Lesson
5: David
My
favorite description of David is found in 1 Samuel 13:14. Who does Samuel refer to when speaking to
Saul?
______________________________
A
man after God’s own heart.
Let
that sink in. One of my favorite Beth
Moore studies is on King David. And
probably the book that had the biggest impact in my Christian walk is by
Elizabeth George “A Woman After God’s Own Heart”. What do you think chasing God’s heart look
like?
To
me chasing God heart is kind of like chasing your first love. When I first spied my hubby, we were in the
11th grade. I saw him one day
and my heart flipped in my chest. I
changed my daily routine so that I could pass him in the hall and smile and say
a quick “Hi Travis”. We laugh when we
re-live those days. The first few days
he thought “huh, why is she saying hello to me”. And then the more days that passed he thought
“uh oh I am in trouble”. I did
everything I could to get into his life.
That is what I envision chasing God’s heart looks like. Doing everything possible to get into His
Life.
I
pray that is what this Bible study has helped you understand…how to get into
God’s life. I hope that by looking at
the characteristics of our Old Testament friends that you have been inspired
with new ways and old ways to connect with God.
To seek Him with all you are worth.
Technically, without a relationship with God through His Son, Jesus
Christ, you are worthless.
This
week we look at five characteristics of David.
Many entire Bible studies have been written on David’s life, but we are
only focusing on five characteristics this week. I hope you are ready…I am excited!
Praying
for you all! Lord, open our eyes and
hearts to become closer to You.
Lesson
5 Homework Day 1: Have faith in God no matter how big the opponent
If
you grew up in church, I bet you knew exactly where the first lesson was coming
from. Please read 1 Samuel 17:1-11. Warning…we will read more today because it is
such a great story and I can’t leave much out.
What
people are opposing the Israelites? ________________________________
How
tall is Goliath? __________________
I
work with a man who is 6’8”. He and I
have a very good working relationship.
Every time I stand beside to talk to him, I feel like a little girl
whose feet don’t reach the floor. I
cannot even imagine looking into the eyes of a meanie who is 9 feet tall.
How
did King Saul and the Israelites feel? _______________________________
Now
read 1 Samuel 17:12-24. We meet David
for the first time. We learn he is the
youngest of 8 brothers and that 3 of them have gone to war.
Who
is David’s daddy? _______________________
What
does David’s daddy send him to do? ___________________________________
David
leaves early in the morning with the provisions. He gets to the camp and goes to greet his
brothers. But Goliath comes out and all
the Israelites hide in fear. If you have
never seen the Veggietales version of this story…YOU MUST! I love it.
When I had a mini-van with a dvd my kids used to watch it over and
over. I never saw it, but could recite
it and knew everyone’s voices. HA!
We
are going to jump over a little sibling rivalry (go back and read it if you
never have), and read 1 Samuel 17:32-37.
Can you believe young David has volunteered to go fight Goliath? The giant that has every Israelite shaking in
their armor. David gives Saul his resume. Killed a lion and a bear…blah blah blah. In the next section, Saul tries to dress
David in his armor, but it swallows David whole. This gives us insight to how small David is
compared to the giant. Flip to 1 Samuel
9:2. How does it describe Saul?
_______________________________
If
Saul’s armor swallows David whole, and Saul was a head taller than everyone
else, how much larger must Goliath be than David? And yet look at verse 40 in 1 Samuel 17. He takes his little sling shot and bag of
stones and approaches Goliath. Everyone
must have thought he was crazy. I bet
his brothers were already dividing his possessions in their minds.
Now
read 1 Samuel 17:41-50. Through this
whole story I want you to remember that Goliath was NINE FEET TALL. And basically bulletproof. And yet David wasn’t scared one bit.
Verse
46 reveals why David was not scared.
Fill in the blanks:
“This
day the Lord will _______________ you ___________________ to me…”
Whom
did David have faith in for his deliverance?
Yes, God. David knew that God
would prevail. That God would defeat the
Philistines. God was waiting for a
vessel and David was not afraid to be used by God. How often do we face circumstances and melt
in fear because we don’t have enough faith in God to deliver us?
David
grew up hearing the same stories of God’s deliverance as the other Israelites,
and yet he was the only one willing to fight Goliath in the name of God. David didn’t go out picking a battle. He joined God in the battle. There was no way David would lose.
