Life Of David - Lesson 10

Friendship put to the Test - 1 Samuel 20

Prayer: Lord as we go through this passage help us to learn about the bonds of friendship between David & Jonathan, and help us to learn to be loyal friends as they were.  Help us Lord to learn from these two men with unique callings, who both seek to honor you in the way you called them, and as we learn help us to each be content with the unique calling you have placed on our lives. 

Saul is losing it & David is on the run.  David's had to leave behind his home, his wife, and his jobs... but he knew where to go for help, he turned to Samuel (God's prophet) and once again Saul's plans to get rid of David are thwarted.  Now David is going to turn to his best friend & most committed associate for help, Jonathan (Saul's son).

Quickly Form Groups and answer these Questions:

1. In your life, what has caused the person(s) you call "best friend" to hold that special title?

2. Is your best friend a brother/sister in Christ?

a. If yes: what impact does your shared faith have?

b. If no: how do you deal with issues of faith?

<have groups share answers... some thoughts:> (1) The ability to safely share secrets or intimate information, with complete confidence and with no fear of gossip.  (2) My shared faith with those I consider my best friends means I can share the deepest part of who I am: my relationship with the Lord... and when that relationship with the Lord is hurting I can share those hurts with them & they understand and care for me.

New Moon Festival (paraphrased from my Chronological Study Bible):  The new moon marked the beginning of a new month in ancient society, in Israel this became an important festival, so important that it was expected to continue in the new earth where people enjoy companionship with God (Isaiah 66:22-23).  It was supposed to be a solemn day by statute of God (Psalm 81:3-4), but apparently not everyone appreciated it (Amos 8:4-6).

1 Samuel 20 v1-3: David has fled from Naioth, apparently to get away from Saul (who you remember from last week was laying there stripped of his clothes & prophesying - likely against his will).  David heads to another trusted one, another who has shown his faith in God, his best friend Jonathan.  David fills Jonathan in but Jonathan is having trouble believing him, Jonathan doesn't realize that his Dad the king is now keeping his intentions secret from him.  David comes to Jonathan in a panic & takes out his frustrations on him... it almost seems as if they're yelling at each other... but what is amazing is that they are able to speak their minds with each other, even in the midst of their emotional turmoil, and move on without it having a negative impact... this is an amazing friendship.

v4-8: Jonathan is willing to help David, and David devises a test that will bring out the truth in the matter.  David would have been expected to be at the feast, to dine with the king, it was his assigned place.  To not attend the feast would require a legitimate excuse, and Jonathan is going to provide one... how Saul reacts will tell Jonathan the truth.  David challenges Jonathan: "if I'm guilty kill me, why hand me over to your father?"  David is in essence placing his life in Jonathan's hands... this is the mark of a true friendship, trusting each other with our very lives.

v9-11: Jonathan isn't about to hand David over to his father without knowing the truth about his father - Jonathan is in a tough spot.  Jonathan needs, as a servant of God, to honor Saul both as his father and as the king; yet, Jonathan needs to make sure that in doing so he doesn't sin and harm an innocent man, one he's made a covenant with before the Lord.  Jonathan needs to know the truth...

v12-15: Jonathan is determined to get to the bottom of things with his father, and to let David know the results.  If Saul is favorably disposed toward David he'll let David know, if not he'll help David get away safely.  In return Jonathan asks a special favor of his best friend: continue to show kindness to Jonathan's family - even if all David's other enemies have been defeated don't take Saul's actions out against the rest of his family.  This might seem strange to us, but in their culture leaving a descendant of the defeated king meant that you were leaving someone to exact revenge on your family in the future.

v16-17: David & Jonathan reaffirm their covenant, and apparently this time there is a portion of the covenant that represents promises on David's part (likely the promise to remain kind to Jonathan's family).

v18-23: Jonathan agrees to carry out David's plan, and devises a way to communicate to David the results.  Jonathan will come out to a field, one he and David knew well & that had a good hiding spot.  Jonathan will shoot arrows, have a target practice of sorts, something very ordinary for Jonathan to do.  Jonathan will bring a boy with him to collect his arrows, also an ordinary activity; however, when he instructs the boy he will speak words that will tell David precisely what his next actions should be - whether to stay or go.

v24-27: The feast begins and David is missing... David would have been expected to attend & Saul was probably waiting for him hoping to have another chance to kill him.  Saul arrogantly thought that there was no way David would miss the feast, even though Saul had pursued him.  Saul keeps his cool the first day of the feast, telling himself that David must have become ceremonially unclean.  But on the second day of the feast Saul's true feelings start to show, he starts asking about David but can't bring himself to use David's name - he's already exhibiting veiled anger - he calls David "the son of Jesse", attempting in his own way to dehumanize David.

v28-33: Jonathan provides David with an acceptable excuse for missing the feast, that of observing a sacrifice with his family at the request/order of his brother.  In their culture that would have been a reasonable excuse, giving honor to God and to Family were highly esteemed.  Saul is ticked, he knows David is avoiding him, and now he realizes Jonathan knows that he's out to kill David & is protecting David.  Saul looses it, does the equivalent of a nasty "Yo Mamma" insulting his own wife in the process... now he not only can't call David by name he appears unable to address Jonathan directly as well.  Saul's wrath is fully exposed, his intent is exposed... he tries to excuse his anger by saying that he's just looking out for Jonathan's best interests - after all Jonathan won't inherit the kingdom if David is around (remember the giving of the clothing / armor & transfer of position from the beginning of Chapter 18).  Jonathan knows better than to trust his Dad at this point, and refuses to expose David, at which point dear old Dad tries to skewer his own son... yikes!  Now Jonathan knows the truth, there is no doubt, he knows that his Dad (King Saul) intends to kill David.

