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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.

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Reflect on the statements “you have all conspired against me,” “No one tells me,” “None of you is concerned about me or tells me.”  What is Saul failing to see in this state of self-pity, full of  victim complex?

The statements that Saul makes about his condition and others around him – they are such tragic, sad statements.  It makes me want to reach back into time and tell Saul that he’s making a huge mistake, that it’s not true that David “lies in wait” for him.  Yet if I were to do that, I have a feeling that Saul would simply add me onto the list of people who are against him.  And that’s the greatest tragedy of Saul’s self-pity and victim complex.  He is in a downward spiral, and he ends up moving away from the people around him like Jonathan who are trying to talk sense into him.  He complains that “no one tells me,” but why would anyone tell him, when he just tried to kill the last person who tried to talk truth into his life (Jonathan)?  He has become a dangerous and harmful person because of his self-pity, even killing the priests of God.  And ironically, his assessment of other’s avoidance becomes self-fulfilling.  Saul is so convinced that people are against him that he becomes warped in his view of reality, and in so doing, people are now moving away for him for real now.  What is truly scary is that when Saul feels threatened and reasons that people are against him, Saul is actually seeing some true things and connecting the dots.  It is true that Jonathan did make a covenant with David and did not tell Saul.  It’s true that Ahimelech provided bread and a sword for David.  With those data points, Saul connects the dots and comes up with a theory of “what’s really going on.”  It makes perfect sense to him.  Why would David get a sword?  What Saul fails to trace the steps backwards.  He fails to see that perhaps it’s because Saul threw a spear at him, and now David is on the run.  But Saul will not see that, because he has a self-coherent story of what’s “really going on.”  And once that story is set in his mind, there’s no way that anyone could break into that circle.  Even when David himself later spares Saul, which should have shown him once and for all that David is not lying in wait for him, it does not permanently destroy this internal story that Saul has in his mind,  because he keeps on going back to those “true” data points – connects the dots and tells the story to himself again and again.  I can see this Saul-likeness in people as well as the workings within my own heart.  When I indulge in self-pity or cast myself as some kind of a victim, there is a powerfully convincing story that I could come up with.  Of course, I will have to ignore a whole bunch of other facts, but if I selectively choose to only look at certain facts (like Jonathan secretly made a covenant with David, David has been anointed by Samuel who is now against me, and David got a sword), then I could possibly come up with a coherent story where I’m the victim and people are conspiring against me.  In that warped world, I’m misunderstood, I’m treated unfairly, and people are just against me.  Saul’s crazed massacre and his sad condition is a warning that I ought not to entertain such internal stories made from connecting the dots.  It ought to serve as a warning that I ought to be extra careful whenever I hear the words, “what’s really going on is…”  followed by some story of me being a victim.  Saul is so faithful to his own stories.  It says in 1 Sam 15 that God is grieved that he made Saul king.  I can also grieve along with God at the heartbreaking picture of Saul, and really repent of any Saul-likeness in me that stubbornly holds onto my own internal story of a tragic hero.

Submitted by Christine Chang, Gracepoint Davis

1 Samuel 21:1-9

“In this first story of David as fugitive, we see two elements emerge that are characteristic of this entire section on David’s adventures as a fugitive from Saul.  First, David becomes much more proactive than he has appeared in chaps. 18-20. He is not content to react to the actions of others, but he asserts himself, often in unconventional ways.  Second, Ahimelech is the first of what will be a growing list of those who recognize David as future king. This recognition is not always explicit, but David’s influence is seen as broadening and his support growing.”[1]

Think about how David’s life has been after he was anointed by Samuel (1 Samuel 16).  What expectations might David have had upon being anointed by Samuel, which subsequent events would have disappointed?

After having been appointed by Samuel, David must have thought that his life would become a lot easier. He was anointed king. It would be very different than being a shepherd of sheep, but he would be a shepherd of people for God. He might have thought about all the benefits of being king and that he would not have to fear because God would be with him. But the reality was quite the opposite. David probably didn’t expect that Saul would be so envious of him and hate him in that way. Instead of living a life where he was secure and settled, David started to live in fear and tried to evade Saul’s attempts on his life. It was a time that David had to trust in God and God used people in his life like Jonathan and Samuel to encouraged him. His life didn’t turn out the way he expected, but David got to experience God being his good Shepherd.

Reflect on the things that David has to do during this time when he’s on the run.  How is God shaping David during this time as Israel’s future king?  What perspective does this give me regarding times of personal difficulty and uncertainty?

During this time as David is on the run, he has to be proactive and provide for himself. He goes to Ahimelech and paints a story so that he could acquire food and a weapon. He uses the leverage of his position to gain what he needs to survive and protect himself. Instead of hiding in fear and waiting for Saul to change his mind or hiding to so that he could stay alive, David takes action and does something about his situation. He even goes to the king of Gath, and acts like a madman in the later verses. God uses this time while David is on the run to shape him to become a person of courage and not of fear. Saul lived in fear of losing his position and turned God’s blessing of being king to an idol in his life. And on the other hand, even though David was fearful, he again and again turned to God and the people God placed in his life to show him that he need not be overwhelmed by fear. Ultimately God was with him and he could face times of uncertainty and danger knowing that God was with him throughout. This picture of God being with David is a huge source of encouragement for me to trust God with my anxieties as I face times of uncertainty regarding job prospects and overall the responsibility of becoming a parent. There are so many ways I could respond to my fears. I could shrink back and be paralyzed with fear, and respond by hiding my feelings and hoping that they go away or the situation will get better. I could ignore my fears and pretend they are not there and just keep letting them grow and grow or I could be like David and be proactive. Instead of allowing my fears of the future and anxieties overwhelm me, I can trust in God and face my fears head on and believe that I don’t have to go through it alone. God’s placed so many people in this church to help me through times of difficulty either through prayer and pointing me back to the truth of God’s promises. Also just having someone just point me back to the reality of how the situation is helps me to recognize that these fears don’t have to be so daunting, in fact, together with so many people God has placed in my life, I can have that kind of courage like David to step forward and be proactive, not letting fears or anxieties take over.

While the situation may appear bleak, in what ways did God provide for David?  How have I experienced God’s timely provisions in the midst of difficulties?

Even though the situation appears bleak for David, God helps to alleviate his fears by providing people and situations to encourage him. In the passage we see how God provides Ahimelech to give food to David and to give the very weapon of Goliath, the one, which he defeated with God’s help. To receive Goliath’s sword must have been very encouraging for David as it probably reminded him of how God delivered his enemy into his hand. Though this enemy seemed so daunting and impossible to beat, God gave David the wisdom, strength and courage to death Goliath. And so in the same way as David is fleeing for his life, God reminded David that He is still with him and will give him the strength to defeat his enemy. God also meets David’s physical needs via the consecrated bread. Even in David’s physical weakness God gives him strength. As I look back to my life, God has provided for me in many times when situations seemed bleak or overwhelming. When my dad was dying of Parkinson’s and then diagnosed with esophageal cancer, the situation seemed very dark and at times very hopeless. But through this time, God comforted my family through his Word and promises of Heaven. God indeed is my Good Shepherd. So many brothers and sisters came to my home and kept me company, prayed with my father, and even sang hymns with my dad. I saw my dad change from someone full of fear of death, to someone at peace with His Heavenly Father. It was amazing that even during this kind of pain, God could work through it for His glory and eventually causing my family members like my grandmas to turn to Him. This is one small splice of how God’s provision is so timely and as I enter the next phase of my life, I trust that God will be with me through it all. It gives me a new perspective towards these “bleak” times in my life, to see that it’s an opportunity for me to turn to God and find strength.

1 Samuel 20:14-17
What does Jonathan’s request to David in this passage reveal about what he believed about David’s future?  How would this have strengthened David at this point in his life? Jonathan requested that David show unfailing kindness to his family even after the Lord had cut off all of David’s enemies from the face of the earth.  This request shows that Jonathan truly believed that David would become king, despite the bleak circumstances.  This request would’ve undoubtedly strengthened David at this low point.  David was running for his life, fleeing from Saul, who by this time had already sought to kill him.  At this point in time, David would’ve been filled with great fear and anxiety, but upon hearing Jonathan’s request, David would’ve drawn strength.  To hear from Jonathan such promising, encouraging words about his future kingship would’ve given him the hope in the midst of his dire situation. David would’ve been strengthened to persevere through this trying time, these days of fleeing for his life.

Reflect back on Jonathan’s relationship with David.  What kind of person is Jonathan relationally, and what kind of person am I relationally?  In what ways can I learn to take more initiative in my relationships and become a source of encouragement and vision for my friends? Jonathan was relationally very loving and selfless.  Starting from chapter 19, it says that Jonathan was very fond of David, and his actions showed it.  Not only was he just fond of David, it was clear that Jonathan loved David dearly, even more so than himself. Jonathan sought to mediate between Saul and David, speaking  well of David to his father Saul, even getting his father to take an oath that he would not take his David’s life.  By doing all this, Jonathan risked his own life.

And in David’s most trying hours, Jonathan was there for young David, advising him, encouraging him with promising visions of his future kingship.  And Jonathan became this pillar of trust for David, assuring him that he would tell him of any harm that his father intended to bring upon him.  In this way, Jonathan would’ve found such comfort and trust in his relationship with Jonathan.  And we see evidence of David’s trust in Jonathan in v.1, where David flees from Naioth at Ramah and actually goes to Jonathan, seeks him out.

Jonathans’ loving and embracing  character really challenge me.  I’m naturally  not like Jonathan, an encourager who goes out of my way to comfort and strengthen others through my words and presence. The reason for this is because I’m naturally self-preserving with my emotions, thoughts, even time and resources.  It’s natural for me to be concerned primarily about my own needs and concerns, wrapped up in my own agenda, rather than those of others, because this is the power of sin in my life. At times, I don’t have the capacity to make others concerns and needs my own because I’m too wrapped up in the things I need to do.  At other times,  I’m just simply oblivious and unaware of others’ needs, assuming everything is going okay with others.

