep killing forever? Don’t you realize that this will end bitterly? How long before you order the troops to stop chasing their brothers?” “As surely as God lives,” Joab replied, “if you hadn’t just said that, the soldiers would have continued after their brothers until morning.” Joab blew the trumpet, and all the soldiers stopped. They didn’t pursue Israel anymore, nor did they continue to fight. (2 Samuel 2:24-28 CEB)
After the cease fire, did David’s troops head towards home?
Abner and his troops marched through the Jordan River valley all that night. Then they crossed the river and marched all morning until they arrived back at Mahanaim. As soon as Joab stopped chasing Abner, he got David's troops together and counted them. There were 19 missing besides Asahel. But David's soldiers had killed 360 of Abner's men from the tribe of Benjamin. Joab and his troops carried Asahel's body to Bethlehem and buried him in the family burial place. Then they marched all night and reached Hebron before sunrise. (2 Samuel 2:29-32 CEV)
Is patience part of our walk with God, waiting for our eternal hope?
But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. (Romans 8:25 ESV)
Who are we waiting for and what can we be doing until then?
Therefore, brothers, be patient until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth and is patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near. (James 5:7-8 HCSB)
How many years was it since Samuel anointed David king in Saul’s stead and he became king over just Judah? How much longer would David have to wait to be king of all Israel? How long have we waited for our king from heaven? You Decide!
Where did God tell David to move to with his family and his men?
Then it came about afterward that David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go up to one of the cities of Judah?” And the Lord said to him, “Go up.” So David said, “Where shall I go up?” And He said, “To Hebron.” So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite. And David brought up his men who were with him, each with his household; and they settled in the cities of Hebron. (2 Samuel 2:1-3 NASB)
What did the men of Judah do with David? Was this his second anointing as king?
Then the men of Judah came to Hebron, and there they anointed David king over the tribe of Judah. When David was told that it was the men from Jabesh Gilead who had buried Saul, he sent messengers to them to say to them, “The Lord bless you for showing this kindness to Saul your master by burying him. May the Lord now show you kindness and faithfulness, and I too will show you the same favor because you have done this. Now then, be strong and brave, for Saul your master is dead, and the people of Judah have anointed me king over them.” (2 Samuel 2:4-7 NIV)
Would David have to wait a little longer before becoming king over all Israel?
But Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, took Ishbosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim; and he made him king over Gilead, over the Ashurites, over Jezreel, over Ephraim, over Benjamin, and over all Israel. Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. Only the house of Judah followed David. And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months. (2 Samuel 2:8-11 NKJV)
What happened after a senseless match set up by Abner and Joab?
One day Abner led Ishbosheth’s troops from Mahanaim to Gibeon. About the same time, Joab son of Zeruiah led David’s troops out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. The two groups sat down there, facing each other from opposite sides of the pool. Then Abner suggested to Joab, “Let’s have a few of our warriors fight hand to hand here in front of us.” “All right,” Joab agreed. So twelve men were chosen to fight from each side—twelve men of Benjamin representing Ishbosheth son of Saul, and twelve representing David. Each one grabbed his opponent by the hair and thrust his sword into the other’s side so that all of them died. So this place at Gibeon has been known ever since as the Field of Swords. A fierce battle followed that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by the forces of David. (2 Samuel 2:12-17 NLT)
Did Abner, commander of Saul’s army, also die that day?
The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel was as light of foot as a wild gazelle. Asahel pursued Abner. He didn’t turn to the right hand or to the left from following Abner. Then Abner looked behind him and said, “Is that you, Asahel?” He answered, “It is.” Abner said to him, “Turn away to your right hand or to your left, and grab one of the young men, and take his armor.” But Asahel would not turn away from following him. Abner said again to Asahel, “Turn away from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I look Joab your brother in the face?” However, he refused to turn away. Therefore Abner with the back end of the spear struck him in the body, so that the spear came out behind him; and he fell down there and died in the same place. As many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died stood still. (2 Samuel 2:18-23 WEB)
Did Joab, David’s military leader, pursue Abner, commander of Saul’s army?
but Joab and Abishai went after Abner. The sun was setting when they came to the hill of Ammah, which faces Giah on the road to the Gibeon wilderness. The Benjaminites rallied behind Abner, forming a single unit. Then they took their positions on the top of a hill. Abner yelled down to Joab, “Must the sword keep killing forever? Don’t you realize that this will end bitterly? How long before you order the troops to stop chasing their brothers?” “As surely as God lives,” Joab replied, “if you hadn’t just said that, the soldiers would have continued after their brothers until morning.” Joab blew the trumpet, and all the soldiers stopped. They didn’t pursue Israel anymore, nor did they continue to fight. (2 Samuel 2:24-28 CEB)
After the cease fire, did David’s troops head towards home?
Abner and his troops marched through the Jordan River valley all that night. Then they crossed the river and marched all morning until they arrived back at Mahanaim. As soon as Joab stopped chasing Abner, he got David's troops together and counted them. There were 19 missing besides Asahel. But David's soldiers had killed 360 of Abner's men from the tribe of Benjamin. Joab and his troops carried Asahel's body to Bethlehem and buried him in the family burial place. Then they marched all night and reached Hebron before sunrise. (2 Samuel 2:29-32 CEV)
Is patience part of our walk with God, waiting for our eternal hope?
But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. (Romans 8:25 ESV)
Who are we waiting for and what can we be doing until then?
Therefore, brothers, be patient until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth and is patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near. (James 5:7-8 HCSB)
How many years was it since Samuel anointed David king in Saul’s stead and he became king over just Judah? How much longer would David have to wait to be king of all Israel? How long have we waited for our king from heaven? You Decide!
Lamenting an Enemy (2 Samuel 2)
Is Bible history blunt and honest, often without a statement of approval or disapproval? Would we honor an enemy with a song of lament? Was David forgiven? Are we? Let’s look at 2 Samuel 1.
How did news of Saul and Jonathan’s death first reach David?
After Saul’s death, when David had returned from defeating the Amalekites, he stayed in Ziklag two days. On the third day, a man showed up from Saul’s camp with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. When he reached David, he fell to the ground, bowing low out of respect. “Where have you come from?” David asked him. “I’ve escaped from the Israelite army!” he answered. “What’s the report?” David asked him. “Tell me!” The man answered, “The troops fled from the battle! Many of the soldiers have fallen and died. What’s more, Saul and his son Jonathan have also died!” (2 Samuel 1:1-4 CEB)
What did the young man claim about who had actually killed Saul?
David asked, “How do you know Saul and Jonathan are dead?” The young man replied: I was on Mount Gilboa and saw King Saul leaning on his spear. The enemy's war chariots and cavalry were closing in on him. When he turned around and saw me, he called me over. I went and asked what he wanted. Saul asked me, “Who are you?” “An Amalekite,” I answered. Then he said, “Kill me! I'm dying, and I'm in terrible pain.” So I killed him. I knew he was too badly wounded to live much longer. Then I took his crown and his arm-band, and I brought them to you, Your Majesty. Here they are. (2 Samuel 1:5-10 CEV)
Thinking that the young man’s tale was true, what did David do next?
Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him. And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son and for the people of the Lord and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. And David said to the young man who told him, “Where do you come from?” And he answered, “I am the son of a sojourner, an Amalekite.” David said to him, “How is it you were not afraid to put out your hand to destroy the Lord's anointed?” Then David called one of the young men and said, “Go, execute him.” And he struck him down so that he died. And David said to him, “Your blood be on your head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed the Lord's anointed.’” (2 Samuel 1:11-16 ESV)
Did David compose a song in memory of Saul and Jonathan?
David sang the following lament for Saul and his son Jonathan, and he ordered that the Judahites be taught The Song of the Bow. It is written in the Book of Jashar: The splendor of Israel lies slain on your heights. How the mighty have fallen! Do not tell it in Gath, don’t announce it in the marketplaces of Ashkelon, or the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice, and the daughters of the uncircumcised will gloat. Mountains of Gilboa, let no dew or rain be on you, or fields of offerings, for there the shield of the mighty was defiled—the shield of Saul, no longer anointed with oil. (2 Samuel 1:17-21 HCSB)
Can the love between two men be strictly a deep friendship?
From the blood of the slain, from the blood of the valiant, Jonathan’s bow would not retreat nor would Saul’s sword return empty. Saul and Jonathan, loved and handsome in life, in death were not separated. Swifter than eagles they were, and more valiant than lions. Daughters of Israel, weep over Saul! He clothed you in scarlet luxury and decorated your garments with gold. How have the valiant fallen in the tumult of battle! Jonathan lies slain on your high places. I am in distress for you, my brother Jonathan. You have been most kind to me. Your love for me was extraordinary— beyond love from women. How the valiant have fallen! How the weapons of war are destroyed!” (2 Samuel 1:22-27 ISV)
Did Shimei accurately, even if unwisely criticize David in a later confrontation?
And thus said Shimei when he cursed, Come out, come out, thou bloody man, and thou man of Belial [worthlessness] (2 Samuel 16:7 KJV)
Despite his many sins, did David have faith and forgiveness?
But to the one who does not work, but believes upon Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, And whose sins have been covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account.” (Romans 4:5-8 LSB)
Is Bible history blunt and honest, often without a statement of approval or disapproval? Would we honor an enemy with a song of lament? Was David forgiven? Are we? You decide!
How did news of Saul and Jonathan’s death first reach David?
After Saul’s death, when David had returned from defeating the Amalekites, he stayed in Ziklag two days. On the third day, a man showed up from Saul’s camp with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. When he reached David, he fell to the ground, bowing low out of respect. “Where have you come from?” David asked him. “I’ve escaped from the Israelite army!” he answered. “What’s the report?” David asked him. “Tell me!” The man answered, “The troops fled from the battle! Many of the soldiers have fallen and died. What’s more, Saul and his son Jonathan have also died!” (2 Samuel 1:1-4 CEB)
What did the young man claim about who had actually killed Saul?
David asked, “How do you know Saul and Jonathan are dead?” The young man replied: I was on Mount Gilboa and saw King Saul leaning on his spear. The enemy's war chariots and cavalry were closing in on him. When he turned around and saw me, he called me over. I went and asked what he wanted. Saul asked me, “Who are you?” “An Amalekite,” I answered. Then he said, “Kill me! I'm dying, and I'm in terrible pain.” So I killed him. I knew he was too badly wounded to live much longer. Then I took his crown and his arm-band, and I brought them to you, Your Majesty. Here they are. (2 Samuel 1:5-10 CEV)
Thinking that the young man’s tale was true, what did David do next?
Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him. And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son and for the people of the Lord and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. And David said to the young man who told him, “Where do you come from?” And he answered, “I am the son of a sojourner, an Amalekite.” David said to him, “How is it you were not afraid to put out your hand to destroy the Lord's anointed?” Then David called one of the young men and said, “Go, execute him.” And he struck him down so that he died. And David said to him, “Your blood be on your head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed the Lord's anointed.’” (2 Samuel 1:11-16 ESV)
Did David compose a song in memory of Saul and Jonathan?
David sang the following lament for Saul and his son Jonathan, and he ordered that the Judahites be taught The Song of the Bow. It is written in the Book of Jashar: The splendor of Israel lies slain on your heights. How the mighty have fallen! Do not tell it in Gath, don’t announce it in the marketplaces of Ashkelon, or the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice, and the daughters of the uncircumcised will gloat. Mountains of Gilboa, let no dew or rain be on you, or fields of offerings, for there the shield of the mighty was defiled—the shield of Saul, no longer anointed with oil. (2 Samuel 1:17-21 HCSB)
Can the love between two men be strictly a deep friendship?
From the blood of the slain, from the blood of the valiant, Jonathan’s bow would not retreat nor would Saul’s sword return empty. Saul and Jonathan, loved and handsome in life, in death were not separated. Swifter than eagles they were, and more valiant than lions. Daughters of Israel, weep over Saul! He clothed you in scarlet luxury and decorated your garments with gold. How have the valiant fallen in the tumult of battle! Jonathan lies slain on your high places. I am in distress for you, my brother Jonathan. You have been most kind to me. Your love for me was extraordinary— beyond love from women. How the valiant have fallen! How the weapons of war are destroyed!” (2 Samuel 1:22-27 ISV)
Did Shimei accurately, even if unwisely criticize David in a later confrontation?
And thus said Shimei when he cursed, Come out, come out, thou bloody man, and thou man of Belial [worthlessness] (2 Samuel 16:7 KJV)
Despite his many sins, did David have faith and forgiveness?
But to the one who does not work, but believes upon Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, And whose sins have been covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account.” (Romans 4:5-8 LSB)
Is Bible history blunt and honest, often without a statement of approval or disapproval? Would we honor an enemy with a song of lament? Was David forgiven? Are we? You decide!
Saul's Death (1 Samuel 31)
Is Saul’s death a warning to those who started well, but backsliding? Can an unfaithful leader hurt many people? Where are you headed? Let’s look at 1 Samuel 31.
Did Saul and most of his sons die on the same day in battle? If God had not intervened, would David have been fighting on the side of the Philistines?
When the Philistines attacked the Israelites, the Israelites ran away from the Philistines, and many fell dead on Mount Gilboa. The Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua. The battle was fierce around Saul. When the archers located him, they wounded him badly. Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and kill me with it! Otherwise, these uncircumcised men will come and kill me or torture me.” But his armor-bearer refused because he was terrified. So Saul took the sword and impaled himself on it. When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also impaled himself on his sword and died with Saul. So Saul, his three sons, his armor-bearer, and all his soldiers died together that day. (1 Samuel 31:1-6 CEB)
What happened to the Israelite army after they realized that their leader was dead? What did the Philistines do with Saul’s body?
The Israelites on the other side of Jezreel Valley and the other side of the Jordan learned that Saul and his sons were dead. They saw that the Israelite army had run away. So they ran away too, and the Philistines moved into the towns the Israelites had left behind. The day after the battle, when the Philistines returned to the battlefield to take the weapons of the dead Israelite soldiers, they found Saul and his three sons lying dead on Mount Gilboa. The Philistines cut off Saul's head and pulled off his armor. Then they put his armor in the temple of the goddess Astarte, and they nailed his body to the city wall of Beth-Shan. They also sent messengers everywhere in Philistia to spread the good news in the temples of their idols and among their people. (1 Samuel 31:7-10 CEV)
What did the Israelites do with Saul’s body and those of his sons?
But when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, all the valiant men arose and went all night and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and they came to Jabesh and burned them there. And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted seven days. (1 Samuel 31:11-13 ESV)
What is the principle criterion whereby we must be saved? Did Saul cease being a believer? Did his actions show it?
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. (Mark 16:16 HCSB)
From where can we get the strength not to stray as Saul did?
But the Lord is faithful and will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. (2 Thessalonians 3:3 ISV)
Is Saul’s death a warning to those who started well, but backsliding? Can an unfaithful leader hurt many people? Where are you headed? You decide!
Did Saul and most of his sons die on the same day in battle? If God had not intervened, would David have been fighting on the side of the Philistines?
When the Philistines attacked the Israelites, the Israelites ran away from the Philistines, and many fell dead on Mount Gilboa. The Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua. The battle was fierce around Saul. When the archers located him, they wounded him badly. Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and kill me with it! Otherwise, these uncircumcised men will come and kill me or torture me.” But his armor-bearer refused because he was terrified. So Saul took the sword and impaled himself on it. When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also impaled himself on his sword and died with Saul. So Saul, his three sons, his armor-bearer, and all his soldiers died together that day. (1 Samuel 31:1-6 CEB)
What happened to the Israelite army after they realized that their leader was dead? What did the Philistines do with Saul’s body?
