Life Of David - Lesson 3

Setting The Stage - Part 3

We've been preparing for studying David by getting caught up with the portions of 1 Samuel that serve as introductory (or preparatory) material.  In the last couple weeks we've quickly worked through chapters 1-11.  We've learned a bit about the state of the nation of Israel at the end of the era of the Judges, and seen the transition into the era of the Kings with King Saul.  We're currently spending some time getting to know Saul as his life & David's are quite intertwined.

In chapters 9-11 we get introduced to Saul, learn a bit about his family & his character.  We got to learn about his encounter with Samuel & the unusual way God confirmed Saul as His choice.  We also saw King Saul get off to a little bit of a shaky start, but soon he is victorious & is heartily accepted by the people with great celebration.

1 Samuel Chapter 12:

In this chapter Samuel (last of the great Judges) challenges the people before God to expose any wrongdoing on his part,  and they find none.  Samuel reminds the people of the government God set up (Theocracy) which they rejected in favor of a Monarchy.  Samuel warns the people that if they or their King do not honor God there will be consequences (verses14-15).  As punishment for asking for a king Samuel prays & God brings rain just when the wheat is ready to harvest (can ruin the crops), the people ask for mercy & verses 20-25 give Samuel's response.

This chapter (12) is called "Samuel's Farewell Speech" Samuel is old but not ill or dying, Samuel isn't getting ready to leave Israel, and Samuel is going to be around for Saul to consult, so why is Samuel making this "Farewell Speech" at this point in time?

• He's no longer the one who will lead the people.  (He is however, still a Judge & a Prophet of God).
• The responsibility for Israel is being placed in King Saul's hands.
• He is a ruling dignitary that is stepping down to make a place for the new dignitary.

1 Samuel Chapter 13:

(1-2) Saul has chosen an army of 3000.  Who is Jonathan?

• Saul's son & (later) David's best friend.

(3-4) We're not told why Jonathan attacked the outpost, and he's not corrected for his actions, but apparently this provoked the Philistines. Saul summoned the people of Israel to Gilgal, does anyone know why? (hold that thought & we'll catch back up to it)

(5-7a) The Philistines are on the attack & Israel is hard-pressed.... but wait a minute!!  Didn't we read in Chapter 7 that the Philistines left Israel alone for the rest of Samuel's life? (7:13-14) How do you explain that?

The book of 1 Samuel isn't necessarily strictly chronological, like many modern-day novels it will take you down one branch of a story, then back up & take you down another.  Also, its common in Biblical texts to have a summary of action, followed by a more lengthy & detailed description of the events involved (early parts of Genesis are a good example. 

<Write On The Board>

1 Samuel 1-7 are focused on Samuel, his birth, his calling, and his role as Judge & Deliverer - which lasts throughout his lifetime.

1 Samuel 8-12 backs up to a specific set of events in the middle of Samuel's lifetime, and are focused on Israel's request for & establishment of the King.

1 Samuel 13-15 are focused on Saul as the king

(7b-8) Here is another example of things seeming to be out-of-order in the chronology, to understand what I mean lets turn back to 1 Samuel 10:8.  Notice this is just after that bizarre day that Saul has seeing Samuel's prophecies about him fulfilled.  But the passage we're in today is believed to be about 2-3 years later, so what gives?  How do we explain this?

Its not clear, but as we'll see in the next verses apparently both Samuel & Saul knew precisely when as well as where (Gilgal) Samuel was to wait for Saul.  I think we have to assume that we just don't have enough of the conversation between the two (in chapter 10) recorded, its also possible that this was a routine established by God for Samuel & Saul to go to Gilgal & make sacrifices & inquire of God every time before engaging the nation in large-scale battle (the nature of the land/cultures of the day would have made small scale skirmishes common).

So the men were quaking & beginning to scatter because Samuel hadn't arrived, lets see what happens next (9-12).  What was wrong with Saul's actions?

• He was not the one appointed by God to offer the sacrifice.
• His pride told him that it was ok for him to make the sacrifice.
• He tries to justify his actions.

We all try to justify our actions, we want to see ourselves in the best light possible, what is the danger in this?

• Our pride makes us think that we're ok.
• We start taking liberties God never intended for us to take.

What should be our ONLY source of justification?