One of the ways I can take more initiative in my relationships is to become a person who regularly asks and converses about how others are doing, rather than just assuming everything is going well.  Just assuming everything is going well is merely a mask of laziness and selfishness.  By taking initiative to connect to others and reach out, I’ll then be able to first of all know what’s going on in the lives of the people God has placed in my life, and be able to connect with them at a deeper level, rather than just having superficial talk.

Another thing I can do is express encouragement and concern through concrete words as Jonathan did for David.  I’m not good at this, and a big part of this is because I’m simply not practiced at doing it. I didn’t grow up encouraging or having greater vision for others, let alone expressing it through words. I grew up encouraging myself quite frankly, having visions for my own little life.  So some concrete things I can do to encourage my friends is to encourage them through an email, a card, even a text message.  I have been the recipient of this kind of encouragement, and I recall how these sentiments of concern, thoughtfulness, and love really lifted my spirits and encouraged me.

1 Samuel 20:31-42
Reflect once again on Jonathan’s character in light of what Saul says (accurately) in v. 31.  What must have been Jonathan’s view of God, history and himself?  How does this compare with how I view these issues? Saul tells his son Jonathan that as long as David, this son of Jesse lives, that Jonathan and his kingdom would never be established. And to this, Jonathan immediately responds by inquiring why Saul wants to put David to death.  Jonathan’s response shows the different wavelengths at which Jonathan and Saul were thinking, and thus their differing values.  Saul was preoccupied about the family line, about having his son Jonathan become heir to the throne, preserving power.  And David was a threat his power.  Jonathan was not thinking about that at all, about the kingship he would be relinquishing, but rather concerned  over David.  Jonathan had already in his heart fully surrendered the king’s throne to young David. This was possible because Jonathan was tapped into the greater narrative God had for history, and he fully submitted and supported it.  Even though David’s rise meant personal diminishment to Jonathan, Jonathan didn’t feel slighted or cheated by any means because for him what truly mattered was that God’s will be done.  Jonathan had such a humble view of himself, not seeing himself seriously, or as a necessary component in Gods plan.

As I think about my view of God and history and myself, I am challenged to become more like Jonathan – completely emptied out of my own desires and ambitions, and filled and focused on God’s desires.  His desire for me is to be a servant, to be a shepherd, totally selfless in all that I am and do.  And as I’ve been learning more deeply about the heart of a shepherd, this is indeed a challenge because in order for me to be like Jonathan, I have to become a person filled with love.  How will this happen?  For Jonathan, it came from a very real understanding that he was merely one part of God’s greater narrative.  Jonathan was surrendered to the Sovereign plan of God, so much so that he was able to play the supporting role to David.

The question then is…am I willing to play the servant role?  Am I willing to play the background part, yielding the positions of “kingship” which are more prominent?  This is the life of servanthood, the life that I’ve been learning about through the Sunday message series through Philippians.  Essentially, it is the life of Jesus Christ, whose attitude I have been called to embody.  I need to really die to my ego and all ambitions to bolster my pride, and surrender unto God this life to be used at his discretion. I need to submit to God’s Sovereign plan for not just my life, but to His greater salvation plan of which I have been thus far privileged to be a part of.  With the new school year about to get underway and talks about New Student Welcome Night already ramping up, I’m reminded of the great privilege I’m given year after year to serve a new class of freshman.  There will be the temptation to be like Saul, worried about my own little world.  Especially as I lead a homegroup within the college ministry, Satan will tempt me to become insecure and anxious about how my  homegroup is doing, about how many people are coming, and so on.  But that is the small, puny world of Saul-like thinking, concerned about just my family lineage.  I must remember to regularly take a step back and see all that God is doing in our church as a whole, and submit to His Sovereign plan. This is not an excuse to be neglectful of the role God has given me, but it is important that I not see through my own little lens which focuses on myself selfish wants and desires.

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Submitted by Rebecca Fong, Gracepoint Berkeley

As I read through this past week’s DT, one thing that stood out very clearly for me was the difference between Saul and David. For one, Saul was a man who treasured himself, his kingdom and his kingship. David on the other hand didn’t focus on himself but saw himself as a servant to God and others. What sticks out for me is how Saul’s insecurity drives him to become a fearful and tragic person. His insecurity and inability to trust God leads him to live a fearful and paranoid life in which he no longer is able to reason or recognize reality. His focus turns completely away from God and onto himself and well-being. His life becomes a tragic one in which he is plagued by his fear and insecurity and as a result God departs from him(1 Sam 18:12). David’s character on the other hand is starkly different. He is secure in the Lord as evidenced in his battle with Goliath and his battles with the lion and bear. The Lord is with him in all that he faces. (1 Sam 18:14) He is someone who doesn’t think about his own well-being but his focus is on God’s honor. David’s is a servant; serving in the field as a shepherd, serving Israel by fighting Goliath, and serving Saul as his harp player and commander of his armies. Whatever David is told to do he does with obedience and willingness.

As I look at Saul I see many Saul like qualities in my own life as well. At the core of the outcome of his life it is his insecurity and dependence on himself and not God. In the fall we are going to be starting a new campus group called Klesis. As one of the leads in this new group I’ve been feeling quite anxious and nervous about it all. I fear that I will not be able to lead well. What if I make the wrong decision? What if I mess up ? What if I’m not able to handle all that is required of me? These questions and more have been popping up in my mind. At the core of who I am, I am like Saul fearful and insecure. Yet as I reflect upon Saul’s life I take warning and heed from what happened to him as a result of not dealing with his fears and insecurity. As Saul was driven mad by his fear and lost touch with reality and truth, I want to make sure that I don’t go down the same path. One key thing that I want to make sure that I do not do is give into my fear. As Goliath stood and mocked the Israelites daily, all of the Israelites including their king sat paralyzed in fear. (1 Sam 17:11) He was their king and yet because he feared Goliath’s size and strength he like everyone else did nothing. The difference between David and Saul was that David trusted God would bring him victory. Because Saul only saw himself and did not depend on the Lord he was unable to do anything. It is this kind of trust, faith and dependence on the Lord that I pray I can cultivate daily in my life. As I do my daily devotions I need to take the daily step of entrusting my life into God’s hands. I want to not let fear paralyze me but to confront it by taking those steps of faith to make decisions while knowing that i could be wrong. Saul felt scared and insecure because he forgot that he was the Lord’s anointed. Because Saul only thought about himself, God no longer was in the picture for him and because he no longer had a source of security. I see this as a warning and that is why I must not become like Saul and begin to focus on my own abilities or on my title as a college staff. The second that I begin to tie everything I do to my abilities is the second in which I stop depending on God. It’s then when my insecurity creeps up that I have nothing to take refuge in. My strength, my power and my ability to fight sin is not enough. It never has been enough. For Saul his title as the King, his kingdom, power and all that God had given him could not help him find security. The more he tried to hold onto these things the more they began to slip away from him. I know that aside from daily placing my faith in God, I need to be quick to confess and be open about whatever struggles or sin that I am going through. Saul lost his spiritual mentor in Samuel as he began to distance himself from God. But David, when fleeing from Saul goes directly to Samuel for help in 1 Sam 19:18. David seeks God’s counsel first and foremost before anything else. Often it’s easy for me to want to just deal with my sins and struggles on my own. Deal with my own insecurity by telling myself to just suck it up and keep going. But God has placed spiritual counselors in my life to help and provide wisdom. It is this kind of openness and quick response to God and his leaders that I hope I can have. As Saul’s insecurity and fear eventually drives him mad the mention of God in his life becomes nonexistent. I know that if I don’t deal with my insecurity and fears they can eventually rule over me.

That is why I need to be very careful and vigilant in this area of my life. To make sure I make my daily devotional times quality and being able to turn my life over daily to God. It is why I need to be open to my leaders about my life and allow God to speak truth in my life and give me wisdom through them. I pray that I can have a heart and focus like David’s. One that is focused on living my life so that God can be honored. I pray that I would stop looking at my own life, thinking of how I can serve myself but how I can serve others. I pray that I can be quick to turn to God in times of trial and not on myself. As I look at David’s life I am challenged to take my faith much more seriously. The zeal and passion David had to serve God and others is something that I pray I can have. I know require that I die to myself and learn to deny myself daily. It is this kind of character and heart that I pray I can cultivate so that my life can become not a snare but a blessing to others.

1 Samuel 19:1-10

Even though Saul agreed with Jonathan’s reasoning he again decides to kill David.  What does this show about the adequacy of reasoning to uproot deeper sins of the heart?

Saul had placed a death sentence over David, but Jonathan spoke to his father, reminding him of all the ways David had benefited him and all the ways God brought victory to Israel through him.  Because of Jonathan’s reasoning, Saul changed his mind, even declaring an oath that David would not be put to death.  Yet soon thereafter, Saul makes another attempt at David’s life, trying to pin him to the wall with a spear.  This episode shows me that reasoning alone is utterly inadequate to uproot the deep-seated sins of the heart.  For people who are broken and damaged by sin, there is a disconnect between the mind and the heart.  That is why people may know what to do and what not to do, but still they go against their conscience and reasoning and still they sin against God and others.  In the words of Apostle Paul, “I do not understand what I do.  For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do…  So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.  For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.  What a wretched man I am!” (Romans 7:15, 21-24).  Clearly, if the issue were merely about having enough knowledge and understanding, that we would have mastery over sin.  But even the mind, informed by reasoning, cannot subdue the deeply entrenched sins of the heart.

What factors contributed to Saul going back on his oath?