The Israelites on the other side of Jezreel Valley and the other side of the Jordan learned that Saul and his sons were dead. They saw that the Israelite army had run away. So they ran away too, and the Philistines moved into the towns the Israelites had left behind. The day after the battle, when the Philistines returned to the battlefield to take the weapons of the dead Israelite soldiers, they found Saul and his three sons lying dead on Mount Gilboa. The Philistines cut off Saul's head and pulled off his armor. Then they put his armor in the temple of the goddess Astarte, and they nailed his body to the city wall of Beth-Shan. They also sent messengers everywhere in Philistia to spread the good news in the temples of their idols and among their people. (1 Samuel 31:7-10 CEV)
What did the Israelites do with Saul’s body and those of his sons?
But when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, all the valiant men arose and went all night and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and they came to Jabesh and burned them there. And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted seven days. (1 Samuel 31:11-13 ESV)
What is the principle criterion whereby we must be saved? Did Saul cease being a believer? Did his actions show it?
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. (Mark 16:16 HCSB)
From where can we get the strength not to stray as Saul did?
But the Lord is faithful and will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. (2 Thessalonians 3:3 ISV)
Is Saul’s death a warning to those who started well, but backsliding? Can an unfaithful leader hurt many people? Where are you headed? You decide!
Blessing in Disguise (1 Samuel 30)
Was David’s rejection by the Philistines and return home a blessing in disguise? Despite his horrendous sins, like plundering and murdering whole villages, why did God bless him? If God loved a man with so many faults like David, could He love us too? Let’s continue in 1 Samuel 30.
Was it God’s providence that David and his men were rejected and went home?
And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire; And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way. So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives. (1 Samuel 30:1-3 KJV)
Where did David go for strength, as even his own men began to turn against him?
So David and the people who were with him lifted their voices and wept until there was no strength in them to weep. Now David’s two wives had been taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite. Moreover David was greatly distressed because the people said to stone him, for all the people were embittered, each one because of his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in Yahweh [the Lord] his God. (1 Samuel 30:4-6 LSB)
Where did David go for an answer as to what to do about the situation?
Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Please bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. And David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I pursue this band of raiders? Will I overtake them?” And He said to him, “Pursue, for you will certainly overtake them, and you will certainly rescue everyone.” So David left, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and they came to the brook Besor, where some who were left behind stayed. But David pursued, he and four hundred men, for two hundred who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor stayed behind. (1 Samuel 30:7-10 NASB)
How did God bless David and his men in finding the perpetrators?
They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave him water to drink and food to eat— part of a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of raisins. He ate and was revived, for he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and three nights. David asked him, “Who do you belong to? Where do you come from?” He said, “I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me when I became ill three days ago. We raided the Negev of the Kerethites, some territory belonging to Judah and the Negev of Caleb. And we burned Ziklag.” David asked him, “Can you lead me down to this raiding party?” He answered, “Swear to me before God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them.” (1 Samuel 30:11-15 NIV)
Did God give them victory in rescuing their lost family members?
And when he had brought him down, there they were, spread out over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil which they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. Then David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled. So David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives. And nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them; David recovered all. Then David took all the flocks and herds they had driven before those other livestock, and said, “This is David’s spoil.” (1 Samuel 30:16-20 NKJV)
Was David generous and kind in sharing the spoils taken from the raiders?
Then David returned to the brook Besor and met up with the 200 men who had been left behind because they were too exhausted to go with him. They went out to meet David and his men, and David greeted them joyfully. But some evil troublemakers among David’s men said, “They didn’t go with us, so they can’t have any of the plunder we recovered. Give them their wives and children, and tell them to be gone.” But David said, “No, my brothers! Don’t be selfish with what the Lord has given us. He has kept us safe and helped us defeat the band of raiders that attacked us. Who will listen when you talk like this? We share and share alike—those who go to battle and those who guard the equipment.” From then on David made this a decree and regulation for Israel, and it is still followed today. When he arrived at Ziklag, David sent part of the plunder to the elders of Judah, who were his friends. “Here is a present for you, taken from the Lord’s enemies,” he said. The gifts were sent to the people of the following towns David had visited: Bethel, Ramoth-negev, Jattir, Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, Racal, the towns of the Jerahmeelites, the towns of the Kenites, Hormah, Bor-ashan, Athach, Hebron, and all the other places David and his men had visited. (1 Samuel 30:23-30 NLT)
If God loved and blessed a man with so many faults like David, could He also love us too?
But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8 WEB)
Was David’s rejection by the Philistines and return home a blessing in disguise? Despite his horrendous sins, like plundering and murdering whole villages, why did God bless him? If God loved a man with so many faults like David, could He love us too? You decide!
Was it God’s providence that David and his men were rejected and went home?
And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire; And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way. So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives. (1 Samuel 30:1-3 KJV)
Where did David go for strength, as even his own men began to turn against him?
So David and the people who were with him lifted their voices and wept until there was no strength in them to weep. Now David’s two wives had been taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite. Moreover David was greatly distressed because the people said to stone him, for all the people were embittered, each one because of his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in Yahweh [the Lord] his God. (1 Samuel 30:4-6 LSB)
Where did David go for an answer as to what to do about the situation?
Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Please bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. And David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I pursue this band of raiders? Will I overtake them?” And He said to him, “Pursue, for you will certainly overtake them, and you will certainly rescue everyone.” So David left, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and they came to the brook Besor, where some who were left behind stayed. But David pursued, he and four hundred men, for two hundred who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor stayed behind. (1 Samuel 30:7-10 NASB)
How did God bless David and his men in finding the perpetrators?
They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave him water to drink and food to eat— part of a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of raisins. He ate and was revived, for he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and three nights. David asked him, “Who do you belong to? Where do you come from?” He said, “I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me when I became ill three days ago. We raided the Negev of the Kerethites, some territory belonging to Judah and the Negev of Caleb. And we burned Ziklag.” David asked him, “Can you lead me down to this raiding party?” He answered, “Swear to me before God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them.” (1 Samuel 30:11-15 NIV)
Did God give them victory in rescuing their lost family members?
And when he had brought him down, there they were, spread out over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil which they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. Then David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled. So David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives. And nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them; David recovered all. Then David took all the flocks and herds they had driven before those other livestock, and said, “This is David’s spoil.” (1 Samuel 30:16-20 NKJV)
Was David generous and kind in sharing the spoils taken from the raiders?
Then David returned to the brook Besor and met up with the 200 men who had been left behind because they were too exhausted to go with him. They went out to meet David and his men, and David greeted them joyfully. But some evil troublemakers among David’s men said, “They didn’t go with us, so they can’t have any of the plunder we recovered. Give them their wives and children, and tell them to be gone.” But David said, “No, my brothers! Don’t be selfish with what the Lord has given us. He has kept us safe and helped us defeat the band of raiders that attacked us. Who will listen when you talk like this? We share and share alike—those who go to battle and those who guard the equipment.” From then on David made this a decree and regulation for Israel, and it is still followed today. When he arrived at Ziklag, David sent part of the plunder to the elders of Judah, who were his friends. “Here is a present for you, taken from the Lord’s enemies,” he said. The gifts were sent to the people of the following towns David had visited: Bethel, Ramoth-negev, Jattir, Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, Racal, the towns of the Jerahmeelites, the towns of the Kenites, Hormah, Bor-ashan, Athach, Hebron, and all the other places David and his men had visited. (1 Samuel 30:23-30 NLT)
If God loved and blessed a man with so many faults like David, could He also love us too?
But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8 WEB)
Was David’s rejection by the Philistines and return home a blessing in disguise? Despite his horrendous sins, like plundering and murdering whole villages, why did God bless him? If God loved a man with so many faults like David, could He love us too? You decide!
David Rejected (1 Samuel 29)
Can rejection be God’s blessing? Did David actually need to return home? When we are rejected do we look for God’s hand? Let’s begin in 1 Samuel 29.
Were the Philistines shocked to find David’s mercenaries among their soldiers?
The Philistines assembled all their forces at Aphek, and the Israelites camped by the spring in Jezreel. As the Philistine rulers went out marching in units of hundreds and thousands, David and his soldiers were in the rear with Achish. “Who are these Hebrews?” the Philistine commanders asked. “That’s David,” Achish told them, “the servant of Israel’s King Saul. He’s been with me a year or so now. I haven’t found anything wrong with him from the day he defected until now.” (1 Samuel 29:1-3 CEB)
Were the Philistines suspicious that David could turn against them?
The Philistine army commanders were angry and shouted: Send David back to the town you gave him. We won't have him going into the battle with us. He could turn and fight against us! Saul would take David back as an officer if David brought him the heads of our soldiers. The Israelites even dance and sing, “Saul has killed a thousand enemies; David has killed ten thousand!” (1 Samuel 29:4-5 CEV)
Did David and his army of mercenaries leave the battlefield and go home?
Then Achish called David and said to him, “As the Lord lives, you have been honest, and to me it seems right that you should march out and in with me in the campaign. For I have found nothing wrong in you from the day of your coming to me to this day. Nevertheless, the lords do not approve of you. So go back now; and go peaceably, that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines.” And David said to Achish, “But what have I done? What have you found in your servant from the day I entered your service until now, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?” And Achish answered David and said, “I know that you are as blameless in my sight as an angel of God. Nevertheless, the commanders of the Philistines have said, ‘He shall not go up with us to the battle.’ Now then rise early in the morning with the servants of your lord who came with you, and start early in the morning, and depart as soon as you have light.” So David set out with his men early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. But the Philistines went up to Jezreel. (1 Samuel 29:6-11 ESV)
Is Jesus, the cornerstone of everything that is the Christian faith, rejected?
Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This came from the Lord and is wonderful in our eyes?” (Matthew 21:42 HCSB)
If we are rejected for telling the good news of God’s kingdom, are we in good company?
The person who listens to you listens to me, and the person who rejects you rejects me. The person who rejects me rejects the one who sent me. (Luke 10:16 ISV)
Can rejection be God’s blessing? Did David actually need to return home? When we are rejected do we look for God’s hand? You decide!
Were the Philistines shocked to find David’s mercenaries among their soldiers?
The Philistines assembled all their forces at Aphek, and the Israelites camped by the spring in Jezreel. As the Philistine rulers went out marching in units of hundreds and thousands, David and his soldiers were in the rear with Achish. “Who are these Hebrews?” the Philistine commanders asked. “That’s David,” Achish told them, “the servant of Israel’s King Saul. He’s been with me a year or so now. I haven’t found anything wrong with him from the day he defected until now.” (1 Samuel 29:1-3 CEB)
Were the Philistines suspicious that David could turn against them?
The Philistine army commanders were angry and shouted: Send David back to the town you gave him. We won't have him going into the battle with us. He could turn and fight against us! Saul would take David back as an officer if David brought him the heads of our soldiers. The Israelites even dance and sing, “Saul has killed a thousand enemies; David has killed ten thousand!” (1 Samuel 29:4-5 CEV)
Did David and his army of mercenaries leave the battlefield and go home?
Then Achish called David and said to him, “As the Lord lives, you have been honest, and to me it seems right that you should march out and in with me in the campaign. For I have found nothing wrong in you from the day of your coming to me to this day. Nevertheless, the lords do not approve of you. So go back now; and go peaceably, that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines.” And David said to Achish, “But what have I done? What have you found in your servant from the day I entered your service until now, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?” And Achish answered David and said, “I know that you are as blameless in my sight as an angel of God. Nevertheless, the commanders of the Philistines have said, ‘He shall not go up with us to the battle.’ Now then rise early in the morning with the servants of your lord who came with you, and start early in the morning, and depart as soon as you have light.” So David set out with his men early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. But the Philistines went up to Jezreel. (1 Samuel 29:6-11 ESV)
Is Jesus, the cornerstone of everything that is the Christian faith, rejected?
Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This came from the Lord and is wonderful in our eyes?” (Matthew 21:42 HCSB)
If we are rejected for telling the good news of God’s kingdom, are we in good company?
The person who listens to you listens to me, and the person who rejects you rejects me. The person who rejects me rejects the one who sent me. (Luke 10:16 ISV)
Can rejection be God’s blessing? Did David actually need to return home? When we are rejected do we look for God’s hand? You decide!
The Medium (1 Samuel 28)
Did Saul disobey God by going to a medium? Was Saul disobedient in other ways? How was the transfiguration very different? Let’s begin in 1 Samuel 28.
Was war between the Philistines and Israel about to take place?
And it came to pass in those days, that the Philistines gathered their armies together for warfare, to fight with Israel. And Achish said unto David, Know thou assuredly, that thou shalt go out with me to battle, thou and thy men. And David said to Achish, Surely thou shalt know what thy servant can do. And Achish said to David, Therefore will I make thee keeper of mine head for ever. (1 Samuel 28:1-2 KJV)
Because God refused to answer Saul’s prayers did he look for a medium?
Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had removed from the land those who were mediums and spiritists. So the Philistines gathered together and came and camped in Shunem; and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they camped in Gilboa. Saul saw the camp of the Philistines and was afraid and his heart trembled greatly. So Saul asked of Yahweh, but Yahweh did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by prophets. So Saul said to his servants, “Seek for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “Behold, there is a woman who is a medium at En-dor.” (1 Samuel 28:3-7 LSB)
Did Saul have to reassure the woman that she would not be harmed for her illegal activity?
Then Saul disguised himself by putting on different clothes, and went, he and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night; and he said, “Consult the spirit for me, please, and bring up for me the one whom I shall name for you.” But the woman said to him, “Behold, you know what Saul has done, that he has eliminated the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why are you then setting a trap for my life, to bring about my death?” So Saul swore an oath to her by the Lord, saying, “As the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.” (1 Samuel 28:8-10 NASB)
Who did the woman claim to have seen, brought back from the dead?
Then the woman asked, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” “Bring up Samuel,” he said. When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out at the top of her voice and said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!” The king said to her, “Don’t be afraid. What do you see?” The woman said, “I see a ghostly figure coming up out of the earth.” “What does he look like?” he asked. “An old man wearing a robe is coming up,” she said. Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground. (1 Samuel 28:11-14 NIV)
What frank conversation did Saul have with this manifestation of Samuel?
Now Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” And Saul answered, “I am deeply distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God has departed from me and does not answer me anymore, neither by prophets nor by dreams. Therefore I have called you, that you may reveal to me what I should do.” Then Samuel said: “So why do you ask me, seeing the Lord has departed from you and has become your enemy? And the Lord has done for Himself as He spoke by me. For the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord nor execute His fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore the Lord has done this thing to you this day. Moreover the Lord will also deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines. And tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.” (1 Samuel 28:15-19 NKJV)
How did Saul react to these words regarding his death? Did Saul actually see anything?
