Reflect on the words, “But David remained in Jerusalem.”  What is so inappropriate about this? David remaining in Jerusalem is a strange picture, especially as its springtime and as the text says, a time “when kings go off to war”. His own men were engaging in battle, but David was nowhere near the battlefield but in the confines of his own palace. The king is supposed to be leading his men into battle, and yet he delegates this task to Joab so he can get take a break from battle. I’m really not sure why David ultimately decided to stay in Jerusalem, but this poor decision would prove to be very costly, and the string of sins that he goes on to commit in this chapter and in the chapters to come would haunt him for a long time. Its an inappropriate picture for a king to not be leading the charge in battle, to not be out on the battlefield giving orders and directions to his men, and to not be in the trenches alongside his troops. He is suppose to be the head of the military and yet, with full knowledge that his men are in the thick of battle, I don’t know how King David is able to betray his men by just lounging around at home, taking strolls along his palace and detaching himself from the predicament that his people are in.

What warning does this have for me regarding temptations? The warning that this has for me regarding temptations is that there is really no room for me to take a break from the spiritual battle that God has called me to fight. The moment I stop fighting against my desires and my sinful urges is the moment that I am making myself vulnerable to all manner of temptation and evil desires. I thought about the new curriculum, Thrive, that is being offered and the key verse being 2 Timothy 2:22. The action words in that verse are FLEE the evil desires of youth and PURSUE righteousness, faith, love and peace. The image of someone fleeing from these evil desires is a picture of someone engaged in spiritual warfare. But the picture of someone who just sits still, who refuses to be proactive in denying their sinful cravings, is going to find that staying neutral is the same as not fighting and sooner or later, they are going to be swept away by a menacing wave of temptations and plunge themselves into places of darkness that they probably never would’ve imagined to be in. The warning for me is that I need to constantly be fleeing and pursuing, and never stay in this zone of neutrality, where I’m not doing anything. Its ironic that David thought he would be “safe” in being away from battle and away from all the bloodshed, but it turns out, he places himself in an “unsafe” situation by taking a break from war having all this time to himself alone in his palace. I’m thankful that I’ve been given a lot of opportunities in the recent weeks to not sit still but to engage in the spiritual battle, especially during this period where I have more time now that I’m in-between jobs. God has allowed me to fight temptations by being involved in doing His work, whether it’s praying for all our ministries and especially the incoming students here at Cal, serving at the Interhigh Middle School Camp up at Sierra Lodge, helping out with Camp Gracepoint with the 8^th grade boys as helpers, and even grilling 1400 lbs of meat with the Element students for New Student Welcome Night, as exhausted as I may be at the end of the day, I know that I need to keep on fighting like this so that I would flee temptation and pursue after righteousness for His name sake.

2 Samuel 9:2-8

How must Mephibosheth have felt as he was being summoned by the king?

Mephibosheth must have been a lot of fear since he is the descendant of the current king’s enemy. He may have even feared harm or death as he was being summoned by David thinking that David thought of him as a political threat or potential for trouble in his kingdom.

How must Mephibosheth have felt when he heard David say, “Don’t be afraid…for I will show you kindness… I will restore to you all…and you will always eat at my table”?

I think it would have taken him some time to really believe what David was saying since he probably wasn’t sure where David was coming from. He probably didn’t expect David to be such a generous king who would repay Saul’s family with mercy and kindness.

I also think Mephibosheth would have felt like it almost doesn’t make sense for David to be this kind to him and how this is almost illogical and that much more amazed. I think this would have caused him to feel very undeserved.

Why is Mephibosheth’s response to David’s kindness so right and appropriate?

Mephibosheth is the grandson of Saul who lost his blessings and kingdom as a result of his sins against God. It was God’s will and His response to the sins that Saul had committed. As a result, Mephibosheth’s whole family is destroyed and he becomes crippled in the process. Now, he lives with no such glory or status but as a person who has to shoulder the shame and the fear of living as a descendant of Saul. I think many interpretations could have been going on in Mephibosheth’s mind regarding how and why his life became the way it is. He was to be a prince and maybe a king one day himself had it not been for the sins of his grandfather. He may have not become crippled had it not been for the fleet that caused his disability. His family may have had a chance at recovering the throne had it not been for David’s presence.  I think many of these thoughts could have immediately put Mephibosheth into victim complex or made him blame Saul, David and God for the things that had happened in his life. But instead he takes this humble posture and calls himself a dead dog that doesn’t deserve to be noticed. How could he be like this? I think it’s because he noticed the seriousness of the sin and disobedience that was committed through his family and acknowledged that God has the right to do what he did even if that meant the lowly life as a crippled man that he was living. His identity is a “dead dog” and he can humbly bow down before David because he sees how being under God’s wrath is not a small matter and because he knew his place as a servant of David whom God had chosen to glorify His kingdom. That’s why it’s a right and appropriate picture.
2 Samuel 9:11-13

Reflect on this picture of Mephibosheth, crippled in both feet, eating “at David’s table like one of the king’s sons.”  In what ways have I been the recipient of this kind of incredibly undeserved grace from God?

In many ways, I can identify well with the crippled Mephibosheth sitting at David’s table. Because of my sins, I am crippled and lame. My deeply seeded negativism, cynicism, victim complex, worldliness all leave me dysfunctional in some way or another and not fit to serve Him or love others.  I feel blind in that I think I see but I really don’t see the depth of my sins and only to realize much later how far I have wandered off. I feel like a leper in that I am desensitized to God’ s true holiness.

Yet, I have received the incredible grace of God through salvation and becoming part of His people. I am an undeserved sinner crippled, with leprosy and blind who sits at His table as His child feasting on all kinds of blessings that He has granted me- the Gospel that promises me eternal life, the Word of God that offers me Truth, the Church that helps me to experience God’s work, God’s people who love me, teach me and encourage me and so many more things. I see how odd and strange-looking  this picture is (just like Mephibosheth sitting David’s table), me sitting as His table as His child but God has granted me this kind of undeserved and amazing grace.

2 Samuel 8:1-15

In light of David’s many victories and the growing blessings in his life with wealth, position, and fame, what is inspiring about David’s response to these blessings and how he continued “doing what was just and right for all his people” (vs. 15)? David didn’t let the victories that he had get to his head.  It’s inspiring that through all the good things that happened, he didn’t take that and attribute it to his own abilities, to his own skills.  He didn’t take all the good things that were happening and let that heap up as a pile of ego for him to feel good about himself.  He made it clear to himself that it was the Lord that brought him victory wherever he went.  And I believe that is what kept him doing what was just and right for all his people.  It wasn’t about mounting for himself a kingdom.  When people are so prone to give themselves glory for the good things that come as a result of the work that they do, it’s inspiring that David kept that perspective throughout his victories, position and fame.  All of those things came to him, and I think in a way God could entrust those things to David because he had the character to not let it get to his head.

What is the significance of David dedicating all the plunder and treasures he had acquired to the LORD? The significance of David dedicating all the plunder and treasures he had acquired to the Lord is that he understood very well that it was all the Lord’s doing that he would have such success.  He dedicated it to the Lord acknowledging that God would do as he would, and that it was not anything of his own doing or anything of his own merit that would bring such blessing.

What are the “plunder” and “articles of silver and gold and bronze” in my life that I need to dedicate to the LORD?  What does this mean for me practically? I think this is perfectly appropriate for me today.  We’ve been doing a lot of flyering and outreach this week.  We had 72 signups at our BBQ last Sunday, which was move-in day for the dorms at UC Berkeley.  Monday, we had 63 signups at our events.  Just yesterday, for 2 events, we had about 97 people come to our boardgame time, and over 50 for our Frisbee time.  I heard that yesterday’s Klesis BBQ had over 140 people.  I’m floored by the people who are coming to our events.  Our seniors are running the show for the most part, taking the planning documents that we’ve prepared and running with it (with some guidance, of course).

These are the blessings that I KNOW that isn’t because of anything that I or we are.  My heart is so moved when I think about the ways that God is using what we’re bringing to him.  And I dedicate these things up to him.

What that means to me practically is I commit to stewarding these blessings that I’ve been handed.  It means I commit to putting in the time and energy, heart, mind and soul to loving the people that God is tasking me to love and care for.  It means that I promise to be faithful and responsible over the seniors that I am to raise and lead to minister to others.

And I dedicate tonight’s Fall Welcome Night to God as well. What that means is surrendering whatever happens tonight.  If many people come, then that is glory to God.  If nobody comes, then we keep pushing to reach people, to bring them the good news.  Either way, dedicating to God the opportunities that I have leaves no room for pride or insecurity.

2 Samuel 8:14-15

“This chapter illustrates that God is faithful to his Word and strengthens his servants for the task to which he has called them. So what can it mean for today’s believers to have victory wherever we go? It means that God has already won the victory and has promised to strengthen us for the tasks we are called to perform in the church and in the world. As David defeated Israel’s enemies, so today’s believers can expect to accomplish successfully our God-given and God-ordained tasks, with the help of the Holy Spirit. This catalogue of military victories should inspire confidence in all believers that God is at work fulfilling his Word through his people.”[1]

In what sense is the statement “The Lord gave […] victory wherever he went” true of my life? God has given me victory wherever I’ve been.  That doesn’t translate to a life filled with successes, necessarily.  There have been many ups and downs in my life.  There have been times when God was doing great things through me, touching people, ministering to people, bringing them closer to him, and teaching me of his faithfulness through small steps of obedience.  But there have clearly been times of drought and desert experiences in my life personally, when I came to see that I’m not all that I thought I was.  And furthermore, times when I saw exactly who I am, and God’s grace that I was horrified at it.  But in all of those times the Lord gave me victory because through the successes in ministry, or the painful times of deeper self-understanding of my ego and pride, my anger and offensive ways toward God and others, God was molding me, teaching me, exhorting me, challenging me, correcting and rebuking me… all of that if it means my heart and/or the hearts of others being increasingly directed toward Him translates to victory.  He has been faithful through his word, and through the people in my life.  Pastor Ed and Kelly smn.  Pastor Will and Esther nn… Rick hy and Sue nn, Tony hy and Michelle nn… pastor Joong… the people I’ve ministered to, also, being that hedge of protection for me to be faithful and keep going. And of course my wife and my friends…

Has my response been “doing what is right and just” for the God-given tasks in my life?

I can’t say that I’ve always proven faithful.  But God has brought me a long ways through small steps of obedience.  College ministry, worship ministry, praxis ministry, youth ministry, and now to start this new group with the seniors as Kairos.  That short list is over the span of 12 years. I’m at a point where I see the opportunities that God has given me, and I strive to do what is right and just for the people that God has entrusted to me.  That striving doesn’t mean I’m always making the right decisions… so I pray for wisdom and discernment, and I get a lot of help and advice from my leaders who have paved the way ahead of me.  I can say with confidence that I’m doing what I’m doing because I believe it is right and just, rather than for those other ulterior motives, simply because the rewards from those ulterior motives  simply isn’t worth the amount of work that I have to put in… In an odd way, that’s a comforting thought.

2 Samuel 8:16-18

What is the significance of the list of the people in vv.16-18 after stating that David had many victories? David knew that he wasn’t by himself.  He wasn’t the superman that made everything happen.  He was among the people of God, a team of people who God worked through.  It’s significant that he recognized that because he wasn’t somebody who assumed it was all because of his leadership.

With what we’re experiencing during welcome week so far, that is so blaringly obvious to me.  I’m a small, small part of the team, the army of people that are doing this thing together.  I walked in the MPR at North Loop last night, and there were tables lined up with trays laid out on them, waiting to be filled with food.  People were planning everywhere after midnight getting ready for tonight and tomorrow night, as we have our welcome nights.  Ray is organizing the entire welcome night, and has been asking for review and feedback for weeks now. Chris is laboring on that video to communicate what Kairos and Klesis are about.  I’ve gotten so much advice and direction from Suzanne and Sue, Pastor Ed and Kelly smn, pastor Joong and Susanna smn about everything that we’re doing.  Tony hy is mobilizing the army of Praxis members helping out in so many ways.  And the senior helpers are out there on the front lines, meeting people, inviting people, engaging in conversations… all for the same effort.  What victories we’ve had already, and whatever victories may come, what’s very clear is God working through this community that I have the privilege to witness and participate with.

“Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you, or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel.” Phil 1:27

2 Samuel 7:18-24

What feelings are expressed in David’s statements, “Who am I….and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?…What more can David say to you?….And who is like your people Israel…whom you redeemed from Egypt?”

The dominant feelings that are expressed in these statements is David’s humility and unworthiness to receive favor from God as he has.  He is overwhelmed with sense of gratitude toward the mercy that God has shown to him and His people Israel, the fact that God has brought him thus far.  I think its also a feeling of wonder because David knew that he was just an shepherd, and yet he still chose to use David and establish him king over Israel.  He can not attribute it to anything but God’s desire for His will to be done, and that it is not because of anything that he did.

To what extent can I share in David’s sentiments?

Due to recent conversations and incidences, I had the opportunity to think about my past and where God has brought me from.  For a while I thought in general terms of how I was before I was a Christian.  I think that revisiting the specifics were too painful for me and so I avoided it and shallowly thought in terms of how I generally was.  In this way, it didn’t seem as bad or it numbed me from looking at the true state that I was in when God called me.  I sifted through some specifics of my past, certain incidences that happened and the infantile and selfish ways that I reacted, the specific places that I put myself and the godless actions that I was engaged in,  the mentality and values that I had back then and how that played out in my actions.  And the pitiful state that it left me in was really something that I hadn’t come back to in a while.  Im 30 now, and its been quite a while since all these incidences happened, and I almost forgot about the total brokenness of how I was before in this kind of tangible way.  As actual images of my past came rushing in and I was overwhelmed with a sense of utter brokenness over the way that I was and still am. Now with a new lens and a more mature sense of God’s heart for me, I experienced it more with so much greif and godly sorrow.  Revisiting it all again got me to relate to David’s sentiment more genuinely.  Who am I that God has brought me thus far.  I think unless I continually remember the pit from which God delivered me, and come to God in confession over and over again, I will not be able to share in David’s sentiments.