• The righteousness of Christ imputed (laid upon) to those who have accepted Him as Savior & Lord.

(13-14) What are the consequences of Saul's actions?

• He is scolded by Samuel.
• He lost the honor of having God establish his kingdom over Israel forever.
• God has sought out another to be the king & leader of the people.

(15-22) What kind of shape is the army in now?

• Down to 600 men.
• No swords (except Saul & Jonathan) & spears because they had no blacksmiths.

1 Samuel 14: War against the Philistines

(13:23-14:14)  What do you think of Jonathan?  Who does Jonathan credit with the victory?

• Brave, skilled warrior, trusting in God & giving God credit for the victory.

(15-23) God is still the God of Israel, defending His people, and Saul appears to be successful.

(24-30) Saul in his success is making rash decisions, he is not acting in wisdom, yet God continues to give Israel success.

(31-35) Saul's men are behaving in an ungodly manner, and Saul corrects their behavior.  What do you find interesting in verse 35?

• This is the first time Saul has built an altar to the Lord!!

Suddenly we see Saul trying to "do the right thing"... but I can't help but wonder if he wasn't just trying to look good in the eyes of his men.

(36-37) Saul is being rash again, presuming upon God, and God is not giving him an answer.

(38-39) Saul doesn't see his own behavior as a problem, why does he think God is not giving him an answer?

• He thinks someone in their midst has sinned.

Since God is not speaking to Saul directly, Saul resorts to using the Lot (Urim & Thummim) to determine where there may be a problem. (40-42)

Now Saul knows that somehow his answer lies with Jonathan, but he's still presuming that someone else is the problem & not him.

(43-45)  The men show much more wisdom than Saul, Saul tries to claim that God want's Jonathan to die, but the men realize that God has been working through Jonathan on Israel's behalf.

(46-52)  This seems to sum up Saul's life & reign - but remember how I said that sometimes the Bible isn't chronological - because chapter 15 gets into more detail on Saul again, this next time in his dealings with the Amalekites.

Life Of David - Lesson 2

Setting The Stage - Part 2

In order to understand the life & times of David we need to back up a bit, and skim through the first several chapters of 1 Samuel.  The story of David starts coming in at Chapter 16, though he's hinted at in Chapter 13.  Last week we covered Chapters 1-8 very quickly & this week we pick up at Chapter 9 which introduces Saul.

If you miss being here for a lesson & would like a copy of the materials please provide me with an e-mail address.

Let's review quickly so anyone who wasn't here last week isn't horribly lost:

Israel, from the time of the Exodus until the time of Samuel was in an era known as the time of the Judges.  The form of Government was known as a Theocracy - i.e. God is their leader.  Judges led & worked to resolve civil matters, Priests led & worked to resolve religious matters.

1 Samuel chapters 1-8 (a short reprise)

Chapter 1 - Hannah is barren, cries out to God for a son, Eli the priest initially thinks she's drunk.  Eli learns of her grief, pronounces a blessing on her, Hannah has a son (Samuel) & commits him to God for life.  Hannah raised Samuel until he was weaned (~ 3 years old).

Chapter 2 - Records Hannah's prayer in which she rejoices in the Lord, she hands over Samuel to the care of Eli the priest.  Hannah only sees Samuel about once a year after that, but brings him a new robe each year (she never forgets him).  Eli's own sons (priests) are evil - there is a looming crisis in the Priesthood, a prophecy is recorded against Eli's family.

Chapter 3 - God audibly calls Samuel.  Samuel is noted as being 100% accurate as a prophet of God (passes the test of a true prophet).

Chapter 4 - The Israelites take the Ark into battle - behaving like pagans & presuming upon God.  The Ark is captured, Eli's sons are killed.  Eli gets the news & falls over & dies.

Chapters 5 & 6 - The Philistines have trouble as long as they have the Ark, they end up returning the Ark to Israel. (Read this on your own time - humorous account)

Chapter 7 - Samuel intercedes for Israel, the Philistines are routed, during his lifetime they no longer have trouble with the Philistines. (Other enemies are still around)

Chapter 8 - Samuel is the last of Israel's great judges, his sons are also acting as judges but they are corrupt - there is a crisis in the civil leadership of Israel.  The people ask for a king "like the other nations", effectively rejecting God as their king.  Samuel warns the people what will happen, they want a king anyway.

