CHRISTIAN FAMILY FELLOWSHIP,
PDO MUSCATTHEME:
GENERAL TEXTS:
I Sam 16— end; II Sam 1 — end; I Kings 1- 2 (vs 11); 1 Chronicles 10 —29 INTRODUCTIONIn Part I, we saw HIS EARLY LIFE AND PRE-KINGSHIP DAYS. We were challenged with the faith of David when he slew Goliath, with the selfless love of Jonathan and with David’s handling of his moments of sore trial. David through divine providence was anointed king after the death of Saul. He waxed strong in military might, displaying immense spiritual qualities and godliness as he went, but in an unguarded moment fell. He paid dearly for his sins as God did not spare. He however picked up the remains of his spiritual life, built up again until his last days. Forgiven, yet the scar remained, for even God would refer to David as the man after His heart, except in the matter of Uriah’s wife.
Study 2:DAVID AS A KING
(a) He mourns for Saul & Jonathan (II Sam 1: 11
David continued to shine in the face of trials, waiting for the realisation of God’s plans for him to be king. News reached David in his Ziklag hiding place that Saul and Jonathan had fallen at the battle with the Philistines. This moved him into deep mourning as his bowels yearned after Jonathan
— his friend and Saul — God’s anointed, but an enemy(?).Qu. 1: How do we react when evil befalls others? How are we enjoined to treat our enemies? Mt.
5:43-48. Can we then have enemies?
(b) David anointed as king and proof of his spiritual qualities:
By divine enabling, David was anointed king over Judah in Hebron at the age of 30, whilst a parallel government was set up by Abner for Ishboshet in Gilead. After a chain of events involving the slaying of strong man Abner and Ishboshet, the whole of Isreal now reverted to David to be their king, seven and half years after his anointing in Hebron. God establishes his kingship and causes him to grow from strength to strength for the Lord of Hosts was with him (II Sam 5:10; 8:6b). All through this period, David kept a humble and deeply spiritual way of life, desiring nothing but to please God and the people. As soon as he settled down, he arranged the return of the Ark of God, planned to build the temple and showed favour to Mephiboshet
— Jonathan’s son.Qu. 2: From the following passages, describe the facts proving David’s spiritual qualities
II Sam 2:1; 3:22-37; 4:5-12; 5:1-12; 5:20; 6:1-5; 7:1-29; 9:1-13.
Qu. 3 Two strange events happened during the first and second coming of the Ark of God as shown in II Sam 6:6-23. What are the events and what do they teach us about how we should relate with this our God?
(c) The conquests of David (II Sam 8:1-6; 10:15-19):
Enemies that Saul could not subdue, were overcome by David. Some became Isreal’s servants, others paid tributes, brought gifts and the mighty Syrians made peace with Isreal and served them. May God make us like David
—granting us ability to rule and dominate over our circumstances and the enemies of our souls and spirits.Qu. 4 Can christians exercise dominion over sin, sickness and satan? Jn 10:10; Mt 28:18-20; Phil 2:9-11; I Jn 5:4-5.
(d) His fall and repentance:
At an idle moment, a moment of ease and complacency, when all physical enemies have been subdued, the enemy of our souls who seeks nothing but its total destruction is always subtly at work. David fell fatally into adultery, arranged Uriah’s death
— thus polluting and destroying the humble God fearing Uriah’s family (II Sam 11 :27b; 12:1-6). Oh, where was the keen spirit of David, it was inundated by uncontrolled fleshly passions — James 1:13-15. He repents with deep contrition and anguish of soul and is forgiven.Qu. 5 In Psalm 51:1-17, identify the various elements in David’s repentance prayer. How does this compare with repentance prayers of contemporary times?
(e) He is punished:
Repented, forgiven, but must receive divine punishment. David suffers for his sins. His family that had known peace begins to crumble and that publicly. II Saml2:7-14; 13:1-20; 23-36; 15:10-31; 18:33. Life never remained the same for the king. The punishments dogged his life as he aged. Let us beware of sin of any shade or type in our lives Gal
5: 19-21.
Qu. 6: How does God handle the sin of a christian? See I Jn 1:8-9; 2:1-4; Heb 10:26-31.
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Study II Conclusion:We have seen the meteoric rise of David, his sterling spiritual qualities and his fall by which he occasioned the blasphemy of God’s name. May our lives not occasion the blasphemy of God’s name. Has any one fallen today, this week or even at this moment
— not necessarily into outward immoral sin, there is still power in the blood of the Lamb. Repent today and be forgiven. Please do not continue in sin, otherwise God’s judgement now and in time to come might be let loose. Let us save ourselves, wives/husbands and children and their future by continuing in right living and godliness — sin not being found in our skirts or trousers or hearts or tongues.