Rebecca Manley Pippert, in her book A Heart Like His, speaks about Jonathan honoring his father at this point:

"Jonathan did honor his father; he told Saul the truth.  Furthermore, when he realized his father was in deep rebellion against God, Jonathan refused to assist him in his destructive efforts..."

v34: Could a father & son be any more different from each other?  Saul's anger is self-centered, we might call it self-righteous, and sinful.  Jonathan's anger is righteous and does not lead to sin, instead it leads to grief at the sin of his father.  Saul wants what he wants no matter the price, even at the price of the life of his own son.  Jonathan wants what God wants, no matter the price, even though it cost him the kingdom - in fact he'd already willingly given up the kingdom to the one he believed God had chosen.

v35-40: Jonathan is a man of his word - he goes to the field with a young boy, shoots his arrows, gives the signal... Then he sends the boy away, carrying his weapons back to town.

v41-42: After the boy has left David bows down to Jonathan, an act of submission and respect - after all David knows its not his time to be king yet, Jonathan is still technically his superior and Jonathan has acted in a manner that deserves respect - risking his own position (and in fact his own life) for David's sake.  Then they embrace, and kiss (customary greeting for this culture - not homosexual behavior), and wept... and it says David wept the most.  These two friends were being vulnerable with each other, this is another mark of an amazing friendship.  David was a very tenderhearted man, we don't know why he wept so deeply - perhaps for Jonathan because of his Dad, perhaps for his own loss of home/wife/job, but I think its really because he knew he had to leave behind his best & most trusted friend... a tremendous loss for a man who had already lost so much!  They part company, at peace with each other & with God, and still bound by a covenant to each other.  David will start to gather other men around him, his "mighty men", and will not serve Saul again.  Jonathan will continue to obediently serve his father King Saul, keeping the unique & likely awkward position given to him by God, until he dies.

Closing Prayer:  Lord thank you for showing us David's troubles, how he expresses his emotions, and how he is vulnerable with those he trusts.  Help each of us to have those special, perhaps sacred, friendships which can withstand the storms of our lives.  Thank you also for showing us Jonathan as a man of Godly character, help us also to be men and women that honor you no matter our circumstances.  Amen!

Quickly Form Groups Again, and answer the following questions:

3. What stands in the way of you being open & vulnerable with your close friends?  What can be done to change this?

4. Are you in the awkward position of having a parent/boss/superior that doesn't honor God, yet that God says you must respect (or even serve)?  How should you deal with this?

5. Chuck Swindoll points out that David was stripped of all human "crutches" (home, wife, job, best friend), possibly so that he would learn to depend on God alone.  What "crutches" in your life would you have difficulty loosing & why?

Life Of David - Lesson 9

Saul's Pendulum - 1 Samuel 19

Prayer:

Lord, we each will face things that will shake us up.  We may get hurt or betrayed, we may be threatened, or we may face a difficult loss.  Help us Lord to prepare ourselves now for those difficult times, help us to be people that have ourselves firmly grounded in you, help us to look to you as our only source of security in this ever changing world.

Saul has gone from appreciating David to being envious of him, and has already tried to skewer him twice...  Saul has tried to manipulate the situation in a variety of ways, to either undermine David or get him killed off... Saul continues to feel more & more threatened by David.  If you've not already noticed Saul has some pretty extreme mood swings, caused by his own deeply rooted sin, and his moods appear to be amplified by the evil spirit that is tormenting him.  Unfortunately for David he is going to bear most of the brunt of Saul's wrath; however, God is still training David for the throne - so we need to try to see how God is using the situation for His purposes.

Quickly Form Groups and answer these Questions:

1. God has placed authorities over us, and asks us to be submissive and obedient to those authorities.  Is it ever ok to be disobedient?  (If yes, give examples)

2. What do you think would happen if you, like David, were to deliberately chose to love and serve someone you were at odds with?

3. What are the consequences of choosing sin, and of choosing to remain in that sin?

<have groups share answers... some thoughts:> (1) Human authority has limits, we should always be obedient to God as our ultimate authority over any other authority that might present itself.  (2) I have done this, in doing so both I and the other were blessed - but this can't be our expectation.  We should expect to be blessed in some way by loving (personal growth), but should not expect the other to respond well (as we'll see Saul doesn't respond well to the blessing from David being in his court). (3)  When we choose sin there are consequences, and choosing to remain in that sin cause the sin to grow (snowball) - in the case of Saul we will see how his sin of envy has grown into hatred, and the consequences are just going to keep getting worse!

1 Samuel 19 v1-3: As we learned at the end of chapter 18, David has continued to be successful in battle against the Philistines, and he's becoming increasingly popular with the people.  Saul can't stand this, his jealousy has peaked again and he's got his sights set on David, so he orders Jonathan and all of his attendants to kill David.  Jonathan does the right thing in disobeying his father the King, and warns David about the danger to his life.  Jonathan arranges a way to speak to Saul on David's behalf, somewhere near where David would be hidden & possibly within David's hearing, so that David can get a clear picture of the situation.  Jonathan made himself an intercessor on David's behalf.

v4-7: Jonathan reminds Saul of the blessings that David brings, and that David has not wronged Saul.  Jonathan reminds Saul about Goliath, and how Saul had been glad at what God had accomplished through David.  Saul listens and agrees with Jonathan, and makes an oath before the Lord that David will not be killed.  Jonathan's love and care reunite David and Saul, and all is well... the pendulum has swung back... at least for the moment... 

v8-10: Once again David has gone out to war against the Philistines, once again he is successful, and once again Saul's envy is aroused.  David is back from the battlefield, attempting once again to sooth Saul as he's being tormented by an evil spirit, and once again becomes Saul's target... and we're told that it was this very night that David made his escape.

Saul sees David as a threat to him.  Rebecca Manley Pippert in her book A Heart Like His, likens Saul's position to one of a CEO who is being forced to step down, she describes it like this:

"In the best of circumstances, it is extremely difficult for a CEO to step down.  But imagine the terror that would strike you if you were fired from a job that gave you a sense of being and power and prestige.  That was Saul's situation.  Samuel had just given him his 'termination papers,' due to a negative performance evaluation from Saul's 'Boss.'  The choice before Saul was probably the same choice that all CEOs have when their time is up.  Will they behave with humility and dignity during their remaining days in office?  Will they determine to face squarely the flaws that brought the termination?  Will they blame the boss or even their successor for their woes?  When the time comes, will they exit as statesmen, with behavior worthy of the office, or will they embarrass everyone by clinging to the last vestige of power?"