Saul went back on his oath because: 1) David continued to be victorious in battle, striking the Philistines with such force that they scattered before him; and 2) an evil spirit came upon Saul.  Saul would have faithfully kept his vow if David was no longer in the picture, but because David was still around, Saul was tormented by his valor and his accomplishments that the felt-need to eliminate David re-surfaced.

What drives people to take actions that defy what they know to be right and just?

What drives people to take actions that defy what they know to be right and just are their emotions.  Because they are committed to the compulsive feelings of their heart, they override their reason and simply follow the dictates of their emotions.

Is there some deeply entrenched sin — jealousy, bitterness or resentment toward someone, or ongoing problems of rage, or other strongholds — that I need to deal with more aggressively than I have been?

When I think about the deeply entrenched sins that my leaders have dealt with over the past thirteen years – the pride and ego, the people-consciousness, the envy towards friends, the dishonesty – I recall how they did not just sit down with me and try to reason with me why these sins were offensive to God and detrimental to my relationships.  Rather, they led me through the repentance process, they showed me how to struggle over my sins, they directed me to go to the Word of God with a desperate heart and a desire to be right with God.  I would make commitments, but those commitments did not work like a magical incantation that made my deep-seated sins miraculously disappear.  Rather, it happened through what happened after I made those commitments – the following weeks and months and years of praying, of personal fasting retreats, of confessing and repenting.

Now, as I am a minister working with college students, it would be utterly foolish of me to think that a “good talk” with one of my juniors will instill the sufficient power to dislodge deeply ingrained sins from his life.  No, I need to lead him through repentance, teach him how to struggle and pray and confess and ask for prayers and accountability.  And recalling my experiences, I know that there is the constant temptation to give up struggling, to believe that I will never change and to accept that these sins will forever be immutable features of my life.  From Philippians 1:6, I know that the God who began a good work in me will not give up on me, and neither will my leaders.  In the same way, I need to help my students struggle with intensity and unrelenting effort.

1 Samuel 19:11-17

First with Jonathan, and now with Michal, Saul starts to lose his own family members.  What warning does this give to me regarding what happens to a person who insists on acting out of insecurity?

I am reminded of the warning one of my leaders gave me recently, regarding what will happen to my relationships in the future if I were to continue operating out of my insecurity and ego – I will drive the ones closest to me away.  That will include my wife and my two children, my brothers and sisters at church, and the very ones I am ministering to.  Out of my insecurity, I will be constantly demanding respect and appreciation and attention from them, utterly self-focused and therefore absolutely loveless.  There will be the heavy weight of my ego-needs, needing to be pampered and soothed – and I will make everyone around me, including myself, miserable.  Humble people, on the other hand, are the happiest people, and everyone wants to be around them.

My insecurity (and my pride, which is just the flipside) is one of the deeply entrenched sins that I need to remain vigilant against and need to continue to deal with aggressively.  This picture of Saul losing his own son and then his own daughter because of his insecurity sobers me and serves as that negative example to get me to struggle with my insecurity, to dig deeper into the gospel, and to be honest about my fears.

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Submitted by Will Sam, Gracepoint Berkeley

1 Samuel 19:1-10

Even though Saul agreed with Jonathan’s reasoning he again decides to kill David.  What does this show about the adequacy of reasoning to uproot deeper sins of the heart?

In verses 4-5, Jonathan lays out very specific reasons why Saul should not try to kill David.  Jonathan reminds Saul of the fact that David has done no wrong against Saul.  Instead, David has been able to benefit Saul and his kingdom greatly.  Through David, God has done great things, bringing great victory to all of Israel.  Jonathan reminds his father that Saul has seen these very things with his own eyes and that they made him glad.  And so now, there is no reason to put David to death.

Saul agrees with Jonathan and even takes an oath.  And yet soon thereafter, Saul decides that he must kill David once again.  This picture of Saul shows that there is an inadequacy of reasoning when it comes to the very deep seated sins of the heart.  Saul’s jealousy of David, his fear of losing the throne, and his pride; all of these things were still very vibrant in Saul’s heart.  Since he had not dealt with them properly, the only thing reasoning seemed to do here is to put those fears, those thoughts, those sins, on hold.  Though Saul was able to mute these thoughts for now through reasoning, he did not properly repent and dig these sins out – therefore, his approach was merely surface level and thus his sins remained.

What factors contributed to Saul going back on his oath?

The verses are scarce when it talks about the factors that contributed to Saul going back on his oath.  All we are told is that war broke out and that David rose up to meet the challenge and he crushed the Philistines.  The text next provides that an evil spirit from the Lord came upon Saul and once again, he wanted to kill David.  From these verses, however, we can see that the new war that arose and David’s resounding victory dug up those deep seated feelings within Saul.

As soon as David came back from the war front, Saul’s fears, insecurities, pride and anger arose once again.  In his heart, again, he was being confronted once again by this young upstart who wanted nothing more than to take away his hard-fought kingdom.  Saul felt that David was an enemy of the state, and with his resounding victories ever piling up, David’s sway over the people would only increase.  Saul’s pride and envy boiled over as he saw that David could do no wrong.

What drives people to take actions that defy what they know to be right and just?

I think that there are many factors that contribute to people taking actions that defy what they know to be right and just.  The first that comes to my mind right away would be our feelings.  Saul here acknowledges that Jonathan is right – David is a faithful soldier, incredible warrior, and clearly a man that God is working through.  Saul knows that that is the truth; that killing David is wrong, and that he would be foolish to try to do this.  Having said that, the refrain of the masses galls him; his daughter Michal loving him incenses him; David’s growing victories worry him.  So though he knows in his head what is right and good, Saul also senses something very real in the depth of his heart – a mixture of fear, insecurity, pride, anger, and hatred.  All of these things can overwhelm and cause us to lose our sense of reasoning; our sense of right and justice.

In a very sad and real way, I think about how this looks like in today’s culture, specifically regarding adultery.  When people decide to get married, when they bring their families together, when they publically declare an oath to one another, there is such clarity in their actions.  We stand here together, in front of God and witnesses, declaring our faithfulness to one another, and to God.  And yet people commit adultery at such alarming rates, even among Christians, that there must be something missing.  Was it that they did not know, they were unaware, they were ignorant of the fact that adultery was wrong?  Could it be that they simply were oblivious to the horrible, relationship-destroying consequences of their actions?  Or was it simply that their feelings were so strong, even if it was just at that moment, that all reasoning went straight out the door?

Feelings, desires, wants, longings of the heart, fears, insecurities, pride – all of these powerful emotions can and do often lead people to commit actions that simply defy what they, themselves know to be right and just.

1 Samuel 19:11-17

First with Jonathan, and now with Michal, Saul starts to lose his own family members.  What warning does this give to me regarding what happens to a person who insists on acting out of insecurity?

Saul’s picture is one of the saddest and most tragic in the Bible.  Saul’s world continues to get smaller and smaller.  Jonathan, because he loved truth, because he honored God, Jonathan becomes someone who Saul looks at and cannot understand any longer.  Michal, as well, because she loves her husband; Saul cannot trust her anymore either.

The warning presented here is clear.  To insist on acting out of insecurity; to insist on acting out on our emotions and feelings – these will inevitably drive away anyone and everyone that we care about.  In the end if we act on our emotions we will be like Saul, alone, afraid and seeking to strike anyone who dares to come too close and threaten our sense of security.

1 Samuel 17:27-29

David’s brother rebukes him with a deeply offensive slur on his character and motivation.  What may have motivated such a reaction?  How do I respond to others when I am under stress, or feeling guilt or shame?

Eliab was physically an impressive man as evidenced by Samuel’s response to him in 1 Samuel 16:6 upon first glance.  If anyone should have volunteered to take on Goliath, it should have been him.  Yet Eliab was too scared to take on Goliath and I am sure Eliab felt certain amount of shame and guilt for failing to do so. And maybe it was his sense of shame and guilt that made him speak to David in this unfair manner.  I can relate to Eliab. For me as well, when I am under stress or feeling guilt or shame, I do have a tendency within me to want to blame others, instead of owning up to my sins/failures that made me feel that way in the first place. This text warns me how ingrained this tendency to blame others is and how I really need to guard against letting my emotions cause me to treat others unfairly.

What can I learn from David’s response to his brother? Although he does question the unfairness of Eliab’s attack, on the whole, David is able to control his temper and words.  Even when I feel like I am unfairly characterized or criticized by others, I need to not react angrily or emotionally. Another wise thing that David does here is that he doesn’t argue back, trying to convince Eliab why what he said was wrong. David just moves on and speaks to someone else. He doesn’t let Eliab’s unfair words eat away at him or gall him. Unlike David, I know that at times I can feel slighted in a petty way or have a bruised ego when I feel like someone has spoken to me unfairly. I can really learn from David’s wise and mature example.

In what ways did David see the battle differently from Saul and the Israelites?  What enabled David to be so confident in God’s deliverance? David’s perspective of the battle was so different from that of Saul and the Israelites.  In v.26, it’s clear that David does not simply see Goliath as an imposing enemy soldier.  David looks upon Goliath as an “uncircumcised Philistine” who dared to defy God by insulting God’s people. Because David had this perspective, he knew that God would be with him if he took on Goliath.  This was God’s battle, not his. And with God on his side, David had the confidence that it didn’t matter who was on the opposing side, a bear, lion or a giant warrior, that God would give him the victory.

Recall all the ways in which God has helped me grow in my trust in Him.  On the basis of God’s faithfulness in His past dealings with me, in what areas can I learn to trust Him more today? There are many ways in which God has helped me to grow in my trust in Him. I recall feeling so scared and intimidated when we first started Davis ministry in 1997. Alice and I were both 26 at the time, with only few years of ministry experience. I felt like we were too young, too inexperienced, “too many” other things given the daunting responsibility of starting up a new campus ministry.  But similar to what David experienced, we too experienced that this was God’s spiritual battle and not ours.  And we were the fortunate ones, the blessed ones, who got to be there for the thrilling experience, as God worked on that campus.

