Grace Covenant
Church
Spring ’02
Family Group
1+2 Samuel
Character Study: David
“Making the
Right Decisions”
How do we determine God’s will? Do we look to circumstances? The counsel of friends? The Words of Scripture? In 1 Samuel 24 everything seems to indicate that David should kill Saul and take his place on the throne of Israel. Yet David rejects conventional wisdom and uses a different model for deciding what is right. His attitude should cause us to re-examine our own notions about guidance.
Discussion: Is there an area of your life currently in which you are you are
seeking God’s will? How are you trying
to determine the direction in which God is leading you?
1). What factors might have convinced David that
it was God’s will for him to kill Saul? (Vv. 1-4)?
·
Saul had made previous
attempts to kill David (Ch. 18, 19, 20) and was chasing him (21-24
·
Could be seen that God
brought about the circumstance providentially.
“This is the day the Lord spoke of…..”
·
David’s men all agreed that
killing Saul was the right thing to do
·
David’s men made up a
promise that might not have existed (found nowhere in Scripture) – v. 4
·
David had been secretly
anointed King. He could’ve claimed it
right there and then.
To what
extent are these reliable guides?
·
We must be careful that
advice and circumstance is indeed from God.
·
Bad advice from close
friends (Ex. Job’s friends). Different people can look at the same
situation differently.
(optional/sharing):
“Have you ever been given “bad” advice
from someone you trusted?”
2). What additional factors convince David that
he should not mistreat Saul in any way? (vv. 5-6, 10-15)
·
He was conscience-stricken
after cutting off Saul’s robe
·
He recognized that Saul was
still the Lord’s anointed, and therefore, David’s master. It was the Lord’s responsibility, not
David’s to remove Saul from the throne.
·
Rom. 12:17-19, Heb. 10:30 We
are not to repay evil for evil. Wait
for God to judge/avenge. Sovereignty of God. God cares about justice and will bring it in His good time. No “shortcuts”.
·
David asks God to take care
of the situation (v. 12). God will
defend, vindicate, rescue (v. 15)
(optional):
To what extent should we let our conscience be our guide?
·
The Bible tells us that we
have God’s law written on our hearts.
However, we need to check that our conscience/decisions are in
accordance to God’s revealed will (Scripture).
Scripture cannot contradict Scripture.
Likewise, our understanding of God’s will should be in agreement with,
not contradiction with, what He has already stated.
3). How does Saul respond to David’s words (vv.
16-22)? What does he realize about both
himself and David?
·
Saul weeps in v. 16 b/c he
must now face what he has long known and avoided. He faces the truth of his own life and stripped kingship. Saul realizes that he cannot escape the
truth.
·
Realizes that David will win
and that his whole effort to be faithful, effective, and powerful, and even
“righteous” has failed.
·
God’s resolve will win out
in the end. Good will come to David (v.
19-20)
4). David could have killed Saul and seized the
throne of Israel. Instead, he relies on
God to avenge him and to establish him as king. Although the result would appear
to be the same in both cases, how would it be different?
·
David still had many lessons
to learn about God before he would be ready to sit on the throne of
Israel. If he had avoided that long,
difficult process of maturity, he would not have been the kind of king he
eventually became. Likewise, if he had
shown contempt for the Lord’s anointed by killing him and seizing his throne,
then how would others have treated David when he became recognized as God’s
anointed?
(optional): “Have
you ever felt like seeking revenge against someone who you felt wronged you?
What did you do?
5).
What are some lessons that you learned from this Bible Study?
·
Do not take matters into
your own hands. Wait upon God to
deliver you.
·
God is in control of all
things.
·
When in doubt, check things
against Scripture
·
Be careful not to “judge”
situations superfluously.
·
Forgive/Be reconciled with
others
·
Respect those that God has
placed in positions of authority (God’s anointed)