Saul could have repented, could have been the good guy, could have been looking out more for Israel than himself, but that's not what Saul chose... Saul had time to leave a good legacy, one source I was reading indicated that he ruled at least 10 years after Samuel told him he was rejected by God, but Saul didn't make the right choices, Saul left behind an embarrassing legacy.

v11-13: Here we get some additional details of what happened that day.  Saul has sent men to watch David's house, with the intent of killing him in the morning.  David's wife Michal doesn't want him killed, she encourages him to escape & helps him escape through a window - this was likely a window of a house that was built into external wall of a city (similar to the ones in Joshua 2:15 & Acts 9:25).  Then we're told Michal takes an idol and places it in the bed, covered with a garment, and with goats hair at the head.  Its possible this isn't an idol in the normal use of the term, but we don't know... at the very least its the equivalent of putting a dummy with a wig on into the bed.

v14-17: Saul's men come to David's house to "collect" him, and Michal tells them he's sick.  Saul won't have that excuse, orders him to bring David back in the bed if necessary so that he can kill him... the men go back and discover the dummy.  Saul is furious at his daughter, he's irate that she'd deceive him (notice he doesn't give a thought to her feelings in the matter), and questions her loyalty.  Out of fear and a sense of self-preservation Michal lies to her father, indicating that David would have killed her if she hadn't let him get away.

We're going to read through Psalm 59.  Though the exact timing of the writing of this psalm is not known, the notes that are placed in the ancient texts of scripture indicate that David wrote this psalm regarding this particular time of his life.  At this time of David's life he had been fighting the enemies of Israel (enemy nations), and is concerned about Israel; in addition, David is facing his own personal enemies in the form of Saul and his henchmen.  With those things in mind let's read Psalm 59.

We've just crossed into the next phase of David's life, David living on the run.  David hasn't done anything wrong but he's become the #1 fugitive on Saul's most wanted list, and Saul is obsessed with having David killed.  David has, in very short order, lost two good jobs (military & musical), his home, and his wife.  God has in essence removed all his worldly support system...

I was thinking about this during the week, and I was wondering how I would respond if life were to suddenly throw me a major curve... and wouldn't you know, a curve got thrown into my life.  I don't think we have any idea how we might react until something happens... I will admit, I was doing a bit of the "poor me", but I also found myself crying out in prayer, and eventually I decided (yes, I made a choice) to praise God despite my circumstances - I wish that would have been my first response, but God isn't finished with me yet!

David is the "man after God's own heart", David isn't so concerned with position & prestige.  Make no mistake about it - David is running for his life!  But David is running in the right direction...  David's response to being cut down is not to sin, but rather to seek God's help - so lets see what he does...

1 Samuel 19 v18-21: David knows right where to turn, he makes a bee line straight to Samuel - God's chosen prophet, and Samuel immediately moves them both to Naioth.  

<Some notes about Naioth:> Naioth may very well have been a colony of Prophets (indicated loosely in vs 20).  Chuck Swindoll, in his study on the life of David, tells that archaeologists found remains in that area that were houses built in a maze-like arrangement that would have made it an ideal place to hide out from Saul and his men.

In any case Saul learns where David is hiding and starts sending his men to capture him.  Three times he sends out men to capture David, three times the men encountered the prophets and started prophesying.  Saul's men aren't able to capture David, God is hindering them in following the King's commands.

v22-24: Finally Saul, frustrated at the failure of his men, goes after David himself... but his results aren't any better, in fact Saul is so blown over by the power of God working through him that he strips himself & lays down, unable to control himself.  Once again Saul's attempts to undermine & eliminate David have failed.

<Clarification: 1 Samuel 15:35 said Samuel never goes to see Saul again - and I think this means they are never face to face again during Samuel's life (which is what I taught when we covered that passage); however, its possible that Saul & Samuel saw each other in this instance, but notice its Saul coming to Samuel - not the other way around.  Another possibility is this: that when it says Saul is "in Samuel's presence" it may mean that he is in the presence of (or under the influence of) the same spirit that is influencing Samuel.>

Closing Prayer:  Thank you Lord for David's example which shows us to run to you for help when trouble strikes.  Lord the scriptures teach us that you are our Rock, our Fortress, our Firm Foundation.  As we face troubles of various kinds help us to turn to you first as our best source of help, of strength, of security.  Amen!

Quickly Form Groups Again, and answer the following questions:

4. What's your first response when trouble strikes?  How might you change your response to be one that glorifies God instead?

5. What scriptures do you turn to when facing trouble?  (suggestions: Jeremiah 29:11-13; Romans 8:28, 31; Psalm 143)  Share your favorites with the group.

Life Of David - Lesson 8

What's your response? Envy or Appreciation - 1 Samuel 18

Prayer:

Lord help us to cultivate love toward each other as you would have us do.  Help us to heed the warnings that we get from studying Saul's behavior, and help us to live like lives more like Jonathan - lives marked with self-sacrifice, lives committed to your purposes rather than to our own.

To remind us where we left off: Goliath is dead, killed by the young David, the Philistines have been routed, and now its time for the King to return home.

Quickly Form Groups and answer these Questions:  BE HONEST!!

1. Who do you envy and why?

2. Who would you like to have envy you?

3. Why is envy a dangerous thing?

<have groups share answers... some thoughts:> I envy people with all kinds of musical and artistic talent, I wish I had the talent that they have.  As a child growing up I was quite envious of my brother, he had tons of natural talent & was well liked by everyone.  Sometimes I catch myself wanting my brother or my friends to envy me, my situation, what I can do that they can't.  Envy is a form of Jealousy and has its roots in a Discontented Spirit.  When we envy we are telling God we're not satisfied with the beautiful and unique way He's gifted us, we want something else or someone else's gifts instead.  Envy is also a sin that offers no pleasure - it harms both the giver & receiver.

In the Bible we see several examples of the destructiveness of envy: Lucifer's revolt from heaven, Cain's murder of Abel, Herod's massacre of the innocent children in Bethlehem, and more... today's passage introduces another case of envy - Saul's envy of David, and Saul's envy is horribly destructive.  That said, this passage starts on a more beautiful note, on a very different response to David, on the response of Jonathan - Jonathan, in contrast to his father Saul appreciates rather than envies David.