I felt similarly when we moved to Minneapolis last summer. Although we had more people on our church plant team than when we first started Davis ministry. And although Alice and I were older, still there were plenty of other factors that made me feel intimidated.  Minnesota was far away from California,  the U of M campus seemed so huge and daunting, and the campus felt so foreign to us when we first landed. But as God had done many times before, He demonstrated that this was His ministry. And He was so eager to do His work, if we would only follow Him in obedience.

As I think about this new academic year that is rapidly approaching (only little over one month away!), I feel similar fears and nervousness that I felt last year.  Through today’s DT passage, I am reminded that this is God’s work that He has invited us to join Him in. I have nothing to fear or be intimidated by. This year can be another opportunity to see what God can do through imperfect sinners like us, if we only cooperate with Him and join Him as He moves on this campus.

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Submitted by Steve Kim, Gracepoint Riverside 1 Samuel 17:27-29

David’s brother rebukes him with a deeply offensive slur on his character and motivation.  What may have motivated such a reaction?How do I respond to others when I am under stress, or feeling guilt or shame?

Eliab (David’s oldest brother) may have reacted in this harsh, offensive way, because he was under a lot of stress.  It says in v16 that Goliath came out and took his stand every morning and night for 40 days.  To undergo the constant threat of attack and being killed by these overpowering Philistines must’ve caused the Israelites to feel on edge, including Eliab.  Also, there was probably the stress induced by feeling guilty about not responding to Goliath’s challenge.  Thinking about the various things Eliab might’ve been feeling at that moment, I imagine that Eliab was ultimately motivated out of his own pride.  He and his comrades had been in this tense situation for 40 days and for a young boy to enter the scene with such confidence and simplicity probably grated against his pride and ego.

It’s like the times I had working on a coding project for my job. I’d be staring on the same code for days and sometimes even weeks trying to make something work based on some business requirement.   I’ve invested many hours into that problem, and then some newer employee comes around with a fresh pair of eyes and says, “hey, how about trying this approach?”  My instinctive reaction that I say to myself is, “Man, who is this guy?  He thinks I’m a dummy?  I’ve been working on this for a long time, and I’ve been at this job longer than this guy.  He’s just trying to show off.”   Well, he types a couple of lines of code, and it works!  In fact his solution is much simpler too!

I know that I can have a similar prideful, narrow minded attitude in ministry and even approaching my own personal character issues or sins that are deeply ingrained in me.  Some younger guy or one my peers could come around and say, “Wait a minute….how about trying this?  Or maybe you could look at it this way?”  Eliab’s reaction gives me a sobering warning about how my pride and ego can stifle God’s work and hinder seeing things through God’s perspective that might come from the voice of someone I least expect it to come through (ie someone less experienced and younger). I need to be committed to God’s honor, His truths and His will being done.  How tragic it would’ve been if Eliab had his way with David?  Israel would’ve remained terrorized by Goliath, but worse than this would be the missed opportunity for ‘the whole world’ to know that there is a God in Israel.  Similarly I need to see how regrettable and tragic the outcome of my pride/ego having its way would be.  I could potentially be the cause for people missing out on experiencing God’s deliverance and knowing that He is real and living and active in our midst.

What can I learn from David’s response to his brother? It’s notable that David didn’t get derailed by being upset and bitter towards his older brother.  Nor did he allow his brother’s chiding to deflate and discourage him from wanting to uphold God’s honor. We see David being composed and self-controlled.  He appeals to the truth of what he actually did…the fact that he was there out of obedience to his father and that he wasn’t negligent about his sheep.  He placed them in the care of another shepherd.  David knows that he had done nothing wrong and so he says, “Now what have I done?” He knows that he is in the right and that there are more pressing issues to tend to than to defend his own integrity and honor before his brother and others who are listening to their conversation.   We see David being quick to just move on.  He is undeterred from wanting to uphold the honor of God by wanting to take down Goliath. This is an admirable response from David, which I too need to imitate.  I know that I can at times be defeated by criticism and complaints of others towards what I did or haven’t done.  I can get overly focused on replaying a conversation or event that discouraged me or caused me to be upset about unfairly being accused of something.

I want to imitate David’s singular, passionate focus on wanting to uphold God’s honor and to address the more pressing issues that affect others, rather than wasting time on things that relate to my personal reputation.  I can quickly put behind me things that can potentially discourage me or upset me by continuing to hold onto the fact that my legitimacy comes from God being with me and that I have a clear conscience before Him.

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Submitted by Susanna Lee, Gracepoint Berkeley

1 Samuel 17:27-29

David’s brother rebukes him with a deeply offensive slur on his character and motivation.  What may have motivated such a reaction? Eliab’s ungrounded and unfair accusatory reaction towards David might have been motivated by his own fears and frustrations of being in a “no win” situation with the Israelites and Goliath.  The day in and day out taunting of Goliath might have gotten under his skin.     How do I respond to others when I am under stress, or feeling guilt or shame?  When I am under a lot of stress or feeling guilt or shame, I sometimes respond to others, especially those who are close to me like my husband, by spewing out the turmoil that is going on inside of me with shortness, irritation, or  through some form of negativism.  What is bothering me inside gets unfairly dumped to an innocent person.  Through this passage, I can clearly see how wrong and unloving such a reaction is.  I must take this passage to heart and change my ways as such a response is not acceptable to anyone, especially before God’s eyes.

What can I learn from David’s response to his brother? I can learn from David’s response to his older brother that when I am wronged like this I need to clearly assess the situation and speak up and let the person know that I am being unfairly treated.  Also, if I am behaving like Eliab to another person and that person speaks up about my unfair treatment, then I must listen.

1 Samuel 17:34-37

In what ways did David see the battle differently from Saul and the Israelites?  What enabled David to be so confident in God’s deliverance?

David saw the battle differently from Saul and the Israelites in that God was so much greater than this 9-foot-tall giant of a warrior.  Saul and the Israelites were overwhelmed with fear by Goliath’s incredible size and noisy taunting.  God was out of the picture for Saul and the Israelites.

David’s past experience of being delivered by God from his past enemies (i.e. paw of the lion, paw of the bear) enabled David to be so confident in God’s deliverance from Goliath.  David saw Goliath like another lion or a bear.  As God had protected him from harm in the past, he was confident that God would protect him again.  David had faith in God’s protective power over him.  How much more God would love to extend His deliverance to all of Israelites, especially against the Philistines who were defying the armies of the living God!

Recall all the ways in which God has helped me grow in my trust in Him.  On the basis of God’s faithfulness in His past dealings with me, in what areas can I learn to trust Him more today? As I recall the ways in which God has helped me to grow in my trust in him, I see how it was the “fearful” or “overwhelming” or “unknown” situation in my life that God used as an opportunity to increase my trust in Him.  I can learn that every difficult or daunting situation in life is a God-given opportunity for me to grow in my trust relationship with God as I emulate David’s example of remembering God’s deliverance and provision from the past and allowing this to enable me to have deeper faith in God in my current situation.  Presently one area that I can directly apply this lesson is the “new challenges” in my life that sometimes gets me fearful or overly worried which robs me of peace and inner rest that God desires for me to enjoy each day.  I need to see that God is the holder of my future and He knows how to best guide me step by step as He has been so faithful to me in the past.  I must hold on to God’s promise that He will be with me every step of the way to grant me the strength and wisdom that is needed for that very day or that very hour.

David rejects the King’s armor and chooses his staff and sling. What lesson is there here about the role of daily faithfulness and times of crisis?  The lesson to learn here is that I can’t “borrow” someone else’s battling weapons (tunic/coat of armor/helmet) in times of crisis.  I will not be used to it–it would be foreign to me.  Also, I can’t ride on the coattail of someone else’s faith.  Thus I must daily be faithful to fighting my spiritual battle– getting better and better each day–so that when a time of crisis comes I can be ready to face my enemy Satan prepared.  It would be utterly foolish to think that I can overcome my enemy in a crisis without the backing of daily practice in using my battling weapons.   It would be like a soldier who is unaccustomed to using his weapon trying it out  for the first time at a real warfare.

1 Samuel 17:45-47

Meditate on David’s words to Goliath.  What are some arenas of challenge in my life about which I can say “the battle is the Lord’s” and take steps of faith? A new arena of challenge that God has given me is overseeing a new ministry for college students.  Our society’s culture of distraction and entertainment for college-aged students, especially in the area of drinking & immoral activities that follow, is rampant.  It is a battle that cannot be fought and won by any individual or a group of individuals.  I can confidently say that this battle against Satan’s schemes to ruin young lives with alcohol & immorality along with other distractions and lies of Satan is the Lord’s.  The Lord Himself will battle Satan to reclaim lives that have been taken from Him.  I can take steps of faith as David did by remembering that I have the name and the power of the LORD Almighty.

Please write out a prayer of commitment or confession either based on today’s text, or upon reflection over recent events in your life.

Father God, thank you so much for this very familiar yet so profound passage of the Bible on faith.  I have grown up with the story of David and Goliath, but as I am facing a different and bigger “Goliath” at this juncture of my life, I am so encouraged and challenged by the faith of David.  No wonder he was called a man after God’s own heart!  Thank you for providing me such a clear picture of how every spiritual battle that I face is Your battle, and that You are with me just as You have always been with me to enable me and to deliver me from the schemes and lies of Satan.  As You have given me a new challenge this year, may I see the battle before me with the eyes of David and faith of David in You.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Submitted by Yumi Kim, Gracepoint Berkeley

1 Samuel 17:27-29

David’s brother rebukes him with a deeply offensive slur on his character and motivation.  What may have motivated such a reaction?  How do I respond to others when I am under stress, or feeling guilt or shame?