Saul fell full length on the ground, paralyzed with fright because of Samuel’s words. He was also faint with hunger, for he had eaten nothing all day and all night. When the woman saw how distraught he was, she said, “Sir, I obeyed your command at the risk of my life. Now do what I say, and let me give you a little something to eat so you can regain your strength for the trip back.” But Saul refused to eat anything. Then his advisers joined the woman in urging him to eat, so he finally yielded and got up from the ground and sat on the couch. The woman had been fattening a calf, so she hurried out and killed it. She took some flour, kneaded it into dough and baked unleavened bread. She brought the meal to Saul and his advisers, and they ate it. Then they went out into the night. (1 Samuel 28:20-25 NLT)
What are some major differences between this and the transfiguration? Does a witch glorify herself whereas the transfiguration glorified God and His Son?
About eight days after these sayings, he [Jesus] took with him Peter, John, and James, and went up onto the mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became white and dazzling. Behold, two men were talking with him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. (Luke 9:28-32 WEB)
Did Saul disobey God by going to a medium? Was Saul disobedient in other ways? How was the transfiguration very different? You decide!
Was war between the Philistines and Israel about to take place?
And it came to pass in those days, that the Philistines gathered their armies together for warfare, to fight with Israel. And Achish said unto David, Know thou assuredly, that thou shalt go out with me to battle, thou and thy men. And David said to Achish, Surely thou shalt know what thy servant can do. And Achish said to David, Therefore will I make thee keeper of mine head for ever. (1 Samuel 28:1-2 KJV)
Because God refused to answer Saul’s prayers did he look for a medium?
Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had removed from the land those who were mediums and spiritists. So the Philistines gathered together and came and camped in Shunem; and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they camped in Gilboa. Saul saw the camp of the Philistines and was afraid and his heart trembled greatly. So Saul asked of Yahweh, but Yahweh did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by prophets. So Saul said to his servants, “Seek for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “Behold, there is a woman who is a medium at En-dor.” (1 Samuel 28:3-7 LSB)
Did Saul have to reassure the woman that she would not be harmed for her illegal activity?
Then Saul disguised himself by putting on different clothes, and went, he and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night; and he said, “Consult the spirit for me, please, and bring up for me the one whom I shall name for you.” But the woman said to him, “Behold, you know what Saul has done, that he has eliminated the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why are you then setting a trap for my life, to bring about my death?” So Saul swore an oath to her by the Lord, saying, “As the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.” (1 Samuel 28:8-10 NASB)
Who did the woman claim to have seen, brought back from the dead?
Then the woman asked, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” “Bring up Samuel,” he said. When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out at the top of her voice and said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!” The king said to her, “Don’t be afraid. What do you see?” The woman said, “I see a ghostly figure coming up out of the earth.” “What does he look like?” he asked. “An old man wearing a robe is coming up,” she said. Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground. (1 Samuel 28:11-14 NIV)
What frank conversation did Saul have with this manifestation of Samuel?
Now Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” And Saul answered, “I am deeply distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God has departed from me and does not answer me anymore, neither by prophets nor by dreams. Therefore I have called you, that you may reveal to me what I should do.” Then Samuel said: “So why do you ask me, seeing the Lord has departed from you and has become your enemy? And the Lord has done for Himself as He spoke by me. For the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord nor execute His fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore the Lord has done this thing to you this day. Moreover the Lord will also deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines. And tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.” (1 Samuel 28:15-19 NKJV)
How did Saul react to these words regarding his death? Did Saul actually see anything?
Saul fell full length on the ground, paralyzed with fright because of Samuel’s words. He was also faint with hunger, for he had eaten nothing all day and all night. When the woman saw how distraught he was, she said, “Sir, I obeyed your command at the risk of my life. Now do what I say, and let me give you a little something to eat so you can regain your strength for the trip back.” But Saul refused to eat anything. Then his advisers joined the woman in urging him to eat, so he finally yielded and got up from the ground and sat on the couch. The woman had been fattening a calf, so she hurried out and killed it. She took some flour, kneaded it into dough and baked unleavened bread. She brought the meal to Saul and his advisers, and they ate it. Then they went out into the night. (1 Samuel 28:20-25 NLT)
What are some major differences between this and the transfiguration? Does a witch glorify herself whereas the transfiguration glorified God and His Son?
About eight days after these sayings, he [Jesus] took with him Peter, John, and James, and went up onto the mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became white and dazzling. Behold, two men were talking with him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. (Luke 9:28-32 WEB)
Did Saul disobey God by going to a medium? Was Saul disobedient in other ways? How was the transfiguration very different? You decide!
David Plunders Villages (1 Samuel 27)
Is the Bible different to most history books, in that it tells the good and the bad about its heroes? Is church life similar in that both righteous and evil acts are done? Should it shock us that only God is good? Let’s look at 1 Samuel 27.
Did David disbelieve another one of Saul’s promises, not to harm him?
David said in his heart, “I will now perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me any more in all the borders of Israel. So I will escape out of his hand.” David arose and passed over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath. David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, even David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal’s wife. Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, so he stopped looking for him. (1 Samuel 27:1-4 WEB)
Where did David finally settle as a gift from a very kind foreign king?
Then David said to Achish, “If you approve of me, please give me a place in one of the towns in the country so I can live there. Why should I, your servant, live in the capital city with you?” So Achish gave the town of Ziklag to David at that time. That’s why Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah until now. David lived in the Philistine countryside for a total of one year and four months. (1 Samuel 27:5-7 CEB)
How did David provide enough to feed a band of over 600 men? Did he raid villages, steal livestock and murder their inhabitants?
The Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites lived in the area from Telam to Shur and on as far as Egypt, and David often attacked their towns. Whenever David and his men attacked a town, they took the sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels, and the clothing, and killed everyone who lived there. After he returned from a raid, David always went to see Achish, who would ask, “Where did you attack today?” David would answer, “Oh, we attacked some desert town that belonged to the Judah tribe.” Sometimes David would say, “Oh, we attacked a town in the desert where the Jerahmeel clan lives” or “We attacked a town in the desert where the Kenites live.” That's why David killed everyone in the towns he attacked. He thought, “If I let any of them live, they might come to Gath and tell what I've really been doing.” David made these raids all the time he was in Philistia. But Achish trusted David and thought, “David's people must be furious with him. From now on he will have to take orders from me.” (1 Samuel 27:8-12 CEV)
Was David’s heart yet perfect, or did he still need to repent of certain evils?
For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. (Matthew 15:19 ESV)
Do we proclaim a very unworthy church with a dark history, or the good news of a loving God and His wonderful kingdom?
For we are not proclaiming ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves because of Jesus. For God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ. Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us. (2 Corinthians 4:5-7 HCSB)
Should it shock us in church life that none is good but God?
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “Nobody is good except for one—God.” (Luke 18:19 ISV)
Is the Bible different to most history books, in that it tells the good and the bad about its heroes? Is church life similar in that both righteous and evil acts are done? Should it shock us that only God is good? You decide!
Did David disbelieve another one of Saul’s promises, not to harm him?
David said in his heart, “I will now perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me any more in all the borders of Israel. So I will escape out of his hand.” David arose and passed over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath. David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, even David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal’s wife. Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, so he stopped looking for him. (1 Samuel 27:1-4 WEB)
Where did David finally settle as a gift from a very kind foreign king?
Then David said to Achish, “If you approve of me, please give me a place in one of the towns in the country so I can live there. Why should I, your servant, live in the capital city with you?” So Achish gave the town of Ziklag to David at that time. That’s why Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah until now. David lived in the Philistine countryside for a total of one year and four months. (1 Samuel 27:5-7 CEB)
How did David provide enough to feed a band of over 600 men? Did he raid villages, steal livestock and murder their inhabitants?
The Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites lived in the area from Telam to Shur and on as far as Egypt, and David often attacked their towns. Whenever David and his men attacked a town, they took the sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels, and the clothing, and killed everyone who lived there. After he returned from a raid, David always went to see Achish, who would ask, “Where did you attack today?” David would answer, “Oh, we attacked some desert town that belonged to the Judah tribe.” Sometimes David would say, “Oh, we attacked a town in the desert where the Jerahmeel clan lives” or “We attacked a town in the desert where the Kenites live.” That's why David killed everyone in the towns he attacked. He thought, “If I let any of them live, they might come to Gath and tell what I've really been doing.” David made these raids all the time he was in Philistia. But Achish trusted David and thought, “David's people must be furious with him. From now on he will have to take orders from me.” (1 Samuel 27:8-12 CEV)
Was David’s heart yet perfect, or did he still need to repent of certain evils?
For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. (Matthew 15:19 ESV)
Do we proclaim a very unworthy church with a dark history, or the good news of a loving God and His wonderful kingdom?
For we are not proclaiming ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves because of Jesus. For God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ. Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us. (2 Corinthians 4:5-7 HCSB)
Should it shock us in church life that none is good but God?
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “Nobody is good except for one—God.” (Luke 18:19 ISV)
Is the Bible different to most history books, in that it tells the good and the bad about its heroes? Is church life similar in that both righteous and evil acts are done? Should it shock us that only God is good? You decide!
Saul Strikes Again (1 Samuel 26)
Do we wait on God for justice, or sin by taking revenge? Abigail wisely turned David from evil against Nabal, but did David do right by Saul? Let’s look at 1 Samuel 26.
Did Saul break his word and seek to attack David again?
People from Ziph came to Saul in Gibeah and informed him, “David is hiding on the hill of Hachilah which is across from Jeshimon, isn’t he?” So Saul rose and went down with 3,000 select men of Israel to the Wilderness of Ziph, to look for David in the Wilderness of Ziph. Saul camped by the road on the hill of Hachilah, across from Jeshimon, while David was staying in the wilderness. When he realized that Saul had come after him in the wilderness, David sent out spies and found out for certain that Saul had arrived. David rose and went to the place where Saul was camped. David saw the place where Saul and Abner, his Commander-in-Chief, lay down. Saul was lying down within the encampment, and the army was camped all around him. (1 Samuel 26:1-5 ISV)
Did David and a friend sneak into Saul’s camp by night?
Then answered David and said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, brother to Joab, saying, Who will go down with me to Saul to the camp? And Abishai said, I will go down with thee. So David and Abishai came to the people by night: and, behold, Saul lay sleeping within the trench, and his spear stuck in the ground at his bolster: but Abner and the people lay round about him. (1 Samuel 26:6-7 KJV)
How did David answer his companion who wanted to take Saul’s life?
Then Abishai said to David, “Today God has surrendered your enemy into your hand; so now, please let me strike him with the spear to the ground with one stroke, and I will not strike him the second time.” But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can send forth his hand against the anointed of Yahweh and be without guilt?” David also said, “As Yahweh lives, surely Yahweh will smite him, or his day will come that he dies, or he will go down into battle and be swept away. Yahweh forbid that I should send forth my hand against the anointed of Yahweh; but now please take the spear that is at his head and the jug of water, and let us go.” So David took the spear and the jug of water from beside Saul’s head, and they went away, but no one saw or knew it, nor did any awake, for they were all asleep, because a sound sleep from Yahweh had fallen on them. (1 Samuel 26:8-12 LSB)
What did David do with Saul’s spear and personal water supply?
Then David crossed over to the other side and stood on top of the mountain at a distance with a large area between them. And David called to the people and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, “Will you not answer, Abner?” Then Abner replied, “Who are you who calls to the king?” So David said to Abner, “Are you not a man? And who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not guarded your lord the king? For one of the people came to kill the king your lord! This thing that you have done is not good. As the Lord lives, all of you undoubtedly must die, because you did not guard your lord, the Lord’s anointed. And now, see where the king’s spear is and the jug of water that was at his head!” (1 Samuel 26:13-16 NASB)
What conversation echoed across the night between Saul and David?
Saul recognized David’s voice and said, “Is that your voice, David my son?” David replied, “Yes it is, my lord the king.” And he added, “Why is my lord pursuing his servant? What have I done, and what wrong am I guilty of? Now let my lord the king listen to his servant’s words. If the Lord has incited you against me, then may he accept an offering. If, however, people have done it, may they be cursed before the Lord! They have driven me today from my share in the Lord’s inheritance and have said, ‘Go, serve other gods.’ Now do not let my blood fall to the ground far from the presence of the Lord. The king of Israel has come out to look for a flea—as one hunts a partridge in the mountains.” (1 Samuel 26:17-20 NIV)
Did Saul admit his wrong and did David return Saul’s belongings?
Then Saul said, “I have sinned. Return, my son David. For I will harm you no more, because my life was precious in your eyes this day. Indeed I have played the fool and erred exceedingly.” And David answered and said, “Here is the king’s spear. Let one of the young men come over and get it. May the Lord repay every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness; for the Lord delivered you into my hand today, but I would not stretch out my hand against the Lord’s anointed. And indeed, as your life was valued much this day in my eyes, so let my life be valued much in the eyes of the Lord, and let Him deliver me out of all tribulation.” Then Saul said to David, “May you be blessed, my son David! You shall both do great things and also still prevail.” So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place. (1 Samuel 26:21-25 NKJV)
What is the gold standard in handling any disputes with our enemies?
But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. (Luke 6:27-28 NLT)
Do we wait on God for justice, or sin by taking revenge? Abigail wisely turned David from evil against Nabal, but did David do right by Saul? You decide!
Did Saul break his word and seek to attack David again?
People from Ziph came to Saul in Gibeah and informed him, “David is hiding on the hill of Hachilah which is across from Jeshimon, isn’t he?” So Saul rose and went down with 3,000 select men of Israel to the Wilderness of Ziph, to look for David in the Wilderness of Ziph. Saul camped by the road on the hill of Hachilah, across from Jeshimon, while David was staying in the wilderness. When he realized that Saul had come after him in the wilderness, David sent out spies and found out for certain that Saul had arrived. David rose and went to the place where Saul was camped. David saw the place where Saul and Abner, his Commander-in-Chief, lay down. Saul was lying down within the encampment, and the army was camped all around him. (1 Samuel 26:1-5 ISV)
Did David and a friend sneak into Saul’s camp by night?
Then answered David and said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, brother to Joab, saying, Who will go down with me to Saul to the camp? And Abishai said, I will go down with thee. So David and Abishai came to the people by night: and, behold, Saul lay sleeping within the trench, and his spear stuck in the ground at his bolster: but Abner and the people lay round about him. (1 Samuel 26:6-7 KJV)
How did David answer his companion who wanted to take Saul’s life?
Then Abishai said to David, “Today God has surrendered your enemy into your hand; so now, please let me strike him with the spear to the ground with one stroke, and I will not strike him the second time.” But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can send forth his hand against the anointed of Yahweh and be without guilt?” David also said, “As Yahweh lives, surely Yahweh will smite him, or his day will come that he dies, or he will go down into battle and be swept away. Yahweh forbid that I should send forth my hand against the anointed of Yahweh; but now please take the spear that is at his head and the jug of water, and let us go.” So David took the spear and the jug of water from beside Saul’s head, and they went away, but no one saw or knew it, nor did any awake, for they were all asleep, because a sound sleep from Yahweh had fallen on them. (1 Samuel 26:8-12 LSB)
What did David do with Saul’s spear and personal water supply?
Then David crossed over to the other side and stood on top of the mountain at a distance with a large area between them. And David called to the people and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, “Will you not answer, Abner?” Then Abner replied, “Who are you who calls to the king?” So David said to Abner, “Are you not a man? And who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not guarded your lord the king? For one of the people came to kill the king your lord! This thing that you have done is not good. As the Lord lives, all of you undoubtedly must die, because you did not guard your lord, the Lord’s anointed. And now, see where the king’s spear is and the jug of water that was at his head!” (1 Samuel 26:13-16 NASB)
What conversation echoed across the night between Saul and David?