How have I experienced the awesomeness of being part of God’s people as expressed in vv.23-24?

I have experienced the awesomeness of being part of God’s people in so many ways since I made my decision to follow Christ.  I got to witness the planting of all our church plants, in Taiwan, Austin, Riverside, Minnesota, and SD.  I got to hear the reports of so many making decisions to follow Christ and being transformed by the Gospel through these church plants.  God has opened my eyes to how zealous He is to seek and save the lost.  Through the years, I have seen so many transformed lives.  I thought about our new grads and seniors, now organizing events and bringing many people to our church when just three or four years ago they were people we didn’t even know.  I have seen so many sacrificing for the sake of the Gospel. I thought about people like Law, who,as a baby Christian, gave up his Ibanking career in LA to stick around, and now he is serving as a missionary in Taiwan.  Now Aaron is out there in Taiwan as well, just remembering how he was as an undergrad and now he is serving the students there.  David and Kelly who seemed so unlikely to want to take God seriously, are now part of the first staff group of our new campus ministry (thirdspace).  I have witnessed God’s transforming power to free people of addictions and painful emotional times, I have experienced God’s amazing healing of people like Joohye.  Not just these but hundreds of testimonies of people like the ones we just heard in our last baptism, who were completely changed by God. Now we are starting three new campus groups and our new international undergrad ministry  and already hearing of so many stories of people coming out and being open to us.  Here in riverside, I had the privilege of moving here to start our church and meeting so many precious students.  In one year, we witnessed 9 salvations and so many who are spiritual hungry. I personally had the privilege of leading two of them and witnessing them grow step by step as new Christians.  Now our students are co-laboring with us and sharing in our heart to reach more students on the campus.  There are countless ways that I have experienced God’s great and awesome wonders as He is working in our church and throughout Christendom.

Submitted by Jammy Yang, Gracepoint Riverside

2 Samuel 7:1-13
“Startlingly, God reverses David’s proposal.  David cannot build a house for the Lord; the Lord will build a house for David.  Using the potential for multiple meanings in the word bayit (“house”), God rejects ‘temple’ but promises ‘dynasty.’  The grace shown to David in the past will now extend into the future.  This promise is not simply for David, but for the line of David that will come after him.”[1]

Reflect on David’s sentiment in v. 2 and what this reveals about David’s heart.  What facts has he noticed, and found to be incongruent?  To what extent am I aware of my own comforts as out of balance with the state of God’s honor in the world, and other godly people around the world and history?  What might be David’s response if he were in my shoes? In vs. 2, David says to Nathan, “Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.”  While David has finally settled in his palace he doesn’t fail to recognize God in his life.  This statement of David reveals that his heart is really focused on God.  He’s concerned about God and sees how it’s very incongruent for him to be living in a palace while the ark of God lives in a tent.   He sees this incongruity because he again recognizes that God ought to deserve and receive all the glory instead of him.

I think this point is a rebuke to how I lack this kind of understanding and recognition of God in my life.  When I think about my life, it is very comfortable, however, it’s not that God wants to strip away my comfort, but it’s about honoring God first and foremost above all things.  Its’ about giving God the do honor that he deserves, not that he wants it, but that it’s an expression of what God means to me in my life.  I think on a daily basis I easily forget the Godly people he’s placed in my life.  I think about Marilyn Laszlo, whom Steve Kim recently mentioned in his bible study.  Her life was dedicated to the Ci Peek Wan people and she gave up a life of comfort to bring the gospel to them.  I also in general think about all the believers we’ve met on our mission trips in Cambodia, Mexico, and China and just know that there are things they experience that simply I will probably ever experience as a follower.  What does this mean for me?  Well it means that I need to give my life faithfully to where God has placed me to serve.  It means that if I have to sacrifice a little sleep to minister to a student then that’s what I need to do.  If it means that I need to experience a little suffering so that someone else can benefit than that’s what needs to happen.

If David were in my shoes he would probably take notice of how comfortable my life is.  He would respond by saying, “Here am I, living comfortably, no financial worries, possessing job security, a healthy life and place to lay my head.  I have material wealth and close relationships, but God, He has people who despise him and hate him, though he’s done nothing wrong, but love them.  While I am comfortable, God’s given his one and only son to die for my sins.  He gave up his comfort so that I could have forgiveness for my sins.

I felt like this week’s DTs were a study in contrast between David and his worldview and several other characters and their worldviews: the Amalekite who brings David the news of Saul’s death, Abner, Ish-Bosheth, Joab, Baanah and Recab.

The other characters’ actions reveal a worldview where ultimately God and His values are foreign and irrelevant to them.  They held a common view of power, and the assumption that life is about securing and advancing one’s own life through efforts to manipulate circumstances and people.  I was once again struck by how profoundly the Bible paints portraits of people in a brief chapter and captures their approach to life and the consequences of such a view of reality.

I could see myself and my default self-centered worldview in these portraits.  This was absolutely the kind of worldview I had growing up, beneath the superficial layer of courtesy and morals I was taught – that life was about securing my advantage in every situation.  I assumed that everyone else operated that way as well.  The Amalekite in 2 Samuel 1 and the raiders, Baanah and Recab, operated under the assumption that David would be pleased with their actions, that they would be rewarded for participating in the deaths of David’s opponents.  How shocked they must have been when David administers justice for their actions, and in the case of the Amalekite, grieves for the deaths of Saul and Jonathan.

Joab and Abner struck me as very similar.  They are both battle-hardened generals, clearly accustomed to being in positions of power.  Though they have both demonstrated loyalty to their leaders (Abner to Saul and his house, and Joab to David) over years and many battles, they demonstrate that in the end, they would do what they think best for themselves.  And just because Joab was loyal to David, it didn’t necessarily mean that Joab shared the values and faith of David.  It is interesting how Abner cites God’s promises regarding David becoming king after he becomes disgusted with Ish-Bosheth and decides to help David.  This shows that Abner was aware of God’s promises the whole time he was serving Saul, and when he placed Ish-Bosheth on the throne, but only when it became convenient to himself and his fortunes does he decide to cite these promises and act in a way that is aligned with God’s words.  For Abner, although he assumed he was a main player in the whole power struggle between Saul and David, he comes to an unexpected and tragic death, and it becomes clear that the reality was he had no real power or control.  This is true for all of us – that although we may assume that we have power to make decisions and assert our will on circumstances and people, we will ultimately be brought to reality that we really have no power.  All their assumptions and calculations about what would be to their advantage were proven wrong.

I felt like the portraits of these men were a warning to me, that loyalty to the people of God and knowledge of the word of God is not enough in my life.  What really matters in the end is whether that basic, self-centered worldview of my life and what will be to my advantage has been overthrown, and whether I have truly submitted myself and my life to God’s will.  I can see a picture of what this looks like in David’s reactions and decisions in these chapters.

2 Samuel 5:12 And David knew that the LORD had established him as king over Israel and had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.

2 Samuel 3:39b May the LORD repay the evildoer according to his evil deeds!

These verses illustrate David’s understanding that God is in control, and God is the judge.  Because of this, David understood that the kingship and his success were not for himself and his own ego, but that it was a part of God’s greater will that He was accomplishing.  I need to correctly locate my life within God’s greater will, and understand that I need to align myself with the reality of what God’s will is. My small dreams for myself and my ego will by nature be swept aside, just like it was for all these characters, because reality is all about God’s will.

Submitted by Gary Chang, Gracepoint Davis

One thing from this week’s DT that really struck me was in 2 Samuel 2 when even after Saul is dead David was still inquiring the Lord regarding what he should do.  And we see David in 2 Samuel 5 inquiring the Lord as king regarding whether he should go and attack the Philistines.  This picture of David’s humbly submitting himself before God and waiting on God is an important reminder to me of the kind of posture that I should always have before God as a minister, and it stands in contrast to the other people from this past week’s DT.

2 Samuel 4:1

What kind of man is Ish-Bosheth? Ish-Bosheth is someone who is somewhat tragic.  Though he was the son of Saul, he certainly does not exhibit the same kind of leadership or cunning as his father; nor the warrior like abilities of his brother, Jonathan.  We see earlier that Ish-Bosheth was really only in power because he was put there by Abner.  It’s not clear whether he had any of the abilities of being a king at all.  The picture that emerges, instead, is a picture of someone who is all by himself.  Once Abner falls, Ish-Bosheth has no way whatsoever to be full of courage, for his source of courage was obviously in the men who supported him.  As his source was removed, he knew that his time was quickly coming to an end.  Ish-Bosheth is also a godless man, since he clearly does not take into consideration God’s role in his life.  He is not set into power by God’s will, but merely at the hands of another.  And being thus propped up in this puppet-like position, when his support fades, he quickly loses courage.

What is the source of my courage? My source of courage needs to come from the Lord God.  My source of courage cannot be based on anything else, for anything and everything else fades away and is not capable of providing that sense of courage and rest.  My source of courage cannot be based on myself, my own talents and my own abilities.  If it were, then I will constantly be uneasy because this world is cut-throat, and competition is fierce and how long can any courage or confidence last for?

What are some ways in which people take refuge in things that cause them to be enslaved by fear?
There are many different ways that people take refuge in things that actually cause them to be enslaved by fear.  Recently, many people who invested heavily in the stock market, suddenly found themselves full of fear as their investments were worth X amount one day, and then suddenly, literally within one week, their investments were only worth a fraction of that amount.  Each day’s economic news would bring only trouble and heartache as the world’s economy simply kept going up and down, unable to stabilize, unable to keep the steady growth.  For many, taking refuge in economic wealth would therefore prove enslaved by fear because the economy is not something you can control.

People who take refuge in their careers are similarly faced with such fear and problem.  Work becomes an arena where we are constantly called to perform, constantly called to put out a certain bit of output.  Our coworkers then become the competition and things become a zero-sum game – either I’m rising up the ranks, or you are, but we both certainly can’t because there simply aren’t enough positions at the top.  When news of a coworker getting promoted, getting praised, then, we cannot take it with joy but instead, we get riled up thinking – but what about me?

2 Samuel 4:2-8
What kind of men were Baanah and Recab? Baanah and Recab were men who were politically savvy.  They understood the times – they were aware that the time of Ish-Bosheth was essentially over and that very little stood in the way before David’s reign would begin.  The two men were crafty, bold, and yet also cowardly.  The men were bold because they decided that they would go into the very house of the King, past the guards and soldiers, weasel their way all the way into the inner part of the house.  The men would then slip into the room of Ish-Bosheth and kill him.
And yet while their actions are “bold” in some sense, their actions are also undoubtedly cowardly.  Their plan of action was not to challenge Ish-Bosheth to a battle (not that he would have taken that challenge anyway); their plan was to kill him while he was lying there, unarmed, unable to defend himself, and at rest.  This is cowardly in a very big way.

2 Samuel 4:8-12
Once again, we see David responding very differently from the norms of the world.  He does not see Ish-Bosheth’s death as the removal of the final obstacle to the throne.  Instead, what does he see in this incident? David recognizes the wrong that was done to Ish-Bosheth.  As a man who was simply taking his noonday rest, Ish-Bosheth does not deserve to be struck down in this way.  The two men, then, are not doing something noble and right by bringing David’s kingdom to him, but they are scoundrels who would kill an unarmed, sleeping man, in his own house.

How is it that David responds this way? David can respond this way because his moral bearings are working properly.  David is not seeking his own throne by taking all the possible measures that are out there.  There is no doubt that at the moment of Abner’s death, the path towards David’s ascension was very clear.  Without Abner in the way, Ish-Bosheth simply had no power.  David could have easily gone and taken the throne by force.  And if this had been the only thing that mattered to David, then what just happened to Ish-Bosheth would not be viewed in a negative way, but just the final step.  We see David has a much higher moral bearing though, and his complete trust in God allowed him to not take the throne by his own force.

What can I learn from David? David’s response is beautiful.  When news comes that Saul has been killed, David responds by taking the life of the news-bearer.  When news comes that Abner has been eliminated, not only does David respond by completely renouncing Joab and his antics, he also leads the mourning for Abner.  When news reaches him that Ish-Bosheth has been murdered in cold blood, the perpetrators are summarily killed.  David is NOT about himself or the power that has already been designated to be his.  David trusts in the Lord and believes that God will certainly deliver to him the throne that God promised.  In this way, David completely trusts that God will do what God has promised.

2 Samuel 3:22-39

What kind of person is Joab?

Joab was assertive and aggressive.  He was so certain of his interpretation of Abner’s visit.  He says in vs 24-25 to David, “What have you done? Look, Abner came to you. Why did you let him go? Now he is gone! 25 You know Abner son of Ner; he came to deceive you and observe your movements and find out everything you are doing.”

Now how could he be so certain of Abner’s motive for coming to David?  It’s one thing to suspect ill motives, but entirely another thing to be so confident in your own assumptions and intuitions when there’s no clear evidence to support your assumptions.  Joab’s instincts were practical and probably even wise from a worldly perspective, but he was blind to the fact that his instincts were skewed by his own bias and bitterness towards Abner for killing his brother Asahel.

It turns out that Joab’s desire to avenge his brother’s death was the real underlying motivation in casting such a negative, suspicious light on Abner’s visit.  Vs27 says, “to avenge the blood of his brother Asahel, Joab stabbed him in the stomach, and he died.”

How must King David have felt in having a general like Joab under him despite the fact that Joab was a great warrior?

**  David must’ve felt  frustrated, upset and deeply concerned about Joab not sharing in the same heart and perspective that he had.  What was David’s perspective of Abner?

David saw him as a noble man, whose words he was willing to trust.  David referred to Abner as a ‘prince and a great man’.

I think David saw Abner as someone deserving of honor and respect despite being the general of the opposing army, because Abner was once the servant of the anointed king (Saul), who once fought the Lord’s battles.

Joab’s conduct in this chapter reminds me of Peter when Jesus predicted his death.  Peter took Jesus aside and rebuked him for suggesting that He would suffer many things in the hands of the religious leaders in Jerusalem and would get killed.

