A Kingdom Provided Daily Discipleship Guide SUMMER 2019 | VOL

Daily Discipleship Guide ESV Guide Daily Discipleship PROJECT GOSPEL THE

A Kingdom Provided Daily Discipleship Guide SUMMER 2019 | VOL. 4 | ESV SUMMER 2019

We Need the True King

The last verse in the Book of Judges—a book that chronicles the downward spiral of disobedience of those who were called to be radically different as the people of God—is one of the most depressing verses in the Bible: “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did whatever seemed right to him” (Judg. 21:25).

Is this not a fitting definition of sin? In this one verse, we see the prideful root of self-lordship, self-exaltation, and self-determination at the core of all our rebellion. We are, in our own minds, the gods of our own universe. And as such, we have the right to choose whatever is right and wrong for ourselves, and anything that imposes some authority over us other than our own autonomous minds, hearts, and desires is a constraint that must be thrown off.

As sinners, we are like the Israelites of old, convinced of our own truth, our own ideas, and our own wisdom. Our sin has blinded us to what is truly good and right, and it’s precisely because of this blindness that we need a true king. We need a king who tells us the truth, guides us with justice, and leads us in righteousness. And we need a king who can open our eyes to all these things and more. But because we are enslaved by our own desires, the true king we need must not only be our ruler but also our rescuer.

In Jesus, we find this King—the One before whom every knee will bow and whose greatness every tongue will eventually confess. In Jesus, the true King has come. He is the King of love as well as the King of power. In Jesus, and in Him alone, will we finally find all our desires for peace, security, and wholeness met.

What is left for us, then, is to acknowledge that every other king we seek to enthrone is only a substitute for Jesus. Far better is for us to trust in Him not only as our rescuer but also as our ruler and to acknowledge that all authority has been given to Him.

Suggested for the week of Unit 10: God Provides a King (1 Samuel)

June 2 11 Session 1 God Calls a Prophet

June 9 20 Session 2 God Rescues His Ark

June 16 29 Session 3 God Rejects a King

Unit 11: God Provides a Godly King (1–2 Samuel; Psalms)

June 23 39 Session 1 A Shepherd Slays a Giant

June 30 48 Session 2 A Fugitive Spares His Rival

July 7 57 Session 3 A Servant Receives God’s Promise

July 14 66 Session 4 A King Shows Kindness

July 21 75 Session 5 A Sinner Receives Forgiveness

July 28 84 Session 6 The Good Shepherd

Unit 12: God Provides a Wise King (1 Kings; Ecclesiastes)

August 4 94 Session 1 A Son Requests Wisdom

August 11 103 Session 2 A Son Learns True Wisdom

August 18 112 Session 3 A Son Builds the Temple

August 25 121 Session 4 A Son Rejects Wisdom

The Gospel Project® Brian Dembowczyk Adult Daily Discipleship Guide ESV Volume 7, Number 4 Summer 2019 Managing Editor—The Gospel Project

Ed Stetzer Author of Gospel-Centered Kids Ministry Founding Editor and Cornerstones: 200 Questions and

Trevin Wax Answers to Learn Truth General Editor

Brian Dembowczyk In this volume of The Gospel Project, Managing Editor we cover the roughly one hundred and twenty years of Israel’s heyday: the united Daniel Davis Content Editor monarchy. After decades of the devastating cycle of sin and deliverance and being ruled by a series of judges, the Israelites Josh Hayes called on Samuel to appoint a king for them—one like those Content and Production Editor of the nations around them. God warned His people that what Ken Braddy they were requesting would lead to heartache and trouble, but Manager, Adult Ongoing Bible Studies they insisted. So God, in His kindness, gave them what they Michael Kelley wanted in order to teach them to trust Him. Director, Groups Ministry What followed was a series of three kings: Saul, David, and Send questions/comments to: Solomon, each ruling for about forty years. In some ways, Content Editor by email to [email protected] or mail to these kings provide us with examples to follow: the fierce Content Editor, The Gospel Project: Adult determination of David not to stand for anyone impugning Daily Discipleship Guide, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234-0175; or make comments God’s character; the mercy and kindness David showed to a foe on the Web at lifeway.com. and his family; the wisdom of Solomon. But we also discover that each of these three men fell woefully short of being the Printed in the United States of America king God’s people wanted and needed, each one proving God’s warnings true. Bookending God’s people crying out as one The Gospel Project®: Adult Daily Discipleship Guide ESV (ISSN 2330-9393; Item 005573553) for a king at the start of this volume, by the time we finish, we is published quarterly by LifeWay Christian encounter God’s people being divided into two kingdoms. Resources, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234, Thom S. Rainer, President. © 2019 LifeWay Christian Resources. Our takeaway is clear: The hope of humanity does not rest in For ordering or inquiries, visit lifeway.com, or write LifeWay Resources Customer Service, One any human king or leader but is fixed solely and securely in LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234-0113. For bulk the King of kings, Jesus Christ. But at the same time, we see shipments mailed quarterly to one address, email [email protected], fax 615.251.5933, or write that God delights in using His people despite their failings. to the above address. God would fulfill His covenant with David, even though he We believe that the Bible has God for its author; committed adultery and murder. This reaffirmed the promises salvation for its end; and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter and that all God had made to Abraham generations before. And though Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. To review LifeWay’s doctrinal guideline, please visit Solomon would succumb to polygamy and idolatry, God used www.lifeway.com/doctrinalguideline. him to build the temple, a place for God’s people to worship All Scripture quotations are taken from the English and be in relationship with God. Standard Version® (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. So consider as you study: What might God do through us?

Greg Breazeale (unit 11, sessions 1-5) resides with his wife, Heather, and three sons in Austin, Texas, where he is the North Campus Pastor at The Austin Stone Community Church. He holds an MDiv from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and a DMin from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he is currently pursuing a PhD in Christian Ethics.

James Jackson (unit 12, sessions 1-4) is the Lead Pastor of Glynwood Baptist Church in Prattville, Alabama. He and his wife, Trish, are graduates of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (MDiv) and are proud parents to two sons: Caleb and Joshua.

Trillia Newbell (unit 10, sessions 1-3) is the author of If God Is For Us, Fear and Faith, United, and God’s Very Good Idea. She is the Director of Community Outreach for The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. Trillia is married to Thern, and they reside with their two children near Nashville, Tennessee. You can find her at trillianewbell.com.

Clint Pressley (unit 11, session 6) serves as the Senior Pastor of Hickory Grove Baptist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. He holds an MDiv from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is currently working on his final project toward his DMin from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is married to Connie, and they have two sons, Mack and Nate.

5 ©WRITERS 2019 LifeWay Christian Resources THE GOSPEL PROJECT A Journey Through the Storyline of Scripture

Fall 2018 In the Beginning Creation and the Fall (Genesis; Job) God Establishes a Covenant People (Genesis) God Grows His Covenant People (Genesis)

Winter 2018-19 Out of Egypt God Redeems His People (Genesis; Exodus) God Provides for His People (Exodus) God Receives Worship from His People (Ex.; Lev.)

Spring 2019 Into the Promised Land God Guides His People (Num.; Deut.) God Gives His People a Home (Joshua) God Delivers His People (Judges; Ruth)

Summer 2019 A Kingdom Provided God Provides a King (1 Samuel) God Provides a Godly King (1–2 Samuel; Psalms) God Provides a Wise King (1 Kings; Ecclesiastes)

Fall 2019 A Nation Divided God Speaks to His People (1–2 Kings) God Judges the Sin of His People (2 Kings; Prophets) God Shows Mercy to His People (2 Chron.; Prophets)

Winter 2019-20 A People Restored God Sustains His People (Daniel) God Restores His People (Ezra; Prophets) God Prepares His People (Neh.; Esth.; Mal.)

Summer 2020 Jesus the Servant Jesus the Healer (Gospels) Jesus the Teacher (Gospels) Jesus the Miracle-Worker (Gospels)

Fall 2020 Jesus the Savior Jesus and the Kingdom (Gospels) Jesus the Savior (Gospels) Jesus the Risen King (Gospels)

Winter 2020-21 The Mission Begins The olyH Spirit Comes (Acts; Epistles) Fundamentals of the Faith (Acts; Epistles) New Life in Christ (Acts; Epistles)

Spring 2021 The Church United Living Like Jesus (Acts; Hebrews) The Sent Church (Acts; Epistles) Don’t Forget (Acts; Epistles)

Summer 2021 All Things New Paul in Prison (Acts; Epistles) Facing Adversity (Acts; Epistles) Jesus Will Come Again (Revelation)

Unit 10, Session 2

Unit 10, Session 2 Group Time Point 1: The people confuse the symbol of God’s presence with His actual presence (1 Sam. 4:2-7,10-11).

God Rescues His Ark 2 The Philistines lined up in battle formation against Israel, and as the battle intensified, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who struck down about four SESSION IN A SENTENCE: God’s people are to trust in Him alone and not thousand men on the battlefield. fall into the trap of spiritual superstitions. 3 When the troops returned to the camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why did the Lord defeat us today before the Philistines? Let’s bring the ark of the Lord’s covenant from Shiloh. Then it will go with us and save us from our enemies.” 4 So the people MAIN PASSAGES: 1 Samuel 4:2-7,10-11; 6:13-16,19-21 sent men to Shiloh to bring back the ark of the covenant of the Lord of Armies, who is enthroned between the cherubim. Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. 5 When the ark of the covenant of the Lord Have you ever used a paper clip for a purpose other than clipping paper together? entered the camp, all the Israelites raised such a loud shout that the ground shook. Maybe you used one to replace a broken zipper handle, prop up a mobile phone, or 6 The Philistines heard the sound of the war cry and asked, “What’s this loud retrieve something from a very small space. These and many other ideas have popularly shout in the Hebrews’ camp? ” When the Philistines discovered that the ark of the become known as “life hacks.” The idea is to use time and tools more efficiently. Simple Lord had entered the camp, 7 they panicked. “A god has entered their camp! ” they household items, such as a toothpick or a rubber band, can solve some complications in said. “Woe to us, nothing like this has happened before. your life to make things easier. The elders rightly looked to God as the cause of their defeat (see Job 1:21-22). God’s What are some life hacks you have used recently? sovereign hand delivered the Israelites to the Philistines for one singular reason—sin. But instead of looking for the sin amongst the people, the elders believed the ark of the covenant itself, the symbol of God’s presence, would turn the battle in their favor.

What are some symbols of Christianity we can revere without honoring the God behind the symbol?

10 So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and each man fled to his tent. The slaughter was severe—thirty thousand of the Israelite foot soldiers fell.11 The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

Jesus’ Deity: Within the ______of Jesus Christ, there are two natures— the divine nature and the human nature. Scripture teaches He is fully divine and fully human. His divinity is on display in passages that describe Him as being ______with God (John 1:1-18; Phil. 2:5-11; Col. 1:15-20; Heb. 1:1-3).

20 Date of My Bible Study: ______Unit 10, Session 2 21

Gather with your group for Bible study and fellowship. Use the Group Time in your Daily Discipleship Guide to follow along 1 and participate in the session. Mark up the Scripture passages, answer the questions, fill in the blanks, do the activities, write out questions and thoughts—Make this guide yours!

Point 3: God promises to provide an eternally beloved son (2 Sam. 7:14-16). My Mission

14 I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will discipline Because we have experienced the mercy and grace of our King, we offer ourselves fully him with a rod of men and blows from mortals. 15 But my faithful love will never to His service so that we might reveal Jesus Christ to the world that others would find leave him as it did when I removed it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. everlasting rest in His kingdom. 16 Your house and kingdom will endure before me forever, and your throne will be • How will you respond to the Son of established forever.’ ” David, the Son of God—Jesus Christ— Voices from Again, Solomon is the first person in mind here, the builder of the Lord’s temple. who laid down His life to save sinners? Church History Imagine the blessing of being described as God’s child with an everlasting love. (Do you • How can your group encourage and “ If the Lord be with us, we have to imagine?) Solomon did turn aside from following the Lord and was disciplined challenge one another to live with an have no cause of fear. His eye is upon us, his arm as the Lord said (1 Kings 11–12). Yet Solomon remained in God’s love as a son while eye on eternity rather than merely over us, his ear open to our he suffered the consequences. And one day the greater and perfect Son of David, the on today? prayer; his grace sufficient, 3 unique Son of God, would come to be disciplined, not for His wrongdoing but for ours. his promise unchangeable.” • Who is struggling with spiritual –John Newton (1725-1807) Why might we view discipline from God as a lack or loss of love from our restlessness with whom you can share heavenly Father? this week about the rest found in Jesus by faith?

JESUS IS THE UNIQUE SON OF DAVID, THE SON OF GOD

Matthew 26:64 Jesus Is… Notes Mark 2:5-7 Jesus…

John 8:57-58 Jesus Was…

John 14:6 Jesus Is…

God didn’t just send us information or steps to follow to find salvation. God sent us a Person—His own Son. And He didn’t send His Son merely as a messenger but as the message Himself. Through Jesus’ sinless life, sacrificial death, and resurrection, the Father has provided all we need to believe and experience forgiveness of sin and have eternal life with Him in the eternal kingdom He promised to David in Jesus Christ.

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At the conclusion of the session, use My Mission to respond to the truths from God’s Word. Choose at least one of the questions 2 on the page to drive your response in faith, in community, and in mission for Jesus Christ, the center of God’s Word and our purpose in life.

© 2019 LifeWay Christian Resources Daily Study Day 2: Read 2 Samuel 11:6-27 It didn’t take long for things to go from bad to worse. Any hope David had of keeping Day 1: Read 2 Samuel 11:1-5 his sin with Bathsheba concealed evaporated when she sent word to him that she was pregnant. Once again, David had a choice to make: He could come clean or he could Up to this point in the narrative, David has been presented as mostly heroic. The young seek a way to cover up his sin. Sadly, David chose the latter. His first attempt to cover shepherd defeated a giant, bringing victory for God’s people. Then he was chased by a his sin was to recall Uriah from the battlefield and encourage him to sleep with his wife. jealous king whose life he spared more than once. When David became king, he led But that didn’t work because of Uriah’s loyalty to his fellow troops. God’s people to victories over their enemies. And most recently, David showed kindness Seeing that cover-up attempt fail twice, David then took a more drastic approach. He to Mephibosheth. ordered Joab, his general, to send Uriah ahead into the battle and then withdraw from But in this chapter, we see David not just stumble but make a series of choices to sin him, leaving him to die; then David would be free to take Bathsheba as his wife. We against God, and in doing so, he not only brought dishonor to God but also harmed need to be clear about this: David’s order led directly to Uriah’s death. David was a himself and others. It all began with David taking a seemingly harmless stroll in the murderer. What had begun as perhaps a lingering look had ended in murder. In this we evening. Commentators debate whether verse 1 implies that David should have been off see that there is truly no such thing as a “harmless, little sin.” to war with his troops or not. He had not been to other battles before this (2 Sam. 10:7), How have you experienced your attempts to cover up instead of confess and perhaps he was waiting for the preliminary part of the battle to be concluded before sin lead to further sin and harm to yourself and others? What sins might joining his men. Either way, his walk on the rooftop appeared to have been innocent— you need to confess to God and fellow believers today? at first. While on the roof, he noticed a woman, Bathsheba, bathing. In this moment, he made the first of a series of choices that led him deeper and deeper into sin. Day 3: Read 2 Samuel 12:1-13 David’s initial mistake was that he didn’t turn away from temptation but entertained it instead (v. 3). Then he made it possible to act on his temptation by calling for Bathsheba As 2 Samuel 11 concludes, it seems that David’s sins had paid off for him. David took to be brought to him (v. 4). Finally, at least in this initial part of David’s sin, he gave in Bathsheba to be his wife and she gave birth to a son. But the last verse of the chapter to temptation and slept with her (v. 4). In this account, we see the truth of what James reminds us that God was watching and He was not fooled. Thus, He sent Nathan to would later write in James 1:14-15. David was enticed by his evil desire, allowed it to confront the wayward king. conceive, and it gave birth to sin and, as we will see later, death. By the time Nathan confronted David for his sins, the baby had been born, so it was at Many of us see David as a hero of Goliath proportions, which is why this account is so least nine months later. Nathan began not by directly confronting David with his sin important. We need to remember that every person in Scripture—save Jesus—was a but by helping him see the gravity of what he had done through a story of a wealthy sinner in need of salvation. Even David, the giant slayer. And thanks to God’s kindness, man who had taken a lamb from a poor man. Having lured David in, Nathan sprung mercy, and grace, that salvation has been provided for people in Christ Jesus. the trap by boldly declaring David was the cruel man in the story. Finally, after months of compounding and covering up sin, David confessed and repented. The desired The best place to break the chain of temptation is early on. What steps outcome of Nathan’s confrontation had worked. In the same way, we should seek a can you take to stifle it in its infancy? balance of wisdom and courage in how we confront others, all the while praying and hoping for confession, repentance, and reconciliation.

Whom might God be calling on you to confront in love?

80 Daily Discipleship Guide Unit 11, Session 5 81

During the week following the session, use the five Daily Study devotions to build on the foundation laid during the “Group Time.” 3 These devotions will help you get into God’s Word for yourself and take initiative in your own discipleship. Read the Scriptures, respond to the questions, and grow in the faith.

Day 4: Read 2 Samuel 12:14-25 Encourage One Another Nathan told David that the son born through his sin with Bathsheba would die (v. 14). But that did not stop David from pleading with God for the child’s life. When David’s Join together with 2-4 people from your group, or with your family, sometime son became ill, David fasted and prayed to God for days. But when the child died, during the week to reflect on the session and to share how God is working and David got up, washed, anointed himself, changed clothes, and worshiped God. After, you are responding. David returned home and ate. Share your thoughts and reflections on the truths from Scripture in this session: When his servants saw this, they asked David about his behavior; they expected David • The King’s Captivity to Sin (2 Sam. 11:1-5) to fast after the child had died, not before it. David did not complain to God that His • The King’s Compounding of Sin (2 Sam. 11:8-9,13-17) actions were unfair. Neither did David attempt to barter with God for the life of his son. • The King’s Confession of Sin (Ps. 51:4-10) Instead, David threw himself on the mercy of God, recognizing that the Lord might be gracious to him. In this we see an example of the proper posture for our pleading with How have you responded to these truths from Scripture? God—for ourselves or others. We don’t plead with God as some form of manipulation; we plead in humility, trusting in the character of God and ready to worship Him no What steps can you take to promote a culture of transparency regarding matter the outcome. personal sin? Why is it not enough merely to acknowledge your general sinfulness? Why is repentance of specific sins important? What are you pleading with God for today? What is your posture? Is there anyone whom you need to forgive or to whom you need to confess sin and seek reconciliation? What can your group do to help you Day 5: Read Psalm 51:1-19 set things right? Sin and forgiveness form a direct relationship. The higher one goes, the higher the other must go. The lower one goes, the lower the other must go. If we fail to see the weight Notes of our sin, we will never see the beauty of God’s forgiveness. Conversely, the more we understand the gravity of our sin, the more we will grasp the greatness of God’s forgiveness to us in Christ (see Matt. 18:21-35).

David penned Psalm 51 after Nathan’s confrontation of his sin. We see in the psalm that while David may have believed he had gotten away with his sins, they had plagued him and destroyed his joy (vv. 8,12,14). Even through all of the anguish of sin and its consequences, God reminded his servant David of the delight of grace.

For those of us who have trusted in Christ, we too can experience the same. While we continue to sin and often face its consequences, we can always rest in the grace of God made known to us in Christ. As we grow in our understanding of the depth of our sin, we also grow in our understanding of the marvelous beauty of God’s grace.

How have you experienced the depth of God’s forgiveness and grace recently?

82 Daily Discipleship Guide Unit 11, Session 5 83

Finally, Encourage One Another provides a brief guide for small groups of 2-4 people to meet sometime during the week to reflect 4 on the session and to share how God is working and they are responding. Meet up with a group once a week for fellowship, encouragement in the faith, and mutual accountability.

Memory Verses

“And Hannah prayed and said, ‘My heart exults in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation. There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.’ ” –1 Samuel 2:1-2

Unit 10, Session 1 God Calls a Prophet

SESSION IN A SENTENCE: God communicates His words through faithful servants who are dedicated to Him.

MAIN PASSAGES: 1 Samuel 1:20,24-28; 2:1-2,6-8; 3:15-21

Nothing is impossible for the Lord, but we sure are prone to think some things might even be beyond God’s reach. Whether it is pregnancy, protection, or provision, the things out of our own hands often feel out of God’s hands too. But nothing is beyond God. He is sovereign. He is omnipotent. He is omniscient. He is omnipresent. And what’s more, He is omnibenevolent, meaning He is all good and He works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28).

What, or whom, does the world run to when life feels beyond their control?

Date of My Bible Study: ______11

Point 1: A son is dedicated for God’s service (1 Sam. 1:20,24-28).

In the waning period of the judges, an Israelite named Elkanah had two wives: Hannah, who was barren, and Peninnah, who provoked Hannah because of it. This family worshiped yearly at the sanctuary in Shiloh, and on one occasion, Hannah reached her breaking point. Did she try to run away from her affliction? Did she lash out against her rival? No. She took her anguish and resentment to the Lord in prayer, asking Him to take notice of her affliction and to bless her with a son (1:9-11,16). And the Lord listened. 20 And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, “I have asked for him from the Lord.”