Saul recognized David’s voice and said, “Is that your voice, David my son?” David replied, “Yes it is, my lord the king.” And he added, “Why is my lord pursuing his servant? What have I done, and what wrong am I guilty of? Now let my lord the king listen to his servant’s words. If the Lord has incited you against me, then may he accept an offering. If, however, people have done it, may they be cursed before the Lord! They have driven me today from my share in the Lord’s inheritance and have said, ‘Go, serve other gods.’ Now do not let my blood fall to the ground far from the presence of the Lord. The king of Israel has come out to look for a flea—as one hunts a partridge in the mountains.” (1 Samuel 26:17-20 NIV)
Did Saul admit his wrong and did David return Saul’s belongings?
Then Saul said, “I have sinned. Return, my son David. For I will harm you no more, because my life was precious in your eyes this day. Indeed I have played the fool and erred exceedingly.” And David answered and said, “Here is the king’s spear. Let one of the young men come over and get it. May the Lord repay every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness; for the Lord delivered you into my hand today, but I would not stretch out my hand against the Lord’s anointed. And indeed, as your life was valued much this day in my eyes, so let my life be valued much in the eyes of the Lord, and let Him deliver me out of all tribulation.” Then Saul said to David, “May you be blessed, my son David! You shall both do great things and also still prevail.” So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place. (1 Samuel 26:21-25 NKJV)
What is the gold standard in handling any disputes with our enemies?
But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. (Luke 6:27-28 NLT)
Do we wait on God for justice, or sin by taking revenge? Abigail wisely turned David from evil against Nabal, but did David do right by Saul? You decide!
Nabal the Fool (1 Samuel 25)
Is making rash decisions in anger foolish? Is giving more blessed than getting? Let’s look at 1 Samuel 25.
Because they had given Nabal protection, did David ask him for food as a favor?
Then Samuel died; and all Israel assembled and mourned for him, and they buried him at his house in Ramah. And David set out and went down to the wilderness of Paran. Now there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel; and the man was very rich, and he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. And it came about while he was shearing his sheep in Carmel (now the man’s name was Nabal [fool], and his wife’s name was Abigail [my father is joy]. And the woman was intelligent and beautiful in appearance, but the man was harsh and evil in his dealings, and he was a Calebite), that David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep. So David sent ten young men; and David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel and visit Nabal, and greet him in my name; and this is what you shall say: ‘Have a long life, peace to you, and peace to your house, and peace to all that you have! Now then, I have heard that you have shearers. Now, your shepherds have been with us; we have not harmed them, nor has anything of theirs gone missing all the days they were in Carmel. Ask your young men and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we have come on a festive day. Please give whatever you find at hand to your servants and to your son David.’” (1 Samuel 25:1-8 NASB)
Did David want revenge because Nabal had treated his request with contempt?
When David’s men arrived, they gave Nabal this message in David’s name. Then they waited. Nabal answered David’s servants, “Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days. Why should I take my bread and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?” David’s men turned around and went back. When they arrived, they reported every word. David said to his men, “Each of you strap on your sword!” So they did, and David strapped his on as well. About four hundred men went up with David, while two hundred stayed with the supplies. (1 Samuel 25:9-13 NIV)
Did Nabal’s wife hear about what her husband had done?
Now one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, “Look, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master; and he reviled them. But the men were very good to us, and we were not hurt, nor did we miss anything as long as we accompanied them, when we were in the fields. They were a wall to us both by night and day, all the time we were with them keeping the sheep. Now therefore, know and consider what you will do, for harm is determined against our master and against all his household. For he is such a scoundrel that one cannot speak to him.” (1 Samuel 25:14-17 NKJV)
What did Abigail do to save the day for her foolish husband Nabal?
Abigail wasted no time. She quickly gathered 200 loaves of bread, two wineskins full of wine, five sheep that had been slaughtered, nearly a bushel of roasted grain, 100 clusters of raisins, and 200 fig cakes. She packed them on donkeys and said to her servants, “Go on ahead. I will follow you shortly.” But she didn’t tell her husband Nabal what she was doing. As she was riding her donkey into a mountain ravine, she saw David and his men coming toward her. David had just been saying, “A lot of good it did to help this fellow. We protected his flocks in the wilderness, and nothing he owned was lost or stolen. But he has repaid me evil for good. May God strike me and kill me if even one man of his household is still alive tomorrow morning!” (1 Samuel 25:18-22 NLT)
How wisely and diplomatically did Abigail speak with David about her husband?
When Abigail saw David, she hurried and got off her donkey, and fell before David on her face and bowed herself to the ground. She fell at his feet and said, “On me, my lord, on me be the blame! Please let your servant speak in your ears. Hear the words of your servant. Please don’t let my lord pay attention to this worthless fellow, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name, and folly is with him; but I, your servant, didn’t see my lord’s young men whom you sent. Now therefore, my lord, as Yahweh lives and as your soul lives, since Yahweh has withheld you from blood guiltiness and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now therefore let your enemies and those who seek evil to my lord be as Nabal. Now this present which your servant has brought to my lord, let it be given to the young men who follow my lord. Please forgive the trespass of your servant. For Yahweh will certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord fights Yahweh’s battles. Evil will not be found in you all your days. (1 Samuel 25:23-28 WEB)
How did Abigail plead her case for the time when David would be fully invested as king?
If someone chases after you and tries to kill you, my master, then your life will be bound up securely in the bundle of life by the Lord your God, but he will fling away your enemies’ lives as from the pouch of a sling. When the Lord has done for my master all the good things he has promised you, and has installed you as Israel’s leader, don’t let this be a blot or burden on my master’s conscience, that you shed blood needlessly or that my master took vengeance into his own hands. When the Lord has done good things for my master, please remember your servant.” (1 Samuel 25:29-31 CEB)
How did David answer this wise woman, and how did her husband react to the news?
David told her: I praise the Lord God of Israel! He must have sent you to meet me today. And you should also be praised. Your good sense kept me from taking revenge and killing innocent people. If you hadn't come to meet me so quickly, every man and boy in Nabal's family and in his servants' families would have been killed by morning. I swear by the living Lord God of Israel who protected you that this is the truth. David accepted the food Abigail had brought. “Don't worry,” he said. “You can go home now. I'll do what you asked.” Abigail went back home and found Nabal throwing a party fit for a king. He was very drunk and feeling good, so she didn't tell him anything that night. But when he sobered up the next morning, Abigail told him everything that had happened. Nabal had a heart attack, and he lay in bed as still as a stone. Ten days later, the Lord took his life. David heard that Nabal had died. “I praise the Lord!” David said. “He has judged Nabal guilty for insulting me. The Lord kept me from doing anything wrong, and he made sure that Nabal hurt only himself with his own evil.” Abigail was still at Carmel. So David sent messengers to ask her if she would marry him. (1 Samuel 25:32-40 CEV)
After Nabal died, what was this wise woman’s answer to David’s proposal of marriage?
And she rose and bowed with her face to the ground and said, “Behold, your handmaid is a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.” And Abigail hurried and rose and mounted a donkey, and her five young women attended her. She followed the messengers of David and became his wife. David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and both of them became his wives. Saul had given Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was of Gallim. (1 Samuel 25:41-44 ESV)
What did Jesus say was a more blessed way to live, giving or getting?
In every way I’ve shown you that by laboring like this, it is necessary to help the weak and to keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus, for He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ (Acts 20:35 HCSB)
Is making rash decisions in anger foolish? Is giving more blessed than getting? You decide!
Because they had given Nabal protection, did David ask him for food as a favor?
Then Samuel died; and all Israel assembled and mourned for him, and they buried him at his house in Ramah. And David set out and went down to the wilderness of Paran. Now there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel; and the man was very rich, and he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. And it came about while he was shearing his sheep in Carmel (now the man’s name was Nabal [fool], and his wife’s name was Abigail [my father is joy]. And the woman was intelligent and beautiful in appearance, but the man was harsh and evil in his dealings, and he was a Calebite), that David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep. So David sent ten young men; and David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel and visit Nabal, and greet him in my name; and this is what you shall say: ‘Have a long life, peace to you, and peace to your house, and peace to all that you have! Now then, I have heard that you have shearers. Now, your shepherds have been with us; we have not harmed them, nor has anything of theirs gone missing all the days they were in Carmel. Ask your young men and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we have come on a festive day. Please give whatever you find at hand to your servants and to your son David.’” (1 Samuel 25:1-8 NASB)
Did David want revenge because Nabal had treated his request with contempt?
When David’s men arrived, they gave Nabal this message in David’s name. Then they waited. Nabal answered David’s servants, “Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days. Why should I take my bread and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?” David’s men turned around and went back. When they arrived, they reported every word. David said to his men, “Each of you strap on your sword!” So they did, and David strapped his on as well. About four hundred men went up with David, while two hundred stayed with the supplies. (1 Samuel 25:9-13 NIV)
Did Nabal’s wife hear about what her husband had done?
Now one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, “Look, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master; and he reviled them. But the men were very good to us, and we were not hurt, nor did we miss anything as long as we accompanied them, when we were in the fields. They were a wall to us both by night and day, all the time we were with them keeping the sheep. Now therefore, know and consider what you will do, for harm is determined against our master and against all his household. For he is such a scoundrel that one cannot speak to him.” (1 Samuel 25:14-17 NKJV)
What did Abigail do to save the day for her foolish husband Nabal?
Abigail wasted no time. She quickly gathered 200 loaves of bread, two wineskins full of wine, five sheep that had been slaughtered, nearly a bushel of roasted grain, 100 clusters of raisins, and 200 fig cakes. She packed them on donkeys and said to her servants, “Go on ahead. I will follow you shortly.” But she didn’t tell her husband Nabal what she was doing. As she was riding her donkey into a mountain ravine, she saw David and his men coming toward her. David had just been saying, “A lot of good it did to help this fellow. We protected his flocks in the wilderness, and nothing he owned was lost or stolen. But he has repaid me evil for good. May God strike me and kill me if even one man of his household is still alive tomorrow morning!” (1 Samuel 25:18-22 NLT)
How wisely and diplomatically did Abigail speak with David about her husband?
When Abigail saw David, she hurried and got off her donkey, and fell before David on her face and bowed herself to the ground. She fell at his feet and said, “On me, my lord, on me be the blame! Please let your servant speak in your ears. Hear the words of your servant. Please don’t let my lord pay attention to this worthless fellow, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name, and folly is with him; but I, your servant, didn’t see my lord’s young men whom you sent. Now therefore, my lord, as Yahweh lives and as your soul lives, since Yahweh has withheld you from blood guiltiness and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now therefore let your enemies and those who seek evil to my lord be as Nabal. Now this present which your servant has brought to my lord, let it be given to the young men who follow my lord. Please forgive the trespass of your servant. For Yahweh will certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord fights Yahweh’s battles. Evil will not be found in you all your days. (1 Samuel 25:23-28 WEB)
How did Abigail plead her case for the time when David would be fully invested as king?
If someone chases after you and tries to kill you, my master, then your life will be bound up securely in the bundle of life by the Lord your God, but he will fling away your enemies’ lives as from the pouch of a sling. When the Lord has done for my master all the good things he has promised you, and has installed you as Israel’s leader, don’t let this be a blot or burden on my master’s conscience, that you shed blood needlessly or that my master took vengeance into his own hands. When the Lord has done good things for my master, please remember your servant.” (1 Samuel 25:29-31 CEB)
How did David answer this wise woman, and how did her husband react to the news?
David told her: I praise the Lord God of Israel! He must have sent you to meet me today. And you should also be praised. Your good sense kept me from taking revenge and killing innocent people. If you hadn't come to meet me so quickly, every man and boy in Nabal's family and in his servants' families would have been killed by morning. I swear by the living Lord God of Israel who protected you that this is the truth. David accepted the food Abigail had brought. “Don't worry,” he said. “You can go home now. I'll do what you asked.” Abigail went back home and found Nabal throwing a party fit for a king. He was very drunk and feeling good, so she didn't tell him anything that night. But when he sobered up the next morning, Abigail told him everything that had happened. Nabal had a heart attack, and he lay in bed as still as a stone. Ten days later, the Lord took his life. David heard that Nabal had died. “I praise the Lord!” David said. “He has judged Nabal guilty for insulting me. The Lord kept me from doing anything wrong, and he made sure that Nabal hurt only himself with his own evil.” Abigail was still at Carmel. So David sent messengers to ask her if she would marry him. (1 Samuel 25:32-40 CEV)
After Nabal died, what was this wise woman’s answer to David’s proposal of marriage?
And she rose and bowed with her face to the ground and said, “Behold, your handmaid is a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.” And Abigail hurried and rose and mounted a donkey, and her five young women attended her. She followed the messengers of David and became his wife. David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and both of them became his wives. Saul had given Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was of Gallim. (1 Samuel 25:41-44 ESV)
What did Jesus say was a more blessed way to live, giving or getting?
In every way I’ve shown you that by laboring like this, it is necessary to help the weak and to keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus, for He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ (Acts 20:35 HCSB)
Is making rash decisions in anger foolish? Is giving more blessed than getting? You decide!
David's Cave (1 Samuel 24)
Should we show respect for authority even when it is corrupt? Did God work things out for David even though he too was very flawed? Let’s begin in 1 Samuel 24.
Did David have an opportunity to kill Saul while hiding in a cave?
When Saul had returned from following the Philistines, he was told, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of En Gedi.” Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men on the rocks of the wild goats. He came to the sheep pens by the way, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were staying in the innermost parts of the cave. David’s men said to him, “Behold, the day of which Yahweh said to you, ‘Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.’” Then David arose and cut off the skirt of Saul’s robe secretly. (1 Samuel 24:1-4 WEB)
Did David regret showing Saul such disrespect by cutting off a corner of his robe?
But immediately David felt horrible that he had cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. “The Lord forbid,” he told his men, “that I should do something like that to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lift my hand against him, because he’s the Lord’s anointed!” So David held his soldiers in check by what he said, and he wouldn’t allow them to attack Saul. Saul then left the cave and went on his way. Then David also went out of the cave and yelled after Saul, “My master the king!” (1 Samuel 24:5-8a CEB)
Did David explain in front of everyone how he did not harm the king?
Saul turned around to look. David bowed down very low and said: Your Majesty, why do you listen to people who say that I'm trying to harm you? You can see for yourself that the Lord gave me the chance to catch you in the cave today. Some of my men wanted to kill you, but I wouldn't let them do it. I told them, “I will not harm the Lord's chosen king!” Your Majesty, look at what I'm holding. You can see that it's a piece of your robe. If I could cut off a piece of your robe, I could have killed you. But I let you live, and that should prove I'm not trying to harm you or to rebel. I haven't done anything to you, and yet you keep trying to ambush and kill me. (1 Samuel 24:8b-11 CEV)
Did David plead his innocence before the king and all his men?
May the Lord judge between me and you, may the Lord avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you. As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Out of the wicked comes wickedness.’ But my hand shall not be against you. After whom has the king of Israel come out? After whom do you pursue? After a dead dog! After a flea! May the Lord therefore be judge and give sentence between me and you, and see to it and plead my cause and deliver me from your hand.” (1 Samuel 24:12-15 ESV)
Did Saul realize that David had acted righteously by not killing him?
