David and Bathsheba

Scripture:

2 Samuel 11:1-12:13

Quick Summary:

Bathsheba was Uriah’s wife, and yet David cheated with her. David didn’t want to get caught cheating, so he arranged for Uriah to die in battle. David not only cheated but lied and murdered Uriah. Only after the prophet Nathan pointed it out, did David finally admit his sin. 

The Point:

When we try to cover-up our sin, we end up sinning more and hurting other people. Admit when you are wrong!

Questions for Family Time:

1.     What was David’s first sin?

a.      He cheated with Bathsheba.

2.     What was David’s second sin?

a.  He lied about cheating with Bathsheba.

     What was David’s third sin?

a.     He killed Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband so he wouldn’t get caught cheating.

3.     What did you learn?

a.      It’s important for us to take responsibility when we do something wrong, or someone else might get hurt.

Deeper:

            This is one of David’s most famous stories. David was called the “man after God’s own heart.” This story balances that honor with the reality that he was not perfect. Where other historical documents always put leaders in the best light possible, the Bible speaks to their mistakes and sins. It is a defining characteristic that separates the Bible from other ancient documents.
           
            David committed more than one sin in this story. 1) He committed adultery with Bathsheba. 2) He lied and tried to cover up that sin. 3) He murdered Uriah. Sin #2 is what we will be focusing on in our KICK lesson. By not take responsibility for his actions with Bathsheba, David put more lives in jeopardy. He sinned worse by lying and cost Uriah and other faithful soldiers their lives. Cheating turned into murder because he wouldn’t admit he had done wrong.
            
           In our house, no one has been murdered, but there have been multiple times when one small wrong became a big problem because that person wouldn’t admit they did it. Like many of you, there have been times when I have said, “You are in more trouble for lying about it than you are for doing what you did.” The reality is that when we don’t confess, others can be hurt and problems can snowball. Things often get worse if they aren’t dealt with right away.

            Christians call this act of admitting we did wrong "CONFESSION." We practice confession in our prayers.  We even confess when we fall short as a church in our words leading to communion. Confession is so important it is recognized as the first step of turning toward God. We don’t just name our sins to get them off our chest. We name them to protect others from paying the consequences. We name them so that things can be put right.

Personal Reflection:

               Are there sins that you need to confess? How has keeping those sins secret hurt others?

David and Michal

Scripture:

2 Samuel 6:14-23

Quick Summary:

King David came into Jerusalem dancing before the ark. His wife was so embarrassed. He said, “I don’t care if I am king. I will praise God with all I have, even if it is embarrassing.” 

The Point:

Praise God like nobody’s watching.

Questions for Family Time:

1.     Why was Michal embarrassed of David?

a.      He was dressed in like a commoner, dancing in the street.

2.     That is embarrassing! Why was he doing that?

a.      He was praising God, and celebrating God’s ark coming into God’s city.

3.     How do you praise God?

a.      (with singing, dancing, shouts of praise, praying aloud, etc.)

4. Do you ever feel too embarrassed to worship like that?

   

    *In this lesson, I used the word Praise and Worship interchangeably. While these 2 words are similar, they are not exactly the same. Praise is when we show gratitude to God. Worship is when we give God our attention. We have worship services in which we praise God, along with other things like pray for the needs of our community, read the Bible together and learn together. Worship includes praise, but also includes lament (crying out to God) and mourning. 

Deeper:

            The Ark of the Covenant had been a spoil of war, taken far from the temple of God by the Philistines. When Israel got it back, they discovered it was no random piece of property. David’s act was not a celebration of war. It was a celebration of God.

            To make it clear this was not a normal military procession, David took of his king robes and regalia to enter as a common man. This was a huge symbol of humility. It was his way of saying God was Israel’s real king. He came in dancing on foot, not reverent and regal on the king’s horse. He came celebrating and inviting the nation watching this parade to join in celebration that God was among them.

            This horrified Queen Michal. Unlike David, Michal had been born royalty. As King Saul’s daughter, she had been given to David as a prize of war. She had never lived outside of a palace and knew how dignified royalty acted. This was not it. Royalty didn’t dance around in plain linen. People were to bow to the king, not dance alongside him. Yet this is exactly what David did. He was willing to look the fool for God to look like the king.

            Sometimes, like Michal, we get caught up in perceptions. We think worship should be reverent, and interpret reverent as quiet, calm, and without joy. But God reminds us that true praise is filled with embarrassing moments. God is glorified when we stop being self-conscious and follow the Holy Spirit’s leading. At Wednesday Worship, that means dancing during our centering song, or lifting up a personal prayer request. It may mean reading even though we may fumble over the words, or singing a song even if we may hit wrong notes. True Praise of God happens when, like David, we get over ourselves and are honest with God. It is when we are less concerned about what people will think and more concerned with what God thinks.   