What must Hannah have believed about God to pray to Him under these circumstances?

24 And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, along with a three-year- old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and she brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. And the child was young. 25 Then they slaughtered the bull, and they brought the child to Eli. 26 And she said, “Oh, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the Lord. 27 For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him. 28 Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there.

When Hannah returned to the sanctuary with her son, she took joy in reminding Eli about her prayer and showing him God’s answer. Hannah’s joy and gratitude to the Lord, coupled with her faithfulness, led her to fulfill her vow. The Lord gave her a great gift, so she made good on her promise to give her son to the Lord. Samuel would serve the Lord all the days of his life. And the response was worship to the Lord (1:26-28).

How are you prone to view the gifts God gives to you?

Selfishly With Indifference As Precious With Purpose

12 Daily Discipleship Guide

1 And Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation. 2 There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God. ………………………….. 6 The Lord kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up. 7 The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he exalts. 8 He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and on them he has set the world.

What a gift from God a son or daughter is! Parents are given the blessing of loving and raising another image bearer of God for His glory. What an amazing joy and stewardship. Sadly, this truth is lost on many people who see children as a burden, with some even advocating for abortion or infanticide—both the murder of image bearers. Hannah’s heart, however, welled up with spontaneous praise at the gift of her child. We all need these reminders at times: Children are a blessing from the Lord (Ps. 127).

How can the church challenge the worldview that children are a burden and not a blessing from God?

Hannah thanked God for His gift and praised Him for His sovereignty and greatness even as she Voices from was leaving Samuel with Eli. Surely her heart was Church History breaking, but that doesn’t appear to be her focus. “This constitutes the pinnacle Her heart was so full of thankfulness and praise of human dignity, this is his to God. Perhaps this brought comfort and glory and greatness: truly to know what is great and to courage to her for what she was about to do. Or cleave to it, and to seek after maybe she realized that the gift of this son was glory from the Lord of glory.” 1 about more than just her. Perhaps she understood –Basil the Great (c. 330-379) that her life and his life were ultimately about the glory of the Lord.

Why should the sovereignty of God over our circumstances lead us to joy and worship rather than bitterness and despair?

Unit 10, Session 1 13

Samuel’s surrogate family was less than ideal, marked by wickedness that God would not overlook. Eli’s two wayward sons, Hophni and Phinehas, took advantage of their position as priests at the sanctuary. Eli had expressed his misgivings about their sinful actions, but he did not stop them and allowed them to continue to despise the Lord.

Samuel, on the other hand, grew in stature and in favor with God and His people (1 Sam. 2:26). He knew who God was and faithfully served Him, but he didn’t know the Lord personally yet because he hadn’t heard from Him. Though Samuel lived in a time when a word from the Lord was rare, God would speak to this young man.

Special Revelation: Refers to God’s revealing Himself to humanity through historical events, His ______, and through Jesus Christ. Through special revelation, human beings learn about God’s ______, His will, His purpose for creation, and His plan of ______.

15 Samuel lay until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. 16 But Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” And he said, “Here I am.” 17 And Eli said, “What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.” 18 So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is the Lord. Let him do what seems good to him.” 19 And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the Lord. 21 And the Lord appeared again at Shiloh, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord.

What are some of the similarities and differences between Samuel’s prophetic message for Eli and sharing the gospel of Jesus with others?

Christ as Prophet: Jesus ______the role of prophet: He alone is the ultimate teacher and has the words of eternal life (John 6:68). Jesus is also God’s ultimate revelation of Himself, the very ______of God (John 1:1).

14 Daily Discipleship Guide

Because we have experienced the power of the Word of God leading to our salvation, we listen carefully to what God says to us in His Word and share His truth to those around us.

• What will you pray about in light of the truth that God is sovereign, Voices from gracious, and good? the Church • How can your group support those who “ Sin either stops up our ears are struggling with faith in the midst of from God’s voice or makes God’s voice terrifying rather their life circumstances? than comforting. Sin causes us to fear God’s voice rather • What steps will you take to overcome than love God’s voice.” 2 your fear of sharing the gospel with –Heath Thomas others this week? and J. D. Greear

Notes

Unit 10, Session 1 15

Day 1: Read 1 Samuel 1:1-18

Few of us are comfortable being vulnerable with others, especially not in public. For most of us, this means hiding or disguising the fear and hurt we feel. We would rather wear a plastic mask presenting the notion that we have our lives together and that we are good, happy even, when in reality our souls are being crushed within us. We don’t want others to see or to know that we are in pain or that we are barely holding on for dear life. To admit the struggle seems rather unspiritual, rather untrusting. And so, we press on with a stiff upper lip, hoping no one catches on to what we are really experiencing.

We can learn much from Hannah here, as she laid her soul bare before the Lord and whoever else happened to be worshiping near her. There was no plastic mask, no stiff upper lip, no façade. Only tears—many tears. Hannah was more concerned with presenting her pain before the Lord than presenting false strength before others. She was feeling crushed in spirit. She was in great need. So she wept.

What we need to realize is that the tears rolling down Hannah’s cheeks were not a sign of weakness but rather strength. Each tear, each sob, and each gasp for breath in between was an evidence of Hannah’s recognition that to be real and transparent before God is what matters. We might fool others, but we will never fool Him, so why try? It does no one any good. Instead, God wants us to be real with Him and with others. When we do, we show how God is able to meet us in our greatest times of need, in our greatest anguish, to provide mercy, grace, love, and comfort. And we show others that they are not alone in their pain and can also cry out to the Lord.

What are some ways you might be wearing a mask before others, or perhaps even before God?

16 Daily Discipleship Guide

Hannah had carried the grief of not having a son for years (1:7), which makes it so surprising—shocking would be a better description—when she made good on her vow to dedicate Samuel and leave him to serve God with Eli. We expect her to make such a vow when she was barren; attempting to bargain with God from a place of such weakness would lead most of us to make lofty promises. But when she cradled her son in her arms and nursed him, we can imagine her maternal instincts kicking in to high gear and the rationalizing to begin.

We imagine this because it is what we likely would have done, or have done. Who would fault a mother for keeping her son in spite of a vow? But instead, we see the shocking reality of Hannah following through on her promise and leaving her young son with Eli. Surely this was not easy for Hannah. Surely she wept as she made her lonely journey home, with arms now empty. But what sustained Hannah was knowing God’s goodness to her in providing a son as she had asked, and that same goodness would sustain her as she gave God’s gift back to Him in worship.

What gift from God might you be holding onto instead of giving it back to God in worship? Why?

Day 3: Read 1 Samuel 2:1-11

We are a curious people. We remember for years the most minor of slights against us but are amnesiacs when it comes to remembering God’s graciousness to us even five minutes ago. Perhaps it is because deep down we believe we deserve God’s goodness to us.

Notice, however, how Hannah began her prayer. After leaving her son in the care of Eli, she did not offer up a prayer of lament or a prayer seeking comfort from God. She was no amnesiac. Instead, Hannah rejoiced in the Lord because she did not take God’s goodness for granted. She had not forgotten how God answered her prayer, how He had lifted her up. So now, she lifted Him up. Yes, Hannah also boasted in the victory over her enemies, but even that was not the foundation of her praise—God’s goodness was. Hannah understood that God was just as good when she cradled Samuel in her arms as when she placed him in the care of Eli.

How has God been good to you in recent days? Be as specific as possible and worship Him as He is due.

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Generations before Eli, the Lord had commanded Israelite parents to teach their children about Him and His ways (see Deut. 6:4-9). Not long after, we saw how tragic failing to obey this command could be when an entire generation arose who did not know the Lord (Judg. 2:10). Now we see again, in the case of Eli and his wicked sons, the importance of passing on the faith to the next generation (1 Sam. 2:12).

We are all accountable for our own sin and relationship with God. We cannot blame our parents for our rebellion against God any more than we can credit them for our salvation. Parents play a role, a key role, in our evangelism and discipleship, and yet, we are each accountable for ourselves and will stand before God as such. We are also held accountable in the role God has given us as stewards of the children He has entrusted to us. When Eli was very old, he implored his sons to refrain from their evil actions (vv. 22-25), but it seems he did not understand the gravity of his role in influencing the next generation toward God, such that he was counted guilty along with his sons (v. 29).

If you have children, grandchildren, or great grandchildren, how are you discipling them and pointing them to Jesus? If you do not, whom else might God have placed in your life to care for spiritually?

Day 5: Read 1 Samuel 3:1-21

What we read in 1 Samuel 3:1 should sting: “The word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.” In other words, God was rather quiet, and that quietness was likely related to the sinful corruption of the people in that day, namely, Eli’s sons. We live in a day, however, when God’s Word, in one sense, is abundant.

Many people have several copies of the Bible in their homes, in multiple translations. We have the Scriptures on our smartphones and can access them on a number of free websites. And yet, perhaps we too hold God’s Word in contempt. No, surely not like Eli’s sons—we would never say we despise or reject God’s Word—but by our neglect of it. How many days go by without us cracking open any of the copies of the Bible we have all around us? How often do we nibble on God’s Word rather than feast on it?

We may long for God to break the silence in our lives and world audibly, but our neglect of what He has spoken to us in His Word should cause us to tremble.

What is your plan to spend regular quality time in God’s Word?

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Join together with 2-4 people from your group, or with your family, sometime during the week to reflect on the session and to share how God is working and you are responding. Share your thoughts and reflections on the truths from Scripture in this session: • A son is dedicated for God’s service (1 Sam. 1:20,24-28). • A son is reason for joy and worship (1 Sam. 2:1-2,6-8). • A son is called by God to share His words (1 Sam. 3:15-21).

How have you responded to these truths from Scripture?

When was the last time you rejoiced over something God did in your life? When has rejoicing led you to offer a sacrifice joyfully?

How often do you read God’s Word? In what ways is Bible reading a community project that stands to benefit others?

Notes

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UNIT 10 SESSION 5 SESSION 1 1. Yana Conner, “The Half-Education of Jay-Z,” Intersect, June 19, 2018, http://intersectproject.org/faith-and-culture/the-half- 1. Basil the Great, On Humility, quoted in Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1–2 education-of-jay-z. Samuel, ed. John R. Franke, vol. IV in Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: Old Testament (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2001) [Wordsearch]. 2. Thomas Brooks, The Unsearchable Riches of Christ, in The Complete Works of Thomas Brooks, ed. Alexander Balloch Grosart (Edinburgh: 2. Heath Thomas and J. D. Greear, Christ-Centered Exposition: Exalting James Nichol, 1866), 94. Jesus in 1 & 2 Samuel (Nashville, TN: B&H, 2016) [Wordsearch]. SESSION 6 SESSION 2 1. Winston Churchill, quoted in Winston Churchill: British Prime 1. Viktorin Strigel, Commentary on 1 Samuel, quoted in 1–2 Samuel, 1–2 Minister & Statesman, by Sue Vander Hook (Edina, MN: ABDO Kings, 1–2 Chronicles, eds. Derek Cooper and Martin J. Lohrmann, vol. Publishing Company, 2009), 75. 5 in Reformation Commentary on Scripture: Old Testament (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2015) [Wordsearch]. 2. John Charles Ryle, Practical Religion (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2018), 263. 2. Stephen J. Andrews and Robert D. Bergen, I & II Samuel, vol. 6 in Holman Old Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: B&H, 2009), 54. 3. William S. Plumer, Studies in the Book of Psalms (Philadelphia, PA: J. B. Lippincott & Co., 1866), 319. SESSION 3 1. Kay Arthur and David Arthur, Desiring God’s Own Heart (Eugene, UNIT 12 OR: Harvest House Publishers, 1997), 36. 2. Cassiodorus, Exposition of the Psalms, 140.4, quoted in Joshua, SESSION 1 Judges, Ruth, 1–2 Samuel, ed. John R. Franke, vol. IV in Ancient Christian 1. Kristen Deede Johnson, “Justice and Our Callings: Exploring a Commentary on Scripture: Old Testament [Wordsearch]. Biblical Theology of Justice from Genesis to Revelation,” in “Kristen Deede Johnson: Exploring a Biblical Theology of Justice,” Intersect, November 15, 2018, http://intersectproject.org/faith-and-culture/ UNIT 11 kristen-deede-johnson-exploring-a-biblical-theology-of-justice. SESSION 1 2. Clement of Rome, First Clement, in Ante-Nicene Christian Library, 1. Gbile Akanni and Nupanga Weanzana, “1 and 2 Samuel,” in Africa Additional Volume, ed. Allan Menzies (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, Bible Commentary, gen. ed. Tokunboh Adeyemo (Grand Rapids, MI: 1903), 240. Zondervan, 2006), 355. SESSION 2 2. Menno Simons, A Christian and Affectionate Exhortation to All in 1. “Augustine of Hippo: Architect of the Middle Ages,” Christianity Authority, in The Complete Works of Menno Simon (Elkhart, IN: John F. Today, November 30, 2018, https://www.christianitytoday.com/ Funk and Brother, 1871), 81. history/people/theologians/augustine-of-hippo.html. 3. Isaac Watts, “The Affectionate and Supreme Love of God,” inThe 2. St. Augustine, The Confessions (Peabody, MA: Life and Choice Works of Isaac Watts, D.D., by D. A. Harsha (New York: Hendrickson, 2004), 5. Derby & Jackson, 1857), 154. 3. Anna B. Warner, “Jesus Loves Me,” in Baptist Hymnal (Nashville, TN: SESSION 2 LifeWay Worship, 2008), 652. 1. C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, in The Complete C. S. Lewis Signature SESSION 3 Classics (New York, NY: HarperOne, 2002), 98. 1. “World Trade Center Timeline of History,” World Trade Center, 2. Bede, Four Books on 1 Samuel, 4.24, quoted in Joshua, Judges, Ruth, December 3, 2018, https://www.wtc.com/about/history. 1–2 Samuel, ed. John R. Franke, vol. IV in Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: Old Testament [Wordsearch]. 2. “1 Kings,” in Africa Study Bible (Oasis International, 2016), 488. rd 3. Augustine, Homilies on the First Epistle of John, in St. Augustine: 3. John Piper, Let the Nations Be Glad!, 3 ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, Gospel of John, First Epistle of John, and Soliloquies, ed. Philip Schaff, 2010), 35. vol. 7 in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series (New York, NY: SESSION 4 Cosimo, 1888, reprint 2007), 524. 1. “Challenger Explosion,” History.com, December 4, 2018, https:// SESSION 3 www.history.com/topics/1980s/challenger-disaster. 1. Channel Swimming Association, “Florence Chadwick 1953- 2. Tony Merida, Christ-Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Kings 1964,” Queen of the Channel, November 16, 2018, http://www. (Nashville, B&H, 2015) [Wordsearch]. queenofthechannel.com/florence-chadwick. 3. Martin Luther, Luther’s Large Catechism, trans. John Nicholas 2. John Wesley, “Awake, Thou That Sleepest,” in The Essential Works Lenker (Minneapolis, MN: The Luther Press, 1908), 44. of John Wesley, ed. Alice Russie (Uhrichsville, OH: Barbour, 2011), 163. 3. John Newton, in The Works of the Rev. John Newton, vol. 1 (Philadelphia, PA: Uriah Hunt, 1839), 272. SESSION 4 1. Philip Yancey, What’s So Amazing About Grace? (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1997), 48-49. 2. Amy Carmichael, “Love Through Me,” in Mountain Breezes: The Collected Poems of Amy Carmichael (Fort Washington, PA: CLC Publications, 1999) [eBook]. 3. Jerald Mall, “2 Samuel,” in South Asia Bible Commentary, gen. ed. Brian Wintle (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2015), 384.

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310291_TGP_SPR19_App Ad.indd 1 12/17/18 10:30 AM Daily Discipleship Guide ESV Guide Daily Discipleship PROJECT GOSPEL THE A Kingdom Provided

During the time of the judges, everyone did what was right in his own eyes. It was evident that a king was needed, but he must be God’s king and desired for the right reason—to shepherd the people for the glory of God in the world. The Israelites, however, wanted a king in order to be like the nations around them. The impressive young king they received was soon rejected by God. In the wake of a failed, self-centered king, God would raise up a man after His own heart to lead His people. This king stood for God’s honor, honored God’s authority, and wielded his authority with kindness, except when he didn’t. Though David was flawed and sinful, through him God would raise up the King whose kingdom is everlasting—Jesus, the Messiah. David’s son, Solomon, rightly asked for wisdom as a gift from

God in order to govern the people and to help them shine like a SUMMER 2019 light to the nations. For all his wisdom, Solomon still made foolish choices, and this points to our need for a greater Wisdom—Jesus, the very Word of God made flesh for us.

What’s Next? FALL 2019 WINTER 2019-20 Volume 5: A Nation Divided Volume 6: A People Restored God Speaks to His People (1–2 Kings) God Sustains His People (Daniel) God Judges the Sin of His People (2 Kings; Prophets) God Restores His People (Ezra; Prophets) God Shows Mercy to His People (2 Chron.; Prophets) God Prepares His People (Nehemiah; Esther; Malachi)

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Unit 10, Session 2 God Rescues His Ark

SESSION IN A SENTENCE: God’s people are to trust in Him alone and not fall into the trap of spiritual superstitions.

MAIN PASSAGES: 1 Samuel 4:2-7,10-11; 6:13-16,19-21

Have you ever used a paper clip for a purpose other than clipping paper together? Maybe you used one to replace a broken zipper handle, prop up a mobile phone, or retrieve something from a very small space. These and many other ideas have popularly become known as “life hacks.” The idea is to use time and tools more efficiently. Simple household items, such as a toothpick or a rubber band, can solve some complications in your life to make things easier.

What are some life hacks you have used recently?

20 Date of My Bible Study: ______

Point 1: The people confuse the symbol of God’s presence with His actual presence (1 Sam. 4:2-7,10-11).

2 The Philistines drew up in line against Israel, and when the battle spread, Israel was defeated before the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men on the field of battle. 3 And when the people came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord here from Shiloh, that it may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.” 4 So the people sent to Shiloh and brought from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, who is enthroned on the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. 5 As soon as the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel gave a mighty shout, so that the earth resounded. 6 And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shouting, they said, “What does this great shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” And when they learned that the ark of the Lord had come to the camp, 7 the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “A god has come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before.

The elders rightly looked to God as the cause of their defeat (see Job 1:21-22). God’s sovereign hand delivered the Israelites to the Philistines for one singular reason—sin. But instead of looking for the sin amongst the people, the elders believed the ark of the covenant itself, the symbol of God’s presence, would turn the battle in their favor.

What are some symbols of Christianity we can revere without honoring the God behind the symbol?

10 So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and they fled, every man to his home. And there was a very great slaughter, for thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell. 11 And the ark of God was captured, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

Unit 10, Session 2 21

The Philistines captured the ark and put it in the temple of their god Dagon; they believed they had bested the God of Israel in defeating the Israelites. They misunderstood the situation, however. God let them win to execute judgment on Eli’s sons and to teach His people and the Philistines a lesson: The Lord fights for Hiswn o glory.

What role do God’s people have in God receiving glory?

13 Now the people of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley. And when they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, they rejoiced to see it. 14 The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there. A great stone was there. And they split up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. 15 And the Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the box that was beside it, in which were the golden figures, and set them upon the great stone. And the men of Beth- shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices on that day to the Lord. 16 And when the five lords of the Philistines saw it, they returned that day to Ekron.

The Lord Himself brought His ark of the covenant home to Israel. The Israelites didn’t go Voices from after it or bargain for it; they moved on with life. Church History But all the while, the Lord was working and “God restored the ark of displaying His glory among the Philistines. When Israel by sending illustrious the ark returned to the promised land, the people miracles, so that he might show that his church is of Beth-shemesh immediately responded with joy gathered and protected and worship in the form of sacrifices for the not by human decisions or strength but by symbol of God’s presence had returned, the glory divine power.” 1 of the Lord was among them once more. –Viktorin Strigel (1524-1569)

What should our worship look like as living sacrifices for the glory of God revealed to us in Jesus Christ (Rom. 12:1-2)?

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19 And he struck some of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they looked upon the ark of the Lord. He struck seventy men of them, and the people mourned because the Lord had struck the people with a great blow. 20 Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God? And to whom shall he go up away from us?” 21 So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Come down and take it up to you.”

The Israelites at Beth-shemesh received the ark with joy, worship, and sacrifices. But then the Lord punished seventy inhabitants of the city with death. What was their offense? They looked upon and into the ark of the covenant, the symbol of God’s presence. Once again, God’s people treated casually what should have been regarded as holy.

God Is Holy: God’s holiness refers to His ______in being separate from all He has created. The Hebrew word for “holy” means “separate” or “set apart.” God’s holiness also refers to His absolute ______. God is ______by the evil of the world.

The Lord commanded His people Israel to be holy as He is holy (Lev. 19:1-2). As the people of God, they were to be different from the nations around them. But when the Lord punished those who did not respect His ark, the people of Beth-shemesh responded just as the Philistines did—they wanted to send the ark away. The fear of death came upon them, and instead of running to God in faith and repentance, they ran away from His holy presence.