When David finished saying these things to him, Saul replied, “Is that your voice, David my son?” Then Saul wept aloud and said to David, “You are more righteous than I, for you have done what is good to me though I have done what is evil to you. You yourself have told me today what good you did for me: when the Lord handed me over to you, you didn’t kill me. When a man finds his enemy, does he let him go unharmed? May the Lord repay you with good for what you’ve done for me today. (1 Samuel 24:16-19 HCSB)
Did Saul also acknowledge that David would be king after him?
Now I know for certain that you will be king, and that the kingdom will be established under your authority. Now swear to me by the Lord that you will never eliminate my descendants after me, and that you won’t erase my name from my father’s family.” David made this vow to Saul, and then Saul went home, while David and his men went up to the stronghold. (1 Samuel 24:20-22 ISV)
Should we rebel against national leaders, even though they may be evil?
Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. (Romans 13:1-2 KJV)
What if the authorities demand that we disobey God, such as Peter being told not to preach?
But Peter and the apostles answered and said, “We must obey God rather than men. (Acts 5:29 LSB)
Should we show respect for authority even when it is corrupt? Did God work things out for David even though he too was very flawed? You decide!
Did David have an opportunity to kill Saul while hiding in a cave?
When Saul had returned from following the Philistines, he was told, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of En Gedi.” Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men on the rocks of the wild goats. He came to the sheep pens by the way, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were staying in the innermost parts of the cave. David’s men said to him, “Behold, the day of which Yahweh said to you, ‘Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.’” Then David arose and cut off the skirt of Saul’s robe secretly. (1 Samuel 24:1-4 WEB)
Did David regret showing Saul such disrespect by cutting off a corner of his robe?
But immediately David felt horrible that he had cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. “The Lord forbid,” he told his men, “that I should do something like that to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lift my hand against him, because he’s the Lord’s anointed!” So David held his soldiers in check by what he said, and he wouldn’t allow them to attack Saul. Saul then left the cave and went on his way. Then David also went out of the cave and yelled after Saul, “My master the king!” (1 Samuel 24:5-8a CEB)
Did David explain in front of everyone how he did not harm the king?
Saul turned around to look. David bowed down very low and said: Your Majesty, why do you listen to people who say that I'm trying to harm you? You can see for yourself that the Lord gave me the chance to catch you in the cave today. Some of my men wanted to kill you, but I wouldn't let them do it. I told them, “I will not harm the Lord's chosen king!” Your Majesty, look at what I'm holding. You can see that it's a piece of your robe. If I could cut off a piece of your robe, I could have killed you. But I let you live, and that should prove I'm not trying to harm you or to rebel. I haven't done anything to you, and yet you keep trying to ambush and kill me. (1 Samuel 24:8b-11 CEV)
Did David plead his innocence before the king and all his men?
May the Lord judge between me and you, may the Lord avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you. As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Out of the wicked comes wickedness.’ But my hand shall not be against you. After whom has the king of Israel come out? After whom do you pursue? After a dead dog! After a flea! May the Lord therefore be judge and give sentence between me and you, and see to it and plead my cause and deliver me from your hand.” (1 Samuel 24:12-15 ESV)
Did Saul realize that David had acted righteously by not killing him?
When David finished saying these things to him, Saul replied, “Is that your voice, David my son?” Then Saul wept aloud and said to David, “You are more righteous than I, for you have done what is good to me though I have done what is evil to you. You yourself have told me today what good you did for me: when the Lord handed me over to you, you didn’t kill me. When a man finds his enemy, does he let him go unharmed? May the Lord repay you with good for what you’ve done for me today. (1 Samuel 24:16-19 HCSB)
Did Saul also acknowledge that David would be king after him?
Now I know for certain that you will be king, and that the kingdom will be established under your authority. Now swear to me by the Lord that you will never eliminate my descendants after me, and that you won’t erase my name from my father’s family.” David made this vow to Saul, and then Saul went home, while David and his men went up to the stronghold. (1 Samuel 24:20-22 ISV)
Should we rebel against national leaders, even though they may be evil?
Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. (Romans 13:1-2 KJV)
What if the authorities demand that we disobey God, such as Peter being told not to preach?
But Peter and the apostles answered and said, “We must obey God rather than men. (Acts 5:29 LSB)
Should we show respect for authority even when it is corrupt? Did God work things out for David even though he too was very flawed? You decide!
Continual Prayer (1 Samuel 23)
Did David continually ask God for guidance? As a result did he escape several potentially deadly situations? Are we people of continual prayer? Let’s look at 1 Samuel 23.
Did David save the city of Keilah? Did he ask God first?
Now they told David, “Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are robbing the threshing floors.” Therefore David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” And the Lord said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.” But David's men said to him, “Behold, we are afraid here in Judah; how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?” Then David inquired of the Lord again. And the Lord answered him, “Arise, go down to Keilah, for I will give the Philistines into your hand.” And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines and brought away their livestock and struck them with a great blow. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah. (1 Samuel 23:1-5 ESV)
What did David do after he heard that Saul was going to attack?
Abiathar son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, and he brought an ephod with him. When it was reported to Saul that David had gone to Keilah, he said, “God has handed him over to me, for he has trapped himself by entering a town with barred gates.” Then Saul summoned all the troops to go to war at Keilah and besiege David and his men. When David learned that Saul was plotting evil against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod.” (1 Samuel 23:6-9 HCSB)
Did David continue to seek God’s guidance in making his decisions?
David said, “Lord God of Israel. Your servant has definitely heard that Saul intends to come to Keilah to destroy the town because of me. Will the people of Keilah hand me over to him? Will Saul come down just as your servant has heard? Lord God of Israel, please inform your servant.” The Lord said, “He will come down.” Then David said, “Will the people of Keilah hand me over to Saul?” The Lord said, “They’ll hand you over.” David and his men, about 600 strong, got up and left Keilah. They moved around wherever they could go. Saul was advised that David had escaped from Keilah, so he stopped the campaign. (1 Samuel 23:10-13 ISV)
What remarkable loyalty did Jonathan have, even knowing David would be king not him?
And David abode in the wilderness in strong holds, and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand. And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life: and David was in the wilderness of Ziph in a wood. And Jonathan Saul's son arose, and went to David into the wood, and strengthened his hand in God. And he said unto him, Fear not: for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee; and that also Saul my father knoweth. And they two made a covenant before the Lord: and David abode in the wood, and Jonathan went to his house. (1 Samuel 23:14-18 KJV)
Have we ever heard spiritual sounding talk from those plotting against God’s will?
Then Ziphites came up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is David not hiding with us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon? So now, O king, according to all the desire of your soul to come down, come down here; and our part shall be to surrender him into the king’s hand.” And Saul said, “May you be blessed of Yahweh, for you have had compassion on me. Go now, make more sure, and know and see his place—where his very foot is—and who has seen him there; for I am told that he is very crafty. So see and know about all the hiding places where he hides himself and return to me with certainty, and I will go with you; and if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.” (1 Samuel 23:19-23 LSB)
How did David get rescued from Saul by news of a Philistine attack?
So they set out and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah to the south of Jeshimon. When Saul and his men went to seek him, they informed David, and he came down to the rock and stayed in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard about it, he pursued David in the wilderness of Maon. Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain; and David was hurrying to get away from Saul, while Saul and his men were surrounding David and his men to apprehend them. But a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have launched an attack against the land!” So Saul returned from pursuing David and went to confront the Philistines; therefore they called that place the Rock of Division [Parting, Escape]. And David went up from there and stayed in the strongholds of Engedi. (1 Samuel 23:24-29 NASB)
How often should we pray, once, twice, several times a day or continually?
pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17 NIV)
Should we pray only about certain specific things but not others?
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. (Philippians 4:6 NLT)
Did David continually ask God for guidance? As a result did he escape several potentially deadly situations? Are we people of continual prayer? You decide!
Did David save the city of Keilah? Did he ask God first?
Now they told David, “Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are robbing the threshing floors.” Therefore David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” And the Lord said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.” But David's men said to him, “Behold, we are afraid here in Judah; how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?” Then David inquired of the Lord again. And the Lord answered him, “Arise, go down to Keilah, for I will give the Philistines into your hand.” And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines and brought away their livestock and struck them with a great blow. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah. (1 Samuel 23:1-5 ESV)
What did David do after he heard that Saul was going to attack?
Abiathar son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, and he brought an ephod with him. When it was reported to Saul that David had gone to Keilah, he said, “God has handed him over to me, for he has trapped himself by entering a town with barred gates.” Then Saul summoned all the troops to go to war at Keilah and besiege David and his men. When David learned that Saul was plotting evil against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod.” (1 Samuel 23:6-9 HCSB)
Did David continue to seek God’s guidance in making his decisions?
David said, “Lord God of Israel. Your servant has definitely heard that Saul intends to come to Keilah to destroy the town because of me. Will the people of Keilah hand me over to him? Will Saul come down just as your servant has heard? Lord God of Israel, please inform your servant.” The Lord said, “He will come down.” Then David said, “Will the people of Keilah hand me over to Saul?” The Lord said, “They’ll hand you over.” David and his men, about 600 strong, got up and left Keilah. They moved around wherever they could go. Saul was advised that David had escaped from Keilah, so he stopped the campaign. (1 Samuel 23:10-13 ISV)
What remarkable loyalty did Jonathan have, even knowing David would be king not him?
And David abode in the wilderness in strong holds, and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand. And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life: and David was in the wilderness of Ziph in a wood. And Jonathan Saul's son arose, and went to David into the wood, and strengthened his hand in God. And he said unto him, Fear not: for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee; and that also Saul my father knoweth. And they two made a covenant before the Lord: and David abode in the wood, and Jonathan went to his house. (1 Samuel 23:14-18 KJV)
Have we ever heard spiritual sounding talk from those plotting against God’s will?
Then Ziphites came up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is David not hiding with us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon? So now, O king, according to all the desire of your soul to come down, come down here; and our part shall be to surrender him into the king’s hand.” And Saul said, “May you be blessed of Yahweh, for you have had compassion on me. Go now, make more sure, and know and see his place—where his very foot is—and who has seen him there; for I am told that he is very crafty. So see and know about all the hiding places where he hides himself and return to me with certainty, and I will go with you; and if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.” (1 Samuel 23:19-23 LSB)
How did David get rescued from Saul by news of a Philistine attack?
So they set out and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah to the south of Jeshimon. When Saul and his men went to seek him, they informed David, and he came down to the rock and stayed in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard about it, he pursued David in the wilderness of Maon. Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain; and David was hurrying to get away from Saul, while Saul and his men were surrounding David and his men to apprehend them. But a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have launched an attack against the land!” So Saul returned from pursuing David and went to confront the Philistines; therefore they called that place the Rock of Division [Parting, Escape]. And David went up from there and stayed in the strongholds of Engedi. (1 Samuel 23:24-29 NASB)
How often should we pray, once, twice, several times a day or continually?
pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17 NIV)
Should we pray only about certain specific things but not others?
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. (Philippians 4:6 NLT)
Did David continually ask God for guidance? As a result did he escape several potentially deadly situations? Are we people of continual prayer? You decide!
Abuse of Power (1 Samuel 22)
How dangerous is it to trust a man who abuses power? Are we arrogant and dictatorial or models of Christian living? Let’s begin in 1 Samuel 22.
Did David find safety in a cave with a group of loyal followers?
David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father's house heard it, they went down thither to him. And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men. (1 Samuel 22:1-2 KJV)
Did David find safety for his entire family? What did Gad the prophet say to him?
And David went from there to Mizpah of Moab; and he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and my mother come and stay with you until I know what God will do for me.” Then he left them with the king of Moab; and they stayed with him all the time that David was in the fortress. And the prophet Gad said to David, “Do not stay in the fortress; go, and enter into the land of Judah.” So David went and entered into the forest of Hereth. (1 Samuel 22:3-5 LSB)
What happened when Saul discovered where David was?
Then Saul heard that David and the men who were with him had been discovered. Now Saul was in Gibeah, sitting under the tamarisk tree on the height with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing in front of him. Saul said to his servants who were standing in front of him, “Hear now, you Benjaminites! Will the son of Jesse really give all of you fields and vineyards? Will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds? For all of you have conspired against me so that there is no one who informs me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you who cares about me or informs me that my son has stirred up my servant against me to lie in ambush, as it is this day.” (1 Samuel 22:6-8 NASB)
What did Doeg the Edomite tell Saul about where David had been?
But Doeg the Edomite, who was standing with Saul’s officials, said, “I saw the son of Jesse come to Ahimelek son of Ahitub at Nob. Ahimelek inquired of the Lord for him; he also gave him provisions and the sword of Goliath the Philistine.” (1 Samuel 22:9-10 NIV)
Did Saul launch a false accusation against Ahimelech the priest?
So the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s house, the priests who were in Nob. And they all came to the king. And Saul said, “Hear now, son of Ahitub!” He answered, “Here I am, my lord.” Then Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword, and have inquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as it is this day?” (1 Samuel 22:11-13 NKJV)
Did Saul believe Ahimelech and did his bodyguards refuse to kill the priest?
“But sir,” Ahimelech replied, “is anyone among all your servants as faithful as David, your son-in-law? Why, he is the captain of your bodyguard and a highly honored member of your household! This was certainly not the first time I had consulted God for him! May the king not accuse me and my family in this matter, for I knew nothing at all of any plot against you.” “You will surely die, Ahimelech, along with your entire family!” the king shouted. And he ordered his bodyguards, “Kill these priests of the Lord, for they are allies and conspirators with David! They knew he was running away from me, but they didn’t tell me!” But Saul’s men refused to kill the Lord’s priests. (1 Samuel 22:14-17 NLT)
Did Doeg murder the priests? Did David feel guilty because Doeg had seen him earlier?
The king said to Doeg, “Turn and attack the priests!” Doeg the Edomite turned, and he attacked the priests, and he killed on that day eighty-five people who wore a linen ephod. He struck Nob, the city of the priests, with the edge of the sword—both men and women, children and nursing babies, and cattle, donkeys, and sheep, with the edge of the sword. One of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. Abiathar told David that Saul had slain Yahweh’s priests. David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I am responsible for the death of all the persons of your father’s house. Stay with me. Don’t be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life. You will be safe with me.” (1 Samuel 22:18-23 WEB)
Should Christians abuse power in the family, in the church, in politics or in business?
But Jesus called them over and said, “You know that those who rule the Gentiles show off their authority over them and their high-ranking officials order them around. But that’s not the way it will be with you. Whoever wants to be great among you will be your servant. (Matthew 20:25-26 CEB)
Especially in the church, how should shepherds or pastors act?
Don't be bossy to those people who are in your care, but set an example for them. (1 Peter 5:3 CEV)
How dangerous is it to trust a man who abuses power? Are we arrogant and dictatorial or models of Christian living? You decide!
Did David find safety in a cave with a group of loyal followers?
David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father's house heard it, they went down thither to him. And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men. (1 Samuel 22:1-2 KJV)
Did David find safety for his entire family? What did Gad the prophet say to him?
And David went from there to Mizpah of Moab; and he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and my mother come and stay with you until I know what God will do for me.” Then he left them with the king of Moab; and they stayed with him all the time that David was in the fortress. And the prophet Gad said to David, “Do not stay in the fortress; go, and enter into the land of Judah.” So David went and entered into the forest of Hereth. (1 Samuel 22:3-5 LSB)
What happened when Saul discovered where David was?
