old testament LIBERTY HOME ACCELERATED LEARNING PROGRAM Unit 1 United Kingdom Stage King David: The Kingdom United
UNITED KINGDOM STAGE KING DAVID: THE KINGDOM UNITED Opening (10 Minutes) Promptly establish readiness for teaching-learning. Greeting & Opening prayer Take attendance - Grade book Theological Key - Ask the question and one student may reply with the answer. Memory verse - Have volunteers quote a verse Quiz - Read orally Bible Text: 2 Samuel 1-13 Theological Key -1- I will make your name great. -2- I will give Israel a home. -3- I will give you (David) rest. Davidic Covenant Memory Work Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions Psalm 51:1 Teaching (20 Minutes) Present lesson goals and objectives Course Goal: To conduct a survey of Genesis through Second Samuel concerning the nation Israel in covenant relation to the one True and Living God. Lesson Goal: Upon completion of this lesson the students will appreciate the significant contribution of David s testimony in Israel s history, during the early years of his life. 1. To conduct an annotated overview of the early life of David. 2. To identify various features of David s life which depict him as a man after God s own heart 2
I. Opening Remarks Class Session Unit 1 1 and 2 Samuel are transition books so to speak because we see the move away from judges as rulers to human kings, beginning with Saul. The monarchy is launched with the ministry of Saul but greatly expanded by the kingship of David. Under David, all 12 tribes unite and anoint him king. He sets up rule in the holy city of Jerusalem. The life of the tender shepherd who becomes king becomes a life journey of many twists and turns, replete with struggles, betrayal, sin and repentance. Throughout, God s plan for Messiah to come from the line of David persists. II. Discussion & Application THE STORY OF DAVID (2 SAMUEL 1 11) OVERVIEW A. SECOND SAMUEL: OUTLINE OVERVIEW AND INTRODUCTION 1. Authorship: Though much of the material, 1 Samuel 1-24 is probably from Samuel, an anonymous source compiled the rest of the information that is included in 1 & 2 Samuel, which are one book in the Hebrew Bible. 2. Date: The two books were undoubtedly compiled and completed before the Assyrian conquest of 722 B.C. 3. Recipients: 1 & 2 Samuel were written to the monarchy of Israel originally united under David but later divided after Solomon s death. PSOT 4. Purpose: a. Historical purpose: 1 Samuel is a record of the divine origin of the Davidic dynasty. Also, the book records the transition from judges to kings via the prophets. 2 Samuel preserves the story of the 40 years of Davidic rule in Israel. He rules from Hebron for seven years and over Judah and Israel for some 33 years, until 971 B.C. b. Doctrinal purpose: Doctrinally, the choice of David as king reveals the divine origin of the messianic house of David. c. Christological purpose: The primary messianic theme in Samuel is the coming Messiah who is the son of David (2 Sam. 7:12f). Ibid 5. Key to 2 Samuel: The pivotal place in the book is chapter 11 which records David s tragic lapse into carnality and deep sin with Bathsheba. All of the widespread blessings on David s family and his kingdom are quickly removed as God chastises His anointed one. Train up a child in the way he should go...this Biblical phrase is often quoted when Christian education and training are discussed. Yet proper instruction is only one dimension of this issue. Jesus, for example, spoke about the need to see the fruit of nature, spiritual living (John 15). 3
David, even as a young man, walked in the ways of God. He was apparently trained well at home, but certainly the test of fruits were obvious in his life too. The last lesson illustrated this fact, revealing why David was a man after God s own heart. This lesson picks up where the last one left off: The story of a faithful, godly man who continued to receive blessings from the Lord. 1. In the last lesson, one critical component of David s meaningful relationship with God was identified for Christians: As with all human friendships, believers need to regularly communicate with God and to live a righteous life. It should be noted that a righteous life is not just life that pertains to spiritual issues (e.g., prayer and worship). 2. Besides these spiritual things, righteous living can be described as living obediently to God and His Word in all avenues of life. This includes the development of: a. Commendable personal characteristics (e.g., contentment and self-control) b. Interpersonal qualities (e.g., sensitivity to and patience with others) 3. David was a man of God, whose righteousness extended to every part of his life: a. He knew how to communicate with God. b. He experienced the value of his own personality development. c. He realized what it meant to have an impeccable reputation in his service to others. The chart on the following page summarizes these issues, particularly as they pertain to the Scripture passages in this lesson. God God blesses: 1. David s personal faithfulness 2. His commitment to the Law 3. His kindness to others 4. His military pursuits 5. His family plans and pursuits David David lives righteously: 1. Serving the Lord 2. Honoring His Word 3. Ministering to Israel 4. Becoming the mature individual God created him to be David was truly a man after God s own heart. Observe how David s mature character as a young man (from lesson #38) continues to develop in this next stage of his adult life. 4