David’s brother rebukes him that he is conceited and wicked, accusing him of coming only to watch the battle.  He has no basis for making such an accusation, but he probably felt this to be true as he saw his youngest brother out there talking to the soldiers.  As he saw David, so much younger and without any experience, going around and talking to the soldiers, having no fear and instead being filled with righteous anger and having this simple faith and questioning why no one had already gone out to face Goliath, Eliab must have felt a mixture of guilt, shame, and his pride feeling threatened by David’s simple response of faith and courage.  Eliab was the oldest brother, and David the youngest, and David’s simple faith and courage stood in stark contrast to his own worldly fear and practicality in the face of Goliath, and rather than letting David be a mirror to him, he wanted to put David down and explain away his actions to justify himself.  He probably felt like David was this naïve, young boy who doesn’t know anything, and felt his pride threatened as his own conscience and guilt pricked him for not being able to step out in faith.

Like Eliab, I too often respond to others whose righteousness serves as a mirror to me that pricks at my conscience by putting them down or being filled with my own justifications in order to minimize my own guilt and shame.  As I think about the heart of Eliab, it’s a very similar feeling that I can relate to especially as an older sister.  Growing up, I often would put down my younger brother if he was better than me at something.  Out of my own insecurity and pride, I didn’t like it when he would be better than me in some area or especially if his actions showed my guilt and character flaws.  Now, I still can have this response in my heart to many others whose righteousness, faith serves as a mirror to my own practicality, lack of faith and guilt.  When I see my friends or the younger ones taking greater steps of faith than me, trusting in God, taking greater risks, loving people more selflessly and sacrificially, although I do not insult them to their face, in my heart, I can minimize what they are doing by making all kinds of explanations for why they are that way (e.g. its their personality or its because they have better circumstances) or justifying my own inaction or passivity (e.g. I have a kid or my circumstance doesn’t allow me to).   I am really warned by the reaction I see in Eliab that I cannot have this kind of proud response, but allow others in the body to serve as a mirror to me, and have the humble response of being thankful for different “David”s in my life who can challenge me and become a mirror for me.

What can I learn from David’s response to his brother?

I can learn from David’s response to his brother that the proper response to unjust accusations is to simply shrug it off, to let it fall off.  If there is no truth to the accusations, then I need to just take it and not allow it to bother me or waste time trying to defend myself.  David doesn’t dwell on Eliab’s accusations – he just shrugs it off, and keeps asking the other men about Goliath and proceeds to talk to Saul and gain permission to face Goliath.

In contrast, so often my response to unjust accusations/criticisms is to want to defend myself and allow it to bother me and weigh me down.  Emotionally, I get too hurt, and I get unnecessarily discouraged and hung up on them.  Its especially hard for me to take when it comes from people that I am trying to love and minister to, and when they seem to be hung up on some minor incident or misunderstand my intentions.  Rather, I need to just take that accusation/criticism, evaluate whether it is true, or even if not true, whether there is a lesson that I need to learn about myself or how I am, then simply move on & trust that God will work it out, and not be dissuaded, discouraged from continuing to do God’s work.

1 Samuel 17:34-37

³⁴ But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, ³⁵ I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. ³⁶ Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. ³⁷ The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”

Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”

“The clue to David’s confidence was shown in his interpretation of those battles when applied to the one he was about to enter.  The reason David felt that the Philistine would meet the same fate at his hands as had the lion and the bear was that ‘The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.’ (v.37)  David’s great confidence did not come from his ability, or even from past experiences, but from the feeling that the battle was one in which God would be with him.”[1]

In what ways did David see the battle differently from Saul and the Israelites?  What enabled David to be so confident in God’s deliverance?

For Saul and the Israelites, God was absent in the battle.  They were practical atheists, not having the view that God was with them, the one who would be the one to defeat Goliath if they stepped out in faith.  Rather, they just thought that it was up to them to defeat Goliath, and because of this, they only compared worldly, man-made things – their strength, height, experience, weapons they had versus Goliath’s which were far superior.  For David, he just sees Goliath as this uncircumcised Philistine who has defied the armies of the Living God.  He doesn’t even consider Goliath’s experience, height, strength, weapons – they’re just non-factors to David because in David’s view, all that matters is whether one knows God or not, whose side God is on.

David was enabled to be this confident in God’s deliverance because of his past experiences of obeying God and Him delivering him.  David’s past acts of simple faith and experiences of God enabling him to beat the lion and the bear gave him greater confidence now to battle Goliath.   His own fear shriveled and his courage and trust in God grew with each step of faith.

Recall all the ways in which God has helped me grow in my trust in Him.  On the basis of God’s faithfulness in His past dealings with me, in what areas can I learn to trust Him more today?

God has helped me grow in my trust in Him over the years through small steps of obedience.  As a 16 year old, brand new Christian at Castro Valley High, I remember feeling so much fear and anxiety with even taking the step of faith to declare my faith, to tell my friends that I became Christian and that I was not going to compromise by going to dances or dating, and feeling so scared and self-conscious to take that stand for fear of ridicule and mockery.  I look back now, and it seems so silly, but even as I took those baby steps of faith, God gave me confidence, and even opportunities to share my testimony with a couple girls I never thought would be interested in Christianity, and they even checked out Bible study a few times at that time.  In college, another marker for me was taking part in Joyland my junior year and then in freshmen ministry my senior year – I had fears about letting go of my time and stress (school and grades were such a big idol to me), but as I committed to do so, and obeyed with little steps of giving my energy and time to the 6^th graders then the freshmen at that time (some of whom are still around now and staff), God enabled me to grow in trust in Him and start to share in His vision for my life.  When I first graduated, I took another small step of faith by going to Tashkent for 3 months, letting go of a good part-time web job I had just gotten at that time.  It felt scary at that time because I had no other source of income and I was scared about being unemployed at that time, but as I took that step of faith, I again experienced God answering so many of my prayers and growing my trust – giving me a precious experience in Tashkent, and answering my prayers regarding my parents, my brother and then in providing a job for me very quickly thereafter.  After graduation, there were so many other such junctures as well – with choosing to continue to be a college staff while attending law school, steps of faith I took with learning to minister to people, dating and marriage, and growing in my role as a minister.  Every step of the way, as I took little tiny baby steps of faith, God increased my trust in Him, and now I find myself here as an almost 30 year old, with greater trust and faith and so many precious people being entrusted to me to try to love, but feeling very much like that 16 year old insecure teenager many times & yet so much has changed because God has worked in my life.

On the basis of God’s faithfulness in His past dealings with me, I need to trust Him more today with greater steps of faith in loving people and ministry.  I need to pray for people I feel hopeless or cynical about, and try different, new things to love them that will involve letting go of my own fears about rejection and failure.  I need to also have greater faith in raising my child, trusting in God with His safety.

Submitted by Sue Yi, Gracepoint Berkeley

Compare Goliath’s description in vv. 4-6 with how David sees him in v. 26.  What did David ignore, and what factors did David find significant?

Goliath’s description was very impressive: Over nine feet tall; bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels; on his legs he wore bronze greaves and a bronze javelin was slung; his spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels; he also had  a shield bearer who went ahead of him.

However, what David saw was as an uncircumcised Philistine that was defying the armies of the living God. David ignored the outer appearance of Goliath’s height, build and strength. He ignored all the impressive accessories made out of bronze that Goliath had on him; he ignored the shield bearer who went ahead of him. He did not see Goliath in the ways that others saw him and was intimidated by. David merely saw him as one who was defying the armies of the living God. He was concerned with removing the disgrace from Israel.

What is my response to people of the world who are impressive in their abilities or accomplishments?

It is easy to feel intimidated by those that are accomplished in the world. People that have fame, wealth, status and even attractive appearance is something that can be seemingly impressive. It is easy to back away from these people and look for those that seem needier and broken that seem “ready” for the gospel. However, my response cannot be intimidation or backing away because of how one appears. David’s response was challenging because he did not allow what he saw on the exterior to back away from standing up to Goliath. He did not even consider what all the others saw and felt intimated and fearful about. As a Christian and as a leader, I need to have the same outlook that David had on Goliath. There are so many seemingly Goliaths that are around. So many intimidating people, fearful situation but as one who has been saved and has experienced the life giving power of the gospel, I cannot be intimidated by ppl and situations that I see. David’s courage came because he had  faith in God and he as he was most concerned about God’s honor that is what needs to give me the same courage as I minister to people and as I face the “goliath’s” in my life.

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 15:1-9

“Saul is to utterly/totally destroy every man, woman, child, and beast belonging to the Amalekites [and] is used in connection with warfare for the practice of dedicating to God all of a conquered enemy and their possessions…  The practice is associated with holy war, in which the battle has sacral purpose and God is often said to fight as a warrior for Israel.”[1]

What aspect of Saul emerges from the fact that he “spared…everything that was good” but totally destroyed “everything that was despised and weak?” In what ways am I like Saul?

I was thinking about what would make Saul do what he did here, and it really didn’t make a whole lot of sense that he would blatantly go against God’s command. But it does make sense that as a result of his worldliness he disobeyed. Considering the complete destruction of the Amalekites as an offering to God, Saul’s preservation of “everything that was good” is basically keeping the best for himself and giving God “everything that was despised and weak.” And that is the telltale sign of materialism. Giving in to that subtle pull that materialism has. It creeps in. Not so blatant at first, but certainly capturing my heart a little bit at a time until there is a pretty radical shift in values – to the point that something fundamental has been violated. But what is the reason for such a slip in value? For me it is often because I did not really think things through enough, and did not have God in the picture. Saul might not have thought about who it was that commanded him to utterly destroy everything. He might not have considered what the very act of utterly destroying everything may have meant – dedicating everything to God. And the fact that he set up a monument to himself shows that he was interested more in being a king like any other worldly king than to follow God’s command. With God out of the picture, Saul was left only with his own wisdom, which obviously fell miserably short.

