S.A.L.T. THIRSTING FOR MORE LESSON 2 Samuel 4-9:10 Wanting God s Best

Transcription

1 S.A.L.T. THIRSTING FOR MORE LESSON 2 Samuel 4-9:10 Wanting God s Best Most Christians desire God s best...his best in every area of life. But how do we know what is simply good and what is best? The LORD Jehovah was the best king for the Israelites but they thought they wanted something better: an earthly king. Why are we sometimes seeking or satisfied with less than His best? Or why would we want something we know is not only not best, but perhaps is even bad? Is there something that can encourage us to desire only what He knows is best? Let s take a look at the lives of some people whose stories are recorded in scripture and try to determine the answers to some of these questions. SALT PRAYER POEM LORD I ve come to study and I ve come to learn. Holy Spirit be my teacher so God s will I ll discern. Father help me listen to your Word and then obey. Jesus be my king - my master, for it s in your name I pray 1. Look up the word best in any dictionary (online or paper). What are some definitions or words that relate to, describe, or are associated with wanting God s best for your life? Jesus is Immanuel God with us. Take Jesus with you! 2. The ark of the covenant represented the presence of God. Other than inside churches, where have you been when you were keenly aware of God s presence? We know one of the attributes of God is his omnipresence, which means He is present everywhere at all times. Where do you go or what do you do that the thought of taking Jesus with you is either an embarrassing, uncomfortable, or scary thought? If you wrote anything on the line above STOP going there or doing that! Consider memorizing Edinger s quote: Outside the will of God there can be no success. Inside the will of God there can be no failure. LESSONS LEARNED FROM KING SAUL LESSON 2 PAGE 1

2 Instead of wanting God s favor or His best, sometimes people knowingly or unknowingly want something else! Let s read some real-life stories of people who seemed to want God s best and discover what they received. 3. We saw in lesson 1 how Ruth wisely sought advice from others. Now let s look at what she said or did to show she wanted God s best in her life. Ultimately, she became the greatgrandmother of David, great-great grandmother of Solomon, and is listed in the lineage of Jesus in Matthew 1:5. I d say she wanted and received many of God s best blessings, wouldn t you? READ Ruth 1:16-19 and Ruth 4:13-17 What did Ruth want? What did Ruth receive? What example is Ruth for some area in your life? 4. Gideon was one of Israel s judges who usually wanted God s best for himself and for the people he served. But if you know or read the rest of his story, you ll find he was not a perfect man and certainly didn t seek God s best 24/7! As just a reminder, Israelite judges were military leaders, not mediators. So if you re like me, you may not enjoy his war stories, but they can show how engaging in a battle might be the path which ultimately helps to obtain God s best. READ Judges 6:11 to the end of chapter 7. What did Gideon want? What did Gideon receive? What example is Gideon for some area in your life? 5. The next person s life we can learn from is Solomon. His request for best is somewhat famous and should frequently be our prayer request, too! READ I KINGS 3:3-14 What did Solomon want? What did Solomon receive? LESSONS LEARNED FROM KING SAUL LESSON 2 PAGE 2

3 The book of Proverbs admonishes each of us to continually ask the Holy Spirit to fill us with wisdom, knowledge and understanding. When we make this request our daily prayer, the potential becomes exponentially great for a transformed life. 6. The last person we ll look at who wanted God s best is the New Testament missionary named Barnabas. He knew God was in the business of transforming lives and believed God was the God of second chances. READ Acts 15:35-41 What did Barnabas want? What did Barnabas receive? Is there someone who might need your help in acquiring a second chance to receive God s best? Who? Pray, asking God to help you know what to do. Are there people who might try to keep you from receiving God s best in any area of your life? Who? Pray, asking God to help you know what to do. 7. Not everyone wants God s best! In the book of Esther, we discover two people who didn t! READ Esther 1:10 through 2:4 What did Queen Vashti want? What did Vashti ultimately receive? Is she a warning for any area in your life? READ Esther 5:9 through 7:10 What did Haman want? What did Haman ultimately receive? Is he a warning for any area in your life? LESSONS LEARNED FROM KING SAUL LESSON 2 PAGE 3

4 We often want what we want and if we want something bad enough or long enough, we often receive whatever it is along with a bunch of regrets and unwelcomed baggage! If what we want is God s best, however, we will have Him walking with us through whatever circumstances come and we can be assured that He will work in each thing for our good (Romans 8:28) regardless of what may happen. Beware of the words of Matthew Henry: Sometimes God opposes us because of his loving kindness. Other times He grants our requests but sends leanness to our soul. Psalm 106:15 We are rarely content with what we have and often want something other or more. What are some things you are wanting? Put a star by those you believe could be God s best for your life. Now go back and draw a line through any that you have reason to believe would not be His best! Wanting God s best? Seek to know and fulfill God s purpose for your life. Consider reading Rick Warren s book, The Purpose Driven Life, if you haven t already, or consider completing one of the many spiritual gifts assessments or surveys online. To really fulfill God s purpose and have great joy in life s journey, learn and focus on how God s gifted you. Cultivating those gifts can be a thrilling discovery plus an incredible blessing to you and others! 8. Christians can be amusing when they get dogmatic! There are some ideas about governmental leaders often highlighted in Christian circles that God deposes kings and raises up others (Daniel 2:21), and that God puts down one [leader] and raises up another (Psalm 75:7). Romans 13:1 commands, Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God and those that exist have been instituted by God. Paraphrase those verses into one thought or concept? READ Hosea 8:4 in three different translations. What does it say? LESSONS LEARNED FROM KING SAUL LESSON 2 PAGE 4