1 Samuel 18 v1-4:  Jonathan could have been envious of David, David had just killed Goliath, David was Israel's champion, David was clearly being used by God.  But Jonathan chose a better way, instead of questioning why God hadn't used him, he appreciated the one that God had chosen to use.  Jonathan goes beyond simple appreciation, he entered into a covenant with God's chosen. In Beth Moore's study on David she notes that this covenant was based on Jonathan's love and no mention is made whether David reciprocates.  Jonathan's behavior was unexpected and self-sacrificial, a response like Jonathan's is precious & rare - we should strive to respond more like Jonathan.

Rebecca Manley Pippert in her book A Heart Like His says the following about Jonathan:  "Jonathan's life is a testimony to the freedom that comes when we see ourselves accurately before God, and when we humbly submit to his sovereignty.  Now we are free to accept our neighbor's blessing without envy.  For if God is sovereign, then what is it to us if he chooses to bless our neighbor with abundant gifts?"

She goes on to say: "Once we understand that our future, our blessings, our reputation, and our success are all in the hands and under the control of a loving God, we can sit back and rest.  God's plans for his children are plans of 'hope and not despair.'"

Jonathan's heart was obviously in line with God's where David was concerned.  Jonathan and David are a picture of a beautiful friendship: over time Jonathan demonstrated his love for David, defended David's honor, and provided David protection from his own father King Saul.  David was going to need this friend, especially as he came under attack from the King, and God was providing for David's needs.

<Side note from Chronological Study Bible, paraphrased:> When David accepted the gifts from Jonathan David took Jonathan's position, this action caused David to be positionally the heir apparent to the throne of Israel.  Jonathan was a seasoned military leader, David was a young man who hadn't even served in the army, but from this point forward it is David who gets sent out to lead Israel in battle rather than Saul or Jonathan.

v5-9: In verse 5 we get a quick summary of David's skill as a warrior -  David does such a good job that he gets promoted to a high rank, and the people and the King's officers are impressed.  But back to the main story of David, they're heading home from the war with the Philistines, Goliath has been killed, and the people are rejoicing.  The women are coming out of the towns to  greet the King and his champion with songs & dances, a joyful celebration!!  But then there's this song, a song that credits Saul with 1,000s and David with 10,000s.

<NIV Notes on Poetry of the time, paraphrased:> In normal conventions of Hebrew poetry the women were in essence saying "look what Saul & David have done, they've conquered 1000s".  10,000 would have been simply a parallel of 1,000, with no implication that David was better than Saul.  It is Saul's jealousy, perhaps maybe even that they were recognizing anyone in addition to him, that colors his thinking and causes him to be offended.

Saul's response to David completely opposite of Jonathan.  Saul was angry, he was galled by the songs of praise, he was suspicious and jealous of David.  The word used for Saul's anger is "charah": to burn, be kindled, glow with anger, be incensed, grow indignant; to be zealous, act zealously.

v10-11: The very next day the evil spirit is back, and Saul is "prophesying" - perhaps being controlled by the evil spirit, and it is assumed that Saul was behaving in an uncontrolled and erratic manner.  Enter David, the only one who could bring Saul comfort when tormented by the evil spirit.  Yet Saul's envy of David was the very source of Saul's discomfort - by attempting to sooth Saul with music David served to fuel Saul's rage.  David remains in obedient submission, and Saul attempts to kill him - twice.  Saul's envy has led him into a murderous rage. 

v12-16:  Saul's paranoia is now rearing its ugly head, he's well aware that not only is he not God's chosen, but David obviously is.  He isn't able to deal with his jealousy so he sends David away, giving him command over troops & responsibility as their leader.  Saul secretly hoped that David would get killed in battle, after all he's just a young & inexperienced warrior, but Saul's plans backfired - God gave david success.  Saul continues to become increasingly paranoid concerning David, but the people continue to grow in their love and appreciation for David & all that he is doing to defend them.

v17-19:  Saul continues to try to manipulate the situation, he promises his daughter Merab in marriage to David in exchange for David's continued service.  Its interesting to note that Saul's daughter was promised to the one who killed Goliath, and yet wasn't given, Saul didn't keep his word.  Of the 3 promises made to Goliath's killed the first has been broken.  But that's not all Saul is up to, he's trying to force David to continue in the army indefinitely, hoping that the Philistines will succeed in killing him.  David responds in humility, who is he that he should become the son-in-law of Saul?  So Saul gives her to another instead.

v20-22: Saul again tries to entrap David through marriage to a daughter, this time its Michal - one who is in love with David.  Its interesting that Merab was not mentioned as loving David, so her feelings weren't even considered, but with Michal her feelings are being manipulated by Saul for his own purposes.  Saul's callousness toward his daughters is disturbing, he obviously doesn't care about them but only about what they can do for him.  On top of that there must have been something about Michal that Saul figured would undermine David, and Saul wants to take advantage of it.

v23-25:  Again David responds in humility to the offer of a daughter of the king, and I thought it was interesting that he mentions he's poor.  Remember the promises made to the one who killed Goliath?  One of the promises was riches, yet David is poor, so now we know a second of the 3 promises made for Goliath's killer has been broken.  What about that third promise, a promise to not tax David's family... we don't know, but I'm guessing that Saul didn't bother to keep that either.  But Saul already has a plan, a way David can provide a dowry, and he has an agenda with that plan - he's hoping David gets killed in the process of trying to collect the dowry.  What is the dowry? 100 foreskins from their Philistine enemies - and I guarantee the Philistines didn't give them willingly.

<Side note from Chronological Study Bible, paraphrased:> A Dowry is a bride-price common in David's time, and common in some cultures still today.  Sometimes its the bride's father who supplies a dowry, and other times the prospective husband must pay the bride-price to the bride's father.  In this case Saul requires that David provide tokens of a victory against their national enemy, the Philistines.

v26-27: David likes Saul's plan, and in true David fashion overachieves... I'm guessing he liked Michal since he brings back double the dowry price required by Saul, and David is married to Michal.

v28-30: God was with David, Michal loved David, David is continuing to be successful in all that he does, and Saul decides that David is his enemy.  