For me, the way that this mindset manifests itself is when I am focused more on myself, and I find myself thinking about what is “good enough”, rather than thinking about doing something precisely, correctly, and for the right reason. And sure enough, when I engage in ministry with the wrong mindset, I drop the ball, get things wrong, and find myself running around like a chicken with its head cut off, wondering when things will ever let up.  But when I consider what would please God, and think about why I’m doing what I am doing, I find myself doing the right things, feeling very fulfilled. I may be just as tired, but there seems to be much more energy to take on even more. This DT is very timely as I consider all the things that are going on and are about to go on – mission trips, retreats, and NSWN just around the corner… I really have to resist that temptation to focus on myself, to rely on my own experience and wisdom so that I don’t end up doing something fundamentally against God’s commands.

1 Samuel 15:10-20

Reflect on the picture of God and Samuel grieving for Saul and the picture of Saul “[setting] up a monument in his own honor.” What contributed to this kind of blindness on Saul’s part? What can I learn about the danger of partial obedience from this, especially in light of Saul’s response in v.20?

What an ugly picture this is. Saul succeeded in his campaign because of God. Rather than give credit to God, rather than worship and acknowledge God, Saul put up a monument in his own honor. It’s so easy to point out how wrong this was for Saul, and other people for that matter, but what about me? I think often I do the same, feeling very good about myself when something I do is successful (and often the same mindset is at play when I feel terrible when something I do is unsuccessful). What a contrast to the grief that Samuel expressed all night when he heard from God “I am grieved that I have made Saul king”. The difference between the two stems from the fact that Samuel shared God’s heart, while Saul was more interested in personal success. Samuel was able to see things rightly. He was able to see things clearly, while Saul was deluded and saw himself more highly than he ought.

Not connecting things back to God will result in such a disconnect of the heart. And without the sharing of the heart, there is more potential for partial obedience because out of blindness I can feel like I obeyed completely, as Saul did in v.20. “I did obey the Lord,” I will say wrongly. What is more, partial obedience can be even worse than outright disobedience because there is the element of self-deception to deal with. As I think back to the times when a blind spot was pointed out to me, some sinful pattern in my life, I never saw it coming. That’s why it’s a blind spot. And without God’s mercy through the body of Christ it’s simply a vicious cycle because I can’t even be in the right frame of mind to pray “O Lord, have mercy on me a sinner.” (if I am blind, I am unable to see that I am a sinner, which prevents me from even praying this very prayer). I would instead end up praying “I thank you, Lord, that I am not like other men”, incorrectly boasting of what I have done and how spiritual I am.

That’s the danger of partial obedience. I can feel like “I did obey the Lord” when in fact it is impossible without God’s help. God’s standard is perfect, and trying to live my life to that perfect standard will immediately show how sinful I am, and how incapable… no… how disobedient I am. The danger of partial obedience is that I do not see the full picture – one in which I am clearly a sinner in need of grace. As a result I end up thinking more highly of myself, erecting monuments of myself looking down on everything else, when I should actually be looking up Calvary’s hill.

———————

Submitted by Nancy Cheung, Gracepoint Berkeley

1 Samuel 15:1-9
What aspect of Saul emerges from the fact that he “spared…everything that was good” but totally destroyed “everything that was despised and weak”? The text says that he was unwilling to destroy completely the best of the sheep and cattle. He spared Agag the king, the person of royalty among the Amalekites. There was something about it that seemed like a terrible waste to him. What emerges from this is Saul’s worldliness, his value of things that the world considers good. Though he claimed that he saved the best of the animals to sacrifice to God, it shows what he valued fundamentally. He couldn’t get over their worldly value. In the end, he cared more about sparing what he considered valuable over honoring God. This shows that what are pitted against each other are his love for the world and his “love” for God. It is so true what James 4:4 says, friendship with the world is hatred toward God. His obedience to God was completely conditional – contingent on what he was willing to give up, and he therefore failed to relate to God properly.

In what ways am I like Saul? I’m like Saul in that in serving God, I often refuse to give what is best – the best of my time, energy, attention. I’m willing to give up some, but not the best and most valuable. When time is tight and therefore so valuable, that’s when I want to hoard it for myself, use it for my personal comfort and gain, begrudge giving it to others. The best of my energy and focus are not reserved for DT and prayer but for my selfish agendas, the things that will make me feel good about myself, getting things done, getting ahead. I need to see how my worldliness, my valuing the things that bring me physical and emotional comfort and that make me feel good about myself, are a direct assault on my devotion to God. These are the things that compete with giving God full honor. I value these things in themselves, when what is truly worthy is God himself, and he is the one I need to give all these things to.

Also, just as Saul said so confidently to Samuel, “The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions,” when he actually didn’t, I get smug and complacent after serving God a little, thinking that that’s the same as serving God with all my heart and soul and body. I start to obey God’s commands but don’t do so all the way because of my selfishness, laziness, pride. Yet just because I started, or did so a little, I think that I’m obeying God. This is the same disregard Saul had for God’s word. Saul carried out only part of God’s instructions, and treated it the same as if he had carried it out in full. I need to treat God’s word with utmost seriousness, struggling to obey him completely. As I look at my life and see where I’ve been refusing to obey completely, I need to call it the disobedience that it is and repent.

1 Samuel 15:10-20
Reflect on the picture of God and Samuel grieving for Saul and the picture of Saul “[setting] up a monument in his own honor.” What contributed to this kind of blindness on Saul’s part? God was grieved that he had made Saul king, as he saw that Saul had turned away from him with his complete disregard for his commands. Meanwhile, Saul was setting up a monument in his own honor, smug at his victory over the Amalekites and enjoying the best of the sheep and cattle, probably thinking that he was indeed favored by God. What contributed to this kind of blindness were the initial signs of success (his victory in battle) and his focus on what he HAD done (having killed most of the people and most of the animals). Because he was so focused on and enamored by the outward appearance of things, the apparent success, he failed to see the complete, true reality – that he had actually failed to obey God’s command, period, and was completely trampling on God’s honor and holiness.

What can I learn about the danger of partial obedience from this, especially in light of Saul’s response in v.20? The danger of partial obedience is that I can be fooled into thinking that I’ve obeyed God. I can think that partial obedience is better than not doing anything at all. It can make me ignore and downplay the parts that I disobeyed. But partial obedience = disobedience, because God is the holy God. The point is not the separate parts of the command, but to carry out God’s commands completely in total fear and reverence for him. In relating to him, there is no such thing as partial obedience. It has to be total. The end has to be complete surrender and reverence for God above all else.

1 Samuel 15:16, 22-30
According to v.16 and vv.22-30, what is required for genuine repentance? What is required for genuine repentance is hearing and regarding what God has to say, coming back to a proper regard for God and honoring him above anyone/anything else. Saul’s sin had been to disregard God’s words, obeying only part of it. Genuine repentance would have meant that he fear and honor God over people, and have higher regard for him than for his own gain.

According to v.30, what might have caused Saul to miss the point of repentance? It was Saul’s fear of people and desire to be honored before them that caused him to miss the point of repentance. He couldn’t bear the thought of being stripped of his kingship before the people and having them see him no longer favored by God. So he admitted his sin and asked for forgiveness, wanting to regain favor with God, not so that he could be reconciled to him (which is the point of repentance) but so that he could save face in front of the people.

1 Samuel 15:10, 34-35
What is the significance of the prophet and king permanently separating? When Samuel went to Ramah, Saul didn’t follow him but went to his own home, and Samuel never visited Saul again. This permanent separation between the two signifies Saul’s separation from God. Saul didn’t stay connected with the one who kept him connected to God and who was the voice of truth pointing out when he was turning away from God in order to bring him back. It marks the point where Saul went his own way, carrying out his kingship on his own with no more direction from God.

How do the prophet and God respond to the sin of Saul? God grieves that he had made Saul king, and God and Samuel mourn over the fact that Saul had turned away from God and gone his own way.

What warning does this passage have for me? The warning for me is that I better not let go of my connection with the people of God. If I distance myself from those people who are the voice of truth in my life and push them away, or simply don’t care to cultivate my relationship with them, then I will seriously get lost spiritually. I will lose genuine connection with God because I won’t have people pointing out the ways that I’m blind, the ways I’m offending God both knowingly and unknowingly, so that I won’t even know or care to repent. My leaders are necessary for me to learn and continue to relate to God in the proper way, so I need to hold onto them and treasure them, in a way, more than anyone else in my life.

1. 1Samuel-DT-July11-July16

2. 1Samuel DT July11-July16_questions-only

1 Samuel 14:6-7
How would Jonathan have felt in hearing his armor-bearer’s response?
His young armor-bearer responded, “Do all that you have in mind… Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.” Upon hearing this, Jonathan must’ve felt really encouraged and strengthened by his armor-bearer’s response. Despite being outnumbered and overwhelmed, as long as there is one person who stood beside his side, that made all the different. It must be comforting to know that there was someone close who understood his heart and not only that, but was willing to give himself entirely into the endeavor and stick to him. It’s similar to the true partner effect. Even though many people can be in opposition or say/think opposite thing, as long as there is one more person, it gives one the courage to go against the tide.

What do I need to learn from the armor-bearer?

From the armor-bearer, I need to learn what it means to stick to someone, to show them full support, to be with them, encourage them, etc. Here in Taiwan, I need to be that right hand man to Andy/Amy and really encourage and strengthen them. Hebrews 13:17 says, “Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not be a burden.” All too often, I underestimate the effect I can have on others, and I have the “little o me” mentality, thinking if what I do matters. But as seen from the
armor-bearer’s response, it can really have a positive impact on people around me and strengthen them to continue on in their spiritual walk, in carrying out God’s commands, etc. Little ways I can concretely do this is by saying more words of encouragement to people or sending them an email encouraging them or just letting people know I’m praying for them, etc.