5 Is every president, every king, every governor, and every country s leader chosen by God, according to this verse? Could the person elected be the people s choice and not be God s best or what He desires? Think about it! Sometimes people think they make God look more powerful by saying, God is in control of everything! If this man s elected, it must be God s will. Jesus taught his disciples to pray and ask God for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10) Obviously, if God s will is always done on earth there would be no need for that prayer! Is it God s will a drunken driver kill a family on their way to grandma s house or God s will that a spouse commits adultery or God s will that a teenager overdose on drugs and commit suicide? I trust your answer to each of these is an emphatic NO those are not God s will! Long before the days of Saul and Samuel, a man named Gideon (also called Jerubbaal) was a judge in Israel. He was a man whose faith in God was notable and a man God used mightily. At one point, the people asked Gideon to be their king, but Gideon replied, No, I won t be your king, and my son won t be king either. Only the LORD is your ruler. (Judges 8:23 CEV) Gideon had several wives who gave him seventy sons but he also had another son born to a concubine. In a polygamous society, a concubine was a man s mistress who did not have any of the rights, protections, or privileges of a wife. Gideon s son, Abimelech, was born to his concubine and wanted to be Israel s king. He thought he needed to eliminate any possibility of his seventy half-brothers challenging him to the throne. So he went to the men in his mother s family in Shechem requesting their support so he could become Israel s first king. READ Judges 9 perhaps in a modern translation or a paraphrase. Who appointed Abimelech king? Was it God s will Abimelech be king? What was the outcome? 9. Honor your father and mother (this is the first commandment with a promise), that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land. Ephesians 6:2 ESV Even adult children are favored by the LORD when they honor their father and mother. READ Genesis 9:18-28 How did these sons show they or did not honor their father, Noah. SON ACTION CONSEQUENCE Shem Ham Japheth LESSONS LEARNED FROM KING SAUL LESSON 2 PAGE 5

6 10. READ PSLAM 1 as a reminder of whom Christians should go to when advice is needed. When you need direction or help, seek Christian counsel. Sometimes people who are not Christ followers can give you good advice about earthly or physical matters. Note: Moses father-in-law, Jethro, was a priest of Midian, not an Israelite. READ Exodus 18. What unsolicited advice did Jethro give Moses? Was it good advice? 11. Have you ever been given conflicting advice from two people you respect? David s son, Absalom, was a rebel who frequently displayed blatant disrespect towards his father and even tried to kill him. He received conflicting advice from two men who were considered among Israel s wisest counselors and advisors to the king of that day, Ahithophel and Hushai. To understand this dramatic story: READ II Samuel 16:11 through 17:23 (might be best to read it from a modern translation) Briefly state Ahithophel s advice: Briefly state Hushai s advice: Why didn t Absalom follow the first advice he was given rather than seeking a second opinion? What are two reasons Absalom followed Hushai s advice? (See II Samuel 17:14) What was the devastating and detrimental outcome of Absalom taking the wrong advice? To experience God s favor, sometimes we need good advice; but often we must ask for it. If we don t like the advice someone gives us, we tend to keep asking other people for their opinions until someone says something that feels good, is easy, or that we happen to like for LESSONS LEARNED FROM KING SAUL LESSON 2 PAGE 6

7 some (unknown) reason. Proverbs 11:14 and Proverbs 15:22 both state that there is wisdom and victory in getting advice from more than one counselor. God knows your heart. If you truly are seeking to know His will and do it, He will lead you to wise counselors and give you the wisdom and discernment to know what path to take. So expect confirmation regarding godly advice. (See Proverbs 3:5-6) Knowing and obeying God s Word brings God s favor his BEST! 11. Briefly note what these verses say and then write how the verses encourage you to be seeking God s BEST in some area of your life. Micah 6:8 says What the verse means to me Psalm 51:10-13 says What these verses means to me Psalm 119: says What these verses mean to me The following song was originally part of Henry Blackaby s study, Experiencing God. (The study is excellent! It is updated and available from Life Way and other distributors. The songs and music, however, are no longer available or part of the study.) Consider memorizing this song as a poem. Read the words. Pray the words. Ponder and contemplate their meaning. Heart for Your Desire Star Song Deep in my soul there s a longing I feel to look at my life in the light of Your will. Knowing Your heart; trusting Your truth day after day I m walking with You. All my hopes, all my dreams help me forfeit everything for whatever Your kingdom requires. Guide my steps, let me see the best you have for me. Give me a heart for your desire. LESSONS LEARNED FROM KING SAUL LESSON 2 PAGE 7

8 Teach me, oh God, in the ways of Your word. Whisper thru voices that I ve seldom heard. Strengthen my faith; weaken my will; lead me to where your love is fulfilled. All my hopes, all my dreams help me forfeit everything for whatever Your kingdom requires. Guide my steps, let me see the best you have for me. Give me a heart for your desire. As I delight in You, oh Lord within my heart there s a fire and I m finding the desire of my heart is a heart for Your desire. I want a heart for Your desire. Take a few moments to review the 3 components of this lesson and write what has been most meaningful for you. What is the Holy Spirit wanting you to know or do? Video Guide Discussion Questions Thirsting for More LESSONS LEARNED FROM KING SAUL LESSON 2 PAGE 8