When
we stand in God’s Will on His Promise to never leave us, we can’t lose. But so many times we stop trusting Him and
try to handle circumstances without Him.
Think
of the last time that you did not trust and have faith in God to deliver you
out of a circumstance. How did it work
out for you?
I
will tell you every time I have tried to manage without complete faith in God,
I have failed. Life has been in turmoil
and I am generally miserable. I will
also tell you that if you aren’t willing to be used by God…His Plan will move
forward without you. And you will miss
more blessings than you can imagine. And
hindsight in those cases…stinks.
What
did David stay focused on throughout this entire story? ____________________
Did
he ever mention the size of Goliath? ________ Yes __________ No
Did
he notice the armor or weapons Goliath had access to? ______ Yes
_______ No
Now
put your situation in the same light.
What are you focusing on in a difficult situation you find yourself facing?
Have
you verbalized the size of your situation?
________ Yes __________ No
Side
note: if you answered yes, then question one should not say you are completely
and totally focused on God alone.
Have
you verbalized the weapons against you? ________ Yes __________ No
Today
you can change your focus. Stop looking
at the size of your issues and focus on the size of your God. I love a song out right now that says
something like:
He’s
the one who conquered giants
He
shut the mouth of lions
He
walked in fire
He
told the dead to breath
He
is I AM
(Probably
more, but I can’t remember the whole chorus right now). Anyway…you get the point. Our God is BIGGER than any situation you are
facing. Put you faith in Him and live in
victory. If you are a baptized Believer
of Jesus Christ with a relationship with God through Jesus…YOU HAVE ALREADY
WON!
So
live like it!
Good
night…I need to go tuck my wild kids…see you tomorrow when we look more into
the life of David.
Lesson
5 Homework Day 2: Lead when called but not until
Have
you ever had an experience where you took charge of something and became a
leader only to realize that you either were not ready or were taking someone
else’s spot?
I
think one of the keys to being a good leader is knowing WHEN to lead. I think sometimes people become a leader
before they are ready mentally, spiritually and also important is
maturely. Sometimes people become
leaders before they are mature enough to lead.
And one thing I have learned in my years of ministry…just because people
follow you…that does NOT make or mean that you are a good leader!
And
then also often times I think people assume leadership positions that likely
belong rightfully to others without really being called to lead. You know the person who takes the leadership
position because no one is currently filling it. But maybe the person to fill it is on the
way. Just because a leadership position
is empty does not necessarily mean it needs to be filled by someone uncalled
and unqualified. (Keeping in mind that
once God calls, He qualifies). I have
also lived and learned that one throughout y years of ministry. And there is only one outcome for as assumed
leadership role that you are not called to…train wreck. In my early years you could have nicknamed me
Amtrak J
Read
1 Samuel 15:24-29. If you are new to the
King Saul drama (or trauma as I call Middle School life), please read the
verses preceding as well. We see that
Samuel tells King Saul that the Lord has torn the kingdom away. Why? (vs. 26)
Now
skip to 1 Samuel 16:12-13. Samuel
anoints David. But here is the catch,
skip way over to 2 Samuel 2:7. Not that
it’s a new chapter and David is finally king.
Yet he was anointed quite some time before. But he assumed the kingship much later. Why do you think it took so long before David
was king?
Personally
I think a lot of it had to do with David needing to mature and grow. From my experience, the call can come way
before the position. God may call you to
be a leader but then wait until you are ready to appoint you. When David was running from Saul, he spent
much time seeking God. I think God was
laying the groundwork for David to remain a man after God’s own heart.
I
can testify that I honestly feel God called me specifically to serve on our
county Baptist Association years before I was voted onto the board. When I was first feeling the calling from
God, my youngest was probably only four years old. I knew God was calling me to serve, but I
also knew God did not think I was mature enough or nearly ready. I needed to have some grounding years in
ministry at my own church before I gave input on missions at the county level. And my children were so young and with a
travelling husband, my time was scarce.
But as the kids grew, my husband’s job began to keep him home and I grew
spiritually, I could see it was time. I
joined the board three years ago and this year will become the Director of
Women’s Ministry and Women’s Missionary Union for Johnston County. And God has blessed me beyond measure in
these years on the board.
Think
of a time in your life when you were called to lead and yet the position came
available much later. What were your
thoughts as you waited (maybe patiently and maybe not so much):
I
can honestly tell you I was anxious, fearful and maybe even a little bit of
dread. I didn’t feel qualified to serve
on a county board. I could barely keep
my ministry together at church. How was
I going to share anything at the county level.