Saul's envy has led him into foolish behavior, self-destructive behavior.  Instead of benefiting from David's success Saul chooses to resent David's success.  Saul's anger, envy, & insisting on his own way continued to backfire... no matter how powerful he was as King he could not overrule the providence of God.  Women sang songs of appreciation of David, the people adored David, Jonathan was devoted to David, Michal loved David... and Saul is becoming increasingly desperate.

Closing Prayer:  Lord please help us, like Jonathan, to appreciate the blessings you have placed upon others, and keep us from envy.  Help us to be slow to anger, and to have only anger that is based on things that offend and anger You. Help us to not mimic Saul by having an uncontrolled & bursting "charah" type of anger.  Amen!

Quickly Form Groups Again, and answer the following questions:

4. In the past, what damage has been done because of one of your outbursts?

5. When you have an outburst what is your focus?  What should your focus be instead?

6. What have you learned to do in order to prevent responding to people or circumstances with envy or anger?

Life Of David - Lesson 7

Who's The Real Giant? - 1 Samuel 17:31-58

Prayer:

Lord as we take a look at this very lopsided contest between David & Goliath please help us to look beyond the externals in the passage, then help us in our own lives to also look beyond the externals... to see beyond mere personalities & the physical world & our own circumstances... to see you at work in the world.

Who's the Real Giant? Last week we got introduced to Goliath, a man of extreme proportions, believed to be as much as 9'9" tall during a time in history when the average height was only 5'.  Not only was he recorded as being quite tall, he was also incredibly physically strong, a proven champion amongst warriors, and he had no respect for God or God's people.  Goliath may have looked like a giant, frightening all of Israel's army including King Saul, but he was a spiritual midget in comparison with David.

David is on God's side that doesn't mean God's people are going to cheer him on... in last week's passage his brother attacked him for his interest in the situation, and in this week's passage he'll face others who attempt to discourage him.

Quickly Form Groups and answer these Questions:

1. Have you ever had a time when others tried to discourage you from doing what you felt God had called you to do?  Share your experiences.

2. Who are the people most likely to discourage you?

3. What situations cause you to become discouraged?

4. Where can you find courage in the face of discouragement?

<have groups share answers... some thoughts:> People most likely to discourage: friends, family, co-workers, bosses... people close to you.  Situations most likely to discourage: working hard & not accomplishing much, working hard & not feeling appreciated, bored, can't solve a problem.  Where to find courage: with God, with God's Word / truths, with what God has done in your life, and possibly with fellow believers (but use caution).

1 Samuel 17 v31-33:  David is again with Saul, but this time he's not there to play the harp - he's there to take on Goliath.  Saul doesn't even seem to hesitate, but immediately tells David he doesn't have a chance against this guy... Saul is attempting to discourage the only guy willing to try to take out the Giant.

v34-37: David refuses to let Saul discourage him, and he does so by remembering God & what God has done in and through his life.  This "boy" (using Saul's term) has chased after lions & bears, struck them & taken sheep out of their mouths - but wait, there's more - on occasions when the lion/bear turned on him he seized & killed them.  From David's description it sounds like this may have happened several times.  David is convinced that God was with him each of those time, and that God delivered him, and David is rock-solid in his convictions.  Something about the way David told this to Saul apparently caused Saul to have confidence in David, since he is willing to let David act as Israel's champion (remember, if he looses they loose the war).  We can learn from David's courage: David faced this potentially discouraging situation with Goliath and chose to focus on God, on the victories of God in his life, rather than on his own human failings.  David very well may have been afraid, courage doesn't mean that you don't feel fear, instead courage faces fear and says "I may be afraid, but God..." 

v38-39: Saul may have had confidence in David, but I don't think he had confidence in God... why do I think that?  Because Saul tries to offer David the protection of his own armor, as if human armor is going to be of any help against this brute Goliath.  David is obedient to the King & tries on the armor, but quickly realizes this isn't going to work...   What works for one of us isn't necessarily what's going to work for another, God works in unique ways with each of His unique creation.  

<Side note from Chronological Study Bible, paraphrased:> When Saul offered David his armor it would have been understood by the culture of that day that he was transferring his own status of King on to David.  Saul's clothing & armor & weapons would have held the King's insignia, whoever possessed these would be seen as the legitimate ruler.   David wasn't prepared yet for this transfer, he wasn't ready to wear these things, and even though he was chosen by God to replace Saul he was still being prepared for his future position.  As we go through the coming passages we'll see additional times when David chooses to remain committed to the King that God has put in place until God calls him to that position.  In next week's passage we'll see another interesting transfer of clothing & armor & weapons, but not from Saul.

v40: So instead of using Saul's armor & weapons David takes his weapon of choice, his sling, and picks up some smooth stones from the stream (which we remember is running through the middle of this mile-wide valley).  And David approaches Goliath, David doesn't have size, he doesn't have Goliath's strength, but what he does have is God - God chose to use David, considered weak in the eyes of the world at that time, to defeat the one that the world considered strong.  God did this in order to display His strength, in order to magnify His name.  Consider this for a moment: where might God be trying to work through you, through your weaknesses, to display His strength?

<Ok, now for a bit of trivia: Anyone have any idea why David picked up 5 stones?>  

I'll be honest up front that we don't have a clear answer, but here's something to consider.  David would fell Goliath with one of these stones, but there were at least 4 others like him among the Philistine warriors, all descendants of Rapha (Raphaites) & believed to be Nephilim: 2 Samuel 21:15-22; 1 Chronicles 20:4-8.

v41-44: Goliath was insulted!!  Not only is he being approached by a guy with a sling, this is a youth, one too young to be considered for the army (probably not even shaving yet)... So he insults David, curses David by his gods, and threatens him.  Goliath is attempting to intimidate & discourage the only guy willing to come against him, he's trying to discourage David from doing what God has called him to do.

v45-47: If I were looking at this on the surface, it looks like Goliath said the equivalent of "I dare you" and David responded with "I triple dog dare you"... but David is aware of God's presence and God's power, so we shouldn't look at his words as a hopeful threat, but as rock-solid knowledge God had given to him as he faced this giant.  David testifies about God Almighty, challenging all around him to have faith in the One True God, prophesying the results of the battle so that from that time forward people would remember and recognize God as the one who is the deliverer of His people.  David is focused on the unseen, and clearly determined to bring glory to God.  In verse 47 we read that David knew the secret to victory over his Giant: "the battle is the Lord's".