Personal Reflection:

             


   When have you been willing to be embarrassed to worship God?

David and Abigail

Scripture:

1 Samuel 25:1-44

Quick Summary:

David is still on the run from King Saul. He asks for some food from a farm owner named Nabal after protecting his shepherds and flock. Nabal refuses and David decides its time to pillage Nabal’s home. On the way, Abigail, Nabal’s wife runs out to meet David with food for his band of soldiers. By her generosity, she saved everyone in her household including the farmhands. When Nabal dies naturally 2 weeks later, David takes Abigail as his wife. 

The Point:

Rebel against what is wrong.

Questions for Family Time:

1.     Why was David mad at Nabal?

a.      Nabal refused to share food

2.     What was David going to do because he was mad?

a.      He was going to kill everyone at Nabal’s house, even the shepherds.

3.     What happened?

a.      Abigail stopped David by apologizing and bringing him food. She was a hero.

Deeper:

One of the most famous psychology studies after the Holocaust studied our willingness to follow orders we know are wrong. It was performed after hearing numerous workers of concetration camps claim they “were just doing their job.” This studied demonstrated that when we are told to do something, good people often obey, regardless of how bad it is. It is easier for us to follow the authority than to do what is right.

      While all of us want to raise obedient children, I think it is important for us to teach them there are times when we should be disobedient. There are times when a friend tells our kid to pick on another kid. There are times when an older teenager tells our kid to have a drink when they shouldn’t. There are times when adults may tell kids to do things that are not safe or kind. We want our kids to be ready. We want them to know that blind obedience is not the way of God.

Abigail risked her life by going behind her husband’s back. She risked being beaten by him. She risked being thrown out. She risked having to live the rest of her life under his scorn. She took the risk of disobedience because she knew the risk of obedience was worse. She knew that by doing nothing she and everyone she loved would die. She knew innocent lives were at stake. Abigail decided those lives meant more than her comfort. By doing so, she saved lives.

I hope I am like Abigail. I hope that when those moments come when what I am told to do is not right, I will choose to disobey. I hope that I will choose to risk my own comfort that others may live. I hope that for my children. I hope it for all who claim to believe in God and follow Jesus.

Personal Reflection:

               When have you had to choose between being obedient and doing what is right?  

David Spares Saul's Life

Scripture:

1 Samuel 24:1-22

Quick Summary:

Saul was chasing David to kill him. Saul went to the bathroom in the very cave David was hiding in. David could have killed him, but instead he cut off just a corner of Saul’s robe to show Saul he meant no harm. David repaid Saul with good, even though Saul had repaid evil.

The Point:

Do good to your enemies.

Questions for Family Time:

1.     Why was David hiding from Saul?

a.      King Saul was trying to kill David.

2.     What did David have a chance to do to Saul?

a.      He could have killed him.

3.     What did David do?

a.      He spared Saul’s life even though his friends told him to kill Saul

4.     How do you do good to those who are your enemies?

a.      (Share with them, include them in games, etc.)

Deeper:

This is one of those simple yet hard principles of being a disciple. It is simple to do good to our enemy. We don’t have to do a lot of thinking to figure out what will benefit people. The good things we can do are the same good things we do for our friends. Be kind. Be generous. Treat them as we would like to be treated. It’s not complicated, but it is hard.

It is hard, because even though we know what to do in our head, our heart screams to do the opposite. We want them to hurt as bad as they have hurt us. We want them to experience the pain, anger, etc. that we have felt because of them. Those who witnessed what they did whisper in our ear to hurt them back.

David was no different. King Saul had torn David from his family and now forced him to live as man on the run. What had David ever done to deserve any of this? He had won war after war for King Saul. He had played beautiful music when King Saul was restless. He had befriended Saul’s son. David didn’t deserve what Saul was doing to him. David’s friends whispered into his ear, “This is your chance. Look, God brought him right to you.” Maybe God wanted him to get back at this crazed murder…

No. That isn’t the kind of God we serve. Our God is a God of forgiveness and compassion. David chose the hard option. He chose to treat Saul as he wanted to be treated. Rather than giving Saul a taste of his own medicine, he chose to do good.

He chose to offer Saul mercy. Mercy is when we don’t give someone the bad they deserve. That’s what Jesus did for us. We deserved punishment from God, but Jesus gave us friendship with God. We deserved to die for our sins, but instead Jesus gave us eternal life. When we do good to our enemies, we offer Jesus to them. And when we offer Jesus, we find fulfillment. Mercy is simple, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Sometimes it is the hardest things that are the most rewarding.  

Personal Reflection:

               Who do you need to offer mercy too? How can you do that? Remember, it’s not easy, but it’s worth it.