Looking back I remember being scared to death to finally make that call
and accept the Women on Missions Coordinator position. And then when I found out that would require
speaking in a training session…I could have thrown up. But I didn’t.
I survived. Women seemed to gain
some ideas in ministry from my training session, and I was asked to speak
more. I figure if they invite you back,
you can’t be but so miserable to listen too *grin*.
Please
read 2 Samuel 5:1-4. David is king. Please don’t miss that Saul was called to be
king first. Read 1 Samuel 9:15-16. David is called to be the new king. But Saul was called first. Throughout the book of 2 Samuel we see David
fleeing from Saul for his life. Saul
wanted to kill David. On more than one
occasion (two I believe), David had the opportunity to kill Saul but instead
David refused. He let Saul live. David knew God had called Saul to lead first
and it was not David’s place to kill him.
He left Saul to God to reckon with.
David treated God’s anointed with respect even though Saul was clearly
wrong and David was clearly justified (in the world’s terms anyway).
We
often see this in ministry today. Someone
else might be leading a ministry when you feel God is calling you. It is ok.
Talk to the person and ask for them to pray over you. I have often times offered to co-lead as to
pass off a ministry to the next person.
Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t, but I felt I did all I
could for a smooth transition.
In
the same manner, you might be called to be a leader today but next year God
might call someone else to lead in your place.
You must be in tune with God to know when your calling has ended. And you must help with an easy transition as
well. For some of us extroverted, type
A, control freak, planning fanatics, delegating, bossy flossies…that is a
problem. It requires MUCH time on your
knees. Please don’t ask me how I know…I
don’t want to tell you. *wink*
End
today in prayer…asking God to show you if He is calling you to lead in ministry
and if you are not called in this season to lead then please pray for those of
us who are called. That we will keep Him
the CENTER of our ministry and focus and bring Him all Glory and Honor through
our ministry. That we daily die to
self. And daily choose Him.
Thank
you.
Lesson
5 Homework Day 3: Repent and Turn
Well
today we will look at a quality in David to imitate by seeing a quality we
should avoid as well. Let’s jump in with
both feet. Read 2 Samuel 11..yes, all of
it. Sorry but I couldn’t decide where to
break it so today we will have a lot of reading.
Our
hero has turned villain in a hurry! The
first characteristic we can learn NOT to imitate from David comes in the first
verse. Please re-read the first
verse.
1 What
time of year is it? ______________
2 Where
are the other kings? ______________________________
3 Where
is King David? _____________________________________
Do you see the principle we can
learn? Be where you are supposed to
be! Go where you are supposed to
go! We are not given the reason that
David stayed behind. Maybe he was sick,
or injured, or tired, or depressed, or just lazy. We only know that he was not supposed to stay
behind. And he did. Problem #1.
Now re-read verse 4. Problem #2.
David sent for her even after he knew she was someone else’s wife. Unfortunately our hero David didn’t have a
high standard for one man and one woman as told in Genesis. 1 Chronicles 3 lists seven wives (and leaves
out Michal) so we know David had multiple wives at a time.
Now flip to verses 14-16. Problem #3 occurs. It is unthinkable. Our hero who has saved and delivered his
people time and again actually has an innocent man murdered. I think problem 3 is what I tell my children
is the “snowball effect”. All the
problems could have been avoided if problem #1 was avoided. Basically…David should have been at war and
not at home! Problem 2 occurred and the
result was a pregnancy which created a bigger problem that David only saw #3 as
the way to eliminate the problem. But…you
can’t hide from God. That is an
important lesson among this lesson!
Have you ever done something you knew
was a sin and tried to hide or cover it up?
I don’t think anyone can say no.
If you did, try again.
How did you feel?
When I hide something, I feel
terrible. I feel worthless,
untrustworthy, and ashamed. I know
hiding it is useless because God sees all.
And when I confess to Him the shame and guilt are removed. It’s like a burden is taken off and replaced
with clean air. The kind you breathe in
on a cold day at the top of a mountain.
Clean and Fresh. That is what
Grace feels like. And only God can give
it.
Now read 2 Samuel 12:1-7. Can you say ouch?! King David was all set to kill someone…but it
was him in the story. What do you think
Nathan felt as he was sent to confront David?