v48-50:  The two approach each other, and the outcome (on the surface) seems hopeless for Israel... Goliath is covered with the whole armor of man, David wears no  armor at all, and the difference must have been extreme; however, God is on Israel's side, God is able to protect David far beyond human armor.  So God gave David good aim, God gave David the spot to aim at (probably the only vulnerable spot not covered with armor), and God gave David the victory over Goliath.  God could have slain Goliath without David, but God chose to use this one "after His own heart" to see His will done.  God's will is going to move forward wether or not any of His children get involved, but God loves to involve His chosen in His work.

v51-54:  David is tougher than anyone expects him to be!  He kills Goliath but doesn't stop there, he goes & removes his sword & cuts off Goliath's head - this isn't easy to do, but remember that this is the guy who's fought lions & bears, and He's got God's strength behind him.  The Philistine army freaks, they leave everything behind and run away in panic, and they are killed just as David prophesied.  After the Philistines have been dealt with the Israelites come back & collect plunder from the Philistine camp, and David takes up a unique collection of his own.  David didn't have any real use for these things (weapons too large, head would just rot), but they were reminders of God's power and faithfulness.

v55-58:  Meanwhile back in the King's tent, Saul is asking about David's family.  I am struck by how David is the one whose music soothes Saul, but Saul is so self-absorbed he's never gotten to know David well enough to know what family he comes from - and in Israelite culture family is everything!  After David has defeated Goliath he's brought back to Saul's tent so that Saul can find out his family & settle his account - David is supposed to get wealth, he's supposed to get Saul's daughter as wife, and his family is supposed to be tax exempt... but we'll see going forward that Saul isn't necessarily a man of his word, and David may not have received any of this.

<So who's the real Giant in this passage?>

In human terms David is a Spiritual Giant as compared to everyone else around him, but the real Giant is God... it wasn't David who defeated Goliath it was God who defeated Goliath.  As we look at our lives and what we've accomplished we should be humbled - it is God that gives the ability, God that gives the strength, we are nothing without God but giants with Him.

Closing Prayer:  God help us to see the truth about who you are, and the truth about who we are.  Help us to remember that without you we are nothing, but with you we are your instrument in this world.  Help us to call to you when we face people and circumstances that cause us to fear, help us to take courage in You and to fear only You.  Amen!

Quickly Form Groups Again, and answer the following questions:

5. Where are you tempted to take credit for your own accomplishments without giving God the glory for granting you the ability to succeed? 

6. What "armor of man" do you reach for when you're feeling unable to face the Giants in your life? (examples: finances, skills, friends)

7. In what circumstances are you feeling like you're in the battle all alone, struggling to trust God?

8. After sharing on the above 3 questions, take a few minutes to pray for each other about these things.

9. What are some victories from your past?  How has God worked in and through your life?  Encourage each other with these things.

Life Of David - Lesson 6

Who's The Giant? - 1 Samuel 17:1-30

Prayer:

Lord as we get to know David better help use to learn from his example, help us learn to align our hearts more with yours, help us learn to trust in you, help us to increasingly get our focus off of ourselves & on to you.

Last week we saw how God set up a divine appointment between David & Saul, placing David in Saul's throne-room.   David was called by Saul to the throne to soothe him when he was tormented by an evil spirit; however, David was called by God to the throne in order to begin training him to be the next king.  In any case David went to the throne room, and acted as a musician for King Saul.  Now we continue David's story, but first...

Quickly Form Groups and answer these Questions:

1. Discuss the differences between Healthy Fear & Unhealthy Fear.  How do they impact us?

2. When facing a fearful situation what actions can you take & what attitudes can you adapt that will help you face your fears in a productive manner?

Example scenario: you're in line at the bank & someone comes in waving a gun.

<have groups share answers... some thoughts:>  I sometimes get "stuck" in fear.

  Unhealthy Fears - insecurities, things out-of-balance, forgetting that God is in control.

  Healthy Fears - God given impulses that protect you from harm, fear of God.

  Impact - build or undermine courage.

  Actions - PRAY!!! Think & if possible speak the truth.  Get your focus off yourself & on

    to what God is trying to do in the situation.

1 Samuel 17 v1-3: The forces have been gathered, the battle lines drawn.  The Philistines on one side, Israel on the other.  The army's are located on opposite sides of a large valley.  The Valley of Elah was more like a vast canyon than what we might think of as a valley.  This valley had a stream bed running through the bottom (where David later picks up his stones), with slopes on each side.  The slopes of this valley are said to be about 1/2 mile wide on each side, with the valley as a whole being about a mile wide,  from the terminology we can assume the camps of these two armies were on the valley edges, making them approximately a mile apart.  So getting from one camp to the other would take a little time by foot, and the distance would provide a buffer of security.

v4-7: Here comes the Philistine's champion, estimated to be 9'9" tall, gigantic by today's standards but even more so during David's time when archeological evidence shows that the average adult was about 5' tall.  There are some sources that claim that the height given was incorrect, caused by a copying error in the ancient texts, but when we read about the weight of his armor I think we won't have so much trouble with the record of his height.  Its possible that Goliath was a post-flood Nephilim, but I'm not going to side track us on that subject again, I just want to mention that it is a possibility.  His coat of scale armor weighed Five Thousand Shekels (2 sources: 125 pounds, 175-200 pounds), in addition he wore bronze leg coverings, a bronze helmet, carried a bronze javelin on his back, and had a spear with a shaft like a weaver's rod with a tip weighing Six Hundred Shekels (2 sources: 15 pounds, 20-25 pounds).  We also know, from later verses, that he was also carrying a sword.  It would take quite a bit of strength just to walk close to a mile in all that armor, but to be able to engage in hand-to-hand combat with all that on would have been a great feat of strength.  We also learn from these verses that he was protected by a shield carried in front of him by his shield carrier, a shield from that era would have been a large man-sized shield.

v8-9: What Goliath was proposing was representative battle, a tactic commonly used in that part of the world in his day.  Instead of risking injury & death to many each side would pick a champion to fight on their behalf, each representing the strength of their army.