Then Saul heard that David and the men who were with him had been discovered. Now Saul was in Gibeah, sitting under the tamarisk tree on the height with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing in front of him. Saul said to his servants who were standing in front of him, “Hear now, you Benjaminites! Will the son of Jesse really give all of you fields and vineyards? Will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds? For all of you have conspired against me so that there is no one who informs me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you who cares about me or informs me that my son has stirred up my servant against me to lie in ambush, as it is this day.” (1 Samuel 22:6-8 NASB)
What did Doeg the Edomite tell Saul about where David had been?
But Doeg the Edomite, who was standing with Saul’s officials, said, “I saw the son of Jesse come to Ahimelek son of Ahitub at Nob. Ahimelek inquired of the Lord for him; he also gave him provisions and the sword of Goliath the Philistine.” (1 Samuel 22:9-10 NIV)
Did Saul launch a false accusation against Ahimelech the priest?
So the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s house, the priests who were in Nob. And they all came to the king. And Saul said, “Hear now, son of Ahitub!” He answered, “Here I am, my lord.” Then Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword, and have inquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as it is this day?” (1 Samuel 22:11-13 NKJV)
Did Saul believe Ahimelech and did his bodyguards refuse to kill the priest?
“But sir,” Ahimelech replied, “is anyone among all your servants as faithful as David, your son-in-law? Why, he is the captain of your bodyguard and a highly honored member of your household! This was certainly not the first time I had consulted God for him! May the king not accuse me and my family in this matter, for I knew nothing at all of any plot against you.” “You will surely die, Ahimelech, along with your entire family!” the king shouted. And he ordered his bodyguards, “Kill these priests of the Lord, for they are allies and conspirators with David! They knew he was running away from me, but they didn’t tell me!” But Saul’s men refused to kill the Lord’s priests. (1 Samuel 22:14-17 NLT)
Did Doeg murder the priests? Did David feel guilty because Doeg had seen him earlier?
The king said to Doeg, “Turn and attack the priests!” Doeg the Edomite turned, and he attacked the priests, and he killed on that day eighty-five people who wore a linen ephod. He struck Nob, the city of the priests, with the edge of the sword—both men and women, children and nursing babies, and cattle, donkeys, and sheep, with the edge of the sword. One of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. Abiathar told David that Saul had slain Yahweh’s priests. David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I am responsible for the death of all the persons of your father’s house. Stay with me. Don’t be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life. You will be safe with me.” (1 Samuel 22:18-23 WEB)
Should Christians abuse power in the family, in the church, in politics or in business?
But Jesus called them over and said, “You know that those who rule the Gentiles show off their authority over them and their high-ranking officials order them around. But that’s not the way it will be with you. Whoever wants to be great among you will be your servant. (Matthew 20:25-26 CEB)
Especially in the church, how should shepherds or pastors act?
Don't be bossy to those people who are in your care, but set an example for them. (1 Peter 5:3 CEV)
How dangerous is it to trust a man who abuses power? Are we arrogant and dictatorial or models of Christian living? You decide!
Fleeing Persecution (1 Samuel 21)
Are there situations to walk away from or even flee? What if people refuse to listen to the Gospel or worse, persecute us? Is mercy more important than sacrifice? Let’s begin in 1 Samuel 21.
Did David understand that eating the shewbread, putting hunger ahead of the letter of the law, was innocent and not a sin?
Then David came to Nob to Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech came to meet David trembling, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no man with you?” David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has commanded me to do something, and has said to me, ‘Let no one know anything about the business about which I send you, and what I have commanded you. I have sent the young men to a certain place.’ Now therefore what is under your hand? Please give me five loaves of bread in my hand, or whatever is available.” The priest answered David, and said, “I have no common bread, but there is holy bread; if only the young men have kept themselves from women.” David answered the priest, and said to him, “Truly, women have been kept from us as usual these three days. When I came out, the vessels of the young men were holy, though it was only a common journey. How much more then today shall their vessels be holy?” So the priest gave him holy bread; for there was no bread there but the show bread that was taken from before Yahweh, to be replaced with hot bread in the day when it was taken away. (1 Samuel 21:1-6 WEB)
Did David take the sword that had belonged to Goliath?
Now one of Saul’s servants was there that day, detained in the Lord’s presence. His name was Doeg. He was an Edomite and Saul’s head shepherd. David asked Ahimelech, “Do you have a spear or sword on hand? I didn’t bring my sword or gear with me because the king’s mission was urgent.” The priest said, “The sword of Goliath, the Philistine you killed in the Elah Valley, is here wrapped in a cloth behind a priestly vest. If you want it, take it, because there are no other swords here.” David said, “No sword is as good as that one! Give it to me!” (1 Samuel 21:7-9 CEB)
Why did David pretend to be crazy in front of king Achish?
David kept on running from Saul that day until he came to Gath, where he met with King Achish. The officers of King Achish were also there, and they asked Achish, “Isn't David a king back in his own country? Don't the Israelites dance and sing, ‘Saul has killed a thousand enemies; David has killed ten thousand’?” David thought about what they were saying, and it made him afraid of Achish. So right there in front of everyone, he pretended to be insane. He acted confused and started making scratches on the doors of the town gate, while drooling in his beard. “Look at him!” Achish said to his officers. “You can see he's crazy. Why did you bring him to me? I have enough crazy people without your bringing another one here. Keep him away from my palace!” (1 Samuel 21:10-14 CEV)
Should a Christian walk away from those who refuse to receive them or listen to the Gospel?
And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. (Matthew 10:14 ESV)
Should a Christian flee persecution or stand still and suffer?
When they persecute you in one town, escape to another. For I assure you: You will not have covered the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. (Matthew 10:23 HCSB)
Did Jesus explain why David ate the sacred bread? Is mercy more important than sacrifice?
But he told them, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? How is it that he went into the house of God and ate the Bread of the Presence, which was not lawful for him and his companions to eat but was reserved for the priests? Or haven’t you read in the Law that on every Sabbath the priests in the Temple violate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? But I tell you, something greater than the Temple is here! If you had known what ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice’ means, you would not have condemned the innocent, for the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” (Matthew 12:3–7 ISV)
Are there situations to walk away from or even flee? What if people refuse to listen to the Gospel or worse, persecute us? Is mercy more important than sacrifice? You decide!
Did David understand that eating the shewbread, putting hunger ahead of the letter of the law, was innocent and not a sin?
Then David came to Nob to Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech came to meet David trembling, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no man with you?” David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has commanded me to do something, and has said to me, ‘Let no one know anything about the business about which I send you, and what I have commanded you. I have sent the young men to a certain place.’ Now therefore what is under your hand? Please give me five loaves of bread in my hand, or whatever is available.” The priest answered David, and said, “I have no common bread, but there is holy bread; if only the young men have kept themselves from women.” David answered the priest, and said to him, “Truly, women have been kept from us as usual these three days. When I came out, the vessels of the young men were holy, though it was only a common journey. How much more then today shall their vessels be holy?” So the priest gave him holy bread; for there was no bread there but the show bread that was taken from before Yahweh, to be replaced with hot bread in the day when it was taken away. (1 Samuel 21:1-6 WEB)
Did David take the sword that had belonged to Goliath?
Now one of Saul’s servants was there that day, detained in the Lord’s presence. His name was Doeg. He was an Edomite and Saul’s head shepherd. David asked Ahimelech, “Do you have a spear or sword on hand? I didn’t bring my sword or gear with me because the king’s mission was urgent.” The priest said, “The sword of Goliath, the Philistine you killed in the Elah Valley, is here wrapped in a cloth behind a priestly vest. If you want it, take it, because there are no other swords here.” David said, “No sword is as good as that one! Give it to me!” (1 Samuel 21:7-9 CEB)
Why did David pretend to be crazy in front of king Achish?
David kept on running from Saul that day until he came to Gath, where he met with King Achish. The officers of King Achish were also there, and they asked Achish, “Isn't David a king back in his own country? Don't the Israelites dance and sing, ‘Saul has killed a thousand enemies; David has killed ten thousand’?” David thought about what they were saying, and it made him afraid of Achish. So right there in front of everyone, he pretended to be insane. He acted confused and started making scratches on the doors of the town gate, while drooling in his beard. “Look at him!” Achish said to his officers. “You can see he's crazy. Why did you bring him to me? I have enough crazy people without your bringing another one here. Keep him away from my palace!” (1 Samuel 21:10-14 CEV)
Should a Christian walk away from those who refuse to receive them or listen to the Gospel?
And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. (Matthew 10:14 ESV)
Should a Christian flee persecution or stand still and suffer?
When they persecute you in one town, escape to another. For I assure you: You will not have covered the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. (Matthew 10:23 HCSB)
Did Jesus explain why David ate the sacred bread? Is mercy more important than sacrifice?
But he told them, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? How is it that he went into the house of God and ate the Bread of the Presence, which was not lawful for him and his companions to eat but was reserved for the priests? Or haven’t you read in the Law that on every Sabbath the priests in the Temple violate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? But I tell you, something greater than the Temple is here! If you had known what ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice’ means, you would not have condemned the innocent, for the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” (Matthew 12:3–7 ISV)
Are there situations to walk away from or even flee? What if people refuse to listen to the Gospel or worse, persecute us? Is mercy more important than sacrifice? You decide!
Loyal Friends (1 Samuel 20)
Are loyal friends hard to find? Are we loyal to our friends even to death? Is Jesus a true friend? Let’s look at a special friendship in 1 Samuel 20.
Did David ask Jonathan why Saul was determined to kill him?
David fled from Naioth in Ramah. He came to Jonathan and said, “What have I done? What is my crime, and how have I wronged your father so that he’s determined to kill me? Jonathan told him, “Far from it! You won’t die. Look, my father never does anything, great or small, without telling me; so why should my father hide this thing from me? It’s not like that!” David again took an oath: “Your father certainly knows that I’ve found favor with you, and so he told himself, ‘Jonathan must not know this so he won’t be upset.’ But as certainly as the Lord is alive and living, and as certainly as I’m alive and living, too, there is only a step between me and death.” Jonathan told David, “Whatever you say, I’ll do.” David told Jonathan, “Look, the New Moon is tomorrow, and I’m expected to sit down with the king to eat. Let me go so I can hide in the field until the evening of the day after tomorrow. If your father actually notices that I’m not there, then you are to say, ‘David urgently requested that I allow him to run to his hometown of Bethlehem because the yearly sacrifice for the entire family was taking place there.’ If he says, ‘Good,’ then your servant will be safe. But if he actually gets angry, you will know that his intentions are evil. Now, show gracious kindness to your servant because you have entered into a sacred covenant with your servant. If there is iniquity in me, then kill me yourself—why should you bring me to your father?” “Nonsense!” Jonathan replied. “If I actually knew that my father intended evil against you, wouldn’t I tell you about it?” Then David told Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?” (1 Samuel 20:1-10 ISV)
Did the two make a covenant regarding the future of each other’s families?
And Jonathan said unto David, Come, and let us go out into the field. And they went out both of them into the field. And Jonathan said unto David, O Lord God of Israel, when I have sounded my father about to morrow any time, or the third day, and, behold, if there be good toward David, and I then send not unto thee, and shew it thee; The Lord do so and much more to Jonathan: but if it please my father to do thee evil, then I will shew it thee, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace: and the Lord be with thee, as he hath been with my father. And thou shalt not only while yet I live shew me the kindness of the Lord, that I die not: But also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever: no, not when the Lord hath cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth. So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, Let the Lord even require it at the hand of David's enemies. And Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he loved him: for he loved him as he loved his own soul. (1 Samuel 20:11-17 KJV)
How did Jonathan plan to communicate with David regarding his father’s plot?
Then Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed because your seat will be missing. When you have stayed for three days, you shall go down quickly and come to the place where you hid yourself on that eventful day, and you shall remain by the stone Ezel. And I will shoot three arrows to the side, as though I sent them towards a target. And behold, I will send the young man, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I specifically say to the young man, ‘Behold, the arrows are on this side of you, get them,’ then come, for there is peace for you and no harm, as Yahweh lives. But if I say to the youth, ‘Behold, the arrows are beyond you,’ go, for Yahweh has sent you away. As for the agreement of which you and I have spoken, behold, Yahweh is between you and me forever.” (1 Samuel 20:18-23 LSB)
What excuse did Jonathan give as to why David was absent from Saul’s feast?
So David hid himself in the field; and when the new moon came, the king sat down to eat food. Now the king sat on his seat as usual, the seat by the wall; then Jonathan stood up and Abner sat down by Saul’s side; but David’s place was empty. Nevertheless Saul did not say anything that day, because he thought, “It must have been an accident; he is not clean, undoubtedly he is not clean.” But it came about the next day, the second day of the new moon, that David’s place was empty again; so Saul said to his son Jonathan, “Why has the son of Jesse not come to the meal, either yesterday or today?” And Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly requested leave of me to go to Bethlehem. He said, ‘Please let me go, because our family has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has ordered me to attend. So now, if I have found favor in your sight, please let me slip away so that I may see my brothers.’ For this reason he has not come to the king’s table.” (1 Samuel 20:24-29 NASB)
How did Jonathan find out about how his father planned on treating David?
Saul’s anger flared up at Jonathan and he said to him, “You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Don’t I know that you have sided with the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of the mother who bore you? As long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Now send someone to bring him to me, for he must die!” “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” Jonathan asked his father. But Saul hurled his spear at him to kill him. Then Jonathan knew that his father intended to kill David. Jonathan got up from the table in fierce anger; on that second day of the feast he did not eat, because he was grieved at his father’s shameful treatment of David. (1 Samuel 20:30-34 NIV)
How did Jonathan signal David and give him fair warning about his father’s plot?
And so it was, in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad was with him. Then he said to his lad, “Now run, find the arrows which I shoot.” As the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. When the lad had come to the place where the arrow was which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried out after the lad and said, “Is not the arrow beyond you?” And Jonathan cried out after the lad, “Make haste, hurry, do not delay!” So Jonathan’s lad gathered up the arrows and came back to his master. But the lad did not know anything. Only Jonathan and David knew of the matter. Then Jonathan gave his weapons to his lad, and said to him, “Go, carry them to the city.” As soon as the lad had gone, David arose from a place toward the south, fell on his face to the ground, and bowed down three times. And they kissed one another; and they wept together, but David more so. Then Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, since we have both sworn in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘May the Lord be between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants, forever.’ ” So he arose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city. (1 Samuel 20:35-42 NKJV)
What kind of friend did Jesus prove Himself to be to us?
There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. (John 15:13 NLT)
Are loyal friends hard to find? Are we loyal to our friends even to death? Is Jesus a true friend? You decide!
Did David ask Jonathan why Saul was determined to kill him?