I bet he was scared. It was the king. I would have been scared. But Nathan went and confronted David as the
Lord commanded. And now we skip to the
part I want you to see…read 2 Samuel 12:13.
David acknowledged the sin. And David turned from it. We never read again that David has committed
adultery or murdered. Granted David does
not live a sinless life from this point, none of us can, but he turned from
these sins and repented.
What does the word repent mean to you?
I think it is important to look
closely at it. Merriam-Webster defines
it as “to turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one's life”. The key word in the sentence is TURN. Many of us admit sin and confess it, but we
continue in it or remain tempted by it.
It’s hard to be tempted by something at your back side now isn’t
it? TURN means to put it behind you and
move the opposite direction.
What sin do you struggle with in life?
I struggle with gossip. I am a talker. My husband will tell you that I have a lot of
words. I wrote a book in seven days
because I have a lot of words. This
Bible Study has likely gotten on your nerves because I have a lot of
words. I really like to be “in the know”
of everyone’s lives. I don’t have a
facebook account because God told me that I couldn’t use it without becoming a
gossip. Every single day I must
acknowledge my sinful nature to gossip and turn from it. I must avoid the situations to gossip. It’s hard sometimes but I MUST avoid it. Even if I sit by myself, or put in
headphones. I know it is hard for me to
gossip if I am not facing you…so if I ever walk up to you backwards and say
Hey…it means I am weak that day and just please don’t ask me if I “heard”!
How can you turn from what you
struggle most with in life?
Put those in practice today! Ask God to show you and strengthen you. He will if you are serious. He led me to break some long time friendships. Best thing that ever happened to me. I grew spiritually like ever before when I
had less drama (trauma) in my life.
Remind me what we have learned from
King David so far:
1 ______________________________________________________
2 ______________________________________________________
3 ______________________________________________________
Good job…so glad you are hanging in
here with me.
Praying for God to bless you
abundantly! Keep seeking Him!
Lesson 5 Homework Day 4: When God tells you
to move on – Move!
We are actually going to pick up where we
left off yesterday. Please read 2 Samuel
12:14-25. Pray for God to reveal a fresh
Word to you through these scriptures today.
Yesterday you recall that Nathan confronted
David with the sins David had committed.
David was immediately repentant (vs13).
It is interesting to me what David says…fill it in:
“Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned
against the __________________”.” It is
interesting to me that David doesn’t say “I have sinned against Uriah” or “I
have sinned against Bathsheba”. David
acknowledges he has sinned against God.
When you sin, who do you acknowledge the sin
against? Do you acknowledge the sin against
God or only against fellow man?
Honestly, I had never really thought about it in depth. I regularly ask God for forgiveness for my
sins, but I don’t think I acknowledge them against Him. I am more apt to ask God to forgive me for my
sin of gossip against Betty Sue. Or to
forgive me for the sin of pride that is within me. Yet every sin is directly against God. That is a humbling thought to me.
Flip over to Psalm 51. Psalm51 was written by David after Nathan
confronted him. Pay special attention to
verse 4. David was a man after God’s own
heart. David was different. This Psalm leaves no doubt that David had
repented. And now let’s look at what
David does after he receives the punishment the Lord bestows.
Turn back to 2 Samuel 12. What do you notice David doing as the child
was ill?
Verse
16 tells us David fasted and prayed and pled with the Lord for the child’s
life. I want you to note that David
already had been told by God what the outcome would be for the child. Do you think David honestly thought he would
change God’s mind? Explain your answer.
Part
of me thinks David did based on his reply to the servants in verse 22. But then part of me doesn’t think he thought
God would change His mind. Deep down I
must think David knew the outcome would be as God said it would be. Flip to Psalm 55:19 and 1 Samuel 15:29. These scriptures are why I think David knew
God is not a God to change His mind. And
then flip to James 1:17. God does not
change His mind. I believe He has a
perfect Plan and He sticks to it (even when we try to mess it up!).
The
point I really want you to see today in our reading is 2 Samuel 12:19-20. What does verse 20 say David did?
He
got up. He washed and changed
clothes. He went inside. And he worshipped the Lord.
David
had just lost a son for sins he himself had committed against God. Yet when God’s punishment was complete, David
moved on.
I
think we should learn that trait. Be
honest, when you are reprimanded or “punished” for something that you brought
upon yourself, how do you respond?
I
will tell you how I have responded. But
I warn you…it isn’t pretty. I pout. I roll my eyes. I huff.