B. RECALL FIVE ASPECTS OF DAVID S RIGHTEOUS LIVING 1. David revenges innocent blood. Three times David judges those who take matters into their own hands and kill David s enemies, thinking they were doing right. a. The death of Saul (II Sam. 1:1-16). Verses 14-16 especially emphasize David s anger that the Lord s anointed was killed. b. The death of Abner (II Sam. 3:28-39). Verses 36-37 state that everyone was convinced that David did not plot the death of Saul s captain. c. The death of Ishbosheth (II Sam. 4:1-12) David repays the murderers with judgment, rather than reward. 2. David remains obedient to God. a. (II Sam. 2:1) David twice inquires of the Lord about his own future. b. (II Sam. 5:17-25) David twice inquires of the Lord concerning his battle with the Philistines. c. David supports the Law of God. (1) (I Chron. 15:12-15) The laws of cleansing (2) (I Chron. 16:3740) The laws of offering (3) (II Sam. 5:20,21; I Chron. 14:11,12) The laws about serving other gods d. Compare David s testimony here with Saul s life from I Chron. 10:13, 14; David sought God, while Saul followed witchcraft. 3. David reverses and rejoices in the Lord. a. (II Sam. 6:1-8) David attempts to remove the ark. b. (II Sam. 6:9-11) David reverses God s power. c. (II Sam. 6:12-20a) David rejoices before the Lord. d. (II Sam. 7:1-3) David s desire to build a temple. Notice how David s praise toward God leads naturally into his blessing other people: (v. 18b) blessing Israel; (v.20a) blessing his own household. 4. David remembers his covenant with Jonathan s house. a. (I Sam. 20:35-42) David had made a covenant with Jonathan, Saul s son. David and Jonathan were each to see to it that the other person s family was always protected and given all necessary provisions for life. b. (II Sam. 9:1-13) Mephibosheth, the crippled son of Jonathan, was the subject of David s attention and love because of this covenant. 5. David restores the respect of his ambassadors. a. (II Sam. 10:-14) David s unusual kindness expressed here to his enemy was wrongly interpreted to be a military tactic for spying. David s ambassadors are disgraced as a result. b. (II Sam. 10:5) Prior to David s relation for this offense, Israel s king takes the time to construct and relate a plan to his ambassadors: Remain in Jericho until your beards are fully grown again. 5
What a testimony of sensitivity to others! David was not only concerned about revenging innocent blood, remaining obedient to God, rejoicing in the Lord, and remembering his covenant with Jonathan - all of which were important matters he was concerned about the lesser hurts, disappointments, and struggles of his people, Israel. This is what servantleadership really looks like in daily living. Because of David s righteous reputation, God expressed his pleasure through numerous blessings to David: C. NOTICE THE DOZEN BLESSINGS OF GOD UPON DAVID 1. (II Sam. 2:1) Two prayers answered. 2. (II Sam. 2:12-17) Victory over Abner. 3. (II Sam. 3:1) Increasing dominance over Saul s house. (See I Chron. 12:23 growing support, confirming God s Word) 4. (II Sam. 3:2-5) Six sons born at Hebron. 5. (II Sam. 3:17-21) Abner concedes to David. (See v. 18 Confirmation of the Word of God) 6. (II Sam. 5:6 10) Jerusalem conquered. (See v. 10... and the Lord God of hosts was with him. ) 7. (II Sam. 5:11) Enemies acknowledge God s work through him. 8. (II Sam. 5:12) David recognizes how God has established him. 9. (II Sam. 5:17-25) Two more prayers answered (v. 19,23). (v. 24 The sound illustrates God s very real presence.) 10. (II Sam. 7:4-17) God s covenant promises to David. 11. (II Sam. 8:1-18) David s kingdom extended. (Compare v. 6 I and V. 14, the Lord s preservation of David, with v. 11, David s dedication of the gold and silver noted previously in the diagram.) 12. (II Sam. 10:6-19) Victory over the Ammonites and the Syrians. God s hand of blessing was clearly upon David. And yet, these blessings were not arbitrary. David was a man after God s own heart. God even blessed David s relationships. He had a very loyal company of men. It is no wonder that David s 40-year reign has always been so highly respected in Israel s history, even to this day. D. OBSERVE DAVID S SERIES OF CRITICAL SINS 1. David s sin of adultery (II Sam. 11:1-4) Notice that prior to this sin of adultery: a. David was in the wrong place (v. 1 staying at home during war) b. He had wrong thoughts (v. 2 coveting Bathsheba) c. He had a lack of self-control (v. 3,4) 2. David s sin of craftiness (II Sam. 11:5-13) David attempted to conceal his sin with Bathsheba, who was now pregnant, by bringing home her husband, Uriah. Yet on two separate occasions, Uriah never went back to Bathsheba. 3. David s sin of murder (II Sam. 11:14214) David s premeditated murder of Uriah continued to complicate his sin problem. This man of God daily slipped farther and farther from the Lord. 6