v10-11: Goliath was defying Israel, and in doing so defying God... how does the Israelite army respond?  With fear, they were dismayed, they were terrified... they were experiencing Unhealthy Fear - a fear that was destructive rather than productive.

v12-15: Jesse's 3 oldest sons were with Saul, facing the Philistines.  David was going back and forth to tend to Saul when needed (supposedly at Saul's home & not on the battlefield), and then would return to tend to the sheep.  At this point he's at home with Dad (Jesse) & his beloved sheep.

v16: Goliath had been going to taunt the Israelites every morning & every evening for Forty Days!!  The Israelite army was paralyzed by their fear of this Giant.

v17-19: Meanwhile back at the ranch, Jesse is getting concerned for his sons that are at war & decides to send David to check on them & bring them & their commander some provisions.  Back in verse 12 it told us Jesse was well advanced in years, thus his need to send young David.  Where are David's other 4 brothers?  We don't know, but its possible that they are married off & have their own families & flocks to tend to - where as David is not married at this time & is still under his father's roof.  Jesse is concerned about his three oldest sons, and takes practical steps to deal with his concerns - taking practical action instead of being stuck in his fears.  I think its interesting that Jesse has to tell David where to find the war, apparently David wasn't interested in making a name for himself as a warrior; otherwise, he'd have probably been trying to keep up with all the town news of the war with the Philistines (my opinion).

v20-22: David says goodbye to his sheep, leaving them in the care of another shepherd, and heads out to take provisions to his brothers.  Just as David arrives the army is going out with a war cry, getting in position, with both the Israelites & Philistines drawing up their lines facing each other.  He arrived just as things were getting interesting that day, and as his brothers were heading out to battle.  So he drops his things with the supply clerk & hurries out to catch his brothers before the battle starts - after all, he's going with a purpose as directed by Jesse.

v23-24: Just as he's talking to his brothers, Goliath comes out & shouts out his defiance, and David hears him.  How do the Israelites respond?  The same way they have for the last 40 days, they run away.

v25-26: How does David respond to Goliath's shouts of defiance?  He is livid!!  He can't believe that nobody is taking up Saul's offer!!  And David, the one too young to be in the battle, is the only one that sees the truth in their situation... that a pagan is defying the armies of the living God... that this pagan, in behaving this way, is defying God.  Saul & all his warriors saw only the physical war, where David saw the spiritual war.  David wasn't looking at the situation with the eyes of man, he was looking at the situation through the eyes of God.  I think its interesting that Saul has created an incentive plan, to try to entice someone (anyone other than him) to take on this giant... interesting when we remember that he's the biggest guy in Israel, and Israel's leader to boot, apparently he didn't understand the concept of leading by example, and clearly he's showing his own cowardice.

v27-28:  As David is making inquiries we see Eliab's true colors come out, he does all in his power to put down & discourage David: told David he didn't belong, made fun of David's trade (shepherd's were outcasts within the society), and accused him of being conceited & wicked.  Amazing how cruel our siblings can be, and Eliab was a cruel older brother.  Eliab isn't just being cruel he's lying... and in doing so he's serving the father of lies.

v29-30: David doesn't seem to be too concerned with Eliab, "Now what have I done?" implies that Eliab had a habit of picking on David this way, so David simply turns away to talk to someone else.  David didn't let his brother's behavior impact his view of the situation, he wasn't distracted, he remained focused on the circumstances of greatest importance - that there was a Giant defying the Living God.

Quickly Form Groups Again, and answer the following questions:

3. What fearful (troubling, fretful) situation are you facing that you need to see through the eyes of God?  What positive steps can you take?

4. Think about the person in your life whose criticism causes you the most pain.  How do you deal with their criticism?  What can you learn from David's example about how to deal with criticism?

5. What things most distract you when you're trying to focus on God?  What practical steps can you take to keep from being distracted?  (Help each other with ideas.)

Closing Prayer: Teach us Lord to focus on your limitlessness rather than our limitations, on your strength rather than our weakness, help us to see the truth in the midst of the lies the enemy surrounds us with -- to see through your eyes.  Amen!

Life Of David - Lesson 5

Young David - 1 Samuel 16:14-23

Prayer:

Lord as we look into your word open our hearts to love you more deeply, to be a people after your heart as David was a man after your heart.  Help us to grow to know you better, to handle your word with confidence, and to care for others with the strength & tenderness of a Shepherd.  Amen!

Last week we were introduced to David as a young man, likely a teenager, in the first part 1 Samuel 16.  David was the youngest son that his dad Jesse hadn't bothered to bring in from the sheep pens to the sacrifice, even though all of Jesse's sons had been invited.  Samuel, under God's direction, was using this time of celebration as a means to discover the man God had chosen for his next King of Israel.  Samuel discovered that the one chosen by God was missing, and he had him brought in to join in the celebration.  God indicated David was His choice, and Samuel anointed him with oil in front of his father & brothers.  How much David & his family knew about the anointing we're not told in the passage, but according to Josephus (an ancient historian), Jewish custom held that Samuel leaned down and whispered in the ear of David that he would be Israel's next king.  Now we continue David's story, but first...

Quickly Form Groups and answer these Questions:

1. From your knowledge, what are the duties of a shepherd & how might those duties have been used by God to train David to be a King?

2. Have you ever had a "Divine Appointment", a time when you knew with certainty that God prepared you & then placed you in space & time to be His hands & feet for another?  Share this experience with the group.

David is a Shepherd, a dirty job, a solitary job, a job that requires hard physical labor, and a job that to be done well requires courage, compassion, and dedication.  A Shepherd needs to know his flock as individuals, know their particular needs / quirks / strengths / weaknesses.  A Shepherd can call individual members of the flock with unique names / whistles / calls -- and the sheep recognized the voice of their Shepherd.  A Shepherd has to lead the sheep to pasture, to water, to shelter -- they can't find their own way, they don't know how.  A Shepherd tends their wounds, carries them if sick / injured / weak, and delivers the lambs.  A Shepherd is alert, always on watch because sheep tend to wander off, and on the watch for predators.  A Shepherd puts his life on the line to protect his flock from predators, or to rescue sheep snatched by predators.  Sheep aren't terribly active or exciting, so a Shepherd has to be able to entertain himself.  Obviously not just anyone is cut out to be a Shepherd, but David was, and this was the first part of God's training to prepare him to become Israel's king.