David fled from Naioth in Ramah. He came to Jonathan and said, “What have I done? What is my crime, and how have I wronged your father so that he’s determined to kill me? Jonathan told him, “Far from it! You won’t die. Look, my father never does anything, great or small, without telling me; so why should my father hide this thing from me? It’s not like that!” David again took an oath: “Your father certainly knows that I’ve found favor with you, and so he told himself, ‘Jonathan must not know this so he won’t be upset.’ But as certainly as the Lord is alive and living, and as certainly as I’m alive and living, too, there is only a step between me and death.” Jonathan told David, “Whatever you say, I’ll do.” David told Jonathan, “Look, the New Moon is tomorrow, and I’m expected to sit down with the king to eat. Let me go so I can hide in the field until the evening of the day after tomorrow. If your father actually notices that I’m not there, then you are to say, ‘David urgently requested that I allow him to run to his hometown of Bethlehem because the yearly sacrifice for the entire family was taking place there.’ If he says, ‘Good,’ then your servant will be safe. But if he actually gets angry, you will know that his intentions are evil. Now, show gracious kindness to your servant because you have entered into a sacred covenant with your servant. If there is iniquity in me, then kill me yourself—why should you bring me to your father?” “Nonsense!” Jonathan replied. “If I actually knew that my father intended evil against you, wouldn’t I tell you about it?” Then David told Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?” (1 Samuel 20:1-10 ISV)
Did the two make a covenant regarding the future of each other’s families?
And Jonathan said unto David, Come, and let us go out into the field. And they went out both of them into the field. And Jonathan said unto David, O Lord God of Israel, when I have sounded my father about to morrow any time, or the third day, and, behold, if there be good toward David, and I then send not unto thee, and shew it thee; The Lord do so and much more to Jonathan: but if it please my father to do thee evil, then I will shew it thee, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace: and the Lord be with thee, as he hath been with my father. And thou shalt not only while yet I live shew me the kindness of the Lord, that I die not: But also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever: no, not when the Lord hath cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth. So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, Let the Lord even require it at the hand of David's enemies. And Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he loved him: for he loved him as he loved his own soul. (1 Samuel 20:11-17 KJV)
How did Jonathan plan to communicate with David regarding his father’s plot?
Then Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed because your seat will be missing. When you have stayed for three days, you shall go down quickly and come to the place where you hid yourself on that eventful day, and you shall remain by the stone Ezel. And I will shoot three arrows to the side, as though I sent them towards a target. And behold, I will send the young man, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I specifically say to the young man, ‘Behold, the arrows are on this side of you, get them,’ then come, for there is peace for you and no harm, as Yahweh lives. But if I say to the youth, ‘Behold, the arrows are beyond you,’ go, for Yahweh has sent you away. As for the agreement of which you and I have spoken, behold, Yahweh is between you and me forever.” (1 Samuel 20:18-23 LSB)
What excuse did Jonathan give as to why David was absent from Saul’s feast?
So David hid himself in the field; and when the new moon came, the king sat down to eat food. Now the king sat on his seat as usual, the seat by the wall; then Jonathan stood up and Abner sat down by Saul’s side; but David’s place was empty. Nevertheless Saul did not say anything that day, because he thought, “It must have been an accident; he is not clean, undoubtedly he is not clean.” But it came about the next day, the second day of the new moon, that David’s place was empty again; so Saul said to his son Jonathan, “Why has the son of Jesse not come to the meal, either yesterday or today?” And Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly requested leave of me to go to Bethlehem. He said, ‘Please let me go, because our family has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has ordered me to attend. So now, if I have found favor in your sight, please let me slip away so that I may see my brothers.’ For this reason he has not come to the king’s table.” (1 Samuel 20:24-29 NASB)
How did Jonathan find out about how his father planned on treating David?
Saul’s anger flared up at Jonathan and he said to him, “You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Don’t I know that you have sided with the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of the mother who bore you? As long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Now send someone to bring him to me, for he must die!” “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” Jonathan asked his father. But Saul hurled his spear at him to kill him. Then Jonathan knew that his father intended to kill David. Jonathan got up from the table in fierce anger; on that second day of the feast he did not eat, because he was grieved at his father’s shameful treatment of David. (1 Samuel 20:30-34 NIV)
How did Jonathan signal David and give him fair warning about his father’s plot?
And so it was, in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad was with him. Then he said to his lad, “Now run, find the arrows which I shoot.” As the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. When the lad had come to the place where the arrow was which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried out after the lad and said, “Is not the arrow beyond you?” And Jonathan cried out after the lad, “Make haste, hurry, do not delay!” So Jonathan’s lad gathered up the arrows and came back to his master. But the lad did not know anything. Only Jonathan and David knew of the matter. Then Jonathan gave his weapons to his lad, and said to him, “Go, carry them to the city.” As soon as the lad had gone, David arose from a place toward the south, fell on his face to the ground, and bowed down three times. And they kissed one another; and they wept together, but David more so. Then Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, since we have both sworn in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘May the Lord be between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants, forever.’ ” So he arose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city. (1 Samuel 20:35-42 NKJV)
What kind of friend did Jesus prove Himself to be to us?
There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. (John 15:13 NLT)
Are loyal friends hard to find? Are we loyal to our friends even to death? Is Jesus a true friend? You decide!
Toxic Jealousy (1 Samuel 19)
Was Saul jealous of David? Why is envy such a toxic emotion? Let’s look at 1 Samuel 19.
How did Jonathan come to David’s defense against his father Saul?
Saul now urged his servants and his son Jonathan to assassinate David. But Jonathan, because of his strong affection for David, told him what his father was planning. “Tomorrow morning,” he warned him, “you must find a hiding place out in the fields. I’ll ask my father to go out there with me, and I’ll talk to him about you. Then I’ll tell you everything I can find out.” The next morning Jonathan spoke with his father about David, saying many good things about him. “The king must not sin against his servant David,” Jonathan said. “He’s never done anything to harm you. He has always helped you in any way he could. Have you forgotten about the time he risked his life to kill the Philistine giant and how the Lord brought a great victory to all Israel as a result? You were certainly happy about it then. Why should you murder an innocent man like David? There is no reason for it at all!” So Saul listened to Jonathan and vowed, “As surely as the Lord lives, David will not be killed.” (1 Samuel 19:1-6 NLT)
Did David flee Saul’s attempt on his life? Did the angels that sinned become evil spirits?
Jonathan called David, and Jonathan showed him all those things. Then Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before. There was war again. David went out and fought with the Philistines, and killed them with a great slaughter; and they fled before him. An evil spirit from Yahweh was on Saul as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand; and David was playing music with his hand. Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away out of Saul’s presence; and he stuck the spear into the wall. David fled and escaped that night. (1 Samuel 19:7-10 WEB)
Did Saul plot to kill David, but did his new wife warn him?
Saul sent messengers to David’s house to keep watch on it and kill him in the morning. David’s wife Michal warned him, “If you don’t escape with your life tonight, you are a dead man tomorrow.” So Michal lowered David through a window. He took off and ran, and he got away. Then Michal took the household’s divine image and laid it in the bed, putting some goat’s hair on its head and covering it with clothes. Saul sent messengers to arrest David, but she said, “He’s sick.” Saul sent the messengers back to check on David for themselves. “Bring him to me on his bed,” he ordered, “so he can be executed.” When the messengers arrived, they found the idol in the bed with the goat’s hair on its head. Saul said to Michal, “Why could you betray me like this, letting my enemy go so that now he has escaped?” Michal said to Saul, “David told me, ‘Help me get away or I’ll kill you!’” (1 Samuel 19:11-17 CEB)
What strange occurrence happened at Naioth? Does prophesying always mean God’s favor, or can it serve some other purpose, like protecting David?
Meanwhile, David went to Samuel at Ramah and told him what Saul had done. Then Samuel and David went to Prophets Village [Naioth] and stayed there. Someone told Saul, “David is at Prophets Village in Ramah.” Saul sent a few soldiers to bring David back. They went to Ramah and found Samuel in charge of a group of prophets who were all prophesying. Then the Spirit of God took control of the soldiers and they started prophesying too. When Saul heard what had happened, he sent some more soldiers, but they prophesied just like the first group. He sent a third group of soldiers, but the same thing happened to them. Finally, Saul left for Ramah himself. He went as far as the deep pit at the town of Secu, and he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” “At Prophets Village in Ramah,” the people answered. Saul left for Ramah. But as he walked along, the Spirit of God took control of him, and he started prophesying. Then, when he reached Prophets Village, he stripped off his clothes and prophesied in front of Samuel. He dropped to the ground and lay there naked all that day and night. That's how the saying started, “Is Saul now a prophet?” (1 Samuel 19:18-24 CEV)
What is the end result of yielding to evil desires?
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. (James 1:13-15 ESV)
How does jealousy destroy the one who allows this emotion free reign?
A tranquil heart is life to the body, but jealousy is rottenness to the bones. (Proverbs 14:30 HCSB)
Was Saul jealous of David? Why is envy such a toxic emotion? You decide!
How did Jonathan come to David’s defense against his father Saul?
Saul now urged his servants and his son Jonathan to assassinate David. But Jonathan, because of his strong affection for David, told him what his father was planning. “Tomorrow morning,” he warned him, “you must find a hiding place out in the fields. I’ll ask my father to go out there with me, and I’ll talk to him about you. Then I’ll tell you everything I can find out.” The next morning Jonathan spoke with his father about David, saying many good things about him. “The king must not sin against his servant David,” Jonathan said. “He’s never done anything to harm you. He has always helped you in any way he could. Have you forgotten about the time he risked his life to kill the Philistine giant and how the Lord brought a great victory to all Israel as a result? You were certainly happy about it then. Why should you murder an innocent man like David? There is no reason for it at all!” So Saul listened to Jonathan and vowed, “As surely as the Lord lives, David will not be killed.” (1 Samuel 19:1-6 NLT)
Did David flee Saul’s attempt on his life? Did the angels that sinned become evil spirits?
Jonathan called David, and Jonathan showed him all those things. Then Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before. There was war again. David went out and fought with the Philistines, and killed them with a great slaughter; and they fled before him. An evil spirit from Yahweh was on Saul as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand; and David was playing music with his hand. Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away out of Saul’s presence; and he stuck the spear into the wall. David fled and escaped that night. (1 Samuel 19:7-10 WEB)
Did Saul plot to kill David, but did his new wife warn him?
Saul sent messengers to David’s house to keep watch on it and kill him in the morning. David’s wife Michal warned him, “If you don’t escape with your life tonight, you are a dead man tomorrow.” So Michal lowered David through a window. He took off and ran, and he got away. Then Michal took the household’s divine image and laid it in the bed, putting some goat’s hair on its head and covering it with clothes. Saul sent messengers to arrest David, but she said, “He’s sick.” Saul sent the messengers back to check on David for themselves. “Bring him to me on his bed,” he ordered, “so he can be executed.” When the messengers arrived, they found the idol in the bed with the goat’s hair on its head. Saul said to Michal, “Why could you betray me like this, letting my enemy go so that now he has escaped?” Michal said to Saul, “David told me, ‘Help me get away or I’ll kill you!’” (1 Samuel 19:11-17 CEB)
What strange occurrence happened at Naioth? Does prophesying always mean God’s favor, or can it serve some other purpose, like protecting David?
Meanwhile, David went to Samuel at Ramah and told him what Saul had done. Then Samuel and David went to Prophets Village [Naioth] and stayed there. Someone told Saul, “David is at Prophets Village in Ramah.” Saul sent a few soldiers to bring David back. They went to Ramah and found Samuel in charge of a group of prophets who were all prophesying. Then the Spirit of God took control of the soldiers and they started prophesying too. When Saul heard what had happened, he sent some more soldiers, but they prophesied just like the first group. He sent a third group of soldiers, but the same thing happened to them. Finally, Saul left for Ramah himself. He went as far as the deep pit at the town of Secu, and he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” “At Prophets Village in Ramah,” the people answered. Saul left for Ramah. But as he walked along, the Spirit of God took control of him, and he started prophesying. Then, when he reached Prophets Village, he stripped off his clothes and prophesied in front of Samuel. He dropped to the ground and lay there naked all that day and night. That's how the saying started, “Is Saul now a prophet?” (1 Samuel 19:18-24 CEV)
What is the end result of yielding to evil desires?
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. (James 1:13-15 ESV)
How does jealousy destroy the one who allows this emotion free reign?
A tranquil heart is life to the body, but jealousy is rottenness to the bones. (Proverbs 14:30 HCSB)
Was Saul jealous of David? Why is envy such a toxic emotion? You decide!
An Enemy Within (1 Samuel 18)
Will faithful servants of God have enemies even from within? How should we treat them? Let’s begin in 1 Samuel 18.
Did Jonathan and David become the best of friends?
As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. And Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father's house. Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt. And David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him, so that Saul set him over the men of war. And this was good in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul's servants. (1 Samuel 18:1-5 ESV)
Did Saul eventually become jealous of David and his fame?
As the troops were coming back, when David was returning from killing the Philistine, the women came out from all the cities of Israel to meet King Saul, singing and dancing with tambourines, with shouts of joy, and with three-stringed instruments. As they celebrated, the women sang: Saul has killed his thousands, but David his tens of thousands. Saul was furious and resented this song. “They credited tens of thousands to David,” he complained, “but they only credited me with thousands. What more can he have but the kingdom?” So Saul watched David jealously from that day forward. (1 Samuel 18:6-9 HCSB)
Did Saul attempt to kill David in a jealous rage, but did the people love David?
The next day, while David was playing the lyre as he had before, the evil spirit from the Lord attacked Saul, and he began to rave inside the house with a spear in his hand. Saul hurled it, thinking, “I’ll pin David to the wall.” But David escaped from him twice. Now Saul was afraid of David because the Lord was with him and had departed from Saul. Saul removed David from his presence and made him an officer over a division of soldiers. So David led the troops in battle. David was successful in all that he did, for the Lord was with him. When Saul saw that David was highly successful, he feared him. But all Israel and Judah loved David because he led them in battle. (1 Samuel 18:10-16 ISV)
Did Saul lure David into battle with the Philistines, hoping he would die?
And Saul said to David, Behold my elder daughter Merab, her will I give thee to wife: only be thou valiant for me, and fight the Lord's battles. For Saul said, Let not mine hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him. And David said unto Saul, Who am I? and what is my life, or my father's family in Israel, that I should be son in law to the king? But it came to pass at the time when Merab Saul's daughter should have been given to David, that she was given unto Adriel the Meholathite to wife. (1 Samuel 18:17-19 KJV)
Did David initially decline the hand of Saul’s second daughter because he did not have enough for a dowry? What did Saul plot?
And Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved David. So they told Saul, and the thing was right in his eyes. And Saul said, “I will give her to him that she may become a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” Therefore Saul said to David, “For a second time you may be my son-in-law today.” Then Saul commanded his servants, “Speak to David secretly, saying, ‘Behold, the king delights in you, and all his servants love you; so now, become the king’s son-in-law.’” So Saul’s servants spoke these words in David’s hearing. But David said, “Is it trivial in your eyes to become the king’s son-in-law, since I am a poor man and lightly esteemed?” And the servants of Saul told to him according to these words which David spoke. Saul then said, “Thus you shall say to David, ‘The king does not desire any dowry except one hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to take vengeance on the king’s enemies.’” Now Saul planned to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. (1 Samuel 18:20-25 LSB)
Did Saul’s plot fail? Did he become David’s enemy continually?
When his servants told David these words, it pleased David to become the king’s son-in-law. So before the time had expired, David set out and went, he and his men, and fatally struck two hundred men among the Philistines. Then David brought their foreskins, and they presented all two hundred of them to the king, so that he might become the king’s son-in-law. And Saul gave him his daughter Michal as a wife. When Saul saw and realized that the Lord was with David, and that Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him, then Saul was even more afraid of David. So Saul was David’s enemy continually. Then the commanders of the Philistines went to battle, and it happened as often as they went out, that David was more successful than all the servants of Saul. So his name was held in high esteem. (1 Samuel 18:26-30 NASB)
Will true Christians have enemies in this life? Who will they be?