Peter says to Jesus, “Never, Lord!  This shall never happen to you!”  Like Joab, Peter was so sure about his own judgment and instincts, but he was blind to his own bias and assumptions about what Jesus’ life should be about.  It was inconceivable to Peter that Jesus, His Messiah, would willingly surrender himself and be put to death.

What lesson does this have for me as I serve Jesus?

**  this teaches me to consider ways in which my instincts and perspective may conflict with Jesus’ perspective.  I need to carefully assess the assumptions and bias I have in approaching my Christian life and in relating to others.

If I have the assumption that Christian life should be easy and comfortable, then I may act like Joab and Peter in trying to correct God and my leaders for trying to uphold God’s commands and instructions for how I am to live out my Christian life.  I may even get angry like Joab when I can’t have things my way, and the crazy thing is I may even feel like I’m in the right about it.  But in reality my notions of what’s a ‘normal’ Christian life doesn’t come from the Bible, but based on worldly values that I picked up through media and the voices of relatives  and family friends I grew up with.

I know that for me I can be like Joab in having a certain bias about someone when I’ve experienced being hurt or betrayed by that person in the past.  Instead of being like David, who was willing to trust Abner’s word, I find my bias about someone get in the way of being fair and gracious towards him.

I’m so thankful that God is not like me.  He doesn’t keep a record of wrong when He relates to me.  He is a God who is willing to forget the past and give me a new chance with Him as soon as I repent and turn back to Him.  This sort of gracious heart is something David had towards Abner and something I’m challenged to have towards people in my life as well.

I know that this is only possible through being firmly rooted in God’s love and promises.   Only then can I afford to take risks relationally to open up my heart and extend 2nd chances to the “Abners” in my life.

Submtted by Pastor Timothy Rhee, Gracepoint Mineapolis

2 Samuel 3:6-11

What is tragic about Ish-Bosheth?

Ish-Bosheth is tragic figure because he is such a passive person despite being a king. He is a king in title only but certainly doesn’t act like a king. For example, he makes a very serious accusation to Abner but then is un-willing to follow through when Abner gets angry/defensive. He is too cowardly to deal with Abner at that point. Overall he’s very passive and just lets things happen to him, and just goes along as if he’s some hapless victim. He doesn’t do anything when Abner strengthens his position within his kingdom, he backs down when Abner gets angry and defensive about Rizpah, and he readily gives in when David asks for his wife (Ish-Bosheth’s sister) back. Like his father Saul, he is ruled by his fears and doesn’t seem to have any personal convictions that’s driving his life.

2 Samuel 3:1-21

What kind of person is Abner? Abner is a self-centered, consummate politician. His loyalty is clearly, primarily to himself. He is also a shrewd opportunist who knows that David is gaining increasing power and seeks to manipulate the circumstances so that he can benefit from it. He is more than willing to betray Ish-Bosheth and to Saul’s family as long as he comes out ahead at the end. He lacks morals or fear of God to restrain his actions. A person like this, without proper boundaries, is a very scary person to be around and Ish-Bosheth is right to be afraid of him.

2 Samuel 3:26-27

Why was it wrong for Joab to kill Abner, even though Abner killed Joab’s brother Asahel?

It was wrong because Abner killed Asahel in the heat of battle. And even in that situation, Abner warned him to stop pursuing him.  But Joab murders Abner during peaceful time. And to add to his treachery, Joab pretended to speak to him privately, and while Abner’s guard was down… murdered him in cold blood.

2 Samuel 3:22-39

What kind of person is Joab?

Joab is very similar to Abner. He is unscrupulous, doesn’t respect authority and also driven by self-interest. In the pursuit of his own goals, he is willing to deceive others(Abner) or go behind people’s back (David). For these reasons, Joab too is a very scary person to be around. David knows this about Joab and appropriately fears him (v.39).

How must King David have felt in having a general like Joab under him despite the fact that Joab was a great warrior?

It must have made David feel very uneasy to have someone like Joab under him despite the fact that Joab was a great warrior. As mentioned in previous question, he knew that Joab lacked boundaries for his life. Because Joab was very competent and shrewd person, it only made his capacity for evil even greater i.e. murdering Abner. It must have been very burdensome for David to know that Joab was capable of doing his own thing without David being able to constrain him.

What lesson does this have for me as I serve Jesus?

It’s easy for me to think that if I was more competent and/or gifted, then I can be more useful for God. But from Joab and Abner’s examples, this is clearly not true. Character is far more important than competence. It’s my character that will determine how much God can use me. It doesn’t matter how competent or talented I am, if my character is such that God cannot trust me to do the right thing or carry out ministry in manner that is honoring to Him. In fact, if my character is poor then I will be a liability for the kingdom of God. So I need to really take my character issues seriously and really struggle through them.

2 Samuel 2:1-9

What can I learn from David in that even after Saul is dead, he still inquires of the LORD if he should go up to one of the towns of Judah? He saw power as something given by God and perhaps not the most important thing.  Even though he was already anointed king over Israel, he did not take things for granted and did not grab at the first opportunity to claim his kingship after Saul died.  He went “in the course of time”.  As we could tell from the previous chapter, he himself was mourning the death of Saul and Jonathan.  I think to David, relationship was more important than power.  He mourned for the loss of the king and prince and also gave the people time to mourn for their king.  Then he not only inquired God of the timing of the next step but also the specifics of where to settle.  He was someone intimated connected with God and sought His guidance each step of the way.  Perhaps as a result of this, he became a wise leader at the same time.  He was able to judge the timing of things and put a pulse on people’s heart.  I think with the start of the new semester as we get really busy, the first thing to go is often time in quieting our hearts down to listen to God and spend time in his words.  But through the example of David, I am reminded once again that if I go out there just busying myself without connecting myself with God, I can easily try to “lead” with my own abilities and by my judgment which can be disaterous.

Contrast this to what Abner does in making Ish-Bosheth, son of Saul, a king over Gilead.  What is the fundamental difference in their view towards power? In contrast, Abner just saw power as something to be grasped.  He used tribal loyalties to make Ish-Bosheth the king, flagrantly ignoring the fact that David was anointed the next king long ago.  The people who sided with Ish-Bosheth were the Benjamites (their tribe’s men) and the Gileadites who were saved by Saul early in his reign.   It was right for the Gileadites to bury Saul out of their gratefulness.  But it was wrong for Abner to use such sentiment to his own advantage and make Ish-Bosheth the king.  Perhaps he made this move out of fear for his own position.  This kind of attitude is in clear contrast to David who continued to stick by the truth, God’s truth, even sometimes to his own disadvantage.

Reflect on the damage Abner caused by operating on tribal loyalties.  What loyalties in my life have the potential to dull my spiritual discernment and cause me to take actions that are contrary to God’s will? Abner could have been in a position as the remaining leader on Saul’s side to hasten reconciliation and unite Israel.  Instead, he acted selfishly to secure his own position.  As a result, he caused unnecessary bloodshed between the Israelites.  I need to take warning from Abner’s example especially as someone who has been in this church for a long time.  It’s easy for me to say, “yeah, I have known this person since he was a child.” Or “I have known this leader for a long time”.  The unstated thought was that I am somehow ok spiritually because of such affiliations.  From Abner’s example I am warned that I can potentially use these relationships to justify my standing before God when I need to just approach God with humility and honesty.

2 Samuel 1:1-10

There is a good chance that the Amalekite wasn’t telling the truth (see 1 Samuel 31:4-5), but lied, thinking that this would earn him a reward.  Think about the degree to which the Amalekite misread the values of David and the rest of the fugitives with him.  What was the Amalekite’s worldview, and what is David’s?

The Amalekite disastrously misread David and the rest of the fugitives.  I can imagine the shock on his face when he gave David the news and instead of rewarding the Amalekite, David and all his men weep and mourn for the loss of Saul and Jonathan.  It was probably a response that the Amalekite did not expect because it was so different than the normal response from the world.  The Amalekite’s view of the situation was in the simple context of friend and foe.  He thought of David’s relationship with Saul simply as enemies in the battle, and did not realize that David and his men viewed Saul and Jonathan from God’s perspective.  Saul and Jonathan were not just enemies who pursued David, they were dear friends and anointed by God to lead their people.  David viewed them apart from just his own personal perspective, but was able to zoom out and see them from the perspective of his identity as an Israelite, as one of the chosen people of God.  Because of this, he can genuinely grieve for Saul and Jonathan.

Might there be some such worldview dissonance between the ways of God and certain life strategies and assumptions that I have adopted?

There are definitely dissonances between the ways of God and the life strategies/assumptions that I have adopted.  As one who has been raised in modern, American society, I recognize the independent/autonomous life strategy I have that prizes selfish living, self-reliance and personal competence.  This effects my view of relationships and community as God designed.  Such a godless worldview causes me to achieve personal glory and independence apart from the people God has called me to love and be loved by.  God’s design for community includes higher regard for corporate and others’ needs than my own personal need.  On the other hand, the world calls me to look after myself and make sure my needs are met before even attempting to care for another person.  This kind of worldview causes me to be selfish and to think that I need to take care of all my personal needs and the needs of my family instead of seeing my life as a resource that is always available to be a blessing to other people.  When things get busy, and demands for my time and resources increase, this kind of self-preserving worldview would cause me to hold back from giving to others, and ultimately, would lead to a watered-down, ineffectual ministry.  It would also stale my relationships and kill a community that is trying to be wholly devoted to God and God’s work.  As I think about another year of ministry, I can’t allow this worldview from infecting my thoughts, chill my heart and deteriorate the community around me.  As P.Jonathan said in yesterday’s message, when times get tough, I need to stay the course and ride the storm in the boat knowing that Jesus is there.  This, in addition to understanding that God’s design is for me to live generously with the appropriate anxiety for the needs of others, gives me the courage and resources to fight back the secular worldview that I grew up and that I am surrounded by.  Thinking about this drives out the cry to ‘save yourself’ as preached by the world, and helps me to give fully to others and to build God’s church.

2 Samuel 1:17-27

If I had been in David’s shoes, what would have been the first several things on my mind upon hearing of Saul’s death? I think I would have had competing thoughts. One would be that I can finally go home and end my life as a fugitive.  The other thought would have been that of grief that Saul, my friend and mentor, died without fully reconciling with David, and perhaps, never reconciled with God.  The opportunity to fully reconcile with Saul was gone, and my heart would have really gone out to the final state of his heart. It would have made me really sad to think that this man who was anointed by God, ended his life broken and distant from God and all the people in his life.  He died a disgraceful death despite all that God wanted for him.

Saul’s death means immediate practical relief for David, and a dramatic reversal in his fortunes.  Yet, none of these seem to impress David.  What did the death of Saul mean to David, according to these verses? To David, Saul’s death meant a huge loss to him personally and to Israel.  Saul’s death is a blight on the Israelite people and ultimately dishonored God.  The one whom God appointed to represent him and his people died a disgraceful death.  Personally, David felt the loss of a dear friend and ally in Jonathan’s death and mourned the loss of Saul the leader of his people.

What can I learn from David about what it takes to transcend my narrow concerns and not always view life from purely the angle of how it affects me? David’s prayer is an example of how he viewed his life in the greater context of God’s work and God’s people.  He did not view these events from the small lens of what it meant for his life, but instead, viewed these events as how they impacted his people and God. David endured many hardships on the run and yet, his thought was not that Saul’s death meant that he could finally rest, but that he, the Israelite people and God suffered loss from Saul and Jonathan’s deaths.  Regardless of the benefit inured to him because of their deaths, his primary concern was the effect this had on others.  This shows me again that I cannot live in a selfish vacuum of my own needs and concerns.  Too often, my first response is to think about how something – someone’s need, a churchwide task, etc. – affects me immediately with regard to my resources. Instead of thinking about the cost I need to pay or to think about how someone else can fill this need, I need to be a person who thinks more about how I can fill the need on my own.  David’s response also teaches me about identifying with the community instead of zooming into my specific situation.  David’s concern was not for his own circumstances, but on the impact Saul and Jonathan’s death had on the community and its effect on the community as a whole and to God.  Although this event may have benefited him personally, he first recognized the damage this did to Israel and to God’s honor.  His personal circumstances were second priority to the needs of the community.  My mindset can be so wrapped up in my own immediate concerns that I don’t zoom out to see how my actions and inactions have an effect on the whole community.  Yet to ignore the community is selfish and ignores the greater reality of my role as part of a community of God.  From David, I can learn that although I cannot certain personal needs, I also cannot ignore the needs and the impact of the greater community of which that I am a part.

Submitted by Sarah Song, Gracepoint Austin

2 Samuel 1:1-10

There is a good chance that the Amalekite wasn’t telling the truth (see 1 Samuel 31:4-5), but lied, thinking that this would earn him a reward.  Think about the degree to which the Amalekite misread the values of David and the rest of the fugitives with him.  What was the Amalekite’s worldview, and what is David’s?The Amalekite thought that David and the rest of the fugitives with him would be glad and rejoice at the news of Saul and Jonathan’s death.  He thought David would enjoy hearing about the demise of Saul and perhaps give him a reward for bringing this news to him, that he’d be happy b/c it meant that David could take Saul’s place and become king.  For the Amalekite, his worldview was about revenge and making sure to look out for oneself, to hate those hate you and seek opportunities to advance and gain benefits for oneself even at the expense of others. His worldview revolved around “how does this benefit me?” whereas for David, his worldview was entirely different.  David’s worldview was “How does this affect God’s glory and kingdom?”  He and his men “mourned and fasted till evening for Saul, and his son Jonathan, and for the army of the Lord and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.”  Even though Saul had pursued and hated David, David felt such a sense of grief for Saul b/c regardless of what he did to David, Saul was the king of Israel, the anointed one of God, the leader of God’s people. And to hear about his death and Jonathan’s death didn’t meant that he could become king but it meant shame, humiliation, and defeat for God and his people and the loss of God’s anointed servant, the king.