What can I learn from this incident about how to gain courage to face challenges that come my way?
From this incident, I learn to gain courage to face challenges that come my way by turning to God and turning to God’s people. Despite the obstacles, Jonathan didn’t give into his fears but learned to trust in God, through the ups and downs. Jonathan also turned to his close armor bearer and learned to rely on him and draw strength from him. I need to apply that to my life as well. When I get discouraged, I need to turn to other people, my leaders, Joyce, my peers, other staff brothers, etc. for help and encouragement and prayers. It is really hard to live out the Christian life alone, or to continue to trust in God despite all odds. But I really need to just trust in God and cling on to people close to me.  Many times, I just keep my struggles or
thoughts to myself and I get easily discouraged or defeated and begin to feel self-pity. However, from Jonathan’s example, I need to learn to share my thoughts and my heart with people close to me. Especially coming back from ATTR, I see the importance of all the rich relationships I have in the church: with leaders, older brothers, peers, younger brothers, etc. I need to be better in emailing, skyping, and keeping touch with them, and just asking for prayers and help.

Submitted by Lem Maghamil, Gracepoint Davis

1 Samuel 14:1-23

Reflect on the very bleak situation facing the Israelites before Jonathan acts, and what happened after he acted.  What might people have felt regarding God’s power and presence before Jonathan acted?

The situation looked quite bleak as Saul waited under the pomegranate tree.  He had only 600 men and as in past situation I am sure that Saul was counting his men to see if he had a chance against the Philistine army.  Also, I am sure that Phinehas was not at the level of Samuel to inspire the men and affirm God’s blessing upon His people.  Objectively speaking this looked like a mission to their death and the Israelites confidence in God waned.

How is it that just two people ended up turning the situation around so radically?

When the commotion began at the Philistine camp, Saul gathered his army to see who had left and found that it was Jonathan and his armor bearer.  Jonathan and his armor bearer turned the situation around so radically through radical faith.  When the Israelite army sat in fear losing their hope in God, we see these two men acting courageously and in faith.  In v. 6 Jonathan says perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf and this shows that he was not 100% sure that they would make it back alive.  Jonathan then sets up these cues that would help during the battle.  If the Philistines say come up to us then that would be the sign the Lord has given them into our hands.  Anyone knows that fighting an uphill battle is a very poor military strategy especially when there are just two people against a whole army.  Jonathan and his armor bearer were testing God at every step in this battle.   These two men in faith stirred God to action in v.15 to send a panic into the Philistine camp.

What does this show about God, about obstacles, and about how I should interpret bleak situations?

This text teaches me many lessons about God, about obstacles and about how I should interpret bleak situations:

First, in v. 6 Jonathan says nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.  God has every power at his disposal.  He can bring victory in any battle of my life if I obey his command to never fear for He is with me.  God can work through an army of two men as in the case of Jonathan and his armor bearer or an army of 600 as in the case of Saul.  The key issue is do the men have faith that God can save.

Secondly, this text contrasts two responses to obstacles in the person of Saul sitting under the pomegranate tree and Jonathan raiding the Philistine army.  One response to obstacles in life is fear that grips you into passivity and inaction.  The other response is Jonathan who boldly advances in the name of the Lord trusting in God’s power to save.

Thirdly, according to the text I see that I should view bleak situations as opportunities to experience God’s faithfulness and deliverance.  My first instinct when I experience a bleak situation is dread and I begin asking why me God?  I can recount a number of times in my spiritual journey when I faced a very difficult decision or experience.  It felt like a small group going against a whole army.  I was facing very difficult odds and the problem I was facing was overwhelming.  I was afraid of failure, afraid of what people would think of me, afraid of making the wrong decision.  However, looking back on those “bleak situations” I can see how those were the exact times I experienced God’s guidance and provision and I was able to experience faith.  In one of our messages I remember hearing that faith does not grow when everything goes well in our lives.  How do we develop faith?  It’s when things aren’t going well and yet we take a step of obedience to God.  The bleak situations in my life were a test not only of God’s faithfulness but my own willingness to respond in faith.

What do I need to learn from Jonathan?

The one thing I admire about Jonathan is that he didn’t start off with 100% faith.  He wasn’t sure how things would turn out at the Philistine camp.  He took whatever faith he had and took steps of obedience and that first step led to a cascade of steps that led him to walk in courage and bold confidence.  He started concretely applying his faith in God and God responded by giving him more.  God was stirred to action and stirred to provide for Jonathan and his armor bearer because these two courageous men were concerned about His honor.  God is a sucker for people with faith.  We see it in the lives of Abram and the prophets.  God is willing to act powerfully to help those who are responding in obedience and faith to His commands.  This is personal for me today because we have been discussing and planning for fall ’11 outreach in Davis.  The ministry has grown and changed even in the past 2 years I have been gone.  Karen and I will be with A2F which is relatively small new group that is called to reach the UCD campus.  I don’t want to respond in fear and hesitation but rather I want to take the faith I have and act in obedience to reach this campus.  I am challenged by P. Manny’s outreach workshop that reminded me that I should never give up and never give in.  I need to take the concrete steps with the faith I have today so that I can stretch and grow in confidence that God can bring the victory whether by many or few.

1 Samuel 12:1-5
* Reflect on the statement “I have been your leader from my youth until this day” followed by the statement, “The LORD is witness against you, and also his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand.”   What would it take for me to be able to say something like this at the end of my life?  What can I learn from Samuel?
As a leader myself, Samuel’s confident statement is something I want to be able to utter at the end of my service to the Lord.  In recent years, so many leaders (politicians, business executives, and even some religious leaders) have disgracefully fallen to corruption, vices, and sins.  More than ever, the world needs faithful and blameless leaders who end well.  How
did Samuel remain blameless all those years?  As I consider what it would take for me to say something like this, there are several things that come to mind.

First, I need to see the consequences of failed leadership.  Samuel must have seen the tragic end of Eli and the many past judges who failed to obey God’s words (as highlighted in the book of Judges).  Learning from the mistakes of others ought to lead us to not make those same mistakes ourselves.

Second, as John Wesley famously said, I need to “Fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God.”  There are a lot of fears that would lead to grasping for oneself; there is fear of not having enough money, fear of losing a job, fear of being all alone to fend for oneself, etc.  And giving into those fears would lead a person to grab onto other sources/means of security, even if that means giving into temptation and sins.  Samuel must have seen from the way people gave into their fears and the tragic outcome that followed (e.g., Eli giving into his fear of confronting his sons) that he should fear disobedience to God as the greatest thing to fear.  Samuel must have also known firsthand how a life of devotion, dedication, and dependence upon God is blessed and that God will surely provide and help as Ebenezer (e.g., God providing for his mother).

Third, I need to remember my identity before God as someone God has set apart for good works of service to the Lord.  Samuel was dedicated and consecrated for such work.  That was his primary identity.  For me (as well as all those who has been entrusted with the precious gospel), our primary identity is to serve our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Bearing his name as a Christian, I ought to faithfully represent Christ to everyone around me. Practically speaking, it helps tremendously to have safeguards and guardrails through accountability structures set in place.  This is where the body of Christ in church can be one-another’s keeper to the glory and praise of God per Philippians 1:9-11 “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ-to the glory and praise of God.”

Reread the passages from this week and review your DTs. Consider the themes in the text and what lessons emerged for you, and write a personal reflection based on this week’s DT.  The questions below are provided as prompts to help you.

Did the text provide:
-a truth, wisdom or lesson I need to affirm or apply?
One truth I need to affirm and apply is the truth that unity comes from having proper fear of God (when the terror of the Lord fell upon the people, they turned out as one man).  This then led to their own individual fears being dispelled.  I’ve experienced this in the prep for this past week’s training.

With the proper fear of God governing us, my own individual fear of failure, of not being able to pull this off, my fear of teaching in public, all those were dispelled as we worked together on this huge project for God. And it was so so fun and magical, to see God bringing it all together, to see the courses built up from scratch, refined over the weeks. Personally for me, it gave me a boost of confidence that God really really wants to use my five loaves and two fish, that He delights in using His children, and that in God’s will, there is nothing to fear.  I don’t lack the resources to do His word, as I sometimes feel, because God provides those resources through the body of Christ, through His creativity and wisdom that He bestows.

-a picture of God’s heart that I need to appreciate or more deeply embrace?
One picture of God’s heart that I need to more deeply embrace is the picture of Him as a hopeful visionary, taking insecure Saul, hiding behind the bags, and transforming him into a prophet, into a leader of His people. God (and Samuel) had a lot of hope and vision for Saul.  Another picture of God’s heard that I need to more deeply embrace is the picture of the shepherd, having had to remove Saul, still mourning and grieving over him until the end of his days.

-a description of folly, sin, or relational problem that I need to address?
The folly of the sin of insecurity is a warning. Insecurity leading to pride and self-protectiveness and fear and paranoia. Insecurity leading to acting rashly and making poor decisions.  Saul was like this, he started out so humble, and yet committed the fatal sin of self-centered insecurity that was his downfall. It wasn’t about him and his skill set or how impressive he was, but it was about his God, and what God did.  God called him, anointed him and placed him over Israel.  And if he had put his confidence in God, instead of himself and trying to prove himself, he might have been ok.  This is a major warning, as I see so many people, including myself some times, full of insecurity over my abilities, instead of trusting in what God can do through me if I surrender and give my all.

1 Samuel 11:1-3

Given the historical betrayal of the people of Jabesh Gilead, what is notable about them sending out messengers throughout Israel?