I have been known to try and raise some rebel forces. I have tried to get everyone to agree with
me. I have caused much more hard feelings
and dragged out punishment that should have ended quickly. I wish I had written this Bible study 10
years ago.
I
will tell you. Since I started this
Bible study, I have tested these character traits. Not every time in all situations I am afraid
to admit, but in pieces (changing behavior takes time!). And I will tell you this one…is a
keeper! I have been dealt some
reprimanding for some situations that I clearly caused to happen and I said “ok,
I am sorry”. And I moved on. Simple as that. And there was less drama, less headache, and
healing. It was great!
How
did the servants react?
They thought he was crazy. My family has thought that of me lately
too. It’s ok if people think you are
crazy. One of my friend Tammy’s favorite
scriptures to quote was 2 Cor 5:13 from the NLT. “If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring
glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit.” She understood that if folks don’t think you
are crazy…you might need to examine your status as a true Christ Follower.
End today praying that God will help
you move on when it is time to move on.
Pray that you will hear His voice and follow His commands.
I hope you are enjoying a closer look
at David. I love it! Scripture is one thing I never get tired of looking
closer at. I am such a Bible Nerd. The blog title is a truth…it’s not meant to
be a joke. Scripture excites me. I hope it is exciting to you too!
And now I have to go tuck my kids.
See you tomorrow as we wrap up
David. Good night!
Lesson 5 Homework Day 5: Praise God
wholeheartedly
I would love to spend more time
studying what makes David “different”.
But when I started this journey I felt led to do 5 days on each
character, so I am sticking with that for now.
Maybe David can make an appearance in another thing I write. He has always been the character I relate
most too. He chased God with all his
heart and yet wasn’t immune to committing sin.
He was transparent. That is the
word I want others to use when they describe me. Transparent.
I want you to know what I believe and whom I call Lord and Savior
regardless of the circumstance, situation, or environment. I want to be known as a Jesus Freak. Nothing less and nothing more.
Today we look at the way David praised
God…it was with everything. Holding
nothing back. Flip in your Bibles to 2
Samuel 6:14-15. How does David dance
before the Lord?
One of my favorite songs right now is
Jamie Lynn Grace’s Beautiful Day. The
part that makes me grin is when she says “I’m about to get my worship on”. I can picture David…getting his worship
on. He makes me giggle. I don’t know why.
How do you worship the Lord? Do you worship him with “all your
might”? Early in ministry I was afraid
to worship with all of my might. Basically
for the reason we ended yesterday…I was afraid people would think I was
crazy. I believe worship is a personal
thing but I think many times if we are transparent in our worship we encourage
other people to worship. Who was with David
as he brought up the ark?
The entire household of Israel. Do you think they would have been shouting
and trumpeting without the king in the mix?
I would argue they would not.
Think of a time when you were the
catalyst to spark others. Maybe you
started to exercise and then others joined you.
Or maybe you started baking Christmas goodies and then your neighbors
followed suit (any of my neighbors reading…feel free to spark me with Christmas
goodies *wink*). What examples can you
think of?
The easiest example is the day you
raised your hand during Praise and Worship time of Sunday service and the
person behind you realized it was ok to raise their hand too.
What if you put Christmas goodie
excitement into worshipping God. In
scripture reading, bible study, service, etc.
Where would your relationship with Christ go from there? I want to tell you your relationship is
limitless. If you are in a dry spell…I
challenge you to step it up.
I believe praising God is as
contagious as pink eye. Once you start,
others will catch it. And it can’t be
easily cured or hidden! That is what
David did when he praised God wholeheartedly.
He sparked others to do the same.
You can too.
I dare you. Try it.
Praise Him wholeheartedly for every blessing and see if others don’t
catch on. And then see if more blessings
don’t result. It’s crazy. I know.
But it works.
Psalm 150 is not credited to David,
but please turn and read it. Psalm 150:6
was the first verse I ever memorized. My
friend Phyllis Elvington challenged us at a women’s conference to memorize one
verse and she randomly threw it out. I
soaked it up like a sponge and have never forgotten it. Or the value of scripture memorization! Try to memorize it. It’s easier than you think.
Shorter day today, so try and
list…what have we learned from our friend David?
1 ______________________________________________________
2 ______________________________________________________
3 ______________________________________________________
4 ______________________________________________________
5 ______________________________________________________