Now on to King Saul... Why is it important that we learn about King Saul in preparation for studying the life of King David?

• Saul was the 1st king of Israel, David was the 2nd.
• David served King Saul - their lives were intertwined.

Our approach for these remaining chapters that are pre-David: we'll read through relatively quickly & ask a few questions as we go.  I'm trying to get us through this material quickly so please follow along & be ready to jump in and read as we go along.

1 Samuel Chapter 9

(1 Samuel 9:1-2) What do we learn about Saul from these verses?

• He is a Benjamite (tribe of Benjamin)
• His father (Kish) is a man of standing.
• He was "impressive", "without equal", "a head taller than any of the others"
• On the surface he looks like "King" material.

(1 Samuel 9:3-5) What traits do we see in Saul up to this point?

• Obedient to his father, hard working.
• Concerned that his father might be worried about him.

(1 Samuel 9:6-13) What insight do you get about Saul from his interactions with the servant & his seeking out the "man of God"?

• Can be swayed (by the servant).
• Willing to seek out God for help.
• Wants to be fair to the "man of God" & offer a gift for his services.

(1 Samuel 9:14-17) How had God prepared Samuel to meet Saul?

• The day before God had told Samuel that a man from Benjamin would come.
• As Samuel approached Saul God indicated His choice.

What had God said about Saul?

• He would be from the tribe of Benjamin.
• He will deliver the Israelites from the Philistines.

(1 Samuel 9:18-21) What did Samuel say to Saul that might have caught Saul's attention & confirmed that Samuel was a "man of God"?

• The donkeys have been found.

What news did Samuel give to Saul about his future & how did Saul react to this news?

• All the desire of Israel is turned to Saul & his father's family. (what do you think this means?)
• Saul's response: I'm just a guy from a little family in a little tribe... why do you say this?

(1 Samuel 9:22-27) What actions did Samuel take with Saul & what purposes might they serve?

• Made Saul the guest of honor at his feast, provided him a special piece of meat set aside for him.  Purpose: publicly honor & call attention to Saul in the eyes of the people of his town.
• Invited Saul home & spent time speaking with him "on the roof" (in the culture of the day: common place for guests to be entertained), Saul & Servant stayed overnight.  Purpose: build a relationship with Saul, Samuel would be guiding Saul & Saul needed to know & trust Samuel.
• Sent the servant ahead so he could give Saul a message from God.  Purpose: a private moment for Samuel to instruct Saul.

What are your initial impressions of Saul?

What do you think Saul was thinking? & How do you think Saul was feeling?

1 Samuel Chapter 10

(1 Samuel 10:1-12) After Samuel anointed Saul for his new position of leadership, he lists off this strange set of circumstances that Saul is going to encounter... what happens?

• God changes Saul's heart.
• Everything Samuel said would happen did happen.

If something like this happened to you, how would you respond?

• I'd be praising God.
• I'd be freaked out & I'd tell everyone all about it.

(1 Samuel 10:13-16) How did Saul respond to everything that happened?

• Initially it appears he went to a "high place" - implies he went to worship God.
• He doesn't tell anyone about the wonderful things that have happened or that Samuel has anointed him to be Israel's leader.

Why might Saul have withheld information?

• There's a hint in verses 11-12, Saul was in essence being taunted because he'd been prophesying.

(1 Samuel 10:17-22) Samuel is presiding over an official ceremony to select a king.  How was Israel's first king chosen?

• By tribe, then by clan, then by individual... likely using the Urim & Thummim.

How was Saul responding to this selection process & why do you think he responded this way?

• Saul was hiding.
• He may have been embarrassed, shy, timid, or afraid... He may not have wanted to face additional taunting or persecution... He may not have wanted to be controversial (and he would be as we'll see in the next few verses)... we're really not told why he hid.

(1 Samuel 10:23-27) Saul is presented as their king, what are the various responses of the people?

• "Long live the king!"
• Accompanied home by men that God had touched.
• Some troublemakers despised him & brought him no gifts.

In your mind, how is Saul starting out as king?

Why is his height a positive indicator to the people?

    How does this play out in our day (in business or politics)?

1 Samuel Chapter 11

(1 Samuel 11:1-2) What additional purpose, besides humiliation, might be served by gouging out the right eye?

• This was done at times to destroy the military capability of a people, specifically it would ruin the skills of their archers.

(1 Samuel 11:3-8) What did Saul do that got the people's attention?

• Cut up oxen & sent the pieces out with a threat.

Why did he do this?

• "God came upon him with power, and he burned with anger"

What was the result? 

• The people turned out "as one man".

(1 Samuel 11:9-10) What deceitful thing do the men of Jabesh do when they hear help is on the way?

• Tell the Ammonites: we'll surrender tomorrow.

Was it ok for them to lie in this way?

• This is tricky... they are at war, this is effectively providing the enemy with bad intel... 

(1 Samuel 11:11-15) How would you describe Saul's first attempt at military action?

• Successful!  All were killed or scattered.

How did the people respond to Saul's success?

• They effectively said: let's kill any who didn't want you as their king.

How did Saul respond to the people's suggestion?

• He said: no... God rescued Israel.

What was done instead?

• Samuel had Saul reaffirmed as king.
• Sacrifices were made.
• A great celebration ensued.

How is Saul doing as King?  What do you think of him at this point in his reign?

Life Of David - Lesson 1

Setting The Stage - Part 1

In order to understand the life & times of David we need to back up a bit, and skim through the first several chapters of 1 Samuel.  The story of David starts coming in at Chapter 16, though he's hinted at in Chapter 13.

Before we begin skimming who can tell me reasons why we should study David?

• Not 1st king of Israel, but the 2nd; however, he is the 1st king that is of the line of Judah. (Genesis 49:10)
• He is in the Messianic Line. (Matthew 1:1, 5, 6) From these passages we learn that he is the great-grandson of Ruth & Boaz (ref: book of Ruth).
• Large portions of scripture are dedicated to his life.  In a book on David, Charles Swindoll says the following:

"Would it surprise you to learn that more has been written about David than about any other biblical character?  Abraham has some fourteen chapters dedicated to his life, and so does Joseph.  Jacob has eleven.  Elijah has ten.  But do you have any idea how many are dedicated to David?  Sixty-six, if my counting is correct, and that does not include some fifty-nine references to his life in the New Testament."

• (1 Samuel 13:14 & Acts 13:22) David is the only one in all of scripture to be called "a man after God's own heart".

What do you know about David (his occupation & temperament)?

• Faithful shepherd, even in the presence of lions & bears. (1 Samuel 17:34-35)
• Fearless warrior, as we'll discover through many passages.
• When already anointed as the next king of Israel apparently he never brought it up, he served King Saul faithfully (for as long as that was possible) & respected Saul's appointment as Israel's king.
• (1 Samuel 16:18) Musician, brave warrior, speaks well, fine-looking, godly.
• From the numerous Psalms attributed to him we know he was a poet.
• He is reflective, moody, courageous, passionate... and fallible!!
• From the passages we'll learn that he was such a great guy that Jonathan, Saul's son,  was more than willing to relinquish any claim to be Israel's next king.
• He liked female company... he had at least 8 wives, from which he had 19 sons & a daughter... and this doesn't count his concubines or the children from his concubines.  If you like reading genealogies you can find info on David & his kids in 1 Chronicles 3.
• He wholeheartedly loved God!!

As 1 Samuel begins we are still in the portion of Israel's history known as the time of the Judges.

When was this era ushered in?

• During the Exodus while the nation of Israel was being led out of Egypt by Moses.  Moses father-in-law Jethro suggested that Moses find qualified men to help him make judgements for all the disputes that were arising during this trying time.  Moses did so & that was the start of the Judges.  The Judges were involved for matters civil law, the Priests were involved for matters of God's law.

What form of government did Israel have at this time?

• It was a Theocracy, God led his Priests & Judges by the power of His Spirit.  Just as later there would be good & bad kings, there were good & bad Priests & Judges.  The books of 1 & 2 Samuel are named after the last of the great godly Judges, Samuel, and 1 Samuel starts with the unusual beginnings of this amazing man who was not just a Judge but also a powerful Prophet.

1 Samuel 1-2: The beginnings of Samuel

The story starts out with Elkanah & his two wives, one who had many children & one who had none - the one with none was Hannah.  Elkanah loved Hannah, treated her very well, and even gave her a double-portion whenever the family went to make sacrifices.  Unfortunately the other wife was cruel, she provoked Hannah because Hannah was barren & would bring her to tears.

What was the significance of being barren?

• Having children was viewed as being blessed by God, and in truth children are a blessing from God.  Not having children was a terrible stigma for a woman of Hannah's day, it didn't mean she wasn't loved by God, but it meant that in her culture in her day she was looked down upon.

Hannah was deeply troubled, and went weeping to God. (1 Samuel 1:10-11)

Hannah prayed, she made a vow to God that if He would give her a son she would dedicate the son to God's service for life.  She also said no razor would touch his head, what is the significance of this?

• Hannah was proclaiming that her son would be a Nazirite, a person specially devoted to the service of God.  Most Nazirites were for a limited amount of time, rather than for life.  Samson is an example of a Nazirite (I believe he was also one for life).

Eli the priest saw Hannah praying & thought she was drunk, when he realized she was not drunk but in anguish he speaks a blessing on her (1 Samuel 1:17).

The results: (1 Samuel 1:20), the name Samuel sounds like the Hebrew for "heard of God".

Hannah took care of Samuel until he was weaned, probably at about 3 years old. (1 Samuel 1:24-28; 2:11) Hannah did what she promised, she gave her son to the Lord by putting him in the service of Eli the priest, and though I'm certain this was hard she trusted God so completely that her prayer of dedication starts by saying "My heart rejoices in the Lord".  Later we see that Hannah never forgot Samuel (1 Samuel 2:18-19)

As soon as we read that the young boy Samuel is put under the care of Eli, we learn the true nature of Eli's sons (1 Samuel 2:12, 17), but Samuel is in good hands with Eli.

Hannah went on to have 3 more sons and 2 daughters, and Samuel is being raised "in the presence of the Lord" (1 Samuel 2:26).  Samuel isn't going to be a priest, he's not Eli's son, so a crisis is at hand in the priesthood (we'll reference this as Israel's Crisis #1).  And the second half of chapter 2 records God's prophecy against Eli's descendants (1 Samuel 2:33).

1 Samuel 3: God Himself calls Samuel

This simply must be read (1 Samuel 3:1-10), God Himself called out audibly to Samuel,  God was calling Samuel to be His Prophet.  Unfortunately the first Prophecy he's given is a one against Eli & his family.  Samuel loved Eli, and Eli was like a father to him, so giving the prophecy was hard... sometimes God asks hard things of us, but we can trust our lives in His hands.

What is the test of a true Prophet of God? 

• A true Prophet of God is 100% accurate!!  (1 Samuel 3:19-21)

1 Samuel 4: The Ark Captured & Eli's death

This chapter starts what we'll call Israel's Crisis #2, they're at war with the Philistines & they're loosing.  This is when they make a mistake (1 Samuel 4:3).

What was their mistake?

• Bringing the Ark of God into battle.

Why was this a mistake?

• They were behaving like pagans, acting like they could control God by brining His ark to battle.

What should they have done instead?

• They should have prayed or asked Eli to pray on their behalf.

(1 Samuel 4:11) the result of their actions is the capture of the Ark & the death of Eli's sons.

Eli gets the news (1 Samuel 4:16-18), from verse 18, when it says Eli "led" Israel that indicates he was a Judge.  Normally a Judge was appointed by a previous Judge, and possibly Samuel had been appointed by Eli to succeed him since later Samuel is acting as a Judge in Israel.

1 Samuel 5-6: The Philistines troubles with the Ark & return of the Ark to Israel

These 2 chapters provide a glimpse of God's sense of humor when dealing with those who don't trust Him as God... and clearly shows the foolish behavior of these people.  I'm going to encourage you to read these on your own, they just shouldn't be missed but aren't key to our understanding.  Suffice it to say God causes the Philistines trouble & they end up returning the Ark.

1 Samuel 7: Samuel helps Israel defeat the Philistines

After the Israelites spend many years mourning & seeking God Samuel gets involved.  He advises the people to rid themselves of their pagan gods & then intercedes with the Lord on Israel's behalf.  (1 Samuel 7:10, 13)

1 Samuel 8: Israel asks for a King

Now we get to Israel's Crisis #3 (1 Samuel 8:1-3), Samuel is getting older & his sons are bad guys... who's going to lead Israel now?  The Philistines are still a threat, the people want a strong leader (1 Samuel 8:4-5).

What mistake did the people make in asking for a king?

• Their mistake was two-fold: 
• They failed to trust God to provide them faithful leader.
• They wanted to have a government "just like all the other nations", effectively rejecting their current Theocracy (government with God as its head) for a Monarchy.

(1 Samuel 8:6-9), Samuel tells the people all that a King will demand of them ending with (1 Samuel 8:18)

Four Gospels

This is a chart I made for a class I was helping with, I prepared it to go along with a short (10 minute) presentation… as such I could only take things so far… I stopped short of going into the Symbolism & how it relates to the Standards of the tribes as they moved through the wilderness, or how it relates to the faces on the cherubim… I didn't mention 1st miracles, or many many other comparisons… I'm publishing this in hopes that it will spur you on to learn & discover even more.  Blessings!!

The Four Gospels

Gospel = Good Tidings (a.k.a. Good News)

* Synoptic = “seeing together”, these are very parallel in content & order.

Matthew*	Mark*	Luke*	John
Author: Jew, former Tax Collector / Customs Official, Disciple (one of the 12), Levite.  Able stenographer (of sorts) due to his former occupation.	Jew, a younger man & understudy of Peter, believed to be a disciple of Jesus (but not one of the 12). Also worked alongside Luke & Paul.	Greek, Medical Doctor by profession, traveling companion of Paul, Historian. Wrote Acts which is a follow-on companion book to Luke.	Jew, former Fisherman, Disciple (12), Inner Circle (3), the “Beloved”, cousin of Jesus,  died of natural causes. Wrote the book of Revelation.
Date written: AD 50s-70s	AD 50s-70s	AD 50s-70s	AD 85 or later, 50s-70s
Audience: Jews: religious, spiritual, meditative, knowledge of Scriptures / Prophecies.	Romans: action-oriented, conquest, politics, business, reigning world power.	Greeks: philosophy, intellect, education, culture, poetry, music, idealistic re: truth.	Church, World, all who would come to know Jesus as Lord, the Masses.
Supreme (ruler/king/messiah): genealogy is of the Royal Line, chapters 5-7 (Sermon on the Mount) are a type of Manifesto for His Kingdom.	Servant: no genealogy - who cares about genealogy of a servant, records more miracles than other Gospels, emphasizes Jesus actions.	Son of Man (perfect humanity): genealogy is traced to Adam, frequently pictured in prayer or with Angels ministering, songs (poems) are recorded.	Son of God (deity): points to Jesus divine relationship, there is a genealogy of sorts “In the beginning...” which is that of the pre-existent eternal one.
Promised One	Powerful One	Perfect One	Personal One
What Jesus Said: Recorded Jesus discourses verbatim (stenographer).	What Jesus Did: Like the script of an action movie, a reflection of Peter as a man of action.	What Jesus Felt: His humanity, how He wept, how He trembled with compassion, etc.	Who Jesus Was: He was God, the pre-existent One, the Creator, the “I Am”.
Closes With: Jesus the King commissioning His disciples. Resurrection	Jesus the Servant laboring with His disciples. Ascension	Jesus the Perfect Man carried up to Heaven in Glory. Promised Holy Spirit	If all Jesus did could be written the whole world couldn’t contain it. Promised Return
Symbolism: Lion	Ox	Man	Eagle

Final Thoughts: Don’t get hung up with differences in order of events between the Gospels, in the days these were written accounts weren’t necessarily given in a chronological order.  These are the accounts of Witnesses to very specific events, not all events are recorded but only a tiny fraction.  If Witnesses today give identical accounts in a court of law they are suspected of being in collusion, with this in mind we shouldn’t expect authentic written accounts of different witnesses to be identical.  There’s so much more…

Word Study - Propitiation

We are told that Jesus is our Propitiation.  Propitiation is a word that most of us don’t use on a normal day-to-day basis, its root is the word Propitiate which is defined as follows:

To make favorably inclined; appease; conciliate.

