Today is the first day for our assigned readings for the upcoming David message series at Lord of Life. You can find the assigned readings and questions on this blog by going to philressler.com/david. Make sure to check back each day additional insights and thoughts on each day’s reading.
As we begin this study together please pray with me the following prayer: Lord, we thank you for the gift of your precious word. We thank you for the divine mentors whose lives we are able to learn from. We ask that as we study the life of David together we will learn from his successes and his failures. Give us insight and wisdom to apply these timeless principles in our lives. Give us the motivation, the dedication, and the commitment to be diligent in our studies as we seek to grow as your disciples. Amen.
This week we will be looking at the life of King Saul. King Saul had been appointed King over Israel before David. It is important to understand the demise of King Saul if we are to understand why it was David who was appointed king to follow Saul.
The reading for this first day is 1 Samuel 8-9. These are the questions with my answers to go along with the reading:
What were some of the problems the Israelites faced in today’s reading?
Samuel had boldly and courageously led the people of Israel for many years. But now Samuel was growing old. His sons had been appointed to lead, but they were not men of integrity as Samuel had been. A leadership vacuum had been created.
On top of that was the Philistine threat. The Philistines were the Israelites neighbor to the west. There was constant war between the Israelites and the Philistines. Even though Samuel had led a successful campaign against the Philistines, the Philistines had superior weapons for war made of iron. It was only a matter of time before the Philistines technology would win out unless something was done.
A third issue was the need to unite the nation. The nation was made up of 12 different tribes (technically 13, but that is for another discussion). Instead of standing as one nation, the tribes would often fight among themselves. If they were to ward off such as serious threat as a Philistine invasion, they would need to stand united. With a leadership vacuum, there was no one to do this.
Why did the Israelites ask for a king (8:5)? Who was their real king (8:7)?
The Israelites asked for a king to provide the leadership which was lacking from the sons of Samuel. Other nations had kings and the grass always looks greener on the other side.
The reality was God was their king. And by asking Samuel to give them a king they were ultimately rejecting God and his rule. Our church is called Lord of Life. My prayer is that we would be faithful to that name. That truly the Lord would be the Lord of our life and that we would have no other king in our life.
In the case of the Israelites here they did not think the Lord was enough. They needed something different, something more than what he provided.
Do you think God calls us to be the same or different from everyone else? Why or why not?
To be holy means to be different. It means to be set apart. To be a Christian means to be different. There is a great book I read not to long ago called Wierd by Craig. Most of us try to blend in. We try to be normal. But God did not create us to fit in. He called us to stand apart and to shine the light of Jesus.
What is the warning God gives to the people about having a king? (8:10-18)?
God warns the people that by asking for a king they are playing a dangerous game. God warns the people about how the king will seek to take advantage of them. He will put heavy burdens upon them to serve him. He will take the harvest from their fields. He will take property away from them. He would even make some of them to be slaves.
The irony is that the people ask for a king to deliver them from their oppressors. In the end the king would become their oppressor. Much of this would eventually come to pass under the reign of Solomon, David’s son.
Why do you think the people refused to heed to Samuel’s warning (8:19-20)? Have you ever wanted something so bad you would not listen to good advice?
The simple answer is we are stubborn people. When we set our hearts and our minds on something it is very hard for us to change, even in the face of sound logic and wisdom. I know I am a sinful and prideful person. There are many times in my life that I had my mind so made up and that I wanted something so bad that no one was going to tell me no.
The Bible has a name for this. It is called having a hard heart. I pray God would soften our hearts to be open to reproof and correction. I pray that when we are going down a path that is not a godly path, we would have the ears to hear and the wisdom to change our direction. In the case of the Israelites in this story, they were not going to be denied their request.
Why do you think the Lord answered their request for a king (8:22)? Has God ever answered a request of yours that was not the best thing for you? How did it turn out?
The Lord did answer their request. This was going to be a learning experience. Sometimes the only way we will learn is by our mistakes. One way we learn is by observing the mistakes of others and then avoid making the same mistakes ourselves. Other times we learn from our own mistakes. We learn not to make the same mistakes twice. Although sometimes we are slower than that, and need to make same mistake again before we finally learn the lesson.
God is a loving God. Sometimes the best thing a loving father can do is to let his child stumble and slip and to let his child learn from his mistake. This is one of those times.
There is an old cliche be careful what you ask for because you just might get it. Too many times we don’t know what we are asking for. It is not all we imagine it to be. There is grace when God says yes and there is grace when God says no. The challenge is for me to desire not what I want, but what God desires for me. Still the pull of my flesh is strong.
What made Saul seem like the ideal candidate to be king (9:2)?
Saul seemed like the ideal candidate to be king. The Scripture records he was tall and impressive. He just seemed like the ideal captain of the football team. There were no equals when it came to the combination of physical appearance and charm. He was the perfect politician.
What distinguishes a person to be a man (or woman) of God? (9:6)?
Samuel was described as being highly respected. He is called a man of God. He was a man of integrity. The words he spoke were truth.
We know he was a man who listened to God (see 1 Samuel 3) and followed God’s direction. It doesn’t get much simpler than that. A man or woman of God is one who listens to God and then does what God says. Jesus would later say blessed is the one who hears and obeys. (Luke 11:28)
What was the purpose of the king (9:16)?
When God does appoint a king for the people the purpose of the king was to deliver the people from oppression of the Philistines. The role of the king was to be that of savior. He was to serve the people in behalf of God. He was to be a leader and a servant. It was a calling Jesus would ultimately fulfill. Jesus tells us he came not to be served but to serve. Our challenge is to go and do likewise.
You have been appointed by God. You are not here for no reason. You are to be a difference maker. Will you be ONE after God’s own heart to make a difference?
If someone could look in your heart, as Samuel looked into Saul’s heart, what would they see (9:19)?
It is my prayer the would see a servant’s heart. That they would see a heart that is pure with no other agenda than to serve Jesus. Unfortunately, too often my heart is polluted with self-centeredness. It is filled with greed and pride.
Together, lets confess and repent of our sin. Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to create in us clean hearts to produce all the fruit of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and faithfulness).