What is notable about them sending out messengers throughout Israel is that this is similar to the episode when a call went out previously and Jabesh Gilead had not followed and had not come to help out and obey.  They refused to come out and assist their fellow Israelites.  And now they were in the same boat and they had to ask for help and be rescued.  Given their own past response they were probably weren’t sure if anyone would respond.  Realistically since they had not responded then it seemed like others would not. They probably thought that no one would come and assist them.  They must have felt ashamed, guilty, unworthy, selfish, etc… they were probably really convicted by their lack and what they had failed to do. I’m sure they were kicking themselves for not helping earlier.  It’s like a told you so kind of moment.  But what can they do?  They’re stuck…no choice.

So given their past history/actions and some of the assumptions it seems unlikely that they would actually send out messengers.  So their actions reveal how desperate they felt and how humble they actually were as they asked for help and sent out the distress call.  The picture here reminds me of the scene in Lord of the Rings when Denethor refuses to fire up the light towers to ask for help even though he was in serious danger. He was too proud to do it and so minas tirith was in danger of being crushed by sauron’s army.  But Gandalf takes over and sends out the signal for help.  And so the riders of rohan come and are crucial to helping them defeat Sauron’s army.

Despite how they were feeling – guilty, awkward, ashamed – they did what they needed because they were in a life/death situation.  It was no time to be proud.  They had to just ask for help and admit they were needy.

I’ve messed up in the past and wonder if I’m going to make the same mistakes or if I’m going to ask for help and find it.

Often people who let others down are reluctant to ask for help out of guilt from past failures, or some complicated mixture of shame, awkwardness, expectation of rejection, or sense of resignation.  How do I relate to people whom I have wronged in the past?

With people whom I’ve wronged in the past I find that there can still be some times of awkwardness and times of disconnection and times of separation. For the most part I know I’m accepted and loved and I appreciate that but at other times I know that I feel awkward still.  I think about my shame and I think about the ways I have been.  They know me though and they do treat me better than I deserve.

Depending how well things have reconciled in the past I think depends on who I relate to them.  When we have cleared the air and gotten everything on the table, it’s clear and we are able to see clearly that we’re just sinners and there’s genuine restoration.

I feel the awkwardness at times but I also know that this is just me and my own problem.  But at the same time I just think about how I need this person and how I need to ask for help and push through these feelings.

1 Samuel 11:1-7

· What can I learn from the fact that “they turned out as one man” when “the terror of the LORD fell on the people?”

What I can learn from the fact that “they turned out as one man” when “the terror of the Lord fell on the people” is that sometimes it takes some fear in order for people to act and mobilize.  And sometimes it’s through this fear that you can really get people to act as one man and one person.  And they can be quite powerful.  Fear is not always used as a motivation but at times it can really be a source of motivation and power.  Esp when people are in great stress and disarray.  It can bring sharp focus and clarity about a situation and how we’re supposed to live and behave.

The terror of the Lord is important and necessary.  I can often have a PC reaction and think but I want to cover up this part of God or I can feel uncomfortable with God’s terror and wrath and the fact that they needed to listen and obey or else they would experience God’s wrath.  But as I think about how I need to treat my own children in this way at times because they’re being stubborn or rebellious I know it’s necessary and it can be a very powerful way for them to obey because they themselves don’t’ realize the bigger picture and how I’m trying to shape them and how I’m trying to develop them to be a certain way.  But as a father I know God’s terror is necessary and it’s a proper motivation at times – esp if people are stubborn or disobedient.  It’s like the shepherd who has to get in there and really get to his sheep through some yelling or hitting because they need to move in one direction.

What happens to a group’s sense of unity if members of a community begin to give into their individual fears?  In what way is proper fear of God an appropriate unifying factor for Christians?

When people give into their individual fears then they begin to break the unity of the group.  Fear mongering comes in and takes over and prevents them from really growing and taking new lands.  Fear seizes them and they can be subjectively real feeling of fear that they have but objectively it may not be that bad.  But if they give in then they are going to break the unity and they will give in and they will withdraw from the community and from one another and the mission that God has given to them.  Unity fades.  Just like we talked about when everyone begins to give into their fears about money, family, career, etc…this takes away from the purpose and focus of the group.  They begin to save for themselves “in case”. They hold back.  They don’t’ give their all.  They give less and they put forth less.  They aren’t ready to help. They won’t put their whole lot in. and as each person gives into his/her fears that begins to break the unity of the group and soon the group is ineffective and it’s handicapped.  This happens in subtle ways but it boils down to taking ownership and being all there.  That means being there for every event and owning every event and always placing the rest of the community and as first and most important and it’s about not giving into those fears but going through those things together.  You can’t be isolated and self-focused.  It’s through not showing up or not doing your part in the cleaning or setting up or moving as quickly in as agile a fashion. When one person is not as responsive because they are giving into their own fears of future and family and self then they’re eroding the unity of the group because they’re going to do what they want.  of course, others have desires as well but everyone is agreeing that we are denying these thigns for the sake of others and for the greater mission that we have at hand.

Culture of compliance = fear of what God is doing and how we’re on holy ground.

Proper fear of God is an appropriate unifying factor for Christians because God is the only one whom we should be fearing and he should be the only that we’re aiming to please.  Proper fear of God is an appropriate unifying factor because to begin with, God is the one whom we’re serving and he’s the one we’re supposed to be following and obeying…because he is the only one whom we should fear.  He is the only one who really has any power or hold over us.  who can ultimately harm us?  my boss? My wife, my family? This world?  Satan?  Only God is the one whom I should not fear because he is the one who has the power over life/death.  All these other things don’t matter a bit in the grand scheme of things.  They are miniscule and meaningless in comparison.

To what extent am I “contending as one man for the faith of the gospel” along with others in the body of Christ (cf. Phil 1:27)?

I’m “contending as one man for the faith of the gospel” along with others in the body of Christ in that I’m refusing to give into my desires for comfort, personal pleasure, my career, my family, my money.  By not giving into the fears of this world and the things this world tells me that I need to secure for myself – that high paying position, that promotion, better education for my children, spending all my time on my children, doing everything I can for my kids and spending all my time with them, devoting myself to their development, to spending my hours increasing my skills and such for my future and my career, etc…  by not giving into these fears and instead giving my energy, time, focus, money, etc… to God’s work I’m contending as one man for the gospel.  By giving all my heart and passion and power i’m not going to give in.  I have to give 110% in my work, my attentiveness, my efforts and by not trying to turn ministry into a big ego trip and by not turning ministry into something where I can shine and gain.  It’s not about me and my agenda and what I can do and how big of a ministry that I can gain or how many guys are coming out or how guys under me are shining or not. No, it’s about what God can do and what he wants to do.  I have to commit to that kind of work and I have to commit to that kind of efforts.

1 Samuel 11:8-15

What can I learn about human nature from people’s reaction in v. 12?

What I can learn about human nature from people’s reaction in v.12 is that they are so quick to condemn and so quick to ask for revenge.  They’re so quick to seek blood.

They’re so quick to point out others who are wrong and punish them.  They lack mercy, grace and a sense of this could have been me.  I think human nature quickly points at others and wants to say that I’m not like that.  We try hard to distance ourselves from others.

This is not just vindictiveness.  It’s triumphalism. Scared of that for our church. Saul’s our man now.  That crowd.  Let’s get on God’s side.  Let’s do this.  Woohoo.  That shallow triumphalism. That will choke out God’s blessing.  Now is the time. Today the Lord has rescued Israel. Not about me…today the Lord has rescued Israel.  Really be in awe of God and insist…even if it seems like habitual words..let’s always remember God.  Let’s always honor God.  Squeeze out any room for human glory.  Or church glory. Anything that is sinful at the level of individual.  It’s sinful at the level of organization or national level.

What can I learn from Saul’s response?

What I can learn from Saul’s response is that he is merciful and he is able to maintain the morale and he has such a keen sense of how the people are feeling and he shows mercy.  He redirects everyone’s feelings and thoughts back to God and back to what God has done to make this day possible.  It’s about what God has done to make this day possible.

What I can learn is that it’s important to help the whole group see the bigger picture and to make sure everyone sees that this is what God can do – in spite of our own sins and poor judgment.  It’s all about what God is doing and how he’s working. It’s not about my own ego and whether people have wronged me and whether they have made me look bad, etc.. as in the case of Saul.  He doesn’t focus on how people wronged him and he doesn’t say I told you so. Instead, he points to how God is the one who was working and he is the one who was making all of this happen.

He doesn’t say today I delivered Israel.  No he says it’s God who did.  God rescued Israel.

Again, it’s not about my ministry and what I have done and how my hands have labored.  No, it’s about what God has done.  it’s about how God has worked and how he is the one who is actively working.  Without him notne of this can happen.  He is the one who is at work and again I can learn as I’m doing ministry this fall it’s not about purely my efforts and what I can do.  Of course, I’m going to work hard but it’s really about seeing God work.

Saul could have been bitter or maybe even grown proud but for sure it’s important that he acknowledged that it was God.  And after this point I need to keep remembering this.  Whether we have a ton of people or none I think it’s all going to be a testimony of God’s faithfulness and work and what he wants to happen on this campus.

How did God use this seemingly bad situation with Nahash the Ammonite for Saul’s good?  What does this show regarding what my attitude should be towards challenges and difficulties?

God used this seemingly bad situation with Nahash the Ammonite for Saul’s good in that he used it to take all these disparate groups and tribes and to put them under the king – Saul.  After Saul was anointed king he basically went back home farming but everyone was separated and sort of doing their own thing.  But then God used this attack to bring everyone together under Saul’s leadership.

What this shows regarding what my attitude should be toward challenges and difficulties is that I should see every challenge and opportunity as a way to grow and experience God’s power.  Whether it’s a difficult student, staff, hardship, difficult, I need to learn to persevere and push past my own feelings and my own sense of despair.

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