The point of studying this word is not to increase our vocabulary, but instead to increase our understanding of Jesus death on the cross as both an amazing gift and an outrageous sacrifice, and to attempt to fully grasp the fact that without Jesus sacrificial death on our behalves we’d have absolutely no hope whatsoever of reconciliation with God.

What does Jesus being our Propitiation mean?  First we need to understand our own position with God before we can answer this question.  Prior to faith in Christ, prior to inviting Him in to be our Savior & Lord we are lost, unable to have a relationship with God.

Romans 3:10-12 & 23:

There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.... for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

In addition to this, we were under God’s wrath, subject to judgement under God’s perfect justice.  In God’s perfect justice sin must be destroyed - it cannot be allowed to exist in His presence - and the sinner destroyed as well.  Who or what can withstand the wrath of God?

Nahum 1:6:

Who can withstand his indignation? Who can endure his fierce anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; the rocks are shattered before him

Revelation 6:15-17 (People - future):

Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”

Isaiah 34:4 (Heavens):

All the stars of the heavens will be dissolved and the sky rolled up like a scroll; all the starry host will fall like withered leaves from the vine, like shriveled figs from the fig tree.

Revelation 20:11 (Earth):

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them.

Only those/that which can pass God’s perfect judgement can escape God’s wrath, but we’re all sinners, we’re all imperfect people, we can’t pass His perfect judgement on our own, even the creation itself can’t pass His perfect judgement. On top of that we know that Nothing & Nobody can withstand the wrath of God... except... God Himself!!  

This is where Jesus steps in, Jesus is fully God and fully man, as such Jesus is able to pass the test of God’s perfect judgement on man, and thus is not subject to God’s wrath.  However, Jesus chose to trade places with us, to trade with us His righteousness for our sinfulness, and He’s willing to trade with whoever will come to Him.  Jesus put Himself in our place on the cross, He became the perfect spotless sacrifice God required, He took the wrath of God on Himself, He suffered in ways we cannot even fathom, He suffered not just as a man but as God.  So we needed God Himself in the person of Jesus, to take our place, to absorb the wrath of God’s Perfect Justice, in order to provide a way for sinful man to be in a Love Relationship with Him.

Romans 5:6, 9-11:

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. ... Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Romans 9:22-23

What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory

The good news is this: those of us who have come into a relationship with Jesus Christ now have His righteousness and are no longer objects of God’s wrath.  We are among those who are objects of God’s mercy - and blessed so much more beyond that with amazing blessings from God!

Back to Propitiation - Propitiate: appease, conciliate, make favorably inclined.

Jesus is our Propitiation: Jesus is our wrath-absorber, Jesus appeased the wrath of God.  Jesus reconciled us to God, allowing sinful man to be righteous & enter into relationship with a perfect God.  Jesus causes us to be objects of God’s mercy, God is favorably inclined to us when we have faith in Jesus as our Lord & Savior.

Yikes!! WARNING: Things Will Be Changing….

This is a warning to all who may be following this blog…

I just ran into a limitation in the Blogger software that is forcing me to do some reorganizing, this is unfortunate as I was very pleased with the format I'd created…

What does this mean?  This means I will be having to create several posts from content that is currently in another form (called Pages in Blogger) to keep the information available on this site.  If you have this site available to yourself by a "feed" you'll be seeing a large number of posts placed in a short amount of time.

When will this happen?  I hope to have time to get this done sometime in the next couple days…

In the meantime I was able to place the latest lesson in my Life Of David series under that tab (for now), so for those who attend the Sunday classes who were unable to attend last week the latest study is now available.

Sorry for any inconvenience my "reconstruction" causes…

Pressing On...

Summer is always a nice time to take a break from teaching, I miss it but I appreciate the chance to rest and rejuvenate.  I'm back to teaching on the Life Of David, I'm prepping to begin to teach on the book of Revelation, and I'm assisting a friend with a study on Mark… whew!!  No wonder I need a break when Summer comes… :)

Check out the Life Of David tab to see the latest lessons or catch up on previous lessons.

Check out the new 4 Gospels tab to see a brief comparison that I prepared to help with the Mark study.

Coming Soon will be a tab for Revelation… but that's at least a month away.

May God Bless You!!
  - Annette