Might there be some such worldview dissonance between the ways of God and certain life strategies and assumptions that I have adopted? I see that there are such worldview dissonance between the ways of God and certain life strategies and assumptions that I’ve adopted through the years. One of them is how I view worth within others and within myself.  I see that my worldview has for a long time been based upon performance and what I’m able to produce and show to others. This worldly life strategy and assumption is that I’m valuable and important if I can do a task really well, if I can juggle all of my responsibilities and duties without mistakes, and if I’m competent and able to outdo others around me.  I can become so performance-driven that I start to fear making mistakes, hate to get any sort of feedback or criticism from others, and setbacks become huge ordeals that paralyze me from moving forward and trying again in the future.  This worldly life strategy has been always to make sure I don’t appear weak, and if there’s any weakness in my life then I need to cover it up and prevent it from being exposed.  However, God’s way is completely the opposite, and I’ve had to learn and am continuing to learn that I need to throw away this performance-oriented worldview and accept God’s worldview in which I am able to embrace my weaknesses, shortcomings, failures and recognize that this is who I am because I am a sinner. The way of God is that my value comes from being God’s daughter and that I can be assured of His love for me regardless of my accomplishments or failures  through the cross and for this truth to become a bigger reality. God’s way is that actually my weaknesses are opportunities to depend on my Heavenly Father for his strength and wisdom to help me, and in the process somehow my weaknesses become testimony to God’s greatness and glory.  So, it’s ok if I’m bad at life, or I’m not a great minister, or I’m not able to be the best mom or wife, and I’m not able to be someone who can competently carry out tasks or duties.  The stress of NSWN and the challenges and uncertainties of a new fall semester can cause me to turn toward my old worldview and become focused on myself, but as I’m reminded again through David’s response to Saul’s death is that God needs to be my greater reality and to cling unto the word of God to continue transforming and correcting all of my old assumptions and wrong views.

2 Samuel 1:17-27

If I had been in David’s shoes, what would have been the first several things on my mind upon hearing of Saul’s death? If I had been in David’s shoes, the first several things on my mind upon hearing of Saul’s death would’ve been relief that my days of running as a fugitive are over, my enemy is finally dead, that I can finally rest and go back and settle down with my family and not have to worry about moving or hiding anymore.  I would’ve thought about how I could probably go back and live in the comfortable palace again and regain my position and status within the royal family.Saul’s death means immediate practical relief for David, and a dramatic reversal in his fortunes.  Yet, none of these seem to impress David.  What did the death of Saul mean to David, according to these verses? The death of Saul to David meant that the mighty king of Israel had fallen, that a precious life of someone who had been “loved and gracious” was over.  For David, Saul’s death was a tragedy for the nation of Israel.

What can I learn from David about what it takes to transcend my narrow concerns and not always view life from purely the angle of how it affects me? I can learn from David that what it takes to transcend my narrow concerns and not always view life from purely the angle of how it affects me is to be practiced in thinking about others.  I can imagine that David was someone who must’ve thought about others throughout the day repeatedly, had the room in his heart and mind to take notice and concern for others and make God’s concern his own so that when this news came of Saul’s death, David’s response was to think about the people of Israel, to grieve over the state of God’s nation who were now without a leader, to think about Saul and Jonathan’s family and everyone affected by this tragedy. Furthermore, knowing David’s decisions and history, he was someone who saw his life connected to God and not in isolation, and because he was someone who saw his life from God’s perspective, he was able to respond as he did.  I see that I need to zoom out and not get so tied up in the little details and petty drama of my own life or ministry.  God’s work is going on all around me, and daily I’m reminded that I’m in the midst of spiritual battles as I get emails regarding Camp Blue, Middle and High school retreats, Camp Gracepoint, Mission trips, NSWN, Welcome week…I’m not devoid of chances to zoom out and see things from God’s perspective, but it’s a choice that I need to daily make whether to think of others, to make God’s concern my own or to stay stuck in my own narrow slice of reality.

Points of contrast between Saul and David in 1 Samuel:

• “I did obey the Lord” and “I have sinned. But please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel; come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord your God.” vs. “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.”
• Saul’s pursuit of David vs. “I will not lift my hand against the Lord’s anointed”
• Saul’s life different from David’s life – for David, always some apparent difficulty that God pulls him through
• Saul’s life is a one-generation life. That is the only kind of life that can result of a man who is interested in his own honor. Contrast with David’s life which is a life that results from desiring to honor God. Such a life is one that retains value over time, and whose true value cannot be regarded fully in a single lifetime. It’s ripple effects are clear.

How sad that a man who started out so humble ended up becoming a caricature of a man disgraced due to his pride! At the start of the story, Saul’s physical attributes needed to be described in order to highlight his humility. “But am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why do you say such a thing to me?” These words may not have been as poignant if one were to imagine a scrawny little man with a high voice. But because Saul was a physical specimen, a head taller than anyone else, we can discern that his character was not unlike that of David in the very beginning. So faithful, looking for his father’s donkeys. So humble that he was hiding in the luggage when Samuel wanted to anoint him king. Yet somehow his self-importance became something he took far too seriously and he began to believe the hype surrounding ‘King Saul’. He became yet another self-important monarch, expending much of his energies trying to live up to his title rather than being a true leader. From this I am reminded that I need to frequently go back to the truth of who I am, so that I don’t buy into my own hype and become so self-important that the character that God cherishes in me – faithfulness and humility – are in scarce supply. The truth is that I am a sinner, and the things that I do and the position that I have are a privilege, come to me out of God’s mercy, and are unmerited. I must not lose sight of this plain fact or else I will become competitive, jealous, anxious, rash, prone to bad judgment, and feeling like God is no longer speaking to me.

Another contrast between David’s life and that of Saul was that people were not chasing after Saul to assassinate him. Pretty much he was “the man” after he became king. He was not dealing with any mutiny. Actually he had a young David who wanted to support his reign and be Saul’s right-hand-man. (Just from that angle it was very unwise for him to try to kill David) Yet Saul was filled with anxiety and lacked peace. What a contrast with David, who was treated like a traitor by his own king and his own son, yet in the light of such difficulties, he was still able to experience a regular strengthening in God. In a way it is the difficulty that forced David to rely on God and become certain of God’s presence in his life. From this I can learn that the tough situations that I face from day to day are things that I could welcome. Not in a strange masochistic way, but I should not try to avoid these situations because they are opportunities for my trust in God to grow, and become more deeply rooted. One of my old coworkers once told me that I should remove the poles that hold up the trees straight in my front yard as soon as possible. She said that I should allow the strong winds to blow because it’s the tough weather that causes the tree to root down stronger, which will result in a stronger tree in the end. That is what happened with David, and the picture that he paints in Psalm 1 seems appropriate “He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever he does prospers.”  Even though I want my life to be free of difficulty, even though I don’t like things to be stressful or hard, even though I don’t like it, I don’t want it, the strong winds of life are what will cause me to root down, forcing me to become more deeply rooted in my relationship with God. But as I look back my own life, I find that the tough times are the times in which I was able to realize new insights into the character of God and how truly gracious and merciful he really is. So the avoidance of difficulty is something that I have to revisit in my life in response to what I see as a contrast between David’s life that of Saul.

Saul allowed his self-importance and pride to reach a ridiculous point of self-deception. “I did obey the Lord” and “please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel” are such cringe-worthy statements, especially when contrasted with a proper response, as modeled by David: “Against you, you only, have I sinned… so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.” The Bible is so true to life because from my own experience I know how pride can lead to this level of self-delusion and self-deception, ultimately resulting in a life that ignores God altogether. David’s response is the model that I need to follow – to acknowledge God and simply say “sorry” rather than to say “I could not have possibly done that”, going through all kinds of mental gymnastics to justify myself. I need to be wary and suspicious of any such thoughts, and insist on reminding myself that a God who loves me is not going to stop watching and listening just because I ignore him or wish that he was not there.

As I was thinking about the contrast between Saul and David this time around, the thing that God says to Samuel struck me. “I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.” I am reminded of something that Pastor Ed said a long time ago about these words. They are not the words of a god who doesn’t want to deal with Saul anymore because he was insubordinate and needed to be removed. In fact, God wanted use Saul to reveal his glory, but Saul didn’t want it. And that is the meaning of God’s grief here. Saul didn’t want that role as soon as the hype of “King Saul” got to his head. Maybe to God Saul was a sweet, little boy who suddenly became like a surly teenager content with his own little corner of the universe. And the expression of grief is that the kingship is what made him that way. At times I feel that way about my own son and pine for days gone by, when he came running, calling me “daddy” with arms open wide. And that expression of grief is one that hit me hard this time, and it is one that I don’t want God expressing about me. I want to do much more to repent of my pride, and don’t want God’s numerous blessings to become a curse, and worse still, cause for God to grieve over me.

1 Samuel 31:1-3
Reflect on God’s hand in David’s life in helping him remain blameless towards Saul till the end.  What can I learn about God from the fact that God spared David from being part of this battle that is responsible for killing Saul and his sons, including Jonathan? God is so faithful to David even when David mistrusts God, takes matters into his own hands, and ends up in situations where he has to compromise his values. God spares David from this battle that is responsible for killing Saul and Jonathan. It was God and his mercy that allowed David to get out of this situation and nothing that he did on his own. If David had been a part of that battle and later found out that Saul and his sons had been killed, he would have been laden with much guilt and shame and perhaps not been able to forgive himself.

1 Samuel 31:1-10
After years of rejecting God as king, Saul finally comes to the tragic end of his life and the lives of his sons.  What are the crucial steps that Saul took that led to this kind of tragic end? Crucial steps that Saul took that led to this kind of tragic end was his refusal to obey God’s commands, his refusal to admit his sins, and ultimately to repent of his actions. Because he saw himself as his own king and worried more about what other people thought than God’s ways, Saul lived a godless life. This end is more tragic because Saul knew that he was going to die the next day from Samuel’s warming and yet there seemed to be no remorse or repentance towards God at all. The text doesn’t mention anything about Saul asking God for help or guidance at all even at the very end. At the end of his life, Saul didn’t want to repent.

Some people can often say that they want to experience life and do their own thing, and will turn back to God later in their life. This is being very foolish because in the example of Saul, we see how hardened his heart really is at the end of his life. Who says that at the end of our lives that we will be remorseful and repentant towards God?

This is the most tragic end especially thinking about how he had started and how God had blessed him. Moreover, Saul’s disobedience and sinfulness doesn’t merely end with his tragic death, but also affected his sons as they were killed by the Philistines.  This shows how we don’t sin in a vacuum. When I sin there are repercussions and influence those around me.

What warning does Saul’s life have for me? Saul’s life is a warning for me because even though Saul started out as humble king who was courageous, had the spirit of God, and was doing God’s work, his position, status, and image got the best of him and ended up being the most important thing in his life. And it all started out with disobedience to God’s commands. I may start out humble and wanting to do God’s work but I need to make sure that I living my life before God and not people otherwise really twist/distort the good work and position that God has given me to steward. I have been given this gift to be a minister and I need to embrace it knowing that I don’t deserve it and might not even be qualified for it, yet God doesn’t make mistakes and will lead me.

Another warning is to be honest and teachable when something is being pointed out about me. Saul was a person who was so in tune with his emotions and was stubbornly clinging onto his excuses/rationalizations rather than seeing his disobedience and admitting it. Because of this refusal to confess and see his sin for what it really was, Saul was not only unable to repent thoroughly but it also caused his heart to be hardened. This is a warning that if I don’t listen when people try to point out truth in my life, my heart will be hardened as I stubbornly cling onto my own excuses and self-justifications. But the more I do this, it is more tragic for me because ultimately I wont change and there will be consequences and distance between my relationship with God as well as with people.
What did the people of Jabesh Gilead risk because of their loyalty to Saul?  What should my loyalty and gratitude to God result in? Due to their loyalty to Saul, the people of Jabesh Gilead risked their lives to rescue Saul and his sons’ body from humiliation and abuse, and gave them a decent burial. They could have easily made the excuse that Saul was dead and that there was nothing that they could do. Or they could make the excuse that even though Saul had helped them earlier, it had been a long time ago and since then, Saul didn’t do much for them. There could have been many excuses that they brought up but instead they risked their lives to get the bodies back and repay the debt of Saul’s kindness and leadership.

My loyalty and gratitude to God should result in this kind of remembrance and spring me into action when needed. First of all the people of Jabesh Gilead never forgot the deeds of Saul and how he saved them from the king of Ammon. I should never forget how God had saved me when I was in the pit of my sin even when a long period of time passes. I don’t think I can ever forget God’s grace on me and the people he used to save me from a road of destruction. My gratitude to God results in awe that God would love and save someone like me, who was not only in need of saving but also completely rebellious against God. Moreover, this gratitude that springs from remembering what God has done in my life empowers me towards action in loving people around me.

Submitted by Michael Kang, Gracepoint San Diego

1 Samuel 31:1-3

Reflect on God’s hand in David’s life in helping him remain blameless towards Saul till the end.  What can I learn about God from the fact that God spared David from being part of this battle that is responsible for killing Saul and his sons, including Jonathan?

David was about to fight on the side of the Philistines, and in so doing he would have been participating in the battle that would result in the deaths of both Saul and Jonathan. All this time up until now, he had been kept blameless against Saul and he had not lifted his hand against the Lord’s anointed, even when he had opportunity to do so. He had trusted in God to bring him to the throne if that was God’s will, and he did not seek to take it by taking the life of Saul. And now, even though David’s trust was wavering and he was trying to settle down by going to stay in the land of the Philistines and being on the side of the enemy, God spares him from being part of this battle. David foolishly wanted to fight in it, but it would have been so tragic if he had to meet Jonathan in battle. God spares him this kind of misery and guilt from fighting against his own people, and against Saul and Jonathan. By fighting against Israel, he would also probably have ended up forfeiting the throne, as the people would not accept as a king someone who had fought against them. God was truly gracious to David and was leading him all this time that he was on the run, to fulfill the anointing that He gave to David.

1 Samuel 31:1-10

After years of rejecting God as king, Saul finally comes to the tragic end of his life and the lives of his sons.  What are the crucial steps that Saul took that led to this kind of tragic end?

