Sunday School Lesson, July 23, 2017

Sunday School Lesson, July 23, 2017

Topic: David’s Failures

Memory Verse: Psalm 51:10. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.(KJV)

Lesson text: 1 Samuel 27:1-12,29:1-11, 2 Samuel 11:1 through 12:23; 1 Chronicles 21:1-17.

Central Truth:  God mercifully receives all who repent of their sins.

FOCUS: To examine David’s failures and resolve to obey God when tempted.

LESSON OUTLINE:

1.     David Betrays His Identity

A.    David Seeks His Own Solutions

B.     David Suffers the Consequences

2.     Blinded By Sinful Desires

A.    Temptation, Sin and Cover-up

B.     Confrontation and Repentance

3.     Devastated By Pride

A.    A Prideful Act

B.     Repenting Again.

LESSON OBJECTIVE

At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

1.     Comprehend the importance of living according to their spiritual identity as followers of God.

2.     Recognise and avoid the danger of being blinded by selfish desires.

3.     Resist the devastating consequences of giving in to pride.

INTRODUCING THE LESSON

     At first glance David’s failures look quite startling in light of his deep desire and love for God, as described in Scripture. David;s failure illustrate how even how those who love the Lord are vulnerable to temptation and capable of tragic,sinful actions. Christians need to activities their desire for the Lord consistently. They must also understand both the nature of their vulnerabilities and how to protect themselves against Satan’s schemes.  

     It is important Christians understand how to respond when they fail God. As you go through this week’s lesson, determine to glean spiritual truth from the many lessons of David’s experiences.

 COMMENTARY AND APPLICATION.

1.      

A.    David seeks His Own Solutions. 1 Samuel 27:1-12.

   During the time in David’d life when he was fleeing from Saul, David sought to solve his problems by taking refuge with Isreal’s enemies, the Phillistains (1 Samuel 27:1). He desires safety to the point that He would do it for himself and his six hundred men. So He took the men and their family to and went to Achish, the Philistain King, to offer their services (verse 2-5). The strategy worked. Saul no longer pursued David.

    Having escaped Saul, David served Achish faithfully – but only to a point( verse 5-12). He and his men were given Ziklag. Although this town has been allocated as Simeonite land and numbered among the town in Judah( Joshua 15:31;19:5), it had apparently been captured by the Philistines. From that day however, it was considered a town in Judah.

     First Samuel 27:8-9 indicates that from his base at Ziklag, David raised the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites-enemies of Judah that the Philistines also battled with. He captured spoils to support his men and their families. However, when asked by Achish were He has gone raiding, David responded, He had raised parts of Saul’s dominion. The deception made Achish to believe that David was so alienated from his people that he would serve him. The net result, then was David was acting as a sort of double agent, causing Achish to believe that David has developed loyalty to him and the Philistine when he in fact was endearