Thankful. Session 2 SAMUEL 22:26-36, God is worthy of our praise and thanksgiving for His provisions in this life.

Transcription

1 Session 12 Thankful God is worthy of our praise and thanksgiving for His provisions in this life. 2 SAMUEL 22:26-36,50-51 Thanksgiving is both something we possess as well as something we do. Being grateful eliminates other negative emotions. How can a person be hateful and grateful at the same time? In the experience of gratitude, fear and anxiety dissipate. It seems that the virtue of gratitude leads to a healthy emotional life. How does gratitude impact other emotions? Is it possible for a person to demonstrate gratitude and yet still fail to acknowledge God and who He is? S ug ge s t e d Use Week of November

2 UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT 2 SAMUEL 22:1 23:39 Many people who disregard God may still point to gratitude as a virtue. Experience alone teaches us that it is a better way to live life. However, Scripture always grounds this virtue in its source, God and His worthiness. Some make the mistake of trying to separate the fruit (gratitude) from the root (God Himself). The act and virtue of gratitude are far more than simply a good way to live. David understood that God was worthy of praise and thanksgiving. David foreshadowed the true and eternal King, Jesus Christ, the son of David. Like any shadow, David was a valid but incomplete representation of the Messiah who would come. At times, he sinned grievously but over the course of his reign David reflected the glory of the Lord. He was recognized by God as a man after his own heart (1 Sam. 13:14). Israel s greatest king is not remembered primarily because of his own exploits, though there were many. The secret of David s greatness was his God-centered focus, his attitude of see what the Lord has done for me. The context of our passage is characterized by two great testimonies of David: his thanksgiving hymn (22:1-51) and his last words (23:1-7), which reflected on the Lord s establishment of his house and dynasty. The ultimate fulfillment of the Lord s promise to David is seen in Christ (Luke 1:32-33). The thanksgiving hymn of David in 2 Samuel 22 is also included among the psalms (Ps. 18) in an almost identical fashion. As the longest recorded discourse of David in Scripture, its theme is gratitude to God who provided for David and delivered him from all his enemies, including King Saul. David exulted in all that the Lord did for him. Had he maintained this perspective at every stage of his life, the king would have never marred his spiritual journey with lapses into sin. David s reflections on the Lord s intervention in his life evoked remembrances of how He appeared to His people on Mount Sinai when He established the covenant with them (see 1 Sam. 22:8-14 with Ex. 19). All true thanksgiving that is focused on God is grounded in His acts in history, primarily the death and resurrection of Jesus. 110 Explore the Bible Personal Study Guide

3 Notice in 2 Samuel 22:22-36 descriptions of how God works in our lives. Which of these do you find the most encouraging? EXPLORE THE TEXT HOLY (2 SAM. 22:26-29) 26 With the faithful you prove yourself faithful, with the blameless you prove yourself blameless, 27 with the pure you prove yourself pure; but with the crooked you prove yourself shrewd. 28 You rescue an oppressed people, but your eyes are set against the proud you humble them. 29 Lord, you are my lamp; the Lord illuminates my darkness. VERSES God is holy and nothing ever forces His hand. Yet the Lord God has chosen in His love and wisdom to reciprocate to His creation in a manner similar to their obedience to Him. For this we should be profoundly thankful. David was thankful. As a part of his hymn of thanksgiving, he acknowledged that God treated people in line with their virtues. We should not interpret this reality in a theologically unsound manner. God s work is still sourced in His graciousness toward us. In His mercy, He determines His response to people based on their submission to Him. David mentioned three specific virtues and two particular vices to which God reciprocated out of His holy nature. Those who are faithful discover that the Lord will never let them down. They also discover that in seeking to live life without fault, as blameless people, they receive God s benevolence in an undiluted fashion. While God s people are called to be identified among the pure, we should not expect our level of purity to attain to His. The word pure is in the passive voice and could possibly be translated as the purified. The purity of God s character motivates us to strive for the same (1 John 3:3), and thus we in turn come to know His purity in a deeper, experiential way. Session 12 : Thankful 111

4 While God s grace is available to all, including sinful people, we are not surprised to discover that He doesn t treat all people alike in regards to their virtue or vice. To believe this would distort the character of God as indifferent to good and evil. He does in fact respond to those who are crooked in like manner. Those who presume God s blessing will be disappointed. They will not discover how Christ can always be counted on to be enough and to be filled with gratitude as a result. In like manner, He humbles those who are proud (see 1 Pet. 5:5). Yet He will come to the aid of an oppressed people. This promise brings gratitude to our hearts; apart from the truth of it, we would lose hope in the face of injustice. VERSE 29 Ingratitude and darkness seem to travel together (Rom. 1:21). At many times in my journey with Christ, flashes of insight and illumination have brought an overwhelming sense of heartfelt gratitude toward Him. David told God that He was his lamp, the means by which he navigated through the darkness of life. The light that the Lord gives to His people is sufficient to keep us on His path. While the headlights on our cars don t shine all the way to the end of our trip, they shine far enough in front of us to keep us on the road and out of a ditch. God allows us to know what our next step in life should be and keeps us on the right path. When our experience with God gets personal, our sense of thanksgiving to Him deepens. Though he had previously described God in an objective manner ( he ), David here spoke to Him in the grammatical second person of you. When our experience with God gets personal, our sense of thanksgiving to Him deepens. How had God proven Himself to David? How does God continue to prove Himself today? SHIELD (2 SAM. 22:30-36) 30 With you I can attack a barricade, and with my God I can leap over a wall. 31 God his way is perfect; the word of the Lord 112 Explore the Bible Personal Study Guide

5 is pure. He is a shield to all who take refuge in him. 32 For who is God besides the Lord? And who is a rock? Only our God. 33 God is my strong refuge; he makes my way perfect. 34 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer and sets me securely on the heights. 35 He trains my hands for war; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. 36 You have given me the shield of your salvation; your help exalts me. VERSE 30 David used two very important words: with you. This phrase directs our focus to some of the most significant aspects of the Christian experience. First of all, we are reminded of our dependence on the Lord for His help. David knew that the mighty deeds that he performed were not simply his own. Secondly, we are encouraged by the fact that God dwells with His people. He is with us and so we do not have to move through life in isolation. Attacking a barricade and leaping over a wall related to David s own experience as a soldier. Whatever our work or situation in life, we can be confident that the Lord will help us in those endeavors. KEY DOCTRINE: God To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. VERSES There is a solemnity in the way David affirmed his faith in God. The definite article is attached to the word and it conveys a sense of This God It was as if he was about to give a report about the power and might of the Lord and verse 31 was the preamble to the great declaration. David clearly wanted his readers to pause and give consideration to the great God that he served, the One whose way is perfect. It is as if David s heart was overflowing with a profound sense of awe and gratitude for the character of the God that he loved. In addition to that, the word of the Lord is pure. All human speech and knowledge, though possessing truth, is also comprised of error. The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth is a human aspiration but a divine accomplishment. God s words Session 12 : Thankful 113

6 contain no mixture of falsehood. Because of this, we can take refuge in him and He becomes our shield. At times, I have taken refuge in a storm shelter when dangerous weather was passing through the area in which I live. That underground safe room became my shield. As I hear the storm roar outside, I am grateful for the safety of the shelter. That which protects us in our experience becomes worthy of our gratitude. More than any earthly structure, God is worthy of thanksgiving because of the protection we have in Him, both in this life and in the next. Only God delivers His people. Only Jesus is enough. Only the Holy Spirit can open our eyes to truth. David knew that nothing compared to his God. All idols pale in comparison to the one true God. His words echo Deuteronomy 32:31, But their rock is not like our Rock, as even our enemies concede. Israel s king expressed the attitude of every true Israelite which he wrote, And who is a rock? Only our God. A heart of gratitude is formed around the word only. Only God delivers His people. Only Jesus is enough. Only the Holy Spirit can open our eyes to truth. Salvation comes from God and from God alone. BIBLE SKILL: Use a Bible concordance. Use a Bible concordance to identify verses that include the word shield. Look especially for verses that use the word shield to describe God and His work. Review several fo these verses looking for ways God shields His people. What did you learn about how God cares for His people? Memorize 2 Samuel 22:31. VERSES The truths about God that we come to understand must be personalized and applied to our existence. David relied on God and 114 Explore the Bible Personal Study Guide

7 therefore spoke of Him as a shield and a rock. But he also knew Him as my strong refuge. This is why he could walk on the heights and go to war, because he knew that the Lord would be all of these things to him in his experience or, as he called it, my way. What we believe about God is important. However, those beliefs must move us to action. When we do that, we experience the Lord s help and support. VERSE 36 Once again David addressed God in a personal way and said you have given me the shield of your salvation. Though the Lord had endowed him with all of his abilities (vv ), these alone did not bring him success. It was the Lord s blessing that protected and delivered him. David s heart was a humble heart, and humility is always the spring from which gratitude flows. In fact, we can measure our humility by our gratitude. During his life, David had known great fame. Songs were sung about him (1 Sam. 18:7) and he was well-known even before he became king (1 Sam. 18:30). All the world eventually knew about his deeds and accomplishments (1 Chron. 14:17). However, the great king understood that it was God s help that exalted him. David described his salvation in terms of a shield. What other metaphors might be used to describe God s salvation? ETERNAL (2 SAM. 22:50-51) 50 Therefore I will give thanks to you among the nations, Lord; I will sing praises about your name. 51 He is a tower of salvation for his king; he shows loyalty to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever. VERSE 50 In this verse, David referred back to all that he had said about the Lord who He is and what He does for His people. The only logical response to the worthiness of God is to give thanks to Him. In a statement that parallels the appropriate gratitude, David also asserted that he would sing praises about the name of God. Session 12 : Thankful 115

8 A person s name represents his character and identity. To praise God s name is to praise Him for who He is, for His attributes. Foundational to what God does are the attributes of His character. He shows mercy because He is merciful. He offers salvation because of His power to provide it. He offers to us His abiding presence because of His great love. What He does flows out of who He is. What He does flows out of who He is. VERSE 51 An appropriate metaphor for salvation is that of a tower. When we experience the eternal salvation through Christ s death on the cross for us, we are forever secure in that relationship and experience. It lifts us above mere earthly pursuits and offers us an eternal perspective. It offers us spiritual protection. Believers should maintain a constant attitude of thankfulness for the salvation given to them in Christ. David understood that he was the Lord s anointed (1 Sam. 16:13) because of divine loyalty and the steadfast love of God. In addition, he heard and believed the promise of the Lord God that one of his descendants would rule the people of Israel forever (2 Sam. 7:11-16). There would be periods in the history of Israel when someone other than a descendant of David would be their ruler. Yet these were temporary gaps, prompted by their disobedience. The promise of God to David was ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ (Luke 1:32-33). The very attributes of God mentioned by David in his hymn of thanksgiving light, sufficiency, purity would be incarnated in the life and ministry of Christ Himself. While David became the model for all later Israelite kings, it would take the advent of Jesus to see the perfect and eternal fulfillment of kingship over God s people (Rev. 11:15). What actions taken by God might cause someone to tell others? How is telling others abouts God s works a form of thanksgiving? 116 Explore the Bible Personal Study Guide

9 IN MY CONTEXT All people should expect God to be true to His holy character. Salvation comes from God and God alone. Believers should offer praise to God for His salvation provided through His Son, Jesus. Reflect on ways God has been faithful to you. How can you communicate to a neighbor or coworker what He has done for you? Discuss as a group ways of demonstrating the belief that salvation comes from God and from Him alone. What actions can the group take to more fully demonstrate this truth? Review the actions of God highlighted by David. How have you seen the same actions demonstrated by God? How should you live differently in light of God working in these ways? Prayer Needs Session 12 : Thankful 117