The crucial steps that Saul took that led to this kind of tragic end were his continued failures to repent and to turn back to God, not acknowledging his wrongdoing and choosing instead to cling on to his own ego and to the throne. He had the chance to be king, to obey God fully, and yet he did not do so. He was commanded to destroy the Amalekites completely, but he was afraid of the people and did not do so. When confronted with his wrongdoing, he did not own up to it, but made excuses. Ultimately he did not hold God’s honor as central, but rather himself. When the kingdom had been taken away from him and was to be given to David, he rebelled and was consumed by jealousy. He never let go of it, and instead hunted David and even alienated his own family and tried to kill Jonathan, his own son. Even when David spared Saul’s life on multiple occasions, his brief moment of clarity and remorse did not lead to true repentance or change.

What warning does Saul’s life have for me?

It is a warning that ultimately time does run out and one cannot forever remain in a state of rebellion against God and denial of the reality that He has ordained. Just as it was obvious in Saul’s life that he was not out to honor God but rather himself, it is just as apparent and ugly whenever leaders today behave in such ways. It means that even though God has chosen me to be a leader and has given me the opportunity to serve Him, this is not something that I can hold on to as some kind of position for myself or make it into a quest for my own ego and power. The blessing of ministry can become a curse – what started out as an exciting way to serve God and to engage in His work can become twisted if it becomes about me, if I’m concerned with being honored before the people, and holding on to my position. Like Saul, if I turn away from God and am more concerned about my own agenda and pursuits rather than His, if I fail to obey God and instead choose to honor myself, then it will lead to destructive consequences. God will not work through such a person and rather He will seek someone else, a shepherd who is after His own heart. The most important thing that I can do, therefore, is to remain true to God, humble and honest before Him. Serving God must be about just that, serving God – and not a pretext for my own advancement. The Saul-like sins within me are those that I have to struggle with and continually root out, lest they take hold and lead me in a similar direction as Saul. Had Saul had a real relationship with God, had he feared God and had proper reverence for Him, things would probably not have ended up in this way.

What is the worldview of “the evil men and troublemakers among David’s followers” who did not want to share the plunder with those who were “too exhausted to cross the ravine?” The worldview that “the evil men and troublemakers among David’s followers” had when they did not want to share the plunder… It’s not fair. People are not pulling their weight. They don’t deserve to share in this plunder. The worldview of the evil men is that you need to work your way to the top. It is merciless, not taking into consideration the weak, and totally greedy and selfish. The worldview is that those who are weak should be left behind, since you couldn’t make it, forget-you mentality.

Contrast their response to David’s response in vv. 23-24.  What different view of God and themselves is behind their different responses?

David’s response is so different. He understood that it was the Lord who had delivered the plunder. They were weeping for two entire days until exhaustion. They met this Egyptian slave who led them to the enemy. David had inquired of the Lord whether to go out to battle, whether they would be delivered. It was clear to David all along, that God was with them. And then after all of that, he saw these 200 men, men who were “too exhausted to cross the ravine” and he identified with them. He did not see them as people who betrayed them, but just as precious, still God’s people, still his men. They were exhausted because they had been following all this time. I am so thankful to have my wives and children back, that I can share this bountiful plunder with others. It is all from the Lord and because I am richly blessed by him, I can share this blessing with others. We were all in it together – whether the keeper of supplies or those who went to battle.

The evil men and troublemakers on the other hand, they just saw themselves, boasted in themselves. They probably thought they were something… they were strong and probably looked down at these 200. Too weak. Laggers. Betrayers. You didn’t put in the work. Why should you share in the plunder? Just take your wives and children. This plunder, really shouldn’t have mattered to them that much. They were just exhausted from weeping 2 days for their wives and children, they were just delivered from that very devastating situation. They should be full of joy and thanksgiving, not clutching onto selfishly to some plunder. There was more than enough to go around. God had led them all this way, but they chose to be ruthless, unforgiving, bitter and outright selfish.

Which attitude can I relate more to?

I think this is still a lesson that God’s been teaching me and ingraining in me over the years as I have a chance to serve Him and partake in ministry. That attitude and worldview of the evil men and troublemakers, there is such a natural tendency to think like that. There is that tendency to have that sideward glance, be calculative of others, and pride myself in competence, in what I can do, in what I put in. There is that selfishness, of wanting to hoard all good things for myself whether it be my time, my energy, resources. But there is another perspective that God’s been showing me, it’s like David’s perspective. It’s not about me, not about what I can do, not about sizing myself up next to others, but it’s all about what He is doing.

Like David, I have to zoom out. God has already delivered me and saved me – that itself should fill me with such joy and thanksgiving, that I don’t have to focus on the lesser often pettier things. I have to have the understanding that God is the one at work, God is orchestrating, and He just invites me to partake in His work. And this is a privilege. This is so amazing. So much is going on if I can open my eyes and see it. He sends the Egyptians, he protects, he leads all of us, and fills my life with plunder. We are in it together, regardless of what role we have. That together, we ought to be “contending as one man for the faith of the gospel.” And together, and only with this understanding, can I experience the greatest joy and rejoice in how God collectively works through us as the church.

What role might Saul’s murderous jealousy toward David, and his years of futile hunting of him played in Saul’s current state of exhaustion and inability to lead Israel at a time of crisis? Saul’s current state of exhaustion and inability to lead Israel at a time of crisis is the culmination of all the years that he’s been driven by his fears and insecurities. The portrait of Saul here is that he’s a terrified man. I underlined all the phrases that depict this sense of fear and they are numerous in this chapter alone. Because he’s been motivated by his fears all this time, its no wonder that in this time of national crisis, he responds in a cowardly way. He goes against the very law that he instituted by seeking out the medium from Endor, as a last ditch effort to find some way to avoid his greatest fear. He hoped that she would bring some good news, but instead she brings Saul the worst news possible, that he will die a disgraceful death at the hand of the enemy, the Philistines, and that his lifelong rival David will take over the throne. I think about people who are fueled by their fears and how exhausted they must be, trying to fight tooth and nail in order to preserve themselves to the point of exhaustion. They are so consumed by their fears, that paralyzes from doing anything else. Fearful people are not available for anyone else, because all their energy is being spent trying in minimize their losses and to whatever it takes to avoid their fears. As a leader, I can be consumed by a fear of failure and this perfectionistic approach to things, and as a result not attempt much for God nor be available for whatever needs rise up since my need to do a good job becomes the dominant preoccupation. Like Saul, its tiring and it makes me ineffective in loving others, in caring for people who need my care and attention since all my capacity is being gobbled up by my fears.

Review how Saul was portrayed in 1 Samuel 11:1-11 where he dealt with his first crisis and his reaction here in v. 5.  What is the proper source of courage? The way Saul is portrayed in 1 Samuel 11 is that of a man who had the Spirit of God come upon him in power. He was someone that burned with anger towards the Ammonites who were about to bring major disgrace to Israel and to the name of God. He acts in a way that shows he is not about to let them have their way because he cared deeply about God’s honor and how decisive he was in taking action, mustering up more than 30,000 men to fight. The proper source of courage is fear of God. But here, we see how far Saul has fallen, and he fears everything else but God. He fears David. He fears the Philistines. He fears what will happen to him and his legacy and his position as king. He fears dying disgracefully. All of these he fears more than he fears God, and from his actions, he acts in a very cowardly way. It takes to courage to repent, which is what Saul should’ve done, but instead he responds with cowardice as he tries to find some way to salvage his image and his future. The fear of God is the beginning point of how a naturally fearful person like myself can act with courage. I don’t have what it takes to muster up courage on my own and its only when I have that proper fear of God that I’m able to respond with courage and do things that seem beyond what I’m used to or comfortable with.

What can I learn from the fact that Saul looks for a medium to inquire of when “the LORD [does] not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets?”  What does this reveal about his view of God? The fact that Saul looks for a medium to inquire of even though he knew that the Lord wasn’t going to answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets shows his utter foolishness and desperation in clinging onto this lofty picture of him in spite of what was already told him by God. The commentary says that “in fear of the future, he returns to a past that cannot save him”. Its like a stage 4 cancer patient who has been told by numerous world-class doctors that he’s going to die and that the cancer is severe, and yet not willing to conform to the truth of their diagnosis but seeking out a second opinion that he’s hoping would tell him that he’s fine and that he doesn’t have terminal cancer. Saul’s view of God is that he has rejected all avenues through which God has spoken directly to him, because it clashes with how he views himself, and therefore doesn’t take God seriously in his life.

What can I learn about Saul from the fact that it was he who “had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land” and yet he is now turning to one out of desperation? Saul is someone who thinks he’s above the law, making special exemptions for himself because he finds his situation particularly unique. Saul just basically thinks he can do whatever he want, and that in his mind, his circumstances are dire enough that he can do the very thing that he banned his own people from doing. This woman is fearing for her life knowing that if she gets caught, she is going to die for bringing up past spirits. But Saul clearly has this view of himself that he’s far above the law and that desperate times call for desperate measures, which seems like all the time for him. I think about how he responded to the desperate time when Samuel came late and how he overstepped his role to initiate the burnt offering back in 1 Samuel 13. Saul just has a pattern of doing things where he feels like his actions are warranted because he feels threatened and his fears seem to loom large over him.

Submitted by Joanna Oh, Gracepoint San Diego

1 Samuel 28: 1-7
Review how Saul was portrayed in 1 Samuel 11:1-11 where he dealt with his first crisis and his reaction here in v. 5.  What is the proper source of courage? The proper source of courage, which Saul had when he rescued Jabesh-Gilead was a concern and compassion for the people who were suffering under the Ammonites. Saul inquired why people were weeping and when he heard of the injustices of the king Nahash he burned with anger. This is one of Saul’s greatest moments because he’s deeply concerned about the people’s welfare. Here in his last battle, we see he is only concerned with himself and his own destiny.  He doesn’t have courage to show bravery in crises because he doesn’t care about any of the people.

Second, terror of the Lord or fear of God is another source of courage that is essential, which Saul lost.  In 1 Samuel 11, Saul’s anger caused the people to fear the Lord and to honor him.  Saul and all of Israel saw how God must view the situation, how he must’ve been so angry and full of wrath at the cruelty of Nahash the Ammonite king and how he was trying to drag God’s name through the mud. In 1 Samuel 25, there is no fear of God in Saul.  In fact, he violates a clear command of God by seeking out a medium to ironically ask Samuel what to do since God won’t answer him.

Right now, I don’t need courage to fight a battle against a tangible enemy like the Philistines, but I am called to bring the gospel to a campus that is godless and where there is a lot of opposition.  In order to push through the seemingly hopeless situation where one church of only 16 staff could make a difference on such a huge campus, I need to cultivate a heart of love and compassion for the people I’m here to minister to, and also to have fear of God. To persevere through the long haul, I cannot lose focus that the point of me being here, and the point of all my labors and energy is to save people from the bondage of sin.  I need to go back to my own testimony, pray through the campus, pray for the students who are back at home and do whatever to keep a fresh heart towards ministry.  Otherwise, I’m just going to start focusing on myself, expending my time, energy, and thoughts on how to make my life more comfortable, and getting more and more tired of the labor of ministry.

I also need to cultivate a heart that fears God.  I always remember that God’s honor and glory is at stake when I chose to give into my comfort or deny my flesh.  It’s not just about self-improvement for me or living a clean lifestyle, but in the little choices that I make throughout my day God’s honor is at stake. If I start to feel comfort slowly taking a grip on my heart, I need to act quickly and repent even if it means facing really ugly truths about myself. It’s not just because it hurts others, or kills morale, which it does, but it is first and foremost highly offensive to God and a betrayal of all that he’s done in my life.

I think one area where I need courage is to get over my fears of rejection and emotional discomfort and be a voice of truth people in my life. I need to have love for others to overcome my aversion to uncomfortable or awkward situations.  When someone is headed in the wrong direction I need to be clear on the true situation that he or she is moving away from God, and that the most loving thing to do is to speak truth that person and be like one of those friends to the paralytic and carry that person on the  mat to Jesus so that they can repent.

1 Samuel 23:1-12

Given his men’s initial response and Saul’s statement “David has imprisoned himself by entering a town with gates and bars,” what must have been the military advisability of rescuing Keilah from the Philistines? Rescuing Keilah was probably not a good idea from a military perspective.  David and his men were on the run from Saul, and aggravating the Philistines would add another group to the list of people who wanted to kill them.  The men are already afraid and they clearly don’t want to go to Keilah.  Saul rejoices when he hears that David has entered Keilah, because Saul’s problem from the beginning was trying to pin David down.  But if David entered Keilah, Saul could bring his army, besiege Keilah, and trap David in the town.

What is remarkable about David’s concern for Keilah? It’s remarkable that David would even think about rescuing Keilah.  He was on the run from Saul, and he only had 600 men with him. The Philistines probably had a lot more men, and even if David felt confident about winning the battle at Keilah, he had to be worried about future reprisals from the Philistines.  Then, it would be more difficult to hide among the Philistines from Saul, taking away more of David’s options.  And it’s not just about David, but also the men following him.  If he led his men to Keilah and they got trapped, Saul would probably kill all of them like the priests of Nob.  All these concerns (and more) must have gone through David’s mind when he heard that the Philistines were raiding Keilah, but he had the capacity to say, “Maybe I should do something.”  David had a lot of reasons to ignore what was happening at Keilah, to take it as another piece of bad news.  After all, what connection did he have with Keilah?  But I imagine David was stirred by the thought of the Philistines attacking his people, looting the threshing floors and stealing the food that the poor people of Keilah had worked for.  And David, with his 600 men, had the crazy idea that he might be able to do something, so he asked God about it. That’s why David is called a man after God’s own heart – he sees the plight of others, he is concerned about it, and he offers what he has.  He is willing to risk everything for the sake of helping others who can’t do anything for him. That’s God’s heart for people, and from David’s inquiry and obedience to God, it’s clear that David shares God’s heart.

What can I learn from the fact that God asks David to go and rescue Keilah even while David is on the run?  Are there some ways in which I excuse myself from doing the work of God because I am currently in the midst of other pressing things? I think God is looking for people who share his heart and concern for others.  It’s not about what I can offer, but whether or not I am willing to set aside my agenda and be available for God to use.  After all, God assures David that he will be victorious at Keilah, so it’s not a matter of whether David can defeat the Philistines.  But prior to that assurance, David takes the initiative to ask God about Keilah, and I imagine God must have been delighted to hear this question from David.  This is the type of king God wants for his people, and I think God wants David to experience being used to be a source of blessing to others.  That’s God’s heart for me as well.  When I have a lot going on, whether it’s stress from work, marriage, my son, my immediate family, or all of the above, my instinct is to hoard whatever resources I have and shut my heart towards being concerned for others.  I tell myself that I don’t have the capacity to be worried about others, that I have to take care of myself first, and I rationalize my inaction by saying I don’t know what I could do to help.  But again, God is looking for willingness to be used by him, so I don’t have an excuse.

Submitted by Grace Kim, Gracepoint Berkeley

What can I learn from the fact that God asks David to go and rescue Keilah even while David is on the run? I can learn that we are still in the position to help others even as we are personally going through things and they seen to be pressing. I myself have done this as well as others, where I am going through some struggle and I feel like I cannot and should not do anything to help others. Or I get so preoccupied with things that I have to do.

Are there some ways in which I excuse myself from doing the work of God because I am currently in the midst of other pressing things? There are many ways in which I can participate in the work of God even in the midst of my personal struggles. Right now, I have an ailing mother who is just coming out of the critical stage, I gave birth less than a week ago & trying to recover as I take care of my newborn at home. I can excuse myself from continuing to be aware of what is going on around me, with my friends, ministry, and church, but I see that God wants me to not be inwardly bent, but to continue to participate in the work of God in ways that I can. Concretely, I can daily pray for the Mexico mission trip, as well as all the other things that are going on around me. There are just endless list of things that I can pray for, and I can fill my anxieties about the uncertainty of the future with that of prayers. There are MS & HS camps coming up, all the interhigh churches that we are pushing for this, different people that are struggling, for pastor Ed & Kelly, as well as for all of us as we are gearing up for domestic mission trips & for the fall semester. Seeing my mom go through yet another critical stage, I was reminded that the greatest need man has is to have a vibrant & living relationship with God. There is no one in this world that can possibly fill the place that God needs to have in our lives, and this is made crystal clear as I face helpless situations and currently with my mom’s condition. And I see that I need to continue to participate in ways that I can so that  more and more people’s relationship with God to be bridged.
What biblical definition of encouragement can I find in this text? The biblical definition of encouragement found in this text is that of helping another find strength in God.

Why is pointing people to God the best way to encourage them? Pointing people to God is the best way to encourage them because God is the ultimate encourager and in him nothing is impossible; he can handle all things that you can possibly bring to him – from sin issues, personal circumstances, etc. God can encourage you like no one else can. I have seen my mom get encouraged by God time after time again, as she has been battling cancer. Through the ups and downs, the good news and the bad news, God has been sustaining her and encouraging her through his word like no other human being can.

Who has God used to help me find strength in God? We have found strength in God through the many concrete actions of care & love that the church members have provided for my family and through their prayers. Different people have come by to pray with me, to bring over food, asking me what I need & would like, texting & emailing us that they are really praying for us. As I have also come to acknowledge the difficult circumstance that we are in, with my mom still being treated daily at the hospital, I found encouragement through people praying with us and for us. These are prayers that are not simply muttered as a wishful thinking, but are directed towards a God who is living, faithful, and in whom all things are possible. Prayer is such a privilege in that I have access to God in whom is hope and comfort that no man can bring. I know that my family has been carried through my prayers and because of them, we are able to stay strong in God and not break down in despair. I am just thankful for the church that really knows how to help one find strength in God by their prayers and through their concrete acts of love.

Saul tragically rejects the very reasonable and plausible explanation of Ahimelech regarding his innocent provision for David.  What does Saul risk if he believes him?  What does he risk if he holds onto his suspicion and acts on it? Saul risks being fooled if he believes Ahimelech and his explanation, and that in fact Ahimelech and David are conspiring against him and laying in wait against him.  He risks being in a more vulnerable position.  But Saul also takes great risks if he holds onto his suspicion and acts on it.  If he is wrong, he is persecuting and murdering innocent people.  And as if killing another person wasn’t bad enough, he they are priests of the Lord no less.  He is not just harming his fellow man, but he is acting against God.  He risks alienating his followers, his officials, the people in general and undermining himself and his kingship in that way.  He risks chasing and trying to kill a person who is loyal to him and who has been a great help and benefit to him and his kingdom.  He risks making an enemy out of one who has the favor of God, and further rejecting God in his own life.  He risks living a life of fear and giving into paranoia again and again and not being able to trust anyone.

Why would Saul choose as he did? Saul would choose as he did because he fears losing his position and his kingship too much.  He is too paranoid and too insecure.  He is too jealous of David and allows himself to believe the worst, allowing what others tell him to confirm his fears.  Nothing else is as important as protecting himself and persecuting his enemies.  He is blinded from the truth, refuses to listen to reason from others, and allows the voices of suspicion inside himself to drive him to the wrong decisions.

When I am faced with circumstances that cause me to suspect something, how ready am I to reject my own theory and believe the reasonable explanation of others? When I am faced with circumstances that cause me to suspect something, I think for the most part that I am ready to reject my own theory and believe the reasonable explanation of others.  I think I am a pretty trusting guy and I take what people say at their word.  Of course, I think it depends on the circumstance as well though.  There are times and situations where I am not ready to reject my own theory and believe the reasonable explanation of others.  I can have a lot of confidence in myself and there is this default setting in me that always think that I’m right.  But especially in situations in which I really want something or desire something, and the reasonable explanation of others will conflict with that desire, then I am unwilling to reject my own theory.  I just want to keep believing what I want to believe, in hopes that things will turn out the way that I want and that I’ll get what I desire.  It can be very irrational and foolish, harmful and self-destructive, as evidenced by Saul’s example.

Which do I want to avoid more: believing someone who is not telling me the truth, or suspecting someone who is telling me the truth?
These both seem like things that I should want to avoid.  I should avoid believing someone who is not telling me the truth, and I should want to avoid suspecting someone who is telling me the truth.  My instinctive nature is to want to avoid more believing someone who is not telling me the truth.  There is a part of me that does not want to be tricked, that does not want to be fooled, that does not want to be surprised, that does not want to be betrayed or unprepared.  So if I avoid believing someone who is not telling me the truth, then I would have successfully put myself in a better position to not suffer any of those things.  But I think that from the passage, it shows the danger of suspecting someone who is telling me the truth and what can become of that.  Having that kind of nature is very alienating to others, very isolating to myself, and very multiplicative in nature and leads down a lonely, insecure, fear-filled life.  It is something that I should be wanting to avoid more in how I relate to other people.

1 Samuel 22:17-19

Contrast Doeg the Edomite and the king’s officials “who were not willing to raise a hand to strike the priests of the LORD.”  What kind of person was Doeg the Edomite?   Do I see similarities in me? Doeg the Edomite seemed to have no reservations and no hesitation in striking down the priests of the Lord.  There was no consideration of whether this was right or wrong, no fear of God that he was killing the priests of the Lord.  The king’s officials seemed to have considered those things, as they were unwilling to raise a hand to strike the priests of the Lord.  Perhaps Doeg the Edomite saw this as a way to gain favor from the king and enhance his position, increase in his standing, power, wealth, etc.  Perhaps he saw it as his chance to move up in the world, and that’s all he cared about.  He was ambitious, an opportunist that was just out for himself, and willing to do anything, whether it was right or wrong, as long as it served his purposes.   I don’t think I am like that particularly, but I can see similarities in myself in that I am selfish and can be concerned with my own well-being first and foremost in certain situations.  There are times that I can sacrifice the truth or ignore the truth.  What Doeg the Edomite does and what kind of person he is is so ugly, and I need to see that those parts of myself are so ugly as well, and that I need to really try to change those areas.  One way is to really focus on being other centered in all situations, and put my own desires and my own concerns last.

Why does God, who was himself “grieved” by Saul, chide Samuel for continuing to “mourn for Saul”? God Himself grieved for Saul, but He chides Samuel for continuing to mourn for Saul. He says to Samuel – How long will you mourn for Saul, I have rejected him. Now move on because I have prepared another person to be king. God doesn’t just remain in His grief over Saul and His disobedience and rejection of God, but He is continually moving to do His work and He has already prepared someone else to take Saul’s place and lead His people. This shows me that while our sins and failures do grieve God and anger Him, it doesn’t stop Him and He is working to continue His agenda. He doesn’t give up, doesn’t waste time, He’s focused on getting His work done and He is still willing to work with His people.

Is there some loss I am grieving, or some source of discouragement I am dwelling on to an inappropriate degree or self-indulgent way? I feel discouraged and grief over my sins and my actions that harm and hurt others, as well as my stubbornness and pride that wants to deny it when it is exposed. I feel discouraged when I see my failures as a friend, a wife, a leader, and can easily just swim in my thoughts of grief in a self-indulgent way. But while I see that it’s appropriate to feel grief over myself and a sense of shame, it’s inappropriate to dwell on it excessively in a self-indulgent way so that I am not able to see what God is still doing, not able to continue in what God is still calling me to do. Instead I need to be humbled and also grateful and in awe that still God uses people and doesn’t give up. This text is so timely for me right as I have been feeling grief and slight paralysis about myself and my sins. My thoughts swirl around in the ways I have failed and just stay self-indulgent in pity. But while God wants me to notice these things and is grieved Himself, He doesn’t indulge and let it paralyze His work, but He wants me to move on, to grow in what it means to follow faithfully, obediently, humbly. There are people whom I need to be that shepherd for, there are leaders I need to encourage and work hard with, there are co-laborers who are working hard and I need to work alongside.

Reflect on the fact that “The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”  What are some external things that the world looks at to evaluate people?

• Competence. People admire and value people when they’re able to multi-task and do it well, accomplish tasks, have many skills and talents and is overall an “asset” to the group.
• Social skills. The world values those who are charming and pleasant, can win the crowd and are “good” with people, may be the life of the party, bring laughter and fun to whatever group they are a part of.
• External beauty and looks. The world values those who have the socially acceptable appearance, physically fit and beautiful, grooms self well and you wouldn’t be embarrassed to be with that person, is up to date with fashion and style, confident.
• Accomplishments. The world values those who are intelligent, has good career and wide network, have impressive achievements on belt that show that they are driven and successful.

Where is my greater focus, “outward appearance” or “the heart” when it comes to evaluating myself, and others? It always startles me how even now I still have an initial response to the “outward appearances” rather than the heart of people. I realize how deep these world values have been entrenched and need to be conscience to fight initial assessments and even prejudices. When people seem “popular”, have a certain confidence or is even well accomplished, I feel slightly intimidated or even admire them. But as I do ministry and understand that what is external doesn’t reflect the heart, and what’s in the heart is what they are really about, that people have real needs that contradict their external appearance, I realize I need to battle my focus on the external things, to not value and judge people by their appearances, to think that person is able, but really need to look at the heart and what is going on inside and think in what ways do they need help, in what ways do I need to be more discerning and not just judge by the external.

Even with myself, I just get focused on how I appear a certain way – have failed in certain way and seem foolish or incompetent to others, and I just feel ashamed or just want to hide. Or things will be going ok externally, and humility flees and I take pride and reassurance. This is so foolish because in the end, it’s what’s in my heart that matter to God and will also manifest itself and affect my ministry, my relationships with people, the things of the long run.

What am I doing to cultivate a heart after God?I need to be a person of obedience and self-denial, of just being faithful to follow God and do what He asks regardless of how I feel about myself and how I feel about other people, how competent or incompetent, how well put together or how frazzled I may feel. I need to deny my assessment of myself (I stink and I’m a failure, or I’m doing ok and things are pretty awesome), and be humble to just follow and obey. When struggles come out, to not over-grieve but to just be humble and follow, when things are going well, to not get proud and complacent but to be faithful to take care of God’s people under my care… In the end, it’s about obedience to God that will cultivate a heart that is after God and not myself.

1 Samuel 9:1-17

Reflect on the chain of events that brings Saul to Samuel. Saul’s dad lost some donkeys and asked Saul to go look for them.  Saul did.   Saul wasn’t lazy at all.  He looked like a faithful servant who wanted to carry out his father’s business.  He was so mindful of his father and his wishes.  He even had sense to know that his father would begin to worry more about him than the donkeys if Saul did not return.  Saul was going to, but was prompted by his servant to go see the seer, which led him to an unforgettable meeting with Samuel.

What insight does this give me on the potential of small events, e.g. a brief conversation with someone, a one-time encounter with the gospel, to lead to greater things in someone else’s life? What this tells me is that big things happen because of a string of small things.  Saul became King, but this title and role didn’t just land on Saul.  One thing led to another, and these things weren’t grandiose.  Saul listened to his father and then he looked for donkeys.  Saul listened to his servant and then looked for a Seer.  What this tells me is that I must never hold myself back from any activity because I think it’s too small or insignificant.  I am here because Pastor Ed listened to one of his students saying, “you have to meet this guy.”  How does salvation in any one soul happen?  It happens by handing out a flyer, by going to the DC, by having a simple conversation, by inviting them to a NSWN, by having talks, etc.  Salvation, discipleship and the raising of Christians and leaders happens through one small event at a time.  What strikes me about Saul is his humility and thoughtfulness.  He cared so much about his father’s desires.  He was also willing to listen to his father and to his servant.  He was very mindful of others and not himself.

1 Samuel 8:10-19
Samuel tells the Israelites that their king, in short, will enslave them.   Even though Samuel explained what this king would do to the Israelites, they still insisted on having a king. Why? The reason that they still wanted a king was they wanted to be like other nations.  Even though Samuel told them what the king would do, they still thought that being led by a king who will fight their battles is worth the price of conscription of their sons and daughters.  I think they were fooled by the wonderful image of a king leading them into battle and they discounted the possibility and perhaps even the severity of conscription.

How is God different from the king that Samuel described? God is for the people.  As he writes in Jeremiah 29:11, he has a plan for us, plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us a hope and a future.   God is for us whereas this king is for himself.  I would rather put my hands in a God I can’t see than a king that I can see.  I’d rather be with God and be different rather than be with a king and like the nations.

What aspects of my life can I commit to entrusting to God at this time? What I need to entrust to God is my children—their relational and spiritual welfare, their academics and their future.  What I need to entrust to God is the material things that I need in order to live and do ministry.  What I need to entrust to God is my time.  I can totally see myself making some mistakes by trying to pursue more time so that I can have time to take care of the items on my to-do list.

1 Samuel 8:7, 21-22

What lesson about God’s response to human persistence and sinfulness can be learned from this event?  What insight about the world and how God interacts with human decisions and events does this provide? What I can learn is that God is willing to lose when it comes to a love relationship his man.  Ultimately he gives us what we want.  What this means is that the world that we live—the bad things—are not as a result of God but about the sinfulness of man and man ultimately getting what he wants.

Despite the evidence that it was the hand of God, why would they still consider the possibility that “it happened to us by chance? Despite the evidence that it was the hand of God, they would still consider the possibility that “it happened to us by chance” as a last ditch effort to alleviate their guilt.  If it was by chance, then it’s not because God is displeased with them and I think ultimately it would make them feel better about themselves.  Nobody likes to have people unhappy and displeased with us.  If it were chance, then it would remove that feeling.

Are there times when I have wanted to dismiss God’s clear hand in my life as mere chance? Yes, there are times when I have wanted to dismiss God’s clear hand in my life as mere chance.  This happens when I am corrected or when the word of God addresses me about some sin issue in my life.  I end up dismissing God’s clear had in my life by excusing my sins away, coming up with excuses for why I did this or did that or failed to do this or that.  As long as I have other people to blame or circumstances to blame, then I can deflect what God’s trying to tell me about myself and my heart.  I turn it into either an accident, like I was selfish by accident, I said hurtful things accidentally, or into a misunderstanding, which is almost like turning the table around to say that it was the mistake of the person correcting me for misunderstanding my intentions.  As I read this account of the Philistines, it is so clear to me as the audience that it was not mere chance but it was God’s clear hand, but when you’re on the receiving end of that, we so much want to avoid negative truths about ourselves, it’s amazing to what extent we would believe our own false thoughts.

What are some things I can do to avoid dismissing God’s clear hand in my life as mere chance? I think for one I need to have times of honest reflection about myself, I need to look at the evidence of what God has been showing me and listen to godly people who tell me truths about myself and just trust that they see things more clearly than I do myself because my natural impulse is to defend myself and excuse myself.

1 Samuel 5:1-8

“It must have disturbed a conquering people to discover their god bowing down before the ark of a vanquished people. Their instinct to prop their god back up is a natural one. It is not easy to relinquish an inadequate understanding of God. Even today when our little gods fall, our first instinct is not to abandon them but to prop them up again.”[1]

What assumptions about God and about Dagon were (or should have been) shattered by the events related in this passage? The Philistines must have assumed that the God of the Israelites were inferior to their own god, Dagon, since they had defeated the Israelites. The events related in this passage should have corrected that idea in a dramatic way. Even the idea that the Lord and Dagon are both gods and that one isn’t superior to the other would have been shattered. The breaking of the Dagon statue should have shown that Dagon is not the equal of the Lord. It would also shattered the idea that the Lord is a god that can be taken and owned, as though moving the ark of the Lord into a temple means they’ve got in locked in. The outbreak of devastation and tumors should have shown that they didn’t control God, but that they were at God’s mercy, and that Dagon couldn’t defend the Philistines from God – he couldn’t even keep from falling. This should have revealed that Dagon was either powerless or even lifeless.

In what ways can I relate to their basic instinct to “put him back in his place?” The instinct to “put him back in his place”, to prop up the idol back up is something I can definitely relate to. Even after I’ve experienced that money or possession of some thing, or selfish lifestyle of comfort seeking don’t provide lasting joy, I’ve returned to it, and sought after it. Like the Samaritan woman at the well who kept turning to marriage for happiness despite disappointment after disappointment, I’ve returned to false “gods” for happiness even after they’ve failed to provide anything lasting. When I was younger, I was convinced that I’d be happy if only I had the latest toy, or the latest gadget, or the most desirable stuff, whatever that happened to be at the moment, and if I wasn’t happy, that meant where was more stuff to get. When I got older, it was the idea of money, and then the idea of achievements and success, and then the desire for comfort. Each time these idols fell, I felt the instinct to put them back, and try again. It’s not easy to give up a false god, and the instinct to want to try one more time is strong. Each time a possession or money or comfort fails, there’s the belief that it failed because I needed more of it – more gadgets, or more money, or more pleasure. In this way, it’s a self-sustaining loop that’s really hard to get out of. Also, there’s fear of not having an idol propped up there – if an idol falls and I don’t put it back up, there’s fear of not having anything to go after, and therefore losing a sense of purpose and guidance (as in what to live for, what to go after). And there’s also fear of the unknown so that a known idol is better than something brand new that a change would bring about. It would like the Samaritan woman knowing that marriage wasn’t the answer but not knowing what else there was, and not wanting emptiness, put up with the false idol of marriage.

What can I learn about human nature from the fact that the Philistines’ reaction to the supernatural events surrounding the ark was simply to avoid further contact by sending it away? The Philistines’ response to the devastation of sending the ark of the Lord away and avoiding further contact with it shows the human tendency of not wanting to deal with problems. Human nature is to avoid dealing with the truth if that causes problems or difficulties. So sending the ark away is to try to put it out of sight and therefore out of mind. Philistines’ reaction was to just get the problem away rather than try to see what they could learn from what had happened. They could have recognized that God is greater than Dagon and therefore they need to learn about God and worship God. God acted in a way that the Philistines didn’t understand, but rather than trying understand, they showed that they preferred to avoid having to find out. Instead of seeking to learn, they gave into human nature tendency of wanting the easiest solution, which is often just sending the problem away. Often, going out of my limited range of understanding and to seek to learn God’s way is more difficult than just avoiding thinking about it altogether. That’

1 Samuel 5:1-12

The capture of the ark by the victorious Philistines would have tarnished God’s name. There would have been despair among the Israelites, and gloating among the Philistines. What does God demonstrate through subsequent events? From human perspective, the defeat of the Israelites and the capture of the ark of the Lord by their enemies the Philistines should have tarnished the name and reputation of Lord the God of the Israelites. This would have led to despair among his people and gloating among their enemies. But that’s from limited understanding. The fact was, God is sovereign and in control. He allowed the ark to be taken, and he wasn’t “possessed” or owned by anyone, or any nation. He taught Israelites a lesson, and also demonstrated to the Philistines that their god was powerless. God demonstrates that he was not controlled by anybody, as though the ark could be used as a weapon or trophy or some possession to be stored away. Even today, when people wonder about God’s reputation being tarnished by things some Christians do, or people fight over who “controls” what God stands for or what doctrines are God-given, God is sovereign: God is not owned or controlled by anyone.

In what way does this reveal the limitation of human thoughts? This passage shows that God’s plans and goals are way beyond human thinking. According to human understanding, God was another god that people “worship” and control. According to human thoughts, the capture of the ark of the Lord would have been a terrible tarnishing of God’s name. But the events that unfolded showed how limited human thinking is, in that God revealed his sovereignty even in the defeat of his people, and showed that he was in control at all times. The saying that God’s ways are higher than our ways is not a simple cliché. Human thoughts would not have anticipated how things would have worked out, and would not have imagined that defeat of God’s people would serve any good.

Submitted by Conrad Chu, Gracepoint Berkeley

1 Samuel 5:1-8

“It must have disturbed a conquering people to discover their god bowing down before the ark of a vanquished people.  Their instinct to prop their god back up is a natural one.  It is not easy to relinquish an inadequate understanding of God.  Even today when our little gods fall, our first instinct is not to abandon them but to prop them up again.”^[1]

• What assumptions about God and about Dagon were (or should have been) shattered by the events related in this passage?

The Philistines witnessed this faux power struggle between God and Dagon, though Dagon is just an idol and portrayed to be inferior and subservient to God of Israel.  First, they see that the God of Israel is more powerful than Dagon.  To see your god figure bowing down before another god was clearly symbolic of Yahweh’s superiority.  Yet, they attempted to recover the situation by propping Dagon back up only to have things escalate.  The God of Israel was clearly trying to prove a point to them.

Second, we know people of that time considered deities to be localized by region.  Yahweh, Israel’s god, was deep in Philistine territory and so the assumption would be that he would be held captive to the power and dominion of Dagon.  But the opposite was true.  So that should have shattered the idea that the power of God is limited by locality.  In fact, as they try to relocate the ark of God to other cities, you actually see how the idea of God acting locally is still prevalent in their minds.  That is if they relocate the ark to another city, God’s afflictions on them would move there also. It’s the only model of God they seem to understand.

Third, I think there’s a lot of insight on the entire context.  The Philistines defeated the Israelites, which supposedly would mean Dagon is more powerful than Yahweh (they are in Israelite territory when the Israelites are defeated).  Yet upon bringing what they perceived as the idol of Yahweh (the ark) back to their territory, Yahweh clearly shows vast superiority to Dagon.  So, one assumption that should have been shattered is the idea that the wins/losses are determined by the strength of your God.  I think there’s an important, simple lesson … that wins and losses in life are not signs of whether God is with you or not.  Often, I think it’s really easy to think when things are going well, God is with you.  You feel empowered, and God is close.  But when things aren’t going so well, well, it’s not that God has abandoned yet, but perhaps He’s not that close or acting in your favor.  In that way, like the Philistines, I think it’s a warning for me to not discern God’s working merely on situational outcomes.

• In what ways can I relate to their basic instinct to “put him back in his place?”

I think this is a case where you’re banking on an idol that suddenly fails you.  You would think that you would just abandon it.  But, not, you brush it off as an exception, and you place it back on its pedestal.  For me, I remember putting some of my hopes in work, in the company mission for example.  But after a year or two, that which I placed hope on starts to shown signs of faultiness.  Maybe the company isn’t doing so well, or isn’t delivering on promises.  It’s not as exciting as it was in the beginning.  Perhaps there are opportunities to really think about the grand picture of things, that life isn’t just about your job or career accomplishments.  But fighting that admission is the instinct to think it’s just gonna better, and syche yourself up you do your best to restore the aspirations that is waning.  It’s so instinctual to trust in an idol, even though it has failed you not once, but repeatedly.

• What can I learn about human nature from the fact that the Philistines’ reaction to the supernatural events surrounding the ark was simply to avoid further contact by sending it away?

I think this illustrates a classic mechanism of human nature, which is to avoid the supernatural by literally sending it away.  The Philistines upon receiving the afflictions, they not consider that the God of Israel, who clearly is more powerful than their Dagon, as the better of object of worship and obedience.  They insist that Yahweh (who technically in their mind, is out of his region element) can be reigned in and sent away to another city and provide relief from afflictions.  I think similarly, people often will dismiss supernatural events, not on intellectual reasons, but rather, because it might actually have a say in their lives or demand some changes in your life.

Our human natural selves, upon interacting with the supernatural, simply do not comprehend.  1 Corinthians 2:14-15, “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. 15 The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments.”  I think that aspect of human nature is being illustrates in today’s passage.  Where we see in the Philistine sending God away when the supernatural begins to take a claim on their lives with real effect.

It’s through the spirit, that I upon promptings from God, can act of them, and not “send them” away (basically ignore it).  Or the Word of God, as it lays claim to my life, to not dismiss it as not for me and likewise, “send it away.”

• Have there been times when I’ve felt threatened by God’s activity and responded in a similar way?

I remember after I graduated, there was a prompting to maybe go to missions.  But I “sent” that prompting away by citing in my mind that it was not be practical given I just started grad school.  It was further substantiated by the fact that no one in my program ever took a leave of absence for non-medical reasons.  It just seemed like something that I could not do.  But the prompting continued, and eventually, my leader asked me.  I knew at this point, it was something I could not ignore, and that’s when I actually started praying about it, especially my fears.  Could I put everything on hold for God?  It felt like giving up a lot, and at the same time, I could “send” away the conviction that I have this once in a lifetime chance to actually give up something very valuable for Him.  In the end, I went, but it was definitely a situation where God’s direction for my life ran into the interference of my own ambitions and dreams, and I tried to ignore it, but in the end, God thankfully prevailed.

1 Samuel 5:1-12

• The capture of the ark by the victorious Philistines would have tarnished God’s name.  There would have been despair among the Israelites, and gloating among the Philistines. What does God demonstrate through subsequent events?
• In what way does this reveal the limitation of human thoughts?

God demonstrates that in the end, He is in control.  Like in yesterday’s DT, I thought about how much God will tarnish his own reputation for the sake of loving discipline of His people.  Yet, God is ultimately sovereign and is not held captive to our own thoughts and expectations.  Justice and rightness ultimately prevailed, despite a massive loss by Israel.  In the end, the events that unfolded among the Philistines bore out a witness of God that was entirely unique, demonstrating that God’s power extended beyond mere local regions (something perhaps the Israelites did not fully understand), and that in the polytheistic climate of the day, the God of Israel has no equal.  And I think from the Israelite perspective, what would they have seen by the events among the Philistines?  That though they were routed in battle and losing all their priests (Eli and 2 sons), that God would return to them and had not abandoned them after all.  It was hard lesson, wrought by discipline, and gave way to a deeper understanding that God is totally free and independent.  God is not on their side, as they get to be on God’s side.  God would demonstrate his own power to Philistines, without the need of armies.