4. David s sin of uncontrolled anger and unjust revenge (II Sam. 12:1-6) a. Nathan, God s prophet, confronted the king with a parable of sin and injustice. b. David s recollection of his days as a shepherd boy permitted him to empathize with the poor man who lost his only lamb. c. David s anger and vengeance were self-incriminating. After this series of sins, one sentence summarizes God s all-too-apparent response: But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord (II Sam. 11:27b). 5. God s judgment of David was two-fold: a. The sword (of violence and death) would curse his family. b. His secret sins would be publicized. David immediately confessed his sins, and God immediately forgave him. Yet, the consequences of those sins ( the child... shall surely die 12:14) still remained. This is a critical lesson about the doctrine of sin. Review it often. E. RECOGNIZE THE REPLICATION OF DAVID S SINS IN HIS FAMILY Soon after God s judgment was pronounced, all four sins of David (which are cited above) were repeated by David s family members: 1. Amnon s lack of sexual self-control (II Sam. 13:1-14) (NOTE: verses 12 and 13 reveal the wisdom of Tamar; who foresaw the consequences of this sin (shame and evil testimony). Yet David s son, ]4mnon, would not listen.) 2. Jonadab s crafty plan of deceit (II Sam. 13:3-5) David s nephew, Jonadab, plotted the scheme for Amnon which led to the dishonoring sin noted above. 3. Absalom s uncontrollable anger and unjust revenge (II Sam. 13:20-23) Absalom, another one of David s sons, plotted revenge upon Amnon (on behalf of Tamar) for two full years! 4. Absalom s premeditated murder of Amnon (II Sam. 24-33) a. One of David s sons (Absalom) kills another son (Amnon). b. In so doing, the four transgressions of David are precisely re-enacted within his own family. What a powerful series of illustrations concerning the significance of modeling either providing a positive or a negative example! ~End~ 7
Conclusion 1. David knew how to communicate with God. 2. God blessed David s personal faithfulness. 3. God blessed David s commitment to Torah (God s Word) 4. God blessed David s kindness to others. David lived righteously: 1. Serving the LORD 2. Honoring God s Word 3. Ministering to Israel 4. Becoming the mature individual God created him to be Since David s life was characterized at one time by such sinfulness, why is he considered to be a man after God s own heart? The answer is that David responded the way God wanted him to respond, that is, David made confession (2 Sam. 7-13, esp. v. 13) Finally, we may conclude that God is not only concerned with what we do, but He is concerned about what we do next concerning our sins. Those that take sin seriously can then have a heart after God s! Review (5 Minutes) Q & A Matching Who s who? And etc. 1. b One who ridiculed David for dancing in the street 2. e David s army captain 3. m Innocent victim of a king s treachery 4. p David s final capital 5. g One who brought David a parable about a little lamb 6. h One of David s big three sins 7. a One of the paybacks to David for his sins 8. k Promise from God that a king would come from line of David and rule over seed and soil 9. d One of the great spiritual lessons gained from a study of 2 Samuel 10. o Son with a tremendous hairdo 11. f One who defiled his sister 12. q One who unwisely touched the ark of the covenant 8
a. Sickness and death j. Bathsheba b. Michal k. Davidic covenant c. Abner l. Hebron d. Law of sowing and reaping m. Uriah e. Joab n. Bethlehem f. Amnon o. Absalom g. Nathan p. Jerusalem h. Adultery q. Uzzah i. Mephibosheth 13. The events of King David s life and reign occurred during the Stage. (c. United Kingdom) a. Divided Kingdom b. Conquest c. United Kingdom 14. T F King David s first capital was at Hebron. (True) 15. T F Eventually David came to be king over all twelve tribes of Israel. (True) Closing Challenge Make personal applications We learn from this Scripture three lessons: Compare your life with David s list. Do you intentionally seek to develop honorable personal characteristics? Interpersonal qualities in your life? What is one lesson from David s life that can be applied to your own life? A major truth of these Scriptures concerning David is that we must realize that all sins, even though they are forgiven by God, have the potential for very serious consequences. Pray for wisdom to apply David s model prayer to your life, even when you commit a sin which appears to be very small from man s perspective.the greater vision is to see that Jesus Christ is the messianic hope for a universal King who would rule not only Israel but the entire world. Lesson from life of David All sins (even though they are forgiven by God) have the potential for very serious consequences Close in prayer. 9