God had another stage of training in mind for David as well, training that would provide him with first-hand knowledge of the duties / responsibilities / benefits / troubles involved with Shepherding God's people.  God was setting up a divine appointment for David, he was going to bring David into Saul's inner circle, God was going to see His will done in and through David, David was going to become very valuable to Saul - almost indispensable, and God was going to use Saul to train David.

1 Samuel 16 v14: Remember that when Saul had first been called by God to be King, God confirmed the call by a serious of odd events, and at that point God's Spirit was "assigned" to stick with Saul.  But now... after Saul has failed to be obedient to God, God is removing His Spirit & sending an evil spirit to torment Saul.

Two important things to point out from this verse:

First: We must remember, evil spirits are still under God's control and may only operate as God allows... there are times when they must do God's will even if they don't want to - but I'm guessing this evil spirit was more than happy to torment the leader of God's people.

Second: This is before Pentecost, before the church age in which the Holy Spirit is given as a Permanent Seal.  Don't be confused, during Old Testament times the Holy Spirit would be given for a specific time & purpose, there are only two pre-Pentecost individuals in which scripture indicates that the Holy Spirit stays - David & John the Baptist.  I want to make this clear because I don't want you to be concerned that the Holy Spirit might leave you, if you are a believer today the Holy Spirit is your Permanent Companion - you don't need to be concerned that He will ever leave you.

v15-16: Apparently the activity of the evil spirit was evident to both Saul & those around him, we don't know how it manifested but it was recognized.  In those days, as today, music was seen as a means to affect the emotions - in this case to sooth the disturbed king.  One thing that struck me about this, this human king - a man of high standing in human eyes - is made a subject to an evil spirit - a being with the lowest standing in God's eyes.  God is making it clear - He has no respect for human position, and He has had enough of Saul & his disobedience.

v17-18: Saul approves of the idea of bringing in a musician & who gets recommended but our young future king David.  David at this point is already known as a musician, a warrior, and a well spoken & handsome young man.  David has not yet joined Saul as one of his warriors (at least not as recorded in scripture) but somehow his skill is already known.  

How might his skills as a warrior have been known?  Some possibilities:

• Local problems with bandits who came against his flock or his family or his town.
• Small local wars/skirmishes where his skills would have been displayed.
• Local contests with others in his community.

v19-20: Saul sends for David, unwittingly bringing his replacement into the throne room.  But where is the future king when he is called?  He's back with the sheep, he's doing the job he's been given until God calls him into His service.  We should look to this as an example, when we are serving God - in whatever capacity we are serving, we should continue to serve faithfully - even if we expect God may have bigger plans in mind for us.  What's interesting is that David keeps going back to his sheep... when he wasn't on assignment with Saul he was back to his sheep.  This is not a lazy guy, this is not a guy seeking the limelight, this is a guy whose heart is focused on service - whatever form that service takes.

Jesse sends David along with gifts for the King, why do you think he sent the gifts?

• Perhaps he thought that the gifts were a means of winning Saul's favor.
• Perhaps he didn't dare send David without a gift that would indicate that they were respectful of the Saul's reign.
• Perhaps its just what was expected of anyone that is summoned to the throne.

v21-22: David impresses Saul, Saul likes him, and makes him one of his armor-bearers, and Saul makes a request from Jesse that David remain with him in his service.  We need to understand that these 2 verses & the one that follows are probably another one of those portions of scripture that is a summary - this didn't happen all at once... in fact in Chapter 17 we'll see that David is back home, and serving his father faithfully... but in time David will be a person that Saul finds indispensable.

v23: The evil spirit repeatedly came & left Saul, and its clear that the evil spirit would leave after David would come in & play his harp.  This is beyond the mere effect of music alone, it appears that the Spirit of God was at work through David's music to suppress the evil spirit & drive it away.  The Hebrew word indicating that Saul experienced relief is "ravach", which means "to be wide, to be spacious, to give space so as to bring relief" - we might say "to breath freely" or "room to breath".

Psalm 23 is a familiar Psalm, written by David, and its called the Shepherd's Psalm (Psalm means Song or Hymn).  It is possible that this was one of the songs that David sang for Saul to sooth him.  Psalm 23

We don't know why but for some reason singing is tightly tied to worship of God.  

There is a passage about singing in Job where God is speaking about what was happening during the creation.  Job 38:4-7

We also know that there is & will be singing in heaven. Revelation 5:6-14

We are also encouraged to lift our voices, even if they aren't beautiful, in praise to God.   We find encouragement to sing in the "Joyful Noise" Psalm, not credited to David.  Psalm 98

The following is a quote from a devotional on David written by Beth Moore:

"We find that David had the tenderness and sensitivity of an artist.  He was a musician and a songwriter.  David did not simply have talent.  Talent alone could not have soothed the torment of Saul.  David plucked the strings of his harp with tenderness and sensitivity.  He chose melodies that ministered to the aching soul.  You may rightly imagine that many of your favorite psalms were first sung by the young voice of David, wavering and cracking somewhere between boyhood and manhood to the accompaniment of a well-worn and deeply loved harp.  Yet we are also told he was a warrior, brave and strong.  The fingers that gently plucked the strings of a harp could also wind fiercely around a sling or a sword.... I deeply desire to be a woman of tenderness and strength because my dearest role model possessed both."

From the context of her book its clear that Jesus is the ideal role model, though David is also a good role model.  In my life I was blessed with a role model that demonstrated these two traits in good balance - my Dad - he's with the Lord now but his influence continues & I hope someday to demonstrate these traits as well as he did.

Quickly Form Groups Again, and answer the following questions:

3. Would you describe yourself as more strong than tender or more tender than strong?

4. What are the dangers of getting out of balance (strength vs tenderness) in either direction?

5. Who do you have that can be a real-life role model for you of these traits?

Closing Prayer: Teach us Lord to be more like you, to demonstrate both tenderness & strength, to be your hands and feet to a world in need.  Amen!