I think in the end, what the events bear out is that human thought often is self-centric.  It’s human-centric.  It pits pros and cons, benefits and costs, all in the context of our own good.  That’s the inherent limitation of human thought.  It’s so local, so limited in imagination, and entirely practical.  We cannot see beyond what we can do by our own hands and sometimes, we limit God because we think he has to work through us through out hands and limitations.  Today’s passage, God jumps solo into enemy territory and unfolds supernatural events, something that would be outside the bounds of what the Israelites thought possible because of the reasons above.  They were stuck; that somehow God is limited because we are limited, and from today’s passage, that is not the picture of God that we get.

1 Samuel 4:11

What can I learn about what God values from the fact that He allowed “the ark of God” to be so disgracefully captured by the Philistines? That God allowed the ark of God to be so disgracefully captured by the Philistines shows that God values the integrity of His people – for them to learn that they can’t use His name to win battles then forget about Him every other day and disregard their covenant with Him. God did not value so much the ark – the token – itself, but what it symbolized – His covenantal relationship with them through the laws that He had given them to keep. He was not concerned about how the Philistines would rejoice over this victory and be proud that they were able to defeat the “gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the desert” (4:8). He was still God, still in control, not insecure because He would eventually display His sovereignty through David who did honor His covenant.

If there is a situation in which obedience to God’s word or seeking His honor will also lead to a public embarrassment to the reputation of Christianity, what should be done? If there is a situation in which obedience to God’s Word or seeking His honor will also lead to a public embarrassment to the reputation of Christianity, we must obey rather than hide, honor integrity for God sees what is really going on. Embarrassment to the reputation of Christianity is a shame and unfortunate, but it’s nothing God cannot handle, redeem, or outshine with the truth of the gospel and what Christ did for sinners on the cross for those very embarrassments that we are willing to acknowledge and repent of.

1 Samuel 4:12-22

Eli’s sin as the spiritual leader of Israel was not that he did not know what was right and wrong, nor that he did not care enough.  It simply was that he did not have the will and strength of character to take action according to his beliefs, i.e., passivity.  Reflect on the outcome of Eli’s passivity.  How was God’s name dishonored and who are the people who suffered the consequences of his passivity?

Eli knew that what his sons did was wrong and shameful, yet he merely scolded them without properly communicating God’s holiness, and therefore His wrath and outcry against sin, and the depth of their sinfulness and rebellion against God. He failed to use his authority as a father and as the high priest to show them the consequences of violating God’s honor and the privileges and responsibilities of the priesthood.

Eli’s passivity toward the people of Israel, failing to instruct them in the Word of God, reminding them of who God is through His character and history with them, and why He is worthy of their worship and obedience to His laws, led to the people’s disregard for God’s law and becoming users of God only in a time of crisis. They were disconnected from God’s covenant with them, a relationship with God. Trying to take advantage of God’s name led to their disgraceful defeat to the Philistines and loss of the ark of the covenant.

Eli’s passivity in not knowing anything about the people or even his sons led to their shameful sins against God, His holiness, and other people as they took advantage of their position to get the best for themselves with complete disregard for God. Eli had to find out from others what deplorable things his sons were doing and failed to punish them appropriately which caused them to be even more hardened and desensitized to sin. They were so deluded that they thought carrying the ark of the covenant would get God on their side to win the battle against the Philistines even though they had brought shame to God through their sinful acts. Eli’s sons suffered from the consequences of Eli’s passivity as he failed to be a mirror to them and teach them to connect their sins back to God and see their wrong, feel horrified by how they had violated God’s honor and repent. Eli’s passivity with his sons led to the embarrassment of losing the ark to the Philistines.

1 Samuel 4:6-11

What might have been some expectations and calculations behind their decision to bring the ark into battle? They might have expected that bringing the ark into battle would cause God to forcefully eliminate their enemies, so that they would not have to fight the Philistines or suffer loss, that if they did this act of carrying the ark carefully into battle, God would be pleased and make them victorious.  Or they might have thought, if we bring the ark amongst us, God will make the Philistines flee and we will not have to fight at all.

Are there some ways in which I think of God in ways similar to the Israelites? I can think of God in ways similar to the Israelites in mistakenly expecting God to make life easy for me, or things to go smoothly, if I will just do a few things, without really surrendering to Him my entire life and heart.  I can think that if I try at Christian life, obey in a few areas, don’t live a flagrantly materialistic lifestyle, give up some time and energy, go to church, that God should and will respond by being pleased and making life easy for me, or at least changing/improving my character.  I see this in how I can get frustrated, disappointed, and self-pitying at my lack of change, immaturity, wickedness, and when I have responded to God or people pointing out areas of my life that are inconsistent with God’s commands with complaint, self-pity, even defensiveness, that at least I am trying and expecting God to give me some kind of credit for my efforts, some credit of “success” at Christian life or approval.  My attitude is so proud and ludicrous, like that of the Israelites, who thought that if they just did some action like bringing the ark amongst them while ignoring the rest of their lives, God would grant them victory over their enemies, because I too am thinking that if I just do certain things, just try, God should give me victory over my enemies, especially failure.

Reflect on Micah 6:8 in this light.

⁶ With what shall I come before the Lord

and bow down before the exalted God?

Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,

with calves a year old?

⁷ Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,

with ten thousand rivers of oil?

Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,

the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

⁸ He has showed you, O man, what is good.

And what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy

and to walk humbly with your God.

God is so relational.  He is love, and shows me what love really is.  Until I became a Christian, I thought I was a relational person, but through the years I have seen more and more how unrelational I am with God as well as with others.  This is because I am so selfish and sparing and proud, wanting to give the minimum, the expected standard, what I “should” do rather than just giving my whole heart in wild abandon.  God does demand our entire lives, but He is not so much about impressive actions and sacrifices as just that whole surrender of our hearts to Him.  Like in a love relationship, what matters is the day-to-day interaction, the commitment to be faithful and there through thick and thin, not the once in a while nice fancy dramatic deed.  It’s actually disdainful in a love relationship to bring some sacrifice, do some dramatic deed, and be self-congratulatory all the while ignoring the other parts of your life that are offensive or unsurrendered to the one you love.  I see this in my friend’s boyfriend, who does super-romantic dramatic things like planning a surprise birthday party for her on an island, but he is not willing to just commit and get married.  It is disdainful to me, and shows me he doesn’t really love her, or else he would commit.  In the same way, I am disdainful in treating God in this way, wanting and expecting His favor and blessing by doing a few things here and there, while holding back giving Him my entire heart and life, my desire for a sense of control, my self-preserving refusal to surrender it all, to give up this miserable project of me and my pride and comfort.  He just wants me to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with Him.  He wants me to daily connect with Him honestly, to repent over my sins, to recognize He is the Lord of my life, not just check things off, do something here or there to curry favor with Him.  He doesn’t just want my attention once in a while, like on Sundays or Tuesdays or Fridays, or each morning when I do my DT, all the while otherwise me ignoring/rejecting Him and His authority.  I see how God too must be offended at my pride and arrogance when I feel justified or like I’m okay with Him because of a few things I do, or trying to check things off, instead of just approaching Him DAILY humbly, wanting to connect with Him personally in my DT, repenting quickly of my pettiness and sins.

Submitted by Bo Chen, Gracepoint Davis

• People think they can seek God’s presence by seeking to “fix” themselves. They quickly change behavior or do the right things, but never truly repented of their disobedience and sins against God.
• They know that something isn’t right in their lives, either some things missing or not going well. And they feel the need to “go back to church” thinking that perhaps through this, life would be better. So people start going back to church merely for Sunday attendance, but not really interested in relating to God, listening to Him or obeying Him.
• People may be into Christian religion and saying/doing all the right things that it is more like a clean, wholesome lifestyle and culture to feel good about themselves but not about God.
• People may be into seeking the emotional aspect of feeling God’s presence without knowing God’s word and what He calls to obey.
• People seek the blessings that God provide such as rich relationships, supportive community, future spouse, and meaningful work to engage in. Being surrounded by these blessings can make them feel that they’re relating to God okay, while ignoring their sins and God Himself.

How do I do this in my own life? It is tempting, when confronted with some issues or recurring sins, to want to quickly repent and seek God’s presence in order to be relieved of the discomfort and pain of struggling. I might do this by giving a quick realization, resolution or agreeing to the facts without really allowing the truth to personally impact me or owning up to the whole truth about my disobedience and sins. Or I seek the feeling of God’s presence by substituting with good work (busying myself) or affirmation from people. But what is most important is to own up to the lack of obedience to God’s word and how I’ve sinned against Him. God is not interested in right actions outwardly but true transformation in my heart through confession and repentance.

Why would people do this?

1 Samuel 4:6-11

Are there some ways in which I think of God in ways similar to the Israelites?    I remember this was my struggle that I thought I could manipulate God in order to produce the right, expected outcome for my life and have good things happen in my life. I thought it meant to go through religious actions, and then God should be on my side. This was the same twisted thought that the Israelites had in thinking that God could be controlled and manipulated for their own use, when God is not like any other gods.

Even now, I still see this same pattern ingrained in me. Many times it’s subtle, when I equate serving God and following Him to having good things happen in my life. There’s a sense of expectation that life should be a certain way for me if I am faithful to God, and when that doesn’t happen, I question “what went wrong God?” and become disappointed. The truth is God richly blesses me with His presence or good things in my life not because I do the right things or because of my faithfulness, but purely because of God’s grace and mercy, and I can only thank Him and be filled with gratitude.  I can also see the same pattern even when I struggle with my sins in thinking that if I go through the right steps to read, reflect, fast, pray, I should “expect” that God would forgive me and I would come out of my struggle. But the truth is I can only ask God to have mercy on me and lead me through the process of repentance, soften my heart, grant me clarity and see the depth of sinfulness the way He sees it.  Romans 9:16 “It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.” God cannot be manipulated, and there’s nothing I can do to earn His favor, blessings, forgiveness from sins, and my salvation

1 Samuel 3:1-10

What is the relationship between “[knowing] the Lord” and the “word of the Lord?”

The Word of the Lord is the vehicle by which people come to know the Lord.  Indeed, there are other ways to know the Lord, whether by observing creation (Romans 1) or searching their own conscience (Romans 2). However, the main way is through the revelation of God’s Word, and because Samuel did not have the word of the Lord revealed to him, he did not have a personal intimate knowledge of God and his will.  That is why when God called him, he could not discern his voice.

Am I growing in my intimacy with the LORD through His word?

While I am still growing in my rote Bible knowledge (what is actually contained in these 66 books), I am also growing in my appreciation of God’s Word, seeking God’s heart through its pages.  The more I reveal the word of the Lord to the people I am ministering to, the more I understand the heart of God and his loving desires and intentions for his people.

Reflect on the words: “Speak, for your servant is listening.”  How frequently and sincerely do I bring this kind of attitude to God’s word?

As I have made it my practice to pray, “Speak to me, Lord, and open my heart to what You have to say to me,” before I even read the DT passage, I want to be personally addressed each day.  And not only with DT, I also want to be addressed when my wife or my leader or a fellow brother/sister brings a word from God to me.  I want to have that spirit of openness and approachability because I value my relationship with God and with people.

1 Samuel 3:11-14

God holds Eli responsible for “the sin he knew about” that his sons were committing.  In what ways does this challenge the prevailing notion that I am only responsible for myself?

That God holds Eli responsible for the sins he knew about – namely, the wicked deeds his sons had been committing – and for failing to restrain them shows me that I am responsible not only for myself but also for the people I have been entrusted with.  This is a disquieting reality, a very burdening fact that I need to embrace each day.  It is clear to me that I am responsible for my children, but not only for their physical welfare but also for their character development and spiritual health.  While it is clear with my children, I need to feel the daily pressure of the precious people God has entrusted me with.  God tells me that I am a watchman who needs to sound the warning trumpet when trouble looms in the horizon (Ezekiel 33), and that as a leader, I must give an account before God for the people I have been shepherding and disicpling (Hebrews 13).

There were specific facts that made Eli directly responsible for his sons’ sins.  Under what circumstances am I called to be responsible—if not directly, at least indirectly–for another’s sins, and what are some ways in which I can bear this responsibility?

I am called to be responsible for another person’s sins when I know about what they are doing and am convicted that it is wrong but remain silent and passive.  God calls me to see to it that none of my brothers has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God and is hardened by sin’s deceitfulness (Hebrews 3), and if I do not speak truth against them, then I am committing a sin of omission, preferring to remain comfortable than to agitate the status quo and risk our relationship.  But that is utter selfishness, not wanting to take ownership of the people in my life.

1 Samuel 3:15-18

How might Samuel have felt after he heard God’s pronouncement of judgment upon Eli’s family?

I imagine Samuel feeling terrified and burdened by the news of God’s judgment upon Eli’s family.  First, God spoke with words of finality (“The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering…”).  This ominous pronouncement showed that God meant business, showing God to be a God of wrathful justice and holy indignation.  Second, God was referring to people that Samuel himself was close to and familiar with – Eli, who practically raised him.

Are there some situations where I am tempted to hold back from telling the truth?

I am tempted to hold back from telling the truth when the truth has to do with people’s sins, character flaws, and relational issues, and when the intended audience are people I am close to and don’t want to jeopardize our relationship.  Whether it is bringing up an issue with my wife, disciplining my children, or correcting a student, I am tempted to say nothing and let the whole thing pass.

Reflect on Eli’s passivity regarding his sons and now God’s impending judgment.  Are there ways in which I am passive about my relationship with God and with others in a similar way?

One way in which I am passive with people is that after I give a word of instruction and correction to one of my students, I tell myself that I fulfilled my responsibility and that they heard what they needed to hear.  However, there is no vigorous follow-through, thinking of ways for them to apply what I told them to their lives or practical steps for them to take to grow.  I simply leave them to figure things out on their own.  Not only is this poor leadership lacking in wisdom, but it is also extremely passive and lazy.  The justification I give myself is that I do not want to be overbearing and micro-managing, but what ends up happening is that they are floundering, having to figure things out on their own, and ultimately they do not change at all – and I get frustrated.  If I take their relationship with God and their discipleship seriously, then I need to be involved in their lives with love and care and wisdom – especially as they have given me the trust to properly lead them.