For I have come to turn “‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ (Matthew 10:35-36 NIV)
How should we treat those who choose to be our enemies?
But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. (Matthew 5:44-45 NKJV)
Will faithful servants of God have enemies even from within? How should we treat them? You decide!
Did Jonathan and David become the best of friends?
As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. And Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father's house. Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt. And David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him, so that Saul set him over the men of war. And this was good in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul's servants. (1 Samuel 18:1-5 ESV)
Did Saul eventually become jealous of David and his fame?
As the troops were coming back, when David was returning from killing the Philistine, the women came out from all the cities of Israel to meet King Saul, singing and dancing with tambourines, with shouts of joy, and with three-stringed instruments. As they celebrated, the women sang: Saul has killed his thousands, but David his tens of thousands. Saul was furious and resented this song. “They credited tens of thousands to David,” he complained, “but they only credited me with thousands. What more can he have but the kingdom?” So Saul watched David jealously from that day forward. (1 Samuel 18:6-9 HCSB)
Did Saul attempt to kill David in a jealous rage, but did the people love David?
The next day, while David was playing the lyre as he had before, the evil spirit from the Lord attacked Saul, and he began to rave inside the house with a spear in his hand. Saul hurled it, thinking, “I’ll pin David to the wall.” But David escaped from him twice. Now Saul was afraid of David because the Lord was with him and had departed from Saul. Saul removed David from his presence and made him an officer over a division of soldiers. So David led the troops in battle. David was successful in all that he did, for the Lord was with him. When Saul saw that David was highly successful, he feared him. But all Israel and Judah loved David because he led them in battle. (1 Samuel 18:10-16 ISV)
Did Saul lure David into battle with the Philistines, hoping he would die?
And Saul said to David, Behold my elder daughter Merab, her will I give thee to wife: only be thou valiant for me, and fight the Lord's battles. For Saul said, Let not mine hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him. And David said unto Saul, Who am I? and what is my life, or my father's family in Israel, that I should be son in law to the king? But it came to pass at the time when Merab Saul's daughter should have been given to David, that she was given unto Adriel the Meholathite to wife. (1 Samuel 18:17-19 KJV)
Did David initially decline the hand of Saul’s second daughter because he did not have enough for a dowry? What did Saul plot?
And Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved David. So they told Saul, and the thing was right in his eyes. And Saul said, “I will give her to him that she may become a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” Therefore Saul said to David, “For a second time you may be my son-in-law today.” Then Saul commanded his servants, “Speak to David secretly, saying, ‘Behold, the king delights in you, and all his servants love you; so now, become the king’s son-in-law.’” So Saul’s servants spoke these words in David’s hearing. But David said, “Is it trivial in your eyes to become the king’s son-in-law, since I am a poor man and lightly esteemed?” And the servants of Saul told to him according to these words which David spoke. Saul then said, “Thus you shall say to David, ‘The king does not desire any dowry except one hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to take vengeance on the king’s enemies.’” Now Saul planned to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. (1 Samuel 18:20-25 LSB)
Did Saul’s plot fail? Did he become David’s enemy continually?
When his servants told David these words, it pleased David to become the king’s son-in-law. So before the time had expired, David set out and went, he and his men, and fatally struck two hundred men among the Philistines. Then David brought their foreskins, and they presented all two hundred of them to the king, so that he might become the king’s son-in-law. And Saul gave him his daughter Michal as a wife. When Saul saw and realized that the Lord was with David, and that Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him, then Saul was even more afraid of David. So Saul was David’s enemy continually. Then the commanders of the Philistines went to battle, and it happened as often as they went out, that David was more successful than all the servants of Saul. So his name was held in high esteem. (1 Samuel 18:26-30 NASB)
Will true Christians have enemies in this life? Who will they be?
For I have come to turn “‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ (Matthew 10:35-36 NIV)
How should we treat those who choose to be our enemies?
But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. (Matthew 5:44-45 NKJV)
Will faithful servants of God have enemies even from within? How should we treat them? You decide!
David's Faith (1 Samuel 17)
How did a young man come to so much faith? How did he conquer a giant problem that had all of Israel cowering? Do we have that kind of faith? Let’s look in 1 Samuel 17.
Was the Philistine threat a seemingly insurmountable problem?
The Philistines got ready for war and brought their troops together to attack the town of Socoh in Judah. They set up camp at Ephes-Dammim, between Socoh and Azekah. King Saul and the Israelite army set up camp on a hill overlooking Elah Valley, and they got ready to fight the Philistine army that was on a hill on the other side of the valley. The Philistine army had a hero named Goliath who was from the town of Gath and was about three meters [10 ft] tall. He wore a bronze helmet and had bronze armor to protect his chest and legs. The chest armor alone weighed about 57 kilograms [125 lb]. He carried a bronze sword strapped on his back, and his spear was so big that the iron spearhead alone weighed about seven kilograms [15 lb]. A soldier always walked in front of Goliath to carry his shield. (1 Samuel 17:1-7 CEV)
Was Israel greatly concerned about the military threat before them?
He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.” And the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may fight together.” When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. (1 Samuel 17:8-11 ESV)
Was the answer to Israel’s dilemma a most unlikely solution in human eyes?
Now David was the son of the Ephrathite from Bethlehem of Judah named Jesse. Jesse had eight sons and during Saul’s reign was already an old man. Jesse’s three oldest sons had followed Saul to the war, and their names were Eliab, the firstborn, Abinadab, the next, and Shammah, the third, and David was the youngest. The three oldest had followed Saul, but David kept going back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s flock in Bethlehem. Every morning and evening for 40 days the Philistine came forward and took his stand. (1 Samuel 17:12-16 HCSB)
How did David get involved in the situation with Goliath and the Philistine threat?
Jesse told his son David, “Take this ephah of roasted grain to your brothers, along with these ten loaves of bread, and quickly take them to your brothers in the camp. Take these ten pieces of cheese to the commander of the unit, check on the well-being of your brothers, and bring something back from them. Saul, your brothers, and all the men of Israel are in the valley of Elah fighting with the Philistines.” David got up early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, took the supplies, and went as Jesse had directed him. He arrived at the encampment as the army was going out to the battle line, shouting the battle cry. (1 Samuel 17:17-20 ISV)
Were the men of Israel afraid of this giant of a man, Goliath?
For Israel and the Philistines had put the battle in array, army against army. And David left his carriage in the hand of the keeper of the carriage, and ran into the army, and came and saluted his brethren. And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them. And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid. (1 Samuel 17:21-24 KJV)
What was David’s reaction when he saw and heard the giant Goliath?
And the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who is coming up? Surely he is coming up to reproach Israel. And it will be that the king will enrich the man who strikes him down with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father’s house free in Israel.” Then David spoke to the men who were standing by him, saying, “What will be done for the man who strikes down this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should reproach the battle lines of the living God?” And the people spoke to him in accord with this word, saying, “Thus it will be done for the man who strikes him down.” (1 Samuel 17:25-27 LSB)
Did David’s brother insult him for his questions? Does even family sometimes falsely accuse people of faith?
Now Eliab his oldest brother heard him when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger burned against David and he said, “Why is it that you have come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I myself know your insolence and the wickedness of your heart; for you have come down in order to see the battle.” But David said, “What have I done now? Was it not just a question?” Then he turned away from him to another and said the same thing; and the people replied with the same words as before. (1 Samuel 17:28-30 NASB)
When Saul heard about David’s attitude, did he think differently than David’s brother Eliab?
What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, and Saul sent for him. David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.” Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.” But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.” (1 Samuel 17:31-37 NIV)
Did David initially try on Saul’s heavy armor, but give up the idea?
So Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail. David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.” So David took them off. (1 Samuel 17:38-39 NKJV)
Can God give victory against great odds? Whose battle did David declare this was?
He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd’s bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine. Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him, sneering in contempt at this ruddy-faced boy. “Am I a dog,” he roared at David, “that you come at me with a stick?” And he cursed David by the names of his gods. “Come over here, and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals!” Goliath yelled. David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!” (1 Samuel 17:40-47 NLT)
Did David run headlong into battle because he was a young man of faith? How do we face our battles?
When the Philistine arose, and walked and came near to meet David, David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. David put his hand in his bag, took a stone and slung it, and struck the Philistine in his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him; but there was no sword in David’s hand. Then David ran, stood over the Philistine, took his sword, drew it out of its sheath, killed him, and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. (1 Samuel 17:48-51 WEB)
Did David’s actions lead to victory for Israel? Had Saul perhaps not paid much attention to who David was until that moment?
The soldiers from Israel and Judah jumped up with a shout and chased the Philistines all the way to Gath and the gates of Ekron. The dead Philistines were littered along the Shaarim road all the way to Gath and Ekron. When the Israelites came back from chasing the Philistines, they plundered their camp. David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put the Philistine’s weapons in his own tent. Now when Saul saw David go out to meet the Philistine, he asked Abner the army general, “Abner, whose son is that boy?” “As surely as you live, Your Majesty, I don’t know,” Abner answered. “Then find out whose son that young man is,” the king replied. So when David came back from killing the Philistine, Abner sent for him and presented him to Saul. The Philistine’s head was still in David’s hand. Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, my boy?” “I’m the son of your servant Jesse from Bethlehem,” David answered. (1 Samuel 17:52-58 CEB)
At the end of the age, in that great eternal city, who will still mention David’s name?
I am Jesus! And I am the one who sent my angel to tell all of you these things for the churches. I am David's Great Descendant, and I am also the bright morning star. The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Everyone who hears this should say, “Come!” If you are thirsty, come! If you want life-giving water, come and take it. It's free! (Revelation 22:16-17 CEV)
How did a young man come to so much faith? How did he conquer a giant problem that had all of Israel cowering? Do we have that kind of faith? You decide!
Was the Philistine threat a seemingly insurmountable problem?
The Philistines got ready for war and brought their troops together to attack the town of Socoh in Judah. They set up camp at Ephes-Dammim, between Socoh and Azekah. King Saul and the Israelite army set up camp on a hill overlooking Elah Valley, and they got ready to fight the Philistine army that was on a hill on the other side of the valley. The Philistine army had a hero named Goliath who was from the town of Gath and was about three meters [10 ft] tall. He wore a bronze helmet and had bronze armor to protect his chest and legs. The chest armor alone weighed about 57 kilograms [125 lb]. He carried a bronze sword strapped on his back, and his spear was so big that the iron spearhead alone weighed about seven kilograms [15 lb]. A soldier always walked in front of Goliath to carry his shield. (1 Samuel 17:1-7 CEV)
Was Israel greatly concerned about the military threat before them?
He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.” And the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may fight together.” When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. (1 Samuel 17:8-11 ESV)
Was the answer to Israel’s dilemma a most unlikely solution in human eyes?
Now David was the son of the Ephrathite from Bethlehem of Judah named Jesse. Jesse had eight sons and during Saul’s reign was already an old man. Jesse’s three oldest sons had followed Saul to the war, and their names were Eliab, the firstborn, Abinadab, the next, and Shammah, the third, and David was the youngest. The three oldest had followed Saul, but David kept going back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s flock in Bethlehem. Every morning and evening for 40 days the Philistine came forward and took his stand. (1 Samuel 17:12-16 HCSB)
How did David get involved in the situation with Goliath and the Philistine threat?
Jesse told his son David, “Take this ephah of roasted grain to your brothers, along with these ten loaves of bread, and quickly take them to your brothers in the camp. Take these ten pieces of cheese to the commander of the unit, check on the well-being of your brothers, and bring something back from them. Saul, your brothers, and all the men of Israel are in the valley of Elah fighting with the Philistines.” David got up early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, took the supplies, and went as Jesse had directed him. He arrived at the encampment as the army was going out to the battle line, shouting the battle cry. (1 Samuel 17:17-20 ISV)
Were the men of Israel afraid of this giant of a man, Goliath?
For Israel and the Philistines had put the battle in array, army against army. And David left his carriage in the hand of the keeper of the carriage, and ran into the army, and came and saluted his brethren. And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them. And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid. (1 Samuel 17:21-24 KJV)
What was David’s reaction when he saw and heard the giant Goliath?
And the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who is coming up? Surely he is coming up to reproach Israel. And it will be that the king will enrich the man who strikes him down with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father’s house free in Israel.” Then David spoke to the men who were standing by him, saying, “What will be done for the man who strikes down this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should reproach the battle lines of the living God?” And the people spoke to him in accord with this word, saying, “Thus it will be done for the man who strikes him down.” (1 Samuel 17:25-27 LSB)
Did David’s brother insult him for his questions? Does even family sometimes falsely accuse people of faith?
Now Eliab his oldest brother heard him when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger burned against David and he said, “Why is it that you have come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I myself know your insolence and the wickedness of your heart; for you have come down in order to see the battle.” But David said, “What have I done now? Was it not just a question?” Then he turned away from him to another and said the same thing; and the people replied with the same words as before. (1 Samuel 17:28-30 NASB)
When Saul heard about David’s attitude, did he think differently than David’s brother Eliab?
What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, and Saul sent for him. David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.” Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.” But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.” (1 Samuel 17:31-37 NIV)
Did David initially try on Saul’s heavy armor, but give up the idea?
So Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail. David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.” So David took them off. (1 Samuel 17:38-39 NKJV)
Can God give victory against great odds? Whose battle did David declare this was?
He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd’s bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine. Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him, sneering in contempt at this ruddy-faced boy. “Am I a dog,” he roared at David, “that you come at me with a stick?” And he cursed David by the names of his gods. “Come over here, and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals!” Goliath yelled. David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!” (1 Samuel 17:40-47 NLT)
Did David run headlong into battle because he was a young man of faith? How do we face our battles?
When the Philistine arose, and walked and came near to meet David, David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. David put his hand in his bag, took a stone and slung it, and struck the Philistine in his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him; but there was no sword in David’s hand. Then David ran, stood over the Philistine, took his sword, drew it out of its sheath, killed him, and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. (1 Samuel 17:48-51 WEB)
Did David’s actions lead to victory for Israel? Had Saul perhaps not paid much attention to who David was until that moment?
The soldiers from Israel and Judah jumped up with a shout and chased the Philistines all the way to Gath and the gates of Ekron. The dead Philistines were littered along the Shaarim road all the way to Gath and Ekron. When the Israelites came back from chasing the Philistines, they plundered their camp. David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put the Philistine’s weapons in his own tent. Now when Saul saw David go out to meet the Philistine, he asked Abner the army general, “Abner, whose son is that boy?” “As surely as you live, Your Majesty, I don’t know,” Abner answered. “Then find out whose son that young man is,” the king replied. So when David came back from killing the Philistine, Abner sent for him and presented him to Saul. The Philistine’s head was still in David’s hand. Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, my boy?” “I’m the son of your servant Jesse from Bethlehem,” David answered. (1 Samuel 17:52-58 CEB)
At the end of the age, in that great eternal city, who will still mention David’s name?
I am Jesus! And I am the one who sent my angel to tell all of you these things for the churches. I am David's Great Descendant, and I am also the bright morning star. The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Everyone who hears this should say, “Come!” If you are thirsty, come! If you want life-giving water, come and take it. It's free! (Revelation 22:16-17 CEV)
How did a young man come to so much faith? How did he conquer a giant problem that had all of Israel cowering? Do we have that kind of faith? You decide!
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