How can repentance distinguish Christians from the world and be a witness to the world?

Unit 10, Session 2 23

Because God lives in us, we display God’s presence to the world around us by properly Voices from honoring, worshiping, and serving God. the Church “God wants us to bow • What step of faith will you take because before his holiness with God is holy and full of grace? respect and reverence. There is a danger in being • How can your group encourage fear- in the presence of the Lord free confession of sin and holy living of Hosts, especially when we come into his presence amongst yourselves? with arrogance or apathy. We must come before his • What are some circumstances in which presence with quiet humility you need to express repentance in order and brokenness.” 2 to share the gospel? –Stephen J. Andrews and Robert D. Bergen

Notes

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Day 1: Read 1 Samuel 4:1-11

The ark of God had become a superstition for the Israelites. Yes, the ark represented God’s presence with His people, but they seem to have gone beyond that. They thought they could find victory in the ark instead of through the God of the ark. We should not be surprised to read of the defeat that followed. God is a jealous God, a consuming fire, and He will not allow His people to trust in anything but Him—for His glory and His people’s good.

God is no less jealous today. We may not have an ark to trust in, but we can make the same mistake in different ways. We have our own superstitions. We can place our trust in church attendance: If we miss a week, we fear God might chastise us, or we believe we can earn His blessing by our faithful attendance. Similarly, we can trust in our behavior, our theological acumen, our denominational allegiance, or a host of other psychological talismans.

There might not be anything inherently wrong with some of these things—they can be good things—but they are not the one thing upon which we are to place our trust. Our trust for ultimate salvation and daily sustenance is to rest on Christ and His completed work alone. All else is superstition, and it will not take our gracious God long to bring defeat into our lives so that victory—trusting in Him alone—may follow.

What might you be prone to trust in rather than in Christ alone?

Unit 10, Session 2 25

Eli’s daughter-in-law was close, but not close enough. We read about her declaration that the glory of the Lord had departed because of the ark’s capture, and then she named her son “Ichabod,” which means “Where is the glory?” (vv. 19-22). She was right to lament the departure of the Lord’s glory, but she missed why His glory was gone. It was not because the ark of the Lord was removed from the people but rather that the people had removed themselves from the Lord of the ark.

We too should be quick to recognize the severity of limiting or removing God’s glory from around us, even to the slightest degree. We too should mourn and lament when God is not glorified as He ought to be. Our first response should not be to look outside of ourselves for why His glory has been diminished but rather within ourselves. We are here to be conduits of God’s glory. May we earnestly desire to declare the glory of our God in word and deed so that others may join us in basking in its beautiful radiance.

What opportunities do you have to glorify God in the days and weeks ahead? How will you?

Day 3: Read 1 Samuel 5:1-12

The Philistines had a choice to make. They had witnessed the sobering, numbing power of God. The statue of Dagon, their false god, had fallen face first before the ark of the Lord and broken into pieces. The message was clear: All will bow to the one true God, and nothing will stand before Him. Faced with this reality, the Philistines had to decide what they would do with this God. Their answer was to send the ark away out of fear instead of turning to the Lord in repentance.

God’s power and holiness is indeed a barrier between sinful humanity and Himself; the Philistines were able to recognize this. But what they failed to understand was that God’s desire is not for His holiness to drive people away from Him but toward Him. Yes, our sin has created an uncrossable barrier between us, but it is only uncrossable from our side. He has made a way—the way—in Christ for us to be forgiven of our sin so that we no longer need to recoil in fear before His holiness. The ark was God’s reminder that He was making a way for people to be restored to relationship with Him through His coming to humanity, not the other way around.

As Christians, how should we balance a proper healthy fear of holy God with knowing God is our loving Father who accepts us entirely in Christ?

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The Philistines were pretty sure they needed to get rid of the ark from their presence, but they wanted to be completely sure. They wanted to know that if they removed the ark, they would also remove the plagues that had troubled them. So they devised an ingenious test. They hitched two untrained cows to the cart pulling the ark and placed their calves in a pen. Untrained cows would normally not be able to work together to pull a cart, and these milk cows would not be inclined to leave their calves behind. If the cows struggled to pull the cart or turned toward the pen, which corralled their calves, the Philistines would know it was not the ark bringing trouble upon them. But when the cows did indeed pull the cart down the road, the Philistines knew for sure what had caused their troubles.

Don’t miss this: God worked through unbelieving Philistines hitching cows to a cart. Why are we slow at times to believe God is at work in our lives and wants us to know His will and His ways?

In what way or ways might you have missed God at work in your life recently?

Day 5: Read 1 Samuel 6:17-21

The ark had made its way to Beth-shemesh, or rather, the Lord had brought it there. New location; same result. When seventy Israelite men failed to treat the ark with its requisite holiness, God struck them down. In some way, these men had treated that which was holy as if it were profane. They failed to treat the ark of the Lord with reverence. Just as it was a mistake to view the ark as a superstitious talisman, viewing it as a normal everyday item was just as much of a mistake, and seventy men paid for their irreverence with their lives. Then the rest of the town, just like the Philistines before them, hurried to rid themselves of the ark and send it on its way.

God is holy, and His holiness is not diminished in the slightest for His children—those who have trusted in Christ. Yes, our sins are forgiven. Yes, we have received Christ’s imputed righteousness. And yes, we are welcome to approach God as our loving Father. But even still, we should never forget that we always come before a holy God. Let us be careful never to treat He who is holy as if He were profane.

How might you tend to approach God irreverently: too casually, forgetting He is holy, or too cautiously, forgetting He is your Father?

Unit 10, Session 2 27

Join together with 2-4 people from your group, or with your family, sometime during the week to reflect on the session and to share how God is working and you are responding. Share your thoughts and reflections on the truths from Scripture in this session: • The people confuse the symbol of God’s presence with His actual presence (1 Sam. 4:2-7,10 -11). • The people receive the symbol of God’s presence with joy and worship (1 Sam. 6:13-16). • The people fail to honor the holiness of God’s presence (1 Sam. 6:19-21).

How have you responded to these truths from Scripture?

Have you ever noticed any superstitious tendencies in yourself? What do you think these things reveal about where your trust lies?

Does God need us to defend Him or His reputation? Why or why not? How should we respond in faith when Christ is being maligned?

Notes

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130 Daily Discipleship Guide

The Gospel Project® Brian Dembowczyk Adult Daily Discipleship Guide ESV Volume 7, Number 4 Summer 2019 Managing Editor—The Gospel Project

Ed Stetzer Author of Gospel-Centered Kids Ministry Founding Editor and Cornerstones: 200 Questions and

Trevin Wax Answers to Learn Truth General Editor

Unit 10, Session 3 God Rejects a King

SESSION IN A SENTENCE: God is our one true King in whom His people should place their full trust.

MAIN PASSAGES: 1 Samuel 8:4-9,19-20; 13:6-9,13-14; 15:10-11,22-23

Our perception of the weather and the seasons is a curious thing because so often we find it hard to be content in the weather we are experiencing. When it is winter, we want the heat of summer. When it is summer, we want the cool of fall or winter. When the sun is beating down, we long for a rain cloud. But when the sky has been pouring, is it too much to ask for a break to see the blue sky and the sun once more?

What is your favorite season and/or weather pattern? What season or weather pattern do you least enjoy?

Date of My Bible Study: ______29

Point 1: The people reject God as their true King (1 Sam. 8:4-9,19-20).

4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. 9 Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.” ………………………….. 19 But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But there shall be a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”

The Israelites experienced a déjà vu moment as Samuel’s two sons took advantage of their position as judges, just like Eli’s sons (1 Sam. 8:1-3). The last time, they lost in battle, lost the ark, and lost God’s presence and glory. Naturally, the Israelites wanted to change their path, so they asked Samuel for a king. The people’s request was not necessarily bad, but the heart behind it was—to be like the other nations around them.

What are some reasons we struggle with wanting to be like the world? Voices from the Church The Israelites’ request was problematic for another “God was Israel’s king. reason—they were rejecting God as their King. The Israel was warned that to people wanted a human king to judge them and establish a human monarch was to spurn God. Israel did lead them in their battles, but the Lord Himself not heed the warning but had commanded them, led them, provided for preferred visible, human flesh to an invisible God.” 1 them, fought for them, and ruled over them. They –Kay Arthur and David Arthur needed no one else, but that didn’t stop them, so God gave them what they wanted.

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6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble (for the people were hard pressed), the people hid themselves in caves and in holes and in rocks and in tombs and in cisterns, 7 and some Hebrews crossed the fords of the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul was still at Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. 8 He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him. 9 So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. ………………………….. 13 And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”

Saul looked the part of a king, and his first actions as king secured the approval of his people. But faithful leadership is more than skin deep—it is a matter of the heart. Saul was commanded by Samuel to wait for him for seven days in Gilgal, when he would come to offer sacrifices and give instructions for the battle (10:8). Saul waited, but all the while his troops were deserting him in fear. When he couldn’t take it any longer, he gave up waiting and made the sacrifices himself; in his own fear, Saul took into his own hands a responsibility that belonged to priests alone. And then Samuel arrived (13:10).

What is the relationship between fear and patience?

Samuel listened to Saul’s excuses: he saw his people deserting, he had not yet seen Samuel, and he feared the Philistines (13:10-12). But no excuse justified Saul’s rash action. He disobeyed Samuel’s command and thereby disobeyed God. The people’s foolish request for a king like the nations’ had resulted in a king who made a foolish decision on behalf of his people. Saul’s lack of faith led to disobedience and to consequences—there would be no dynasty for Saul and his descendants.

What is the relationship between faith and obedience?

Unit 10, Session 3 31

10 The word of the Lord came to Samuel: 11 “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments.” And Samuel was angry, and he cried to the Lord all night. ………………………….. 22 And Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.”

The time had come for God’s judgment to fall on the Amalekites for attacking the Israelites during the exodus. According to God’s command through Samuel, Saul was to kill all the Amalekites and their animals (1 Sam. 15:1-3; see Ex. 17:14; Deut. 25:17-19), but he spared King Agag and the best of the animals to use as sacrifices to the Lord. When confronted by Samuel for his disobedience, Saul insisted that he had obeyed; he could neither see nor hear how he had fallen short of God’s command.

Sin as Missing the Mark: One aspect of sin is missing the mark of God’s ______set for humanity. This missing of the mark is not a simple mistake but a falling short of God’s ______through conscious ______of sin.

The Lord “regretted” making Saul king over Israel, not because He didn’t know the end result of his appointment but because Saul refused to obey the Lord’s commands. Further, Saul justified his disobedience in the language of worship and sacrifice. The Lord, however, was not pleased; He rejected Saul’s intended worship, Saul’s excuses, and Saul as king because the Lord delights in faithful obedience.

What are some characteristics that accompany faithful obedience?

32 Daily Discipleship Guide

Because we have trusted in Christ, the King of kings, for our salvation, we seek to put away all disobedience and submit fully to Him, so that the world will experience redemption through Him and enter into God’s kingdom.

• What are some ways you will stop following your own heart to follow the Voices from Lord’s in faithful obedience? Church History • How can your group lead one “This is the greatest fault another toward holiness and away under which humanity labors, that after sinning from rebellion? they take refuge in excuses rather than • Whom will you confront in their prostrate themselves with rebellion and call them to repentance repentant confession.” 2 and faith in Jesus Christ? –Cassiodorus (c. 490-583)

Notes

Unit 10, Session 3 33

Day 1: Read 1 Samuel 8

The Israelites had been led by a series of judges and prophets for generations, but as they turned their gaze toward the nations surrounding them, they noticed that the nations were all led by kings. So they wanted this too—to be led by a king—and that was where they made their tragic mistake. The problem was not necessarily in wanting a king—God had said they would have kings (Gen. 17:6,16; 35:11; 49:10; Num. 24:7,17-19)—but in taking their eyes off of God and placing them on the nations around them.

The root reason why their demand for a king displeased God was because the people chose the pagan nations around them as a template for their lives rather than God and His word. They rejected their call to be a holy nation serving a holy God and instead sought to blend into their surroundings. God did not call His people to be cultural chameleons but countercultural lions who followed His lead and timing and looked forward to “the Lion of the tribe of Judah”—Jesus Christ (Rev. 5:5; see Gen. 49:8-12), and He has called us to be the same.

In what ways might you be tempted to blend in instead of stand out for your faith in God?

34 Daily Discipleship Guide

Let there be no doubt: Saul was an impressive man (9:2). When the Israelites thought of the archetype for a king, surely Saul was at the top of the list. He was impressive, and that is a core characteristic of a king. A king who is impressive is easier to follow and easier for other nations to fear.

Little did the Israelites know, although they should have, that God was teaching them an important lesson. God was showing His people that their hope should not based on the leader of their imaginations but rather on one of His provision. The Israelites did not need a king who was tall, handsome, or who would strike fear into their enemies. They needed a king who, through his humility, would lead them, the enemies of God, into restored relationship with Him. God would show the Israelites this through the failure of Saul, the king who looked like a king but failed; in this he pointed toward Jesus, the King who did not look like a king but who brought victory over sin and death.

In what ways do you see Jesus reflecting the qualities of a king, and in what ways was He an unexpected king?

Day 3: Read 1 Samuel 11–12

Saul had led God’s people to a great victory, and as the people basked in the aftermath, perhaps fueled by massive quantities of adrenaline left over from the fight, some called for those who had doubted their new king to be put to death (11:12). Hearing this, Saul could have heartily consented to this demand, thereby ridding himself of potential adversaries or at least resisters. Instead, he stood before the people and declared that no one would be executed; instead, everyone should focus on the victory the Lord had given them (11:13). In this critical moment, Saul demonstrated wisdom, mercy, and grace and pointed his people to the Lord. We should give credit where credit is due.

But we should also look more broadly at Saul’s reign than just one moment. It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish that matters. We need to be careful never to rest on past accomplishments and moments of obedience. Yes, we should be grateful for them and recognize God’s kindness to give us these victories, but we should also never forget that our race is not done until we, by God’s sustaining grace, cross the finish line.

What victories has God given you in the past? How can these help you when you are tempted to give up or fall back into habitual sin?

Unit 10, Session 3 35

Samuel, the man of God, had given Saul clear instructions: “Wait for seven days, then I will come to you to make a sacrifice and show you what to do” (see 10:8). Easy enough, until everything began falling apart around Saul. The king’s army was in a bad place and his men began to leave. Saul had to do something. He had to act, so he did. He made the offerings to the Lord himself (13:6-10). And just as he was finishing, Samuel arrived, as he had said—on the seventh day. Samuel the prophet would not be happy with Saul the king. Saul had done what he should not have done—the king does not make the sacrifice, the priest does. In Saul’s moment of desperation, he sinned by stepping out of his God-given role and into that of another.

Sometimes doing something is the worst thing we can do. Sometimes the best thing we can do is nothing. That was what Saul should have done. He should have done nothing but wait on Samuel and, more importantly, trust in the Lord. Sometimes it takes more courage and faith to do nothing and prayerfully wait on the Lord than to do something.

What might you be trying to do in your own wisdom and strength instead of waiting on the Lord?

Day 5: Read 1 Samuel 15

Soon after Saul performed a sacrifice he should not have made, he failed to obey God’s explicit instruction to completely destroy the Amalekites and their possessions. Saul kept King Agag alive as well as some of the animals, presumably to perform a sacrifice to the Lord.

When Samuel confronted the king in his sin, he told him something quite profound, “to obey is better than sacrifice” (v. 22). Samuel was surely not saying that sacrifice— worship—is unimportant. We know that we were created to worship God and God expects worship from us. These words were not a matter of worship being unimportant but rather the centrality of obedience. If we truly are worshiping God, recognizing His great worth, then we will obey. We must. We cannot proclaim the glory of God from a posture of disobedience. Our disobedience disproves our worship. Obedience, on the other hand, affirms it. Saul’s supposed act of worship was nothing of the sort because he was in a state of disobedience. Obedience and worship are fused together.

In what ways might you be disobeying God and thus impairing your worship?

36 Daily Discipleship Guide

Join together with 2-4 people from your group, or with your family, sometime during the week to reflect on the session and to share how God is working and you are responding. Share your thoughts and reflections on the truths from Scripture in this session: • The people reject God as their true King (1 Sam. 8:4-9,19-20). • The people’s king fails to trust God (1 Sam. 13:6-9,13-14). • The people’s king fails to obey God (1 Sam. 15:10-11,22-23).

How have you responded to these truths from Scripture?

In what ways do you feel the pull to want the same things as “the nations”? What do you find to be the most effective way to combat this pull and to reorient your desires with God’s purposes?

When have you been tempted to take action rather than wait on God to provide? Why is waiting sometimes difficult?

Notes

Unit 10, Session 3 37

130 Daily Discipleship Guide

The Gospel Project® Brian Dembowczyk Adult Daily Discipleship Guide ESV Volume 7, Number 4 Summer 2019 Managing Editor—The Gospel Project

Ed Stetzer Author of Gospel-Centered Kids Ministry Founding Editor and Cornerstones: 200 Questions and

Trevin Wax Answers to Learn Truth General Editor

Memory Verses “Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” –Psalm 51:8-10

Unit 11, Session 1 A Shepherd Slays a Giant

SESSION IN A SENTENCE: God wins the victory through His chosen one and is due all glory and honor.

MAIN PASSAGES: 1 Samuel 16:1,6-7,11-13; 17:23,26,34-37,45-51

American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan penned the broad-sweeping lyrics to “Gotta Serve Somebody,” saying everyone sits under the rule of someone or something, and he was absolutely right. No matter the decision we make, big or small, we all look somewhere to give our lives guidance. In fact, it’s safe to say that we all have a functional king in our lives. Many of us balk at the idea of an actual king sitting over us on a throne with a scepter and a crown. But when we examine our lives closely, we see that we all have something in our lives that rules us, even if it is somewhat more abstract.

What are some functional kings that can rule over our lives? How are these functional kings dangerous and destructive?

Date of My Bible Study: ______39

Point 1: God’s king is measured by the Lord’s standard, not the world’s (1 Sam. 16:1,6-7,11-13).

1 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” ………………………….. 6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.”

Each of us has a picture in mind, a standard, of what a king is supposed to look like. They need to be good looking or athletic or intellectually inclined or skilled in some particular field. In fact, we’d prefer they have all of these visible qualities and more. Why is that? Because we are quick to judge people strictly by appearance. This outside-in approach to life is often how people measure value and success. 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” ………………………….. 11 Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” 12 And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.

“TheLord looks on the heart.” God doesn’t merely look at a person, He looks into a person. He takes an inside-out approach, not outside-in like we do. When God looked through Eliab’s impressive exterior, He didn’t see the interior He desired. But when God looked through David’s modest exterior, being the youngest of his brothers, He saw something different, something He desired in the one who would be Israel’s extn king.

How can believers evaluate someone with an inside-out approach?

40 Daily Discipleship Guide

23 As he talked with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him. ………………………….. 26 And David said to the men who stood by him, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” ………………………….. 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. 36 Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.”37 And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”

For forty days, the army of the Lord, including Saul, trembled in fear under Goliath’s slander; David heard Goliath once and trembled in holy anger. His immediate desire to take action against the giant demonstrated the depth of his trust in the Lord. From David we can learn two vital components to genuine trust in the Lord’s deliverance: 1. Trusting in the Lord’s deliverance means looking back at past victories. Voices from the Church What are some victories you have seen God accomplish in your past? “We must learn to be like In the recent history of your group and David and see things with the eyes of faith. We must hear your church? things with ears tuned to the frequency of heaven.” 1 2. T rusting in the Lord’s deliverance means –Gbile Akanni and taking action. Nupanga Weanzana

What are some ways past victories have strengthened you for present and future battles?

Unit 11, Session 1 41

45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hand.” 48 When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49 And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground. 50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David.51 Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.

David defeated the giant. So we should imitate David’s actions and attitude to overcome the “giants” in our lives, right? This is the imitation approach to application. It’s not necessarily wrong, but it is incomplete because David was still a sinner in need of a Savior, and only the Lord saves. Ultimately, the Scriptures are about this Savior, Jesus.

What are some of the dangers of applying Scripture using only an imitation approach?

David’s victory was imputed, or attributed, to his nation. And this points to what Jesus did for us. On the cross, Jesus defeated the ultimate giants of sin, death, and Satan. While we cowered in sin, He stood in our place and won the victory for us. This is the imputation approach. Believing that the final victory has already been won in Christ is what empowers us to face the giants in our lives with courage and faith.

Christ as King: To restore His broken world, God promised a King who would ______His people and ______all of creation. The promise of a coming King finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ and looks forward to its perfection when Jesus returns for His bride, the ______.

42 Daily Discipleship Guide

Because we have been forgiven through the power of the cross, we don’t pursue the nations in judgment but with the message of grace that all may hear the good news and be swept up into the glorious love and grace of God.

• Does your life reflect the truth that Jesus has gone before you and won the Voices from victory? Why or why not? Church History • What are some opportunities for your “Christ is our fortress; group to serve and share the message of patience our defence; the word of God our sword; grace with those in your community? and our victory is a candid, firm, unfeigned faith in • How will you share the good news Jesus Christ.” 2 of your victorious King Jesus with –Menno Simons someone who is facing a giant in his or (c. 1492-1561) her life?

Notes

Unit 11, Session 1 43

Day 1: Read 1 Samuel 16:1-13

It’s hard to blame Samuel. After all, he only fell into the same trap as Israel had before. We aren’t told what Eliab looked like, but he must have looked like a king straight out of Hollywood’s Central Casting. So when the prophet saw him, he thought surely he was God’s chosen one to replace Saul. But in that moment, Samuel made the same critical mistake Israel had made with Saul, and that Saul had made with himself: relying on worldly appearances and abilities. Saul too had looked the part of the ideal king— tall and handsome. But his rule was unraveling rapidly because he took matters into his own hands instead of relying on God.

God quickly corrected his messenger Samuel: He does not look at the externals like His people Voices from were doing; He looks at the heart (v. 7). In this Church History we see an important axiom for how God worked “The Lord sees and judges throughout Scripture and how He still works the heart; he has no regard to today. God delights in taking those who are outward forms of worship, if there be no inward adoration, outwardly unspectacular but inwardly humble if no devout affection and reliant on Him and doing amazing things be employed therein. It is therefore a matter of through them for His glory. infinite importance, to have the whole heart engaged What internal qualities do you believe steadfastly for God.” 3 God looks for? How can you grow in –Isaac Watts (1674-1748) each of these areas?

44 Daily Discipleship Guide

Verse 14 is straightforward enough to understand, but it is much more challenging to grasp. The Lord’s Spirit left Saul, and in His place God sent an evil spirit to plague the rejected king. The transaction is clear, but God’s purposes behind it are cloudy. Why did God send an evil spirit? Why not just remove His Spirit from Saul? We have two options.

First, God may have sent this evil spirit to bring Saul to repentance. Perhaps this was God’s tool to break Saul of his pride and force him to depend on his God instead. Second, God may have sent the spirit as an act of judgment against Saul, much like He hardened Pharaoh’s heart in the exodus account.

While we cannot know God’s specific purpose in sending this evil spirit, we can know our holy God’s ultimate purpose: God’s desire was, and always is, to bring glory to Himself and work all things together for the good of His people. God will never fail to bring this end to pass, even if the means might be hard for us to understand.

What are some ways God was glorified through sending this evil spirit to Saul? How has God been glorified through adversity in your life?

Day 3: Read 1 Samuel 17:1-19

So there they were: the Israelite army on one hill and the Philistine forces on another hill with a valley in between. It was a stalemate; neither army seemed inclined to leave its fortified position on the high ground to charge at its enemy. The only action either army saw was a Philistine giant named Goliath walking out into no man’s land day after day to taunt the Israelites. All the Israelites had to do was to send one warrior to face him. If that man won, the Israelites would win the battle.

We have to let this picture of the Israelites cowering in fear crystallize in our minds and hearts as we continue reading this account, because in the Israelite soldiers, we are to see ourselves. Yes, we also would have been in fear of Goliath on that day, but more important than that, we have been rendered powerless before another giant, a greater enemy—that of sin and death. Just like the Israelites, we were out of the fight, dead in our sins, sitting by helplessly, waiting for our champion to enter the fray, which He did in a manger in Bethlehem.

Why is it important to identify more with the Israelite soldiers in this passage than with David?

Unit 11, Session 1 45

While none of Israel’s soldiers could muster the courage to face Goliath, even after hearing his taunts day after day, it only took David hearing him once before he was ready to face the giant. An unlikely hero stepped forward to face the enemy of God’s people. But as we know, David would not face Goliath by himself. Sure, he was the only one Goliath saw walking into the valley to face him, but David was not the only one there. In fact, he wasn’t even the primary one there: God was.

If we read ourselves into this story as David, at this point we will be prone to identify our need to live with courage, dependent on God. And there is nothing wrong with that, but if we do, we miss the greater lesson here for us. If, instead, we see ourselves as the Israelites and David as a hero outside of ourselves, we see the beauty of the gospel. Jesus is the greater David. Jesus was the unlikely hero who stepped forward to face off against the enemy of sin and death and defeated them in the power of God. He did all this while we looked on as He fought in our place.

How might you attempt to fight in your own power instead of resting in God to fight for you? Why?

Day 5: Read 1 Samuel 17:38-58

The battle had been won. Goliath, the feared adversary, lay dead on the ground, his head severed from his body. The Philistines had looked on in horror and then turned and fled for their lives. Then, and only then, did the Israelites shout a battle cry and charge. They chased after the Philistines and slaughtered them, not to win the victory but in victory.

We cannot miss that point. If God is providing a picture of how Jesus defeated sin and death in this true account of David and Goliath, and if we are meant to relate with the Israelite army, we see, then, how we are to live today. We don’t strap on our spiritual armor and pick up our spiritual weapons to win the victory; Christ has gone before us and already secured it. Instead, like the Israelite army, we charge forward in victory, not for it. That is liberating, isn’t it? We are already victorious, more than conquerors in Christ. The battle is won, the victory is secure, the foe defeated. That is our ttleba cry.

What battles are you facing in which you need to remember Christ has already gone before you and won the victory?

46 Daily Discipleship Guide

Join together with 2-4 people from your group, or with your family, sometime during the week to reflect on the session and to share how God is working and you are responding. Share your thoughts and reflections on the truths from Scripture in this session: • God’s king is measured by the Lord’s standard, not the world’s (1 Sam. 16:1,6-7,11-13). • God’s king trusts in the Lord’s deliverance (1 Sam. 17:23,26,34-37). • God’s king wins an improbable victory for the Lord and His people (1 Sam. 17:45-51).

How have you responded to these truths from Scripture?

How can we use the David and Goliath account to remind one another to look to Jesus rather than ourselves for salvation and deliverance?

What are some ways we can boast in our weaknesses to point the world to our Savior from sin and death?

Notes

Unit 11, Session 1 47

130 Daily Discipleship Guide

The Gospel Project® Brian Dembowczyk Adult Daily Discipleship Guide ESV Volume 7, Number 4 Summer 2019 Managing Editor—The Gospel Project

Ed Stetzer Author of Gospel-Centered Kids Ministry Founding Editor and Cornerstones: 200 Questions and

Trevin Wax Answers to Learn Truth General Editor

Unit 11, Session 2 A Fugitive Spares His Rival

SESSION IN A SENTENCE: God’s people are to trust in Him for justice and are to demonstrate grace, mercy, and kindness to all.

MAIN PASSAGES: 1 Samuel 24:1-4,8,11-17,20-22

C. S. Lewis once wrote, “Every one says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive.” 1 We love the idea of forgiveness, but when it comes to actually forgiving someone who deeply wounded us, well, that is another story altogether.

Do you see the problem here? There is a gap between what we believe and what we do. As Christians, we often celebrate and even champion certain virtues or biblical mandates, but do we live out these convictions? Do we take the steps necessary to make our visions and ideals a reality or are we more content with what we believe to remain abstract ideology? Are we in love with the idea of being Christians rather than being in love with Christ Himself and living in such a way that reflects our identity in Him?

What are some biblical commands that we might love in concept but struggle to live out?

48 Date of My Bible Study: ______

Point 1: God’s chosen one refuses an opportunity to defeat a rival (1 Sam. 24:1-4).

1 When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.” 2 Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Wildgoats’ Rocks. 3 And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, where there was a cave, and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave. 4 And the men of David said to him, “Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.’ ” Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.

Saul, alone, vulnerable, and unaware, was at the mercy of David. David easily could have taken Saul’s life to fulfill God’s prophecy and to ascend to Israel’s throne. God had told David that he would be king, and he desired to become king. The circumstances of Saul’s entering the cave David was hiding in seemed like a gift from God, and David’s community of fighting men saw it as such and encouraged him to end this struggle. This seemed to be God’s will, but David spared Saul’s life. Why?

What are some ways people try to determine the will of God?

Killing Saul made sense in the moment and seemed to fall into the will of God, which others affirmed. But David stayed his hand. Why? Because he refused to lift his hand against the Lord’s anointed (24:5-7). For David, this would be sinning against the God he loved. His conscience was captive to the word of God; David was unwilling to act where there was no clear command from God to do so. This was not an opportunity for God to show His faithfulness to David but for David to show his faithfulness to God.

Why must the Word of God be the final arbiter on God’s will for us?

Unit 11, Session 2 49

8 Afterward David also arose and went out of the cave, and called after Saul, “My lord the king!” And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the earth and paid homage. ………………………….. 11 See, my father, see the corner of your robe in my hand. For by the fact that I cut off the corner of your robe and did not kill you, you may know and see that there is no wrong or treason in my hands. I have not sinned against you, though you hunt my life to take it. 12 May the Lord judge between me and you, may the Lord avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you. 13 As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Out of the wicked comes wickedness.’ But my hand shall not be against you. 14 After whom has the king of Israel come out? After whom do you pursue? After a dead dog! After a flea! 15 May the Lord therefore be judge and give sentence between me and you, and see to it and plead my cause and deliver me from your hand.”

Though falsely accused and in danger from Saul, David refused to act out in anger in this confrontation. David pleaded his case before Saul—he was innocent of rebellion against the king—but he rested in God’s tender care for him. David glorified God in obeying Him, in honoring the Lord’s anointed, and in his patient trust in God’s justice.

How do you tend to respond to conflict?

With Hostility With Civility With Patient Trust in God

David demonstrated godly character in this conflict with Saul. Here we find three things worth emulating when it comes to responding to conflicts and rivalries: David took the initiative, David humbled himself, and David refused to fight back.

What must one believe about God to exhibit godly character in the midst of a conflict or rivalry?

God Is Just: God establishes standards for His moral creatures that are in accordance with His ______, and His moral creatures will be ______according to those righteous standards.

50 Daily Discipleship Guide

16 As soon as David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. 17 He said to David, “You are more righteous than I, for you have repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you evil. ………………………….. 20 And now, behold, I know that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand. 21 Swear to me therefore by the Lord that you will not cut off my offspring after me, and that you will not destroy my name out of my father’s house.” 22 And David swore this to Saul. Then Saul went home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.

David showed restraint against Saul as the Lord’s anointed, but he was under no such obligation to Saul’s family. Apart from Jonathan, Saul’s son, who shared a covenant with David (20:14-17; 23:16-18), the rest of Saul’s descendants would be potential threats to David’s monarchy. And Saul was guilty of trying to eliminate David and his future descendants. Yet David showed mercy to Saul by not taking his life and extended grace in promising to preserve his family. Truly David lived by a higher standard.

Saul didn’t deserve this ______, but ______is never deserved.

David’s godly character helped him to navigate this conflict with Saul in a way that honored God, Voices from and we have much to learn from his example of Church History extending mercy and grace to an adversary. But “[Jesus] had been given over as good as his example was, it is not the perfect to death unjustly, although example we need. As good a king as he would he was omnipotent and wished to save his killers and be, he was not the perfect King we need. David’s give them life rather than to example was always designed to point us to the destroy them.” 2 greater David—Jesus. In all the ways that David –Bede (c. 673-735) exemplified how to handle our rivals, Jesus showed us an even better way, the way leading to our salvation by faith in Him.

How should faith in Jesus Christ change the way we approach conflict with others?

Unit 11, Session 2 51

Because we were once enemies of God but are now His sons and daughters in Christ, we seek the welfare of all, even those who are our enemies, so that they too might become part of God’s family.

• How will you respond to the grace and forgiveness God has extended to you in Voices from Jesus Christ? Church History • What are some ways your group “Love all men, even your or church needs to practice godly, enemies, not because they are your brethren, but that Christ-empowered forgiveness and they may be your brethren.” 3 conflict resolution? –Augustine (354-430) • With whom are you in conflict right now that you can initiate forgiveness or ask for forgiveness as part of showing the power of the gospel?

Notes

52 Daily Discipleship Guide

Day 1: Read 1 Samuel 18:1-30

King Saul had been in quite the bind. His forces had been stuck in their tracks against the Philistines, all while listening to the giant Goliath taunting them and God. But then God provided His deliverance in the unlikely form of the shepherd David. David squared off against Goliath and defeated him soundly, giving the Israelite forces the courage to charge ahead in victory. The result was a slaughter, not of the Israelites, as it had appeared, but of the Philistines.

Saul kept David with him from that day forward, and his son Jonathan and David became close friends. It was the perfect ending to the story, a Hollywood script brought to life. Except it didn’t end there.

Word spread quickly of David’s victory over Goliath. When Saul returned from the battle in victory, the women of the land came out to greet him with singing and dancing. Only they sang a song Saul did not like: Saul had killed thousands, but David had killed tens of thousands.

In that moment, the storybook ending unraveled. Saul became furious, and from this point forward, he looked upon David not with gratitude but with jealousy.

David had bailed out Saul, but that was put aside. More importantly, David had defended the honor of God and brought Him glory, but that too was forgotten. Saul should have joined in the singing of the women’s song. He should have been grateful for God’s provision in his life. But his selfishness and pride wouldn’t let him, so his downfall would continue.

How prone are you to celebrate and be thankful for someone else, even if it comes at your expense in some way? Why?

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We see an interesting contrast between Saul and David in this chapter. Saul was growing increasingly paranoid (see 1 Sam. 22) and continued to pursue David, the hero turned fugitive. Meanwhile, we also see David in pursuit, but not of Saul in retaliation or even of safety primarily. David was in pursuit of God. When David heard the Philistines were fighting against Keilah, he went to the Lord and asked if he should go to their defense. This was not the posture of a man who was running for his life; this was the posture of a man who was running after God, the One in whose hands he had placed his life.

In fear, Saul had turned away from God in disobedience, which had brought about his downfall. Now we see that he was a man driven by his jealousy and anger. David no doubt feared Saul, but he feared God in a greater way. David’s fear of the Lord led him to seek to obey God continually at all costs, even if that cost placed himself in harm’s way. The same was true, but in a greater way, of one of David’s descendants—Jesus— who stepped into the world in full obedience to God and not only risked His life but laid it down on behalf of the very world that had rejected Him.

Do you tend to pursue God in times of fear or do you tend to turn inward instead? Why?

Day 3: Read 1 Samuel 24:1-7

It was hard to miss. David’s men saw it. Even David did. Saul had been delivered over to David and his men in what was obviously a work of God. There were numerous caves in that area. Surely God had led Saul into that specific cave for a specific purpose—for David to vanquish his opponent. But had He?

There are times when an opportunity or situation looks to be from God and we respond like David’s men in the cave: Surely this is of the Lord! But we need to be careful because the situation may not be what it seems. Sometimes a situation seems too good to be true because it is. Sometimes what appears to be a gift before us is actually a test, and sometimes what seems to be a test is actually a gift. How will we know the difference? Only by seeking the face of the Lord and trusting in His guidance in accord with His revelation and not our own perceptions.

When have you experienced something you thought was good only to discover it was not? How about the opposite? What was God doing in those situations?

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Saul and his army were chasing David and his band of men so that the rejected king of Israel could rid himself of whom he considered to be his arch-nemesis. But then, in a moment when the tables were turned and the two ended up in the same cave, David could have been the only one to walk out alive. But he refused to lift his hand against Saul. No matter how Saul was treating him, he was God’s anointed. For David to turn on Saul would require David to turn on God. That he would not do, no matter the risk.

Saul had done nothing to deserve David’s mercy and respect. He was a failed leader. He was rejected by God. He was plagued by an evil spirit and was progressively growing paranoid. Yet David understood that it was not a matter of who Saul was or what he had or had not done; it was a matter of what God had declared about Saul. We would be wise to remember this. There will be times when we disagree with others—even leaders over us—and many of those times our points of disagreement will be valid. But we can never forget our need to extend grace and mercy to others, in the same way God has extended grace and mercy to us.

How can you support and encourage those in leadership positions over you?

Day 5: Read 1 Samuel 24:16-22

David’s actions—or more precisely, his lack of action due to his great restraint—must have been shocking to Saul. What would he have done had the situation been reversed? In that moment of being confronted by David’s act of mercy, Saul experienced a moment of clarity. He recognized that God’s hand was surely on David, and he left him in peace (though this would not last; see 1 Sam. 26).

This is the power of God working in and through His people. God has called us to live counterculturally, to live differently and express the fragrance of Christ in a world permeated by the stench of sin and death. What we do—or rather, what God does through us—reinforces the truth of the gospel message we share. Does the gospel need our actions for it to be effective? By no means! But when we live in such a way that shows that the gospel is not merely academic, that it transforms us to live like Christ, we display the beauty of the message we proclaim.

In what ways is God changing you? In what ways do you see the need for Him to continue to change you?

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Join together with 2-4 people from your group, or with your family, sometime during the week to reflect on the session and to share how God is working and you are responding. Share your thoughts and reflections on the truths from Scripture in this session: • God’s chosen one refuses an opportunity to defeat a rival (1 Sam. 24:1-4). • God’s chosen one makes a promise to preserve a rival’s life (1 Sam. 24:8,11-15). • God’s chosen one makes a promise to preserve a rival’s family (1 Sam. 24:16-17,20 -22).

How have you responded to these truths from Scripture?

Have you ever received a radical display of mercy? If so, how did it affect you and the way you perceived and treated others?

What habits can we implement in order to maintain a merciful disposition toward others? What role does humility play in this?

Notes

56 Daily Discipleship Guide

130 Daily Discipleship Guide

The Gospel Project® Brian Dembowczyk Adult Daily Discipleship Guide ESV Volume 7, Number 4 Summer 2019 Managing Editor—The Gospel Project

Ed Stetzer Author of Gospel-Centered Kids Ministry Founding Editor and Cornerstones: 200 Questions and

Trevin Wax Answers to Learn Truth General Editor

Unit 11, Session 3 A Servant Receives God’s Promise

SESSION IN A SENTENCE: God promised that He would give His people the true King they needed and fulfilled that promise in Jesus.

MAIN PASSAGE: 2 Samuel 7:8-16

On July 4, 1952, Florence Chadwick, age 34, stepped into the cold waters of the Pacific Ocean off Catalina Island to go swimming. This was not a recreational swim but a challenge swim: She wanted to be the first woman to swim the twenty-one mile channel between Catalina Island and the California coastline. The physical challenge was daunting. The visible and invisible sea creatures, including the sharks circling her, were intimidating. But the fog hemmed her in. She could hardly see her support boats that carried her mother, her trainer, and her support staff, and though they encouraged her to keep going, the fog ended her challenge. After swimming 15 hours and 55 minutes, exhausted, she asked to be taken out of the water. Sitting in the boat, she found out she only had a half-mile left to reach her destination. Later she told a reporter: “Look, I’m not excusing myself, but if I could have seen land I know I could have made it.” 1

Why might it be difficult to fix our eyes on eternal things instead of what is immediately before us?

Date of My Bible Study: ______57

Point 1: God promises to give His people eternal rest (2 Sam. 7:8-11a).

8 Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. 9 And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. 10 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, 11a from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies.

When the Israelites were slaves in Egypt centuries before, God promised that He would take them out of a land of slavery to a land that had rest on every side. Now, generations later, the Lord brought rest to the battle-scarred, blood-soaked land through King David (v. 1). But as we see in God’s promise to David, God had something much more profound in mind for His people. The rest that they were experiencing was incomplete. It was a shadow of the substance that was yet to come.

How can we be at rest physically but still spiritually restless?

Taking God’s promises to David here as a whole, otherwise known as the Davidic covenant, we see Voices from that rest would come through someone in David’s Church History lineage. This rest would begin in this life and “Awake, you everlasting spirit, reverberate into the next (2 Sam. 7:13). We know out of your dream of worldly happiness! Did not God that the descendant who would provide this rest is create you for Himself? Then Jesus Christ, the son of David (Matt. 1:1). And we you cannot rest till you rest in Him.” 2 know that Jesus did not come just to provide this rest for the nation of Israel but for all who trust in –John Wesley (1703-1791) Him as Savior and King.

What are some ways we attempt to work for eternal salvation as if Christ’s work on the cross were incomplete?

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11b Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. 12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

The promise made here first came to fruition through David’s son Solomon, but only partially. Solomon would be the one to build the temple that David wanted to build (1 Kings 6–8), but Solomon’s throne was not forever. Besides the fact that Solomon died, his kingdom was torn in two on account of his disobedience, yet his son would reign after him over part of the kingdom because of God’s promise to David. A greater king was needed to bring about perfect peace and establish the eternal kingdom God spoke of. This promise could only be fulfilled in Christ Jesus.

What are some Old Testament prophecies we have already studied that find their ultimate fulfillment in Christ Jesus?

Church and Kingdom: The church and the kingdom of God are closely related, though not identical. When the Bible speaks of the kingdom of God, it is referring to the reign of God in the world. The church is the ______of God who live under His loving rule now, anticipating the full manifestation of God’s kingdom in the future. The church’s ______is to witness to God’s kingdom, proclaiming God’s message of salvation through ______and demonstrating the power of the ______through good works so that others may be brought to live under God’s reign.

What is your attitude toward the church?

Distrustful Apathetic Committed Loving

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14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, 15 but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ”

Again, Solomon is the first person in mind here, the builder of the Lord’s temple. Imagine the blessing of being described as God’s child with an everlasting love. (Do you have to imagine?) Solomon did turn aside from following the Lord and was disciplined as the Lord said (1 Kings 11–12). Yet Solomon remained in God’s love as a son while he suffered the consequences. And one day the greater and perfect Son of David, the unique Son of God, would come to be disciplined, not for His wrongdoing but for ours.

Why might we view discipline from God as a lack or loss of love from our heavenly Father?

JESUS IS THE UNIQUE SON OF DAVID, THE SON OF GOD

Matthew 26:64 Jesus Is…

Mark 2:5-7 Jesus…

John 8:57-58 Jesus Was…

John 14:6 Jesus Is…

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Because we have experienced the mercy and grace of our King, we offer ourselves fully to His service so that we might reveal Jesus Christ to the world that others would find everlasting rest in His kingdom.

• How will you respond to the Son of David, the Son of God—Jesus Christ— Voices from who laid down His life to save sinners? Church History • How can your group encourage and “If the Lord be with us, we challenge one another to live with an have no cause of fear. His eye is upon us, his arm eye on eternity rather than merely over us, his ear open to our on today? prayer; his grace sufficient, his promise unchangeable.” 3 • Who is struggling with spiritual –John Newton (1725-1807) restlessness with whom you can share this week about the rest found in Jesus by faith?

Notes

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Day 1: Read 2 Samuel 6:1-23

There are passages in Scripture that give us pause, passages that we might not even like. This is one. It’s difficult for us to understand, let alone appreciate, what happened to Uzzah. As the ark of God was being wheeled across Nacon’s threshing floor, the oxen pulling it stumbled, so Uzzah took hold of the ark in order to steady it. That seems like an honorable thing for Uzzah to do. It is what we may have done had we been standing next to Uzzah that day. But instead of God blessing Uzzah, He was angry with him and struck him dead on the spot for irreverence (v. 7).

If you read this and are at least uncomfortable, you’re not alone. Look at how David responded: he was angry (v. 8). Now, we are not sure if David’s anger was toward God for doing something that seemed to be unfair or if it was against Uzzah for doing what was irreverent to God, but either way, we see that David struggled with this encounter.

So what do we do with this passage? How do we begin to understand it? The key is to consider what God found to be irreverent. It was not Uzzah’s desire to keep the ark from falling. Uzzah did that because of an act of reverence. But Uzzah was reverent toward the wrong thing: the ark instead of God. Would it have looked disgraceful for the ark of God to fall onto the ground? Yes. Without a doubt. But how much more disgraceful was it for Uzzah to reach out and touch the ark after God had expressly forbidden it (Num. 4:15)? Uzzah’s act of reverence toward the ark was simultaneously an act of irreverence toward a holy God. Like Uzzah, there are times when we act with what seems to be the right intentions, but we must always consider the greater question: What will bring glory to God the most?

In what ways might your good intentions clash with God’s glory and His revealed will for you?

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Uzzah acted with good intentions, but he failed to heed what God had commanded about the ark. Here we see David with similar good intentions, though desiring to act without first seeking God. David saw that it was not good for him to live in a palace while the ark of God sat in the tabernacle, a tent. His heart was in the right place, and Nathan, also without asking God, gave his blessing for David to launch a building program. Nathan was a prophet, but his role was to speak for God, not in place of God. And curiously, David sought Nathan’s input without consulting God directly, as he had done before.

In this we are reminded of our need never to take our actions for granted. We must always take our decisions before God, earnestly seeking His guidance. But let’s not learn this lesson from David alone; let us consider Christ Jesus, who expressed such dependence on the Father throughout the Gospels.

What decisions are you weighing that you need to take to God for direction?

Day 3: Read 2 Samuel 7:8-11a

The covenant God made with David contains a mixture of what could be called “near” and “far,” or “short-term” and “long-term,” prophecies. We see this duality especially in verse 11, where God promises rest. This promise has to be read in light of verse 1, where we are told that David had rest from his enemies. While God could have been speaking of continued rest from the pagan nations around them, it seems better to see a deeper promise in mind here—a greater rest that would sustain all military and political rest. This would be the rest provided through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus—the rest that comes from trusting in His victory over our greatest enemies of sin and death.

Jesus would be the Prince of peace, who would bring peace in three ways: peace with God, peace with others, and peace within. But we cannot miss the primacy of the first peace. Peace with others, such as military and political rest, and peace within are impossible as long as we lack peace with God. And that peace only comes through the finished work of Christ.

Do you tend to see yourself at rest with God or still struggling against God? Why?

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When you think of the heroes of the faith in Scripture—the spiritual giants who came before us—David is near the top of the list. While it is right and fitting for us to recognize David in this way—God did give us the “hall of faith” in Hebrews 11—we cannot stop there. We need to look at David so we can look through him.

David did some incredible things, but he was by no means without sin. His affair with Bathsheba and consequent murder of Uriah proved this. But God still used David in a mighty way, as we see in this passage. David was a great king, a man after the Lord’s heart (1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22), but God did something far greater through him than his contemporaries ever saw. Through David, God sent the Messiah. So we don’t fix our gaze on David as we recognize his life of faithfulness. Instead, we turn our eyes and fix them on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, the one true Hero (Heb. 12:2).

What is the danger of fixing your gaze on the people of the Bible? What might you miss if you fail to consider them at all? What encouragement might other people be seeing in your life?

Day 5: Read 2 Samuel 7:14-29

God had made spectacular promises to David. The king had desired to build a temple for God, but in God’s rejection of his plans, He showered him with a blessing he could never fathom in this covenant. We should pay careful attention to David’s response.

“Who am I?” It is a fitting question, a proper response to God’s good news. We need to be careful here and not see this question asked in the same way Moses asked it years before. Moses’ question was one of doubt—“You have the wrong man.” David’s question was one of awe—“What did I ever do to deserve this?” And that is why it is the proper response, the only reasonable response, to God’s grace. Because the question demands the proper answer: You are no one. You have done nothing. This is entirely out of the kindness and grace of the Lord.

How do we tend to receive the Lord’s blessings? Is there any part of us, even the smallest fraction, that receives God’s gifts in a posture of expectation? We can have none of that because even the slightest amount of pride obliterates our understanding of grace.

In what ways have you felt, at times, that you deserve blessings from God?

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Join together with 2-4 people from your group, or with your family, sometime during the week to reflect on the session and to share how God is working and you are responding. Share your thoughts and reflections on the truths from Scripture in this session: • God promises to give His people eternal rest (2 Sam. 7:8-11a). • God promises to establish an eternal kingdom (2 Sam. 7:11b-13). • God promises to provide an eternally beloved son (2 Sam. 7:14-16).

How have you responded to these truths from Scripture?

Do you feel rested? Why or why not? What measures can you take to ensure you and your group are living out of a healthy understanding of rest, both physically and spiritually?

What are some ways you tend to lose sight of the church’s existence as an extension of God’s kingdom? What can you and your group do to elevate your view of the local church and its importance in God’s plan?

Notes

Unit 11, Session 3 65

130 Daily Discipleship Guide

The Gospel Project® Brian Dembowczyk Adult Daily Discipleship Guide ESV Volume 7, Number 4 Summer 2019 Managing Editor—The Gospel Project

Ed Stetzer Author of Gospel-Centered Kids Ministry Founding Editor and Cornerstones: 200 Questions and

Trevin Wax Answers to Learn Truth General Editor

Unit 11, Session 4 A King Shows Kindness

SESSION IN A SENTENCE: God has extended kindness to His people, and through Christ we enjoy a seat at His table as His children.

MAIN PASSAGE: 2 Samuel 9:1-13

In June of 1990, a woman threw a party at the Hyatt Hotel in downtown Boston. The woman and her fiance had visited the hotel some weeks prior to plan their wedding banquet. The price tag: $13,000, with half required as a down payment. A few days later, however, the groom got cold feet and called off the wedding. When the former bride-to-be was told she could only get ten percent back, she decided to go ahead with the banquet, not for her wedding but as a blowout for the down-and-outs of Boston. Ten years before, she had been living in a homeless shelter; now she had the means to bless the homeless. So she sent invitations to rescue missions and homeless shelters. The night of the party, those used to peeling bits of pizza off cardboard for dinner were treated to hors d’oeuvres, chicken cordon blue, and chocolate wedding cake as they danced the night away. 1

When has someone extended undeserved kindness to you? How did it make you feel? How did you respond?

66 Date of My Bible Study: ______

Point 1: The king looks for someone to whom he may show kindness (2 Sam. 9:1-5).

1 And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 2 Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David. And the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.” 3 And the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?” Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.”4 The king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “He is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.” 5 Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.

The king of Israel, powerful, victorious, and blessed by God, was looking for ways to bless and extend kindness to another—to someone from his former rival’s family. In that day, it was customary for a new king to wipe out the former king’s family to reduce the threat of a coup or revenge assassination, not show them kindness. In this we see the depth of David’s character and trust in God. Deep down, he wanted to do good; he wanted to keep his word to bless the house of Saul and to honor his friend, Jonathan.

Where are some places Christians can intentionally seek out opportunities to do good for others?

David sent for Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth, who was lame in both feet. Without regard for the harm or benefit to his kingdom, David planned to show kindness to the grandson of his former enemy, and that kindness would be purely one-sided. David was going to bless and extend kindness to Mephibosheth with no conditions, and there was no way Mephibosheth could repay him.

What wrong motives might guide our good deeds?

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6 And Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, “Mephibosheth!” And he answered, “Behold, I am your servant.” 7 And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always.” 8 And he paid homage and said, “What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?” 9 Then the king called Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s grandson. 10 And you and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him and shall bring in the produce, that your master’s grandson may have bread to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s grandson shall always eat at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.

David could have chosen a few servants to go to Mephibosheth and share how the king was going Voices from to show him kindness. David did not have to talk Church History to Jonathan’s son face to face. No one would have “Love through me, Love thought less of the king had he merely sent of God; Make me like Thy messengers. Any act of kindness to the former clear air Through which, unhindered, colors pass As king’s line would have been viewed as an though it were not there. exceptional act of grace in itself. But David chose Powers of the love of God, Depths of the heart Divine, to have Mephibosheth brought to him so he could O Love that faileth not, break announce to him personally how he was going to forth And flood this world of Thine.” 2 show him kindness. –Amy Carmichael (1867-1951) To Mephibosheth, the grandson of an enemy, David restored Saul’s estate and provided for its care. But even more astonishing, David gave Mephibosheth a permanent seat in which to dine at the table with the king. Mephibosheth surely approached King David with some fear for his life, and he considered himself a “dead dog” in his presence. But now he was the master of an estate and honored as royalty in the palace. Is there a better picture of grace?

How does this passage reveal the upside-down nature of God’s grace in the gospel?

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11 Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king commands his servant, so will your servant do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table, like one of the king’s sons. 12 And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Mica. And all who lived in Ziba’s house became Mephibosheth’s servants. 13 So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate always at the king’s table. Now he was lame in both his feet.

For as long as David was king, Mephibosheth would always have access to him and reap all the benefits of being at the royal table. There was no higher honor anyone living in Israel could have received. David, a powerful king in the world, treated this outsider, the grandson of his enemy, as one of his own sons. We have to remember that Mephibosheth did nothing to earn or deserve this blessing. He received all the benefits that David’s sons received solely by an act of the king’s grace.

Adoption: Adoption into God’s family is one the positive benefits of justification. Not only are we pardoned from the judgment against us through justification, but we also experience a change of identity—we become children of God. Through adoption our ______with God, which was once lost through the fall, is now restored, resulting in the benefits of being an ______of God and a ______with Christ.

By adoption, believers are welcomed to dine at the Father’s table. Christians enjoy full access and fellowship with God, symbolized now, in part, through the Lord’s Supper. But there is still more to come. At present we remain in a fallen world that is under the curse of sin. But one day the curse will be lifted at our King’s second coming, and then we will dine forever with one another at His table (Isa. 25:6-8, cf. Rev. 19:6-9). At the end of history, there will be a feast unlike any we have experienced. We will be with our God, clothed in our Brother’s righteousness, all physically restored, dining at our Father’s table forever.

What are some ways we should respond to the grace of God in our adoption into His family?

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Because we have received God’s kindness in salvation through Jesus, we extend kindness to others so that they may see the greater kindness of God and become part of His family.

• What does God’s grace in adoption through faith in Jesus spur you Voices from on to do? the Church • How can your group serve those “This story … spurs us on who feel useless or who struggle with to deeds of unreserved kindness, for it reflects what physical challenges? Jesus has done for us. He is our Saviour at whose table • What acts of kindness will you perform we partake of his sacrificial this week to point others to God’s gift of bread and wine.” 3 greater act of kindness in sending Jesus –Jerald Mall to save sinners?

Notes

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Day 1: Read 1 Samuel 20:1-42

As Saul’s son, Jonathan was the rightful successor to the throne. From a worldly perspective, he was the next in line to become the king of Israel, and with it would come great wealth and power. But God does not operate according to humanity’s expectations or customs. He had chosen David, not Jonathan, to succeed Saul. Jonathan knew it and Jonathan accepted it.

As Jonathan and David prepared to part ways, the question Jonathan asked David assumed something important: that David would be king, not him. In asking David to show kindness, he was acknowledging that David would be in a more powerful position to offer that kindness. Jonathan recognized that he and his family would stand or fall at the whim of David, his friend.

There are times in our lives when God does the unexpected. There are times when what we feel we have earned or what we feel we deserve goes to another. Perhaps we are passed over for a job promotion. Maybe our adoption is denied. Or it might be that a good friend becomes a better friend with someone else. Whatever it is, we will find ourselves in the same position as Jonathan. Will we resist God; will we fight and push back, digging in our heels over what we feel we deserve? Or will we trust God, yield to Him, and acknowledge that His ways are higher than ours?

How should Christ’s humbling Himself and dying a death He did not deserve shape the way you feel about what you have earned or deserve in life?

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No one may have known of David’s promise to Jonathan to be kind to his family. It had been made many years before and most likely extended in privacy. Further, it was a promise most people would have understood David breaking, or at least forgetting about. But that wasn’t what David did. When he could finally turn his attention to the internal affairs of the kingdom rather than defending Israel from external threats, David proactively sought out someone from Jonathan’s family to show kindness to.

We should take note of David’s integrity in the moment, but we should only pause there, not stop there. As we read this account, we need to read it through a gospel lens, one that forces us to relate with Mephibosheth, not King David. We were like Mephibosheth, spiritually lame and in desperate need of the King’s mercy and kindness. The beautiful thing is we didn’t have to go to Him to receive such kindness. We couldn’t. Instead, like David, God proactively came looking for us. And when He found us, He heaped such kindness upon us that we never could have hoped for.

What is your emotional response to considering how God came looking for you?

Day 3: Read 2 Samuel 9:6-10

This chapter focuses almost entirely on the actions of David, and it should. But what little we see of Mephibosheth is still instructive. Twice Mephibosheth paid homage to David (vv. 6,8), and his words matched his posture: He was David’s servant (v. 6) who considered himself to be a “dead dog” before his king (v. 8). If we had to summarize Mephibosheth in this account, we would probably describe him as being humble and in fear.

Now, we need to keep that picture in our minds as we think about coming before God—the King of kings, the One who is not just powerful but omnipotent, the One who does not just have authority over a nation but is sovereign over all creation. How do we enter His presence? Not with fear but with bold confidence (Heb. 10:19), not because we aren’t “dead dogs”—indeed, we are, spiritually—but because of what Christ has done in our place. Because Christ has taken our sin and given us His righteousness, we approach God not merely as His servants but as His beloved children.

Why is it incorrect to come before God with fear? How about overconfidence?

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David’s act of kindness was extravagant. With one spoken edict, Mephibosheth had become a wealthy man. His grandfather Saul’s estate was restored to him and David had given him servants to work the fields. But most surprising of all, Mephibosheth would eat at the king’s table like one of his sons. This is the high point of the narrative, the perfect place to put one’s pen down or move to the next chapter. But that is not how the account ends. Instead, we read the anticlimactic “He was lame in both his feet.”

Why return to this seemingly insignificant detail? Perhaps this concluding sentence is there merely to remind us of how unlikely an event this was, to remind us of the fall and rise of Mephibosheth. Perhaps another reason is to remind us of whom we are supposed to relate to in the story—not David but Mephibosheth. Perhaps we are to remember how great of a fall and rise we have experienced in Christ Jesus—how He extended kindness and grace to us when we were spiritually hopeless and helpless. Perhaps the story ends where our application is supposed to begin.

How do you tend to read the stories in Scripture: through the lens of the hero or through the lens of the ones in need of a hero? How should our understanding of the gospel shape how we read?

Day 5: Read Ephesians 2:1-10

Many Bibles label 2 Samuel 9 as “David’s Kindness to Mephibosheth.” And for good reason, but once again, this heading is a helpful reminder that our task of reading and studying Scripture is not to stop until we get to Jesus. We are not simply to consider David’s kindness and move on to chapter 10 because this passage points us to Jesus.

Ephesians 2:1-10 sheds light on how 2 Samuel 9 points us to Jesus. After confronting us with our sin problem in verses 1-3, verse 4 begins with two words: “But God.” What follows is a summary of the work of Christ and salvation by grace through faith in Him.

Did you see how the display of God’s “immeasurable riches of his grace” is described in verse 7? That’s right: “kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” It is often easy to see how the Old Testament helps us read the New Testament, but there are also times, like this one, where the New Testament helps us read and see the beauty of the Old.

In what ways has God showed you His kindness beyond salvation this week?

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Join together with 2-4 people from your group, or with your family, sometime during the week to reflect on the session and to share how God is working and you are responding. Share your thoughts and reflections on the truths from Scripture in this session: • The king looks for someone to whom he may show kindness (2 Sam. 9:1-5). • The king restores a lost estate (2 Sam. 9:6-10). • The king provides a seat of honor at his table (2 Sam. 9:11-13).

How have you responded to these truths from Scripture?

When you first became a Christian, did you feel like a recipient of kindness from God? From the church? How does this feeling compare with how you feel toward God and the church today?

What steps can you as a group/local church take to help meet the needs of the disabled to show them God’s grace in Christ and communicate their identity as an image-bearer of God?

Notes

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130 Daily Discipleship Guide

The Gospel Project® Brian Dembowczyk Adult Daily Discipleship Guide ESV Volume 7, Number 4 Summer 2019 Managing Editor—The Gospel Project

Ed Stetzer Author of Gospel-Centered Kids Ministry Founding Editor and Cornerstones: 200 Questions and

Trevin Wax Answers to Learn Truth General Editor

Unit 11, Session 5 A Sinner Receives Forgiveness

SESSION IN A SENTENCE: God is gracious to forgive the sins of His people when they repent.

MAIN PASSAGES: 2 Samuel 11:1-5,8-9,13-17; Psalm 51:4-10

We all wrestle with the following reality from time to time, and probably more often than we care to admit: We know what is right, and we desire what is right, but we fail to do what is right. Our knowledge and will aren’t powerful enough to carry through to execution. The apostle Paul stated the problem this way in the Book of Romans: “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing” (Rom. 7:19). In this sentence he captured the essence of the common human experience, even for those who have trusted in Christ.

But why? Why have we all felt this tension before? Why do we fail despite what we know and want? The Bible answers these questions with a single word—sin. We are all sinners, and because of this, we all willfully break God’s laws and disobey Him, doing what we know is not right and failing to do what we know to be right, time and time again. We can’t be good because we aren’t good (see Jer. 17:9; Mark 10:18). Only a relationship with Christ can change who we are and what we do.

How does the biblical truth that people aren’t good compare with the world’s understanding of the nature of people?

Date of My Bible Study: ______75

Point 1: The King’s Captivity to Sin (2 Sam. 11:1-5)

1 In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. 2 It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. 3 And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” 4 So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she had been purifying herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned to her house. 5 And the woman conceived, and she sent and told David, “I am pregnant.”

This story, when we read it with humility, should awaken us to the reality of our sinfulness and help keep us sober-minded and watchful as we seek to put sin to death through the power of the gospel. While David mastered sin on many occasions, in this instance, he was unable or unwilling to subdue its power against him, so sin became king and David its servant (see Gen. 4:7). David became comfortable and he fell before his sin like his enemies had fallen before him.

What might it look like today to be comfortable and open ourselves up to temptation and sin?

Sleeping with Bathsheba had been a momentary indiscretion for the king, a fling. His night of giving in to his passions was supposed to be forgotten—by him, by his guards, and certainly by Bathsheba—and no one else was supposed to know of it. But that plan unraveled with news of the pregnancy. Now he would have to take matters into his own hands and figure out a way to cover up his affair.

What are some ways sin keeps the sinner captive?

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8 Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” And Uriah went out of the king’s house, and there followed him a present from the king. 9 But Uriah slept at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. ………………………….. 13 And David invited him, and he ate in his presence and drank, so that he made him drunk. And in the evening he went out to lie on his couch with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house. 14 In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. 15 In the letter he wrote, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, that he may be struck down, and die.” 16 And as Joab was besieging the city, he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew there were valiant men. 17 And the men of the city came out and fought with Joab, and some of the servants of David among the people fell. Uriah the Hittite also died.

This was David’s darkest hour as he tried to use Uriah to hide his own sin. But Uriah refused to enter the comfort of his own home to be with his wife while his fellow soldiers were at war, proving himself more faithful than David. So David’s last resort was a letter arranging for the murder of Uriah, a death sentence carried by the same faithful soldier and servant of the king. In this story, we witness the depths of human depravity. It seems there is no limit to how far the heart can go when it comes to our sin.

What are some ways sin affects those around the sinner?

Sin as Transgression: The word transgression means “to cross over” or “to pass by” and is often used in reference to transgressing God’s explicit ______. When God gives a specific command, as He did with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, and when that command is ______, transgression has taken place. In this sense, sin is ______.

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4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. 6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

This psalm shows us that David neither minimized nor maximized his sin. Rather, he Voices from knew that all sin is a great offense against God but the Church also that God is willing and gracious to forgive. “Beloved, don’t go staring too everyone long in the mirror examining David’s actions hurt in their wake, but no your imperfections before matter how far outward sin goes, it reaches even lifting your eyes to the One further upward (v. 4). All sin is cosmic treason who desires to meet you with compassion, relentless against our holy and perfect God, but our good love and help.” 1 and merciful God eagerly forgives those who –Yana Conner repent in faith.

How do you tend to respond when confronted with your sin?

Minimize Sin A Biblical Balance Maximize Sin

How can we strive for a biblical balance regarding sin?

David’s sin had severe consequences, but God still forgave him and took away his sin (2 Sam. 12:7-19). Yet we know the mercy and grace of God in ways David did not because of David’s greater Son, Jesus. He died in the place of sinners and rose victorious over sin and death for those who confess their sin and repent in faith.

Repentance: A response to God’s gracious call to salvation. It includes a genuine ______for one’s sin, a turning away from one’s sin toward Christ, and a life that reflects lasting ______and ______.

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Because we are a forgiven people, we live with appropriate transparency before others so that they too might repent and find forgiveness of their sin in Jesus Christ.

• How will you respond to the balanced biblical perspective of your sin as a great Voices from offense against our holy God of love? Church History • What are some steps your group can “It is not falling into the water, take to be intentional about loving but lying in the water, that drowns. It is not falling into one another and always trying to turn sin, but lying in sin, that one another back to the truth of God’s damns. If sin and thy heart be two, Christ and thy heart forgiveness in Christ (Jas. 5:19-20)? are one.” 2 • How will you be appropriately –Thomas Brooks transparent about your sin to show (c. 1608-1680) others God’s goodness to forgive through Christ Jesus?

Notes

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Day 1: Read 2 Samuel 11:1-5

Up to this point in the narrative, David has been presented as mostly heroic. The young shepherd defeated a giant, bringing victory for God’s people. Then he was chased by a jealous king whose life he spared more than once. When David became king, he led God’s people to victories over their enemies. And most recently, David showed kindness to Mephibosheth.

But in this chapter, we see David not just stumble but make a series of choices to sin against God, and in doing so, he not only brought dishonor to God but also harmed himself and others. It all began with David taking a seemingly harmless stroll in the evening. Commentators debate whether verse 1 implies that David should have been off to war with his troops or not. He had not been to other battles before this (2 Sam. 10:7), and perhaps he was waiting for the preliminary part of the battle to be concluded before joining his men. Either way, his walk on the rooftop appeared to have been innocent— at first. While on the roof, he noticed a woman, Bathsheba, bathing. In this moment, he made the first of a series of choices that led him deeper and deeper into sin.

David’s initial mistake was that he didn’t turn away from temptation but entertained it instead (v. 3). Then he made it possible to act on his temptation by calling for Bathsheba to be brought to him (v. 4). Finally, at least in this initial part of David’s sin, he gave in to temptation and slept with her (v. 4). In this account, we see the truth of what James would later write in James 1:14-15. David was enticed by his evil desire, allowed it to conceive, and it gave birth to sin and, as we will see later, death.

Many of us see David as a hero of Goliath proportions, which is why this account is so important. We need to remember that every person in Scripture—save Jesus—was a sinner in need of salvation. Even David, the giant slayer. And thanks to God’s kindness, mercy, and grace, that salvation has been provided for people in Christ Jesus.

The best place to break the chain of temptation is early on. What steps can you take to stifle it in its infancy?

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It didn’t take long for things to go from bad to worse. Any hope David had of keeping his sin with Bathsheba concealed evaporated when she sent word to him that she was pregnant. Once again, David had a choice to make: He could come clean or he could seek a way to cover up his sin. Sadly, David chose the latter. His first attempt to cover his sin was to recall Uriah from the battlefield and encourage him to sleep with his wife. But that didn’t work because of Uriah’s loyalty to his fellow troops.

Seeing that cover-up attempt fail twice, David then took a more drastic approach. He ordered Joab, his general, to send Uriah ahead into the battle and then withdraw from him, leaving him to die; then David would be free to take Bathsheba as his wife. We need to be clear about this: David’s order led directly to Uriah’s death. David was a murderer. What had begun as perhaps a lingering look had ended in murder. In this we see that there is truly no such thing as a “harmless, little sin.”

How have you experienced your attempts to cover up instead of confess sin lead to further sin and harm to yourself and others? What sins might you need to confess to God and fellow believers today?

Day 3: Read 2 Samuel 12:1-13

As 2 Samuel 11 concludes, it seems that David’s sins had paid off for him. David took Bathsheba to be his wife and she gave birth to a son. But the last verse of the chapter reminds us that God was watching and He was not fooled. Thus, He sent Nathan to confront the wayward king.

By the time Nathan confronted David for his sins, the baby had been born, so it was at least nine months later. Nathan began not by directly confronting David with his sin but by helping him see the gravity of what he had done through a story of a wealthy man who had taken a lamb from a poor man. Having lured David in, Nathan sprung the trap by boldly declaring David was the cruel man in the story. Finally, after months of compounding and covering up sin, David confessed and repented. The desired outcome of Nathan’s confrontation had worked. In the same way, we should seek a balance of wisdom and courage in how we confront others, all the while praying and hoping for confession, repentance, and reconciliation.

Whom might God be calling on you to confront in love?

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Nathan told David that the son born through his sin with Bathsheba would die (v. 14). But that did not stop David from pleading with God for the child’s life. When David’s son became ill, David fasted and prayed to God for days. But when the child died, David got up, washed, anointed himself, changed clothes, and worshiped God. After, David returned home and ate.

When his servants saw this, they asked David about his behavior; they expected David to fast after the child had died, not before it. David did not complain to God that His actions were unfair. Neither did David attempt to barter with God for the life of his son. Instead, David threw himself on the mercy of God, recognizing that the Lord might be gracious to him. In this we see an example of the proper posture for our pleading with God—for ourselves or others. We don’t plead with God as some form of manipulation; we plead in humility, trusting in the character of God and ready to worship Him no matter the outcome.

What are you pleading with God for today? What is your posture?

Day 5: Read Psalm 51:1-19

Sin and forgiveness form a direct relationship. The higher one goes, the higher the other must go. The lower one goes, the lower the other must go. If we fail to see the weight of our sin, we will never see the beauty of God’s forgiveness. Conversely, the more we understand the gravity of our sin, the more we will grasp the greatness of God’s forgiveness to us in Christ (see Matt. 18:21-35).

How have you experienced the depth of God’s forgiveness and grace recently?

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Join together with 2-4 people from your group, or with your family, sometime during the week to reflect on the session and to share how God is working and you are responding. Share your thoughts and reflections on the truths from Scripture in this session: • The King’s Captivity to Sin (2 Sam. 11:1-5) • The King’s Compounding of Sin (2 Sam. 11:8-9,13-17) • The King’s Confession of Sin (Ps. 51:4-10)

How have you responded to these truths from Scripture?

What steps can you take to promote a culture of transparency regarding personal sin? Why is it not enough merely to acknowledge your general sinfulness? Why is repentance of specific sins important?

Is there anyone whom you need to forgive or to whom you need to confess sin and seek reconciliation? What can your group do to help you set things right?

Notes

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130 Daily Discipleship Guide

The Gospel Project® Brian Dembowczyk Adult Daily Discipleship Guide ESV Volume 7, Number 4 Summer 2019 Managing Editor—The Gospel Project

Ed Stetzer Author of Gospel-Centered Kids Ministry Founding Editor and Cornerstones: 200 Questions and

Trevin Wax Answers to Learn Truth General Editor

Unit 11, Session 6 The Good Shepherd

SESSION IN A SENTENCE: The Lord is the Good Shepherd who lovingly cares for His people.

MAIN PASSAGE: Psalm 23

In the throes of World War II, with the fate of humanity on the line, the great British Prime Minister Winston Churchill stood up and addressed the House of Commons. His task was a difficult one. He needed to provide his people with hope in the face of the seemingly unstoppable German war machine. But at the same time, he needed to be honest; the English people knew what was happening on the continent of Europe. And so, on January 22, 1941, Churchill stood before the gathered government officials and declared:

“Far be it from me to paint a rosy picture of the future. Indeed, I do not think we should be justified in using any but the most sombre tones and colours while our people, our Empire and indeed the whole English-speaking world are passing through a dark and deadly valley. But I should be failing in my duty if, on the other wise, I were not to convey the true impression, that a great nation is getting into its war stride.” 1

When have you felt like you were walking through a “dark and deadly valley”? Where did you turn for hope?

84 Date of My Bible Study: ______

Point 1: The Good Shepherd provides (Ps. 23:1-2).

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.

In these first two verses of Psalm 23, we discover three truths about the Lord’s provision to David, and to us:

1. The Lord’s provision is powerful. Of the many different names we have for God, David used the covenant name “the Lord” to open this psalm. This is the name God revealed to Moses at the burning bush: “I am who I am” (Ex. 3:14). God shared this name with Moses to set Himself apart from the false gods of the Egyptians. The Lord alone is the one true God, the Creator God; He alone is all-powerful.

2. The Lord’s provision is personal. David could have chosen a war metaphor to describe the Lord. “Warrior,” “king,” and “sword and shield” all would have been fitting and were used elsewhere of the Lord (see Ex. 15:3; Ps. 24; Deut. 33:29, respectively). Instead, David opted for a personal one—shepherd—and his use of the personal pronoun “my” heightens this. God wasn’t just a shepherd, He was David’s shepherd.

How should God’s provision being personal affect the way we view our circumstances?

3. The Lord’s provision is purposeful. Sheep are known for being helpless, so their shepherd is assigned to lead them and make sure their needs are taken care of. He directs them to places where they can rest in green pastures with plenty to eat and they can find refreshment from the quiet waters of a slow-moving stream. Thus, a purpose of the Lord’s provision is to give you all that you need so you will trust and rest in Him.

Why do we find it difficult to rest in the Lord’s provision?

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3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Countless wrong paths exist in this world, and we have seen people, even ourselves, fall prey to many of them. It is good, then, to be reminded that Christ, the Good Shepherd, leads us along the right paths. Two such paths are the vertical path (walking humbly with our God) and the horizontal path (walking lovingly with each other).

How would you describe some wrong paths in this world?

For David, even in the dark valley, he had nothing to fear. How could he say that? Because the Lord was with him as a shepherd with his rod and staff in hand.

• The rod represented God’s power. A rod was a club that shepherds carried to fend off wild animals that wanted to harm their sheep. The rod was a symbol of safety. Similarly, as believers in Christ, we are told that our Shepherd walks before us protecting us with His power (Ps. 118:6). • The staff represented God’s grace. The shepherd’s staff was used to pull sheep out of hazardous situations, such as thickets or crevices. So too, for believers, we find ourselves in hazardous situations resulting from our sin, and it is God’s grace that pulls us out.

The Lord’s rod and staff—His power and grace—comfort the believer even in the darkest of valleys because they are not for our harm but for our good.

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5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Israel’s culture valued hospitality, and part of being a gracious host was preparing for and feeding a guest. The Lord’s preparation in this passage, however, was unique because it came in the midst of trouble. The Lord prepared a table in the presence of the psalmist’s enemies. Even while oppressed, David experienced joy, symbolized by his head anointed with oil, and contentment, seen in his cup overflowing. His enemies may have been waiting outside to harm him, but he was inside enjoying a good, bountiful meal prepared by the Good Shepherd, his loving host.

What images come to mind about a table characterized by joy and contentment? Why are these memories meaningful for you?

In addition to his joy and contentment, David was confident in the Lord’s goodness and faithful love, or mercy, in the midst of his troubles. God is good and God is love, and David had experienced God’s goodness and love in the past. But David also knew he needed God’s love, mercy, and grace day by day. That was precisely what God would pursue him with throughout the rest of his life.

God Is Love: To say that God is love is to say that God is the essence of love, or Voices from that ______love both resides and Church History “Christ’s love towards us, resonates within God Himself—one God and not our love towards Christ, is the true ground in three Persons. The greatest act of love of expectation, and true by God toward humans isn’t the giving of foundation of hope … To look inward to our love earthly goods but the giving of Himself in towards Christ is painfully unsatisfying: to look ______so that we might become outward to Christ’s love towards us is peace.” 2 ______to Him. –J. C. Ryle (1816-1900)

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Because the Good Shepherd has laid down His life for us, we follow Jesus’ guidance, knowing He is always with us, so that we may demonstrate His immeasurable goodness to those around us.

• What step of faith will you take because the Good Shepherd provides for, guides, Voices from and loves His sheep? Church History • What are some ways your group can “There is a difference encourage one another to follow the between him, who is led by the good Shepherd, and Shepherd’s guidance in His Word? him, who is led captive by the devil at his will; between • How will you lay down your life to him, who feeds in the green share the gospel with someone else this pastures, and him, who feeds on vanity. Oh that week, following in the example of Jesus, men saw this difference as the Good Shepherd? they ought.” 3 –William S. Plumer (1802-1880)

Notes

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Day 1: Read Psalm 23:1-2

Here we see David say that he had all that he needed (v. 1). Although there is no settled view as to what David’s situation was when he wrote Psalm 23, the truth of the passage remains applicable and steadfast despite the bleakness of his circumstances. Consider, for instance, one possible context for the writing of this psalm: David on the run from his son Absalom (2 Sam. 15–16). One of the last things we would expect to hear him say was that all of his needs were met. Instead, we would expect a psalm seeking to understand where God was during this time and when He would step in and provide David with a need that he lacked: peace with his own family.

But in this scenario we see the importance of distinguishing our needs from our desires. God has promised to supply all our needs (Phil. 4:19), but not all our desires. Peace with family was one of David’s desires, a noble one even, but it was not a need. And sometimes God will not give us our desires even if they seem to be good desires and even if we have the best of intentions for wanting them. The reason is simple: because our desires don’t always align with God’s will. Our desires, as good as they may seem, are not always what will bring God glory, nor will they always bring us good. And so, God, our loving Father, will withhold these desires from us when needed.

However, there is a time when God has promised to give us our desires. Here is what David wrote in Psalm 37:4: “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Notice that this is not an unqualified promise. There is a condition, and it is an important one. Only when we delight in the Lord, when the gospel is in the process of transforming us and we are fixated on following God’s will and seeking His glory, only then will our heart’s desires be given. Why? Because then our desires will align with God’s.

What are some of the desires of your heart? Are they in line with seeking God’s will and bringing Him glory?

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Small words have quite a bit to say, such as here in verse 4. Notice David’s assumption of going through the darkest valley, not “if” he would. That’s not an unimportant difference.

David, or more precisely God through him, was teaching us something quite important in this idea. Trusting in Christ does not shield us from danger, pain, and adversity. In fact, the Bible has more to say about how these things will increase, not decrease, because of our faith. We need to understand this. We need to accept this. We need to embrace this. God uses our difficulties for His glory and our good. And David shared one way He does: In these dark times, we can find ourselves more desperate for God and more aware of His presence. Yes, the valleys are dark, but God is with us, carrying His rod and staff. In His presence and in His power we find peace.

What has God taught you and how has He brought good through times of adversity you have experienced?

Day 3: Read Psalm 23:5-6

Our God is a pursuing God. We run. He chases. Over and over again. We see this most clearly, perhaps, in the Book of Jonah. Jonah ran in the opposite direction God had ordered him to go. God thus chased Jonah down and brought him to repentance so that he might be used in God’s plan to bring others to repentance as well.

What was it that led God to chase Jonah down? David answered that here in Psalm 23. It is God’s goodness and faithful love, often translated as “mercy.” It was for Jonah’s own good that he ended up going to Nineveh. It was love that chased him down. God would have been quite unloving to allow His prophet to run from Him—the greatest good—and live in disobedience to Him. So the storm God threw at the boat was good, and the fish He sent to swallow Jonah was good—because they were each used by God to bring Jonah back to where he needed to be.

That is what God does for us too. He chases us when we run. He throws storms our way. He delivers us in ways that might seem like anything but kind acts of His love. But whether we see it or not, God’s goodness and faithful love always run beside us.

How have you experienced God chasing after you?

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There are times when we are keenly aware of our need of the almighty strength of God’s arms. We need His power to sustain us. Perhaps we are facing a situation that overwhelms us. Perhaps we are facing down an adversary that we know we cannot beat. In these times, we scan the horizon for our Rescuer to step in and bring His full strength to bear. This is what is in mind in verse 10.

But there are also times when we need God’s strong arms not for their strength but for their comfort. We need His love to lift us up. Perhaps we feel alone. Perhaps we have failed yet again. In these times, we fall to our knees and long to feel the embrace of our loving Father. This is what is in mind in verse 11.

In this coupling, we are reminded of the great character of our God. Our powerful Creator is also our gentle Father. He is always there for us, always knowing what we need, and always ready to provide whatever that is in that moment.

How have you experienced God’s power and love when you needed each?

Day 5: Read John 10:1-21

In describing Himself as the good shepherd, Jesus made an interesting contrast between Him and a hired hand (vv. 12-13). A hired hand, Jesus contended, was not reliable because he didn’t care about the sheep. And why should he? They wouldn’t be his sheep. So if a wolf came along to snatch a sheep, the hired hand would not risk his own life to save that sheep. Instead, he would run off and likely plead his case later to the owner of the sheep of how much danger he had been in.

But Jesus is no hired hand. He is the good shepherd because the sheep are His. He owns them. He loves them. And that is why He sacrificed His life rather than preserve it.

We need to see Jesus for who He truly is, but it cannot stop there. We also need to see ourselves for who we truly are. Do you? Do you see yourself as the beloved sheep you are? Do you understand that Christ’s love for you is fixed because you are His and He is yours? Jesus is no hired hand who will run off and abandon you. And neither are you some random sheep.

How can you tend to see yourself incorrectly at times? Why?

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Join together with 2-4 people from your group, or with your family, sometime during the week to reflect on the session and to share how God is working and you are responding. Share your thoughts and reflections on the truths from Scripture in this session: • The Good Shepherd provides (Ps. 23:1-2). • The Good Shepherd guides (Ps. 23:3-4). • The Good Shepherd loves (Ps. 23:5-6).

How have you responded to these truths from Scripture?

How should the metaphor of God’s being a shepherd inform how we think about ourselves morally and spiritually? In what ways does the metaphor illustrate our constant dependence on God?

What habits or disciplines should we develop in order to remind ourselves that we and others are like sheep? Why is this a necessarily humbling and unflattering process?

Notes

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130 Daily Discipleship Guide

The Gospel Project® Brian Dembowczyk Adult Daily Discipleship Guide ESV Volume 7, Number 4 Summer 2019 Managing Editor—The Gospel Project

Ed Stetzer Author of Gospel-Centered Kids Ministry Founding Editor and Cornerstones: 200 Questions and

Trevin Wax Answers to Learn Truth General Editor

Memory Verses

“ That all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no other. Let your heart therefore be wholly true to the Lord our God, walking in his statutes and keeping his commandments, as at this day.” –1 Kings 8:60-61

Unit 12, Session 1 A Son Requests Wisdom

SESSION IN A SENTENCE: God gives His people wisdom from above.

MAIN PASSAGES: 1 Kings 3:5-15,23-28

WHAT DO THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE HAVE IN COMMON?

John Adams

Jay Leno

Ray Perkins

94 Date of My Bible Study: ______

Point 1: The Request for Wisdom (1 Kings 3:5-9)

5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.” 6 And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day. 7 And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. 9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?”

In the preamble to his answer to God’s question, Solomon acknowledged that the only reason he was king in the first place was because God was faithful to the promise He had made to his father, David. It took humility for Solomon to admit that he was in the position he was in because of his father’s faithfulness and not because of his own abilities. Furthermore, he acknowledged that the task of leadership in front of him was too large for him.

Why is humility necessary to request wisdom from the Lord?

In humility before the Lord, Solomon asked for an understanding mind to lead his people well and discern between good and evil. Solomon was asking for what would position him to succeed as Israel’s king over a long reign: God-given wisdom that would guide him through any situation he faced. He was also asking for a mind-set willing to accept direction and correction from the Lord. With so many glamorous options before him, Solomon chose wisdom to be a blessing to his people as king.

What is your first step when faced with a new responsibility?

Panic Plan Pray for Wisdom

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10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11 And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. 13 I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. 14 And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.” 15 And Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream. Then he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.

Solomon received instant feedback from the Lord that He was pleased with Solomon’s request. But we cannot detach Solomon’s request from his motive behind that request. Had Solomon asked for long life, riches, or the death of his enemies, these would have indicated that Solomon’s chief preoccupation was himself. Instead, Solomon sought wisdom so he could administer justice for God’s people. Solomon cared more about God’s people than himself. That is the heart posture of a person in whom God delights.

God Is Omniscient: Scripture teaches that God is ______. His knowledge is complete, and as He is outside of time, He has known from all ______whatever will come to pass. In response to God’s omniscience, we admit our finite knowledge and trust His decisions as ______and ______.

God answered Solomon’s request—He made him the wisest human being in all of history. And more than that, God was so pleased that Solomon asked for wisdom that He also blessed Him with honor, riches, and the potential for a long life. Giving generously to His children is at the center of God’s heart. He is our loving Father who delights in giving good gifts to His children (Matt. 7:11).

Why do you think God wants us to ask Him for wisdom instead of just giving it to us?

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23 Then the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son that is alive, and your son is dead’; and the other says, ‘No; but your son is dead, and my son is the living one.’ ” 24 And the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So a sword was brought before the king. 25 And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.” 26 Then the woman whose son was alive said to the king, because her heart yearned for her son, “Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means put him to death.” But the other said, “He shall be neither mine nor yours; divide him.” 27 Then the king answered and said, “Give the living child to the first woman, and by no means put him to death; she is his mother.” 28 And all Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered, and they stood in awe of the king, because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him to do justice.

It says much about God’s heart for the marginalized that this first recorded test of Voices from Solomon’s wisdom was not for the benefit of a the Church wealthy prince but to settle a dispute between two “From the beginning of prostitutes who had no standing in society. Scripture to the end, we see Solomon was able to look past the degrading label a God who longs for justice and righteousness in the of “prostitute” to see that this situation involved a world and who calls us as his mother. In calling for the living child to be cut in people to join him in seeking it. And that’s part of what it half, Solomon was counting on the true mother’s means to be God’s people.” 1 maternal instinct to win out over greed and –Kristen Deede Johnson deception. When she displayed her selfless compassion for her child, he was able to give her justice along with her son.

How have you seen God-given wisdom bless His people and the world?

While Solomon’s wise judgment in this case certainly established his credibility to lead, his people rightly understood that Solomon’s wisdom came not from himself but from God (1 Kings 3:28). A person employing God-given wisdom never draws selfish attention to himself or herself. Instead, God-given wisdom informs the ultimate purpose of that wisdom: to bring glory to God.

What challenges will we face in using God-given wisdom to bring glory to God?

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Because we have received God’s perfect wisdom in Christ Jesus, we depend on His wisdom from above to live as a testimony to our all-wise God.

• What is one area of your life in which you need to seek God’s wisdom right Voices from now? Pray to God for His wisdom. Church History • In what ways can your group use “Let the wise man display wisdom to seek justice for the his wisdom, not by [mere] words, but through marginalized this week? good deeds.” 2 • How will you live and speak this week –Clement of Rome so that others may exalt Jesus? (c. 30-100)

Notes

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Day 1: Read 1 Kings 2:1-12

David’s dying words to Solomon signal a transitional point in the life of Israel: David’s reign primarily being characterized by war and Solomon’s as an era of peace. First, David’s words echo the covenantal charges given to Joshua (Josh. 1:6-9) as well as the description of the ideal man in Psalm 1: Be strong and courageous (1 Kings 2:2); honor your obligations to the Lord and walk in His ways (v. 3); walk faithfully before God and there will always be one of your descendants on the throne of Israel (v. 4).

Second, David trusted Solomon to exercise wisdom in some matters of justice. These were timely and precarious matters pertaining to individuals who negatively affected David’s reign and public influence, and the beginning of Solomon’s reign seemed to be the appropriate occasion to address them. Of note in this passage is the way David counseled Solomon to deal in wisdom with his enemies.

Interestingly enough, even after Solomon executed David’s enemies, God would commend Solomon for his request for “an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil” (3:9), a request where avenging his personal enemies was not a first priority but second to serving the good of his people (3:11). Accordingly, wisdom is not opposed to justice, and true justice is a display of God’s wisdom.

When has someone trusted you to act with wisdom concerning something important? Why should we not pit wisdom and justice against one another?

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In this section, we see Adonijah, the eldest son of David, make a selfish and transparent bid for power by asking for a woman associated with David to be given to him as a wife. In the ancient world, a new king’s power was validated when he took the wives of the former king. Adonijah’s request was not merely to obtain a spouse but a brazen attempt to grasp the throne. We might miss this nuance, but Solomon didn’t. He saw through this power play, and Adonijah paid for it with his life.

In contrast to Adonijah’s self-centered actions, Solomon would not ask God for anything self-serving when God invited him to ask for anything he desired (3:5). Eventually Solomon would be led astray by his own wives later on in his reign, as he struggled to use his wisdom (see 1 Kings 11:1), but here at the outset, he was more interested in displaying God’s justice to the people than he was serving his own interests.

What does the world see when they look at your life? Do you display your own ambitions or do you display God’s character?

Day 3: Read 1 Kings 3:1-9

Although the main point of this passage is Solomon’s request for wisdom, we also see some early warning signs of the trouble to come. Verse 1 notes that Solomon made an alliance with Egypt. Egypt! The site of four hundred years of bondage for God’s people. God, speaking through the prophet Isaiah, described Egypt as “that broken reed of a staff, which will pierce the hand of any man who leans on it” (Isa. 36:6).

Verse 1 goes on to say that Solomon sealed the alliance by marrying Pharaoh’s daughter. While forming alliances through marriage has long been a common practice among world powers, God explicitly forbade His people from marrying foreigners because of the danger of apostasy (Deut. 7:3-4). It wasn’t about mixing races but mixing faiths. This was the first of many foreign wives who would ultimately lead Solomon into idolatry (1 Kings 11:1-4). How sad that Solomon didn’t ask for wisdom before he made these two mistakes, although, as we will see, even God’s gift of wisdom was not enough to overcome Solomon’s sin.

When do you typically seek God’s wisdom: before or after you’ve already made up your mind? Why?

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Solomon did two things in verse 15 that are important for all of us to remember. First, he acknowledged the One who was in authority above him by leaving Gibeon and offering sacrifices to the Lord in Jerusalem. Then he honored those he was in authority over by holding a feast for his servants. Every leader has 360 degrees of accountability. Even the mightiest earthly ruler must acknowledge that his or her authority is given by God (Rom. 13:1) and that Jesus Christ is the ultimate authority. In Him, all things hold together (Col. 1:15-17). As the risen Messiah, all authority in heaven and on earth belongs to Him (Matt. 28:18).

But godly leaders must also remember that the same Jesus who has had everything placed under His feet (Eph. 1:22) was the One who washed the feet of His disciples (John 13:1-17). This same Jesus said, “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). This is the model of leadership we are to follow. We are to be servant-leaders who follow Christ Jesus in total dependency while simultaneously leading others in total humility.

How do you treat the authorities above you? What about those you are in authority over?

Day 5: Read 1 Kings 3:16-28

Solomon’s credibility as a ruler was established when he gave a wise ruling in the case of the two prostitutes. But let’s not miss the fact that this was a difficult case! There were no witnesses. It was virtually impossible for anyone to know all the facts. And there was the added pressure of dismissing the needs of these two prostitutes because, after all, it’s not like they were important members of the community, right?

Don’t forget that all these issues Solomon faced when trying to judge between the two women are issues that modern-day judges, police officers, and politicians have to face every single day. They are called upon to exercise wisdom and judgment, often in the absence of facts, for the sake of the truth and without showing favoritism. This is just one of many reasons we are commanded in the New Testament to pray for “kings and all who are in high positions” (1 Tim. 2:1-2). Leading with wisdom is hard, and without our prayer support, it may be impossible.

How can you pray for your local and national leaders today?

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Join together with 2-4 people from your group, or with your family, sometime during the week to reflect on the session and to share how God is working and you are responding. Share your thoughts and reflections on the truths from Scripture in this session: • The Request for Wisdom (1 Kings 3:5-9) • The Gift of Wisdom (1 Kings 3:10-15) • The Exercise of Wisdom (1 Kings 3:23-28)

How have you responded to these truths from Scripture?

Do you think of yourself as a wise person? Why or why not? How should this affect the way you pray and interact with others?

According to Scripture, would you say wisdom has more to do with intelligence or morality? What does this suggest about our need for it?

Notes

102 Daily Discipleship Guide

130 Daily Discipleship Guide

The Gospel Project® Brian Dembowczyk Adult Daily Discipleship Guide ESV Volume 7, Number 4 Summer 2019 Managing Editor—The Gospel Project

Ed Stetzer Author of Gospel-Centered Kids Ministry Founding Editor and Cornerstones: 200 Questions and

Trevin Wax Answers to Learn Truth General Editor

Unit 12, Session 2 A Son Learns True Wisdom

SESSION IN A SENTENCE: Wisdom is found in recognizing the futility of pursuing the things of the world.

MAIN PASSAGE: Ecclesiastes 1:12–2:11

In the fourth century, Augustine, age seventeen, set out to find wisdom and fulfillment. He embraced a hedonistic, dualistic religious philosophy, which ridiculed his mother’s Christian faith in favor of rationalism and permitted his desire for sexual exploits.

But he found no fulfillment. Instead, he felt enslaved to his passions and struggled for freedom Voices from within himself. One day, Augustine heard a child Church History chanting a playground jingle: “Take and read.” So “Thou hast made us for Augustine picked up a collection of Paul’s epistles thyself and restless is our and read Romans 13:13-14: “Let us walk properly heart until it comes to rest in thee.” 2 as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, –Augustine (c. 354-430) not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” Reading these verses at this time changed the course of Augustine’s life, and he became one of the most influential theologians in church history. 1

What are some ways people try to find fulfillment apart from God?

Date of My Bible Study: ______103

Point 1: The Futility of Human Wisdom (Eccl. 1:12-18)

12 I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 14 I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind. 15 What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted. 16 I said in my heart, “I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.” 17 And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind. 18 For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

Solomon wanted the reader to understand that everything is like a breath, like a mist that vanishes—everything is “vanity” (see Eccl. 1:2-3). Nothing lasts, and if nothing lasts, then nothing matters. Even human life is like a vapor (see Jas. 4:14). Of course, one’s perspective matters. All of life is under God’s sovereign rule, but so often we live as if life “under the sun” is all there is. This is like trying to chase after the wind—vanity.

How might an “under the sun” perspective manifest itself in our lives?

Another way to say life “under the sun” is to say life without faith in the one true God. The grand experiment of Ecclesiastes was this wise man taking his God-given wisdom to explore all this world had to offer for its own sake. But all Solomon’s wisdom did was bury him in sadness because his human wisdom had no meaning. Life and wisdom and even the Book of Ecclesiastes only make sense when they are linked to God in faith.

Illumination of Scripture: When it comes to understanding the ______of God’s Word, Christians do not rely ultimately upon human ______in the process of interpretation, nor do we rely solely upon an institution or body of scholars. Instead, a Christian’s ultimate reliance is upon the work of the ______of God, who illuminates the Scriptures in the heart and mind.

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1 I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity. 2 I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?” 3 I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine—my heart still guiding me with wisdom—and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life.

Why do laughter and pleasure fail to satisfy us? Does God disapprove of happiness? Does He frown on smiling? Not at all. God is not just permissive of our enjoyment, He is for our enjoyment. We are to enjoy God and enjoy what God has provided. The problem for Solomon, and for many people today, was that he was viewing pleasure and laughter as ends in themselves. But laughter and cheer are always intended to lead us back to God, the author of joy.

What does faithful enjoyment of God’s good gifts look like?

Solomon moved on to the next item on his “fulfillment quest” bucket list: wine. In saying his mind was still guided by wisdom, Solomon was investigating the pleasures of wine without debauchery, but he still saw this as grasping for folly. Once again, what he pursued for pleasure to satisfy his heart let him down in the end. It always does because our hearts were not designed to be filled with wine but filled with the Spirit ph.(E 5:18).

How have you seen the pleasures of this world lead people astray?

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4 I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. 5 I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. 6 I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. 7 I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem.8 I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines, the delight of the sons of man. 9 So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. 10 And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. 11 Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.

Solomon was in pursuit of Solomon. If our cultural maxim today is true—“I have to do what’s right for me”—then Solomon should have been the happiest man ever. But he wasn’t. None of his accomplishments, achievements, and acquisitions satisfied him. Even these lined the path of vanity. But centuries after Solomon, one of his descendants, Jesus, would show the world the different, true path to fulfillment—Himself.

Don’t look to Solomon for the secret to fulfillment. Look to Jesus, the ______and ______of our faith.

In his pursuit of possessions, Solomon again recognized that his wisdom had not left him (vv. 3,9). Perhaps this was more a statement about God’s faithfulness than Solomon’s restraint. God had promised David in 2 Samuel 7:15 that His faithful love would never leave Solomon. Wisdom can lead to moderation and even provide one with the ability to handle excess, but what we all need is the God-given wisdom revealed in the life-giving gospel of Jesus Christ.

Why do people struggle to see the gospel of Jesus Christ as revealing God’s wisdom?

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Because God has given us His wisdom in place of our foolishness, we live with purpose as we call on others to turn to Jesus Christ, who became wisdom from God for us.

• How will you turn from your pursuits of wisdom, pleasure, and possessions to Voices from Jesus Christ, the true wisdom of God? Church History • How can your group display the true “ Jesus love me! this I know, joy of relationship with Christ to For the Bible tells me so; Little ones to Him belong; one another and to the community They are weak, but He is around you? strong. Yes, Jesus loves me, Yes, Jesus loves me, Yes, • Who is pursuing what cannot fulfill, Jesus love me, The Bible tells 3 and how will you point this person to me so.” the fulfillment found only in Christ? –Anna B. Warner (1827-1915)

Notes

Unit 12, Session 2 107

Day 1: Read Ecclesiastes 1:1-11

Consider the three books Solomon wrote—Song of Solomon, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes—and how each one appears to follow the seasons of Solomon’s life. Song of Solomon perhaps depicts the king’s demeanor while he was young and in love. Proverbs captures him during his peak years in terms of his learning and influence. Ecclesiastes reflects the latter stages of his life, when he was feeling dissatisfied, cynical, and confused with things the way they are and always seem to be. Reading Ecclesiastes, the overall feeling is thus disillusionment and despair. It’s the kind of book that, if you didn’t know better, might surprise you was even in the Bible.

But God’s Word is absolutely true, not just in what it says about God but in what it says about us as well. Solomon’s despair toward the end of his life is echoed in popular culture, such as in Orson Welles’s character in the movie classic Citizen Kane. In non-linear fashion, the film tells the story of a reporter trying to decipher the final word (“Rosebud”) of an extravagantly wealthy publishing mogul who, despite his “rags to riches” success in life, dies in evident despair. As this 1941 movie illustrates, fame and wealth are not adequate means for solving the crisis of despair that faces all of us in our frail and mortal humanity.

As Solomon himself said, “There is nothing new under the sun” (v. 9). How do you resolve the crisis? We know the answer that Solomon—and all whose material abundance fails to satisfy them—yearned for: Christ Jesus. Because of Christ, we need not despair. Life is not devoid of purpose. In Christ, we have been given treasure upon treasure, one of which is understanding that we live today not for today, not for tomorrow, but for eternity.

What could you change today to keep you from feeling like Solomon at the end of your life?

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In verses 16-18, Solomon seemed to make the same mistake many of us make: treating wisdom and knowledge as synonyms. But in the Hebrew, these are two distinct concepts. Knowledge (yada) is “the apprehension of the mind of some fact.” Wisdom (hokma) is “a moral rather than an intellectual quality.” As someone has said, knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit and not a vegetable; wisdom is knowing not to put one in a fruit salad.

But we can go a step further. Wisdom is not just a moral quality. Solomon himself personified divine wisdom when he wrote, “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence” (Prov. 8:12). Paul called Christ “the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1:24). So wisdom is not an intellectual fact or simply a moral quality. Wisdom is a Person who can dwell with you. The key to living well and rightly in this world is to continually abide with Jesus—“Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27).

How has abiding in Christ kept you from despair?

Day 3: Read Ecclesiastes 2:1-3

“I said in my heart.” There are numerous stories that begin this same way and end the same way as well: badly. Often what we tell ourselves is terrible. We give ourselves horrible advice. We lie to ourselves. We flatter urselves.o

There are six times in Scripture (all in Ecclesiastes) where the phrase “I said in my heart” is used, and in all six, the Hebrew literally reads, “My heart said…” In our world, following your heart is a romantic notion. It’s what dreamers, poets, and adventurers do. The only problem is that according to Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” The sinful, unregenerate heart will get us in trouble—every single time. This is why we can’t follow our heart. It’s the worst possible thing we can do. The path to fulfillment is not to follow our heart; it is to ask God for a new one, to have God rip the old, sin-ravaged, deceptive heart of stone out of your chest and replace it with a new, grace-saturated, redeemed heart of flesh (Ezek. 36:26). Only such a new heart, given to us by God, inclined toward God, and controlled by God is worth trusting.

The last time you followed your heart, was it your old heart of stone or your new heart of flesh? What was the result?

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Comedian Mark Lowry sings a song about settling down in first class on a flight home to Nashville, only to hear the pilot announce the destination is Omaha. His song, “First Class, Wrong Flight,” contains this lyrical response, “I thought why should I sweat it, I’ll eat my steak and smile. It’s not important where I go, I’m going there in style.”

That attitude sums up Solomon’s description of his life in Ecclesiastes 2:4-17. He had the best of everything, but when he considered all he had accomplished and worked for, he found “all was vanity and a striving after wind” (v. 11).

When you come to the end of your life, will your first-class flight have delivered you to your desired destination? This is a question with eternal implications as well as earthly ones. From an earthly perspective, you may find yourself like Solomon, feeling like you have wasted your life trying to please yourself instead of investing your life on behalf of others. But Solomon knew that God has “put eternity into man’s heart” (3:11). We are all headed to one of two eternal destinations. It’s important to know that, but it is also important to consider what we are doing as we travel along the way.

How are you investing in eternity today? In what other ways can you begin to live more for eternity than the here and now?

Day 5: Read Ecclesiastes 2:18-26

Solomon summed up the futility of his quest for meaning in Ecclesiastes 2:24: “There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil.” On the surface, this is another one of those verses from Ecclesiastes that almost sounds like it shouldn’t be in the Bible. Really? “Nothing better?” It sounds so bleak, even nihilistic. Moreover, a literal translation of the text might read, “There is no good in a person who eats and drinks and enjoys his work.”

Okay. That’s still bleak, but it makes a lot of sense because it is universally true. Humans are incapable of creating anything good on their own. But here’s the ray of hope: Our heavenly Father delights to give us good gifts. As James says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above” (Jas. 1:17). Without God, there is nothing good. But with God, there is nothing better.

What are some ways you have experienced the goodness of God this week?

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Join together with 2-4 people from your group, or with your family, sometime during the week to reflect on the session and to share how God is working and you are responding. Share your thoughts and reflections on the truths from Scripture in this session: • The Futility of Human Wisdom (Eccl. 1:12-18) • The Futility of Pleasure (Eccl. 2:1-3) • The Futility of Possessions (Eccl. 2:4-11)

How have you responded to these truths from Scripture?

Which pursuits of earthly wisdom, pleasure, or possessions tend to distract you from finding ultimate satisfaction in Christ? What will it look like to stay focused on all that God is for you and has for you in Christ?

Why should we not see all earthly pursuits of knowledge and recreation as inherently bad or sinful? How does our doctrine of creation help us put temporal realities into proper perspective?

Notes

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130 Daily Discipleship Guide

The Gospel Project® Brian Dembowczyk Adult Daily Discipleship Guide ESV Volume 7, Number 4 Summer 2019 Managing Editor—The Gospel Project

Ed Stetzer Author of Gospel-Centered Kids Ministry Founding Editor and Cornerstones: 200 Questions and

Trevin Wax Answers to Learn Truth General Editor

Unit 12, Session 3 A Son Builds the Temple

SESSION IN A SENTENCE: The temple pointed God’s people and the world around them to God.

MAIN PASSAGES: 1 Kings 8:10-14,20-21,54-61

On April 27, 2006, construction began on a new office building in New York City; nothing unusual about that. But this new office building was like none other, not because of a new, state-of-the-art design or even how the offices would be used but because of its name: the Freedom Tower, later renamed One World Trade Center. 1

Because of September 11, 2001, nothing built at this site could ever be “just” a building. For many people, this relatively modest patch of ground in the middle of the sprawling metropolis of New York City is considered holy ground. This new office building would not be merely a place for business to be transacted; it would be a symbol of the resilience of a city and a nation and a tall-standing memorial to those who lost their lives on 9/11.

What have you considered “sacred space” or “holy ground”? Why?

112 Date of My Bible Study: ______

Point 1: The temple hosts God’s presence (1 Kings 8:10-14).

10 And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, a cloud filled the house of the Lord, 11 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord. 12 Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that he would dwell in thick darkness. 13 I have indeed built you an exalted house, a place for you to dwell in forever.” 14 Then the king turned around and blessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel stood.

After the temple was completed, God’s presence, represented by a thick cloud, filled the temple. The temple wasn’t just another building, another construction in a long list of monuments to Solomon’s fame. The temple was built to add to God’s fame in the world, a tangible symbol of God’s presence with His people. And this presence was so overwhelming that the priests couldn’t even continue ministering.

Why was God’s presence with His people in Israel so significant?

When Moses received the Ten Commandments, he entered into the total darkness on Mount Sinai where the Lord was, but the people stood at a distance (Ex. 20:21). This was probably what Solomon had in mind in verse 12. The Lord is unapproachable in His glory and holiness, yet the Lord invites people, always and only by His grace, into His presence, and He chooses to dwell among His people. This is the glorious picture of the cloud-filled temple. This is also the picture of the incarnation of the rdLo Jesus.

God Is Immanent: When we say that God is immanent, we mean that God is personable and ______to those made in His image, while remaining completely ______and unique from all of His creation. God is not a ______deity.

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20 Now the Lord has fulfilled his promise that he made. For I have risen in the place of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised, and I have built the house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 21 And there I have provided a place for the ark, in which is the covenant of the Lord that he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.”

The promises God made years before to Solomon’s father, David, form the background for his prayer Voices from of dedication for the temple (1 Kings 8:22-61)— the Church this was all a fulfillment of God’s faithful “Knowing that God always promises. As at the time Solomon requested does what he says is very reassuring. He will remain wisdom from God, here he humbly acknowledged faithful even when we that his ascension to the throne over Israel was not are no longer on earth and unable to witness because of his own strength or wisdom but the accomplishments of because God was keeping His promises to David: his promises. Just as God to establish a house for David and to raise up the is faithful, he expects us to be faithful … Let one to build the Lord’s house. us be faithful in serving God, giving to his work, What would be some implications for witnessing to and loving life if God were not faithful? others, and proclaiming his faithfulness.” 2 –Africa Study Bible Solomon had no illusions about the purpose of the temple he built. The temple was not designed to provide a place for God to live, as if He could be contained within its walls. Instead, the temple, like the tabernacle, was to reveal to the Israelites, and the world, that God was not absent from the earth. He may have seemed far off, but He is not. The temple filled with God’s glory communicated His desire to dwell with His people, but the Lord does not require a temple to be faithful and present with His people.

How would you describe your awareness of God’s faithful presence in your life?

Non-Existent Sparse Moderate Abundant

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54 Now as Solomon finished offering all this prayer and plea to the Lord, he arose from before the altar of the Lord, where he had knelt with hands outstretched toward heaven. 55 And he stood and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying, 56 “Blessed be the Lord who has given rest to his people Israel, according to all that he promised. Not one word has failed of all his good promise, which he spoke by Moses his servant. 57 The Lord our God be with us, as he was with our fathers. May he not leave us or forsake us, 58 that he may incline our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments, his statutes, and his rules, which he commanded our fathers. 59 Let these words of mine, with which I have pleaded before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, and may he maintain the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel, as each day requires, 60 that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no other. 61 Let your heart therefore be wholly true to the Lord our God, walking in his statutes and keeping his commandments, as at this day.”

Solomon praised God for giving rest to his people. But Solomon wasn’t merely talking about the seven years of peace it took to build the temple. He had a much greater rest in mind. The completion of the temple, as he saw it, was not just a fulfillment of God’s promises to David; it was also a fulfillment of God’s promises through Moses (v. 56), that God would lead His people out of Egyptian captivity into a land “flowing with milk and honey” (Ex. 3:8).

How have you experienced God’s keeping His promises?

Verses 57-60 serve as the benediction of Solomon’s prayer of dedication. His petitions taught the Israelites three critical truths, which are just as important for us today: 1. God’s people need His presence (v. 57).

2. The ability to be devoted to God comes from God (v. 58).

3. All people need to know the Lord is God (v. 60).

How do these critical truths from Solomon’s prayer speak to what is going on in your life today?

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Because we know God dwells with us in Jesus Christ, we live in devotion and obedience to God so that the original purpose of the temple can be fulfilled: the people of the earth will know our God is King.

• How will you respond to God’s desire to dwell among His people? Voices from • What steps can your group take to be the Church involved in God’s mission to bless all “Missions is not the ultimate the peoples of the earth with the gospel goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because of Christ? worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, • To whom will you declare God’s because God is ultimate, faithfulness this week? How will you not man.” 3 tell of His glory in Christ among –John Piper the nations?

Notes

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Day 1: Read 1 Kings 6:1-38

When you compare Solomon’s building the temple to Moses’ constructing the tabernacle, one difference stands out: Moses crafted the tabernacle according to very specific instructions, spelled out in minute detail in Exodus 25–30. Moses followed the directions God had given him to the letter (Ex. 36–40). In chapters 39–40, the phrase “just as the Lord had commanded Moses” is used multiple times.

But while the description of the building of the temple is just as detailed in 1 Kings, the description relates to the completed temple—you won’t find God giving the blueprints for it anywhere. In fact, the only instructions from God are found in 6:12: “Concerning this house that you are building, if you will walk in my statutes and obey my rules and keep all my commandments and walk in them, then I will establish my word with you, which I spoke to David your father.”

The specific design of the temple didn’t seem to matter to God as much as the condition of Solomon’s heart. Perhaps the lack of specific directions in this passage should point us toward the day when there would be no temple building but that our very bodies would be temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19-20), temples that exist only because of the gospel’s change of a person’s heart.

When you gather with others to worship as a church, do you tend to be more concerned with the state of the building, the state of music, the state of the sermon, or the state of your heart? Why?

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Much might be made of the fact that Solomon took almost twice as long to build his own house as he did to build the temple (thirteen years according to 1 Kings 7:1, compared to seven years for the temple in 1 Kings 6:38). However, we have to be cautious in going further than the text itself does. First Kings doesn’t give any specific evaluation of this fact one way or the other. But after the exiles returned to Jerusalem, God rebuked them for “dwell[ing] in your paneled houses, while this house [the temple] lies in ruins” (Hag. 1:4). David, the man after God’s own heart, had also lamented that he lived in a cedar house while the ark of God sat in a tent (2 Sam. 7:2).

God does not condemn people for living in nice houses. But He always challenges us to seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness (Matt. 6:33). The shift from the account of building the temple to describe Solomon’s palace may serve to highlight Solomon’s divided priorities, and if so, let it be a warning to us. Many of us enjoy prosperity beyond what most of the rest of the world can even imagine. May we be a people who steward God’s provisions well, always using our possessions for His glory and to advance His kingdom, not our own.

In what ways might you need to seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness rather than your own?

Day 3: Read 1 Kings 8:1-13

Verse 9 emphatically states that “there was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone that Moses put there at Horeb.” While this seems to contradict Hebrews 9:4, which says the ark also contained a jar of manna and Aaron’s staff, the apparent contradiction can be cleared up by pointing out that the writer of Hebrews is referring to the tabernacle, not the temple (Heb. 9:2). Additionally, the jar of manna (Ex. 16:32- 34) and Aaron’s staff (Num. 17:10-11) were to be placed before the ark, not inside it.

The fact that the only items in the ark were the stone tablets containing God’s Ten Commandments is illustrative of the preeminence of God’s word. After all, it’s not called the “ark of the covenant and manna and staff.” God’s word alone had a place in the ark. In the same way, God’s Word alone should be what we place in our hearts. It should be our sole source for understanding God’s will and work in our lives.

In what ways do you hide God’s Word in your heart? If you do not, how can you start?

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In Solomon’s prayer of dedication, he was, in many ways, fulfilling the role of the priest, making seven petitions to God on behalf of the people. He prayed for a man who sins against his neighbor, an army that is defeated, crops that fail, foreigners that call on God, and exiles that are dispersed.

The king typically was forbidden to step into the role of a priest (see 1 Sam. 13:10-13; 2 Chron. 26:18-19). But Solomon wasn’t making sacrifices for the people; he was interceding for them. Still, this is a good reminder that on this side of the cross, we have a better mediator than Solomon: the perfect prophet, priest, and king in Jesus. As our great High Priest, Jesus makes constant intercession for us, and we are invited to take all our petitions to Him (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25).

What have you been holding back from taking to God that you can bring to Him today through Christ?

Day 5: Read 1 Kings 8:54-66

After the temple was dedicated, the people of Israel feasted, but the celebration wasn’t confined to Jerusalem; it extended to all of Solomon’s empire (v. 65). The offering made during this multiple-day feast was staggering: twenty-two thousand oxen and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats were sacrificed to the Lord. No wonder, then, that when the feast was over, the people “went to their homes joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the Lord had shown to David his servant and to Israel his people” (v. 66). The natural response to God’s extravagant blessing should be our extravagant worship, although no worship we might offer God should ever feel completely satisfactory.

When was the last time you worshiped God extravagantly? When have you experienced God’s extravagant blessing—which is made known to us most in the gospel—and were compelled to worship in response to such a degree that it could not be contained? May this be the regular posture of our hearts. May our worship not be contained to an hour or two as a gathered church, nor a single day. May we worship in such a way that we cannot stop—that as we gather, we come with hearts overflowing with gratitude, and as we scatter, we do so with hearts and lips overflowing with praise.

What can you do this week to extend your worship beyond your worship gathering?

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Join together with 2-4 people from your group, or with your family, sometime during the week to reflect on the session and to share how God is working and you are responding. Share your thoughts and reflections on the truths from Scripture in this session: • The temple hosts God’s presence (1 Kings 8:10-14). • The temple declares God’s faithfulness (1 Kings 8:20-21). • The temple advances God’s mission (1 Kings 8:54-61).

How have you responded to these truths from Scripture?

Why do you think the idea of a temple seems foreign and strange in our current culture? How does a biblical understanding of the temple’s purpose show how it is relevant to all of us?

In what ways does looking at the church as a temple help us see that evangelism is a community project shared by believers?

Notes

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130 Daily Discipleship Guide

The Gospel Project® Brian Dembowczyk Adult Daily Discipleship Guide ESV Volume 7, Number 4 Summer 2019 Managing Editor—The Gospel Project

Ed Stetzer Author of Gospel-Centered Kids Ministry Founding Editor and Cornerstones: 200 Questions and

Trevin Wax Answers to Learn Truth General Editor

Unit 12, Session 4 A Son Rejects Wisdom

SESSION IN A SENTENCE: Sin against God has consequences that may impact others.

MAIN PASSAGES: 1 Kings 11:1-13; 12:12-17

On an unusually cold Florida morning in January of 1986, the space shuttle Challenger lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral to begin its tenth mission. Onboard was schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe, and her status as the first teacher in space ensured millions of school children were tuned in to watch the launch. Seventy- three seconds later, the Challenger exploded in a horrifying plume of smoke and fire.

The investigation into the disaster determined that the explosion was caused by the failure of a rubber gasket—an O-ring—that had become brittle and stiff due to the cold. As a result, flames escaped from the booster and ignited the fuel tank.

It’s hard to believe that the failure of such a small ring of rubber could have such catastrophic consequences. What is even more tragic is that engineers were aware of the possibility of failure based on data from previous shuttle missions. Tragically, warnings were unheeded, and the shuttle blew apart, killing all seven onboard. 1

Why are human beings prone to ignore warnings and the possibility of consequences?

Date of My Bible Study: ______121

Point 1: Foolish choices compromise devotion to God (1 Kings 11:1-8).

1 Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, 2 from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. 3 He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. 4 For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. 5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 6 So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and did not wholly follow the Lord, as David his father had done. 7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem. 8 And so he did for all his foreign wives, who made offerings and sacrificed to their gods.

In Deuteronomy 17:14-20, the Lord gave instructions to His people about how a king should behave. But looking at 1 Kings 10:14-29, it almost seems as though Solomon used these instructions as a checklist of “Things to do to disobey God.” And what he didn’t check off in chapter 10, he checked off in chapter 11: acquiring many wives.

How is our love for other people related to our love for God?

Solomon’s love for his many foreign wives led his heart astray, resulting in compromised, halfhearted devotion to the Lord. He didn’t merely indulge his foreign wives with their false gods, he followed these false gods himself. At some point, Solomon left his first love for the Lord (Rev. 2:4), and as goes the king, so goes the kingdom.

What wisdom and encouragement would you offer someone whose devotion to God is being compromised?

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9 And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice 10 and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not keep what the Lord commanded. 11 Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. 12 Yet for the sake of David your father I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13 However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem that I have chosen.”

If ever anyone were perfectly set up for success, it was Solomon. He had so much going for him, and yet, he still managed to rebel against God. The wisest man ever wasn’t wise enough. So the Father deemed it time to discipline His son (2 Sam. 7:14). While God is infinitely patient with humanity (2 Pet. 3:9), He sets conditions on the exercise of His patience. Whenever He wants, for His timing is perfect, God is completely just to give sinners what their rebellious hearts have earned and to give sons and daughters the discipline they need. We see a glimpse of God’s righteous discipline here with Solomon.

How do you tend to view the consequences of your sin?

God’s Judgment Natural Consequences God’s Patient Discipline

Israel’s long period of peace came to an end with Solomon’s apostasy. God told Solomon that the kingdom would be torn from him and given to his servant. Yet even with this stunning consequence, the Lord sounded two grace notes.

1. The kingdom would not be divided until after Solomon’s death (1 Kings 1:11-12).1

2. The kingdom would not be torn away entirely from the house of David; God would allow one tribe to remain aligned with Solomon’s son (v. 13).

How did preserving the house of David in spite of Solomon’s sin fulfill God’s purposes?

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12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king said, “Come to me again the third day.” 13 And the king answered the people harshly, and forsaking the counsel that the old men had given him, 14 he spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.” 15 So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn of affairs brought about by the Lord that he might fulfill his word, which the Lord spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 16 And when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, “What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, David.” So Israel went to their tents. 17 But Rehoboam reigned over the people of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah.

Rehoboam showed none of the humility his father had when he began to rule. Faced with a pressing decision, Rehoboam sought wisdom not from God but from other people. And rather than listening to the seasoned wisdom of his elders, he followed the advice of his peers to further burden his would-be subjects. Thus, the kingdom split.

Sin’s Effects in the World: Sin does not only impact our relationship with God; it is also the root of our ______relationships with the people around us. Sin has infected and redirected the social structures of society, leading to ______and ______.

Solomon’s folly led to Israel’s fracture, folly that was echoed in Rehoboam’s choice to listen to the Voices from “wisdom” of his peers. Israel’s subsequent history the Church would be marked by division, downfall, and “Let us give humble thanks dissolution. But on God’s timeline, the fall of the and joyful adoration to our earthly kingdom of Israel paved the way for the perfect King, Jesus, who alleviates our burdens, spiritual restoration of Israel and the coming of provides for our greatest the Son of David, the true wisdom of God. needs, and rules His kingdom with wisdom and justice.” 2 What are some wise choices believers can make to bless others? –Tony Merida

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Because we have been forgiven of all our sin through Christ, we proclaim the foolishness of relying on our own wisdom for salvation and lift up Jesus as the only hope.

• How will you trust that Jesus is God- given wisdom for you today? Voices from • What are some ways your group can Church History provide godly wisdom for those who are “Now, I say, whatever your younger in our church? heart clings to and confides in, that is really your God.” 3 • With whom will you share about Jesus, –Martin Luther (1483-1546) the wisdom of God for our salvation? Whom will you invite to be a part of your Bible study group to hear about God’s wisdom in Christ weekly?

Notes

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Day 1: Read 1 Kings 11:1-8

God had prohibited the Israelites from intermarrying with the nations surrounding them (Deut. 7:1-4). This was to preserve religious, not racial, purity, as is made clear in 1 Kings 11:2: “for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon was an extreme example that proves the rule. With seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines, and likely most of them foreigners, his heart was literally turned in a thousand different directions.

Notice the emphasis on the “heart” in these first four verses. The writer of 1 Kings wanted to make sure we understand that Solomon suffered from a terminal heart condition: the divided heart.

Sin doesn’t just happen because of something external, something happening “out there.” The work of sin is primarily internal, the result of something that has already happened “in here.” If you find your heart has been divided, pulled and turned in multiple directions, Scripture provides the remedy for uniting it again: “Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name” (Ps. 86:11). Only God can bring together a divided heart.

Have you allowed your heart to become divided over time? Ask God to bring it back together again.

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At the start of any large organized marathon, there are thousands of people lined up. There is energy, excitement, and enthusiasm. There are costumes. It isn’t uncommon to see people planning to run 26.2 miles dressed as Elvis.

That’s the starting line. The finish line looks quite different. There are a lot less people. Far fewer costumes. And while some finish well, many more barely finish, stumbling, walking, or even crawling or being carried across that line on the pavement. But whether they sprint across or crawl across, and no matter what the time reads as they cross, everyone who crosses the finish line has one thing in common: they all finished. Many who start never do. The point isn’t how you start, it’s how you finish.

The first eleven chapters of 1 Kings detail Solomon’s life and accomplishments. No king in Israel’s history built more, taught more, spent more, wrote more, or married more. But for all that, his death is summed up with this simple statement: “And Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David his father.” He started well—with the best of them—but he didn’t finish well. May we be a people who finish strong.

What adjustments do you need to make in your race to finish well?

Day 3: Read 1 Kings 12:1-11

Rehoboam had two choices: listen to the old men who had counseled his father or listen to the young men with whom he had grown up. You know the rest of the story, and you know it didn’t turn out so well. It can be tempting to discount the previous generation and assume their ideas and perspectives are outdated. But consider these truths from God’s Word: “One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts” (Ps. 145:4); “Wisdom is with the aged, and understanding in length of days” (Job 12:12); and “Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old” (Prov. 23:22).

Not only does it benefit us to seek wisdom from the previous generation, we also ignore it at our own peril. Rehoboam’s father, Solomon, put it this way: “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm” (Prov. 13:20). If only he had listened! What will it take for us to listen?

From whom do you seek advice and counsel? Whom do you need to seek out for wisdom in the future?

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Verse 19 has a double meaning. On one level, “to this day” refers to the writing of 1 Kings itself, which could have been any time prior to the destruction of the temple (based on 1 Kings 8:8, that the poles to carry the ark could still be seen “to this day”). But this statement can also be seen as a commentary on the future state of Israel. It was Israel who first rejected Jesus (Acts 4:11). Paul wrote in Romans 9:31-32: “Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law … Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works.” Any time we seek to be justified apart from grace, we are in rebellion against Jesus, the house of David. This continues to happen—to this day.

How are you seeking to be justified before God? Spiritually speaking, are you in rebellion against the house of David, against Jesus?

Day 5: Read 1 Kings 12:20-33

Two factors contributed to Israel’s apostasy. First, Jeroboam attempted to use religion in the service of politics. Jeroboam reasoned that if people were required to return to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices, they wouldn’t identify with Shechem as their new capital. Jeroboam missed the point of the pilgrimage to Jerusalem. It wasn’t to align the people with an earthly kingdom but with a heavenly one.

Second, Jeroboam appealed to his people’s desire for comfort and convenience. Instead of requiring them to go to one place to offer sacrifices, he established two shrines—one at Dan, on the northern border of Israel, and the second at Bethel, on the southern border. He placed a golden calf in each one, saying, “Behold your gods [or God] … who brought you up out of the land of Egypt” (v. 28). You have to wonder if Jeroboam knew he was repeating the words Aaron used when he made the first golden calf at the foot of Mount Sinai (Ex. 32:4).

The problem with Jeroboam was that he saw the worship of God as a means to some other end. To him, worship of God was a means by which he could realize the end of a united people under his rule. Put simply, he made worship, and the God of that worship, a crass tool to bring about his purposes. Worship is never a means to an end. Worship is the end. May we remember that.

What do you need to do this week to make sure you are worshiping God with a pure heart?

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Join together with 2-4 people from your group, or with your family, sometime during the week to reflect on the session and to share how God is working and you are responding. Share your thoughts and reflections on the truths from Scripture in this session: • Foolish choices compromise devotion to God (1 Kings 11:1-8). • Foolish choices come with consequences (1 Kings 11:9-13). • Foolish choices create problems for others (1 Kings 12:12-17).

How have you responded to these truths from Scripture?

When has a failure to heed wisdom from someone led you into sin or considerable trouble? When has heeding wisdom done the opposite?

In what ways do the consequences of foolish choices reveal God’s justice and the orderliness of creation? Why should this encourage us?

Notes

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130 Daily Discipleship Guide

The Gospel Project® Brian Dembowczyk Adult Daily Discipleship Guide ESV Volume 7, Number 4 Summer 2019 Managing Editor—The Gospel Project

Ed Stetzer Author of Gospel-Centered Kids Ministry Founding Editor and Cornerstones: 200 Questions and

Trevin Wax Answers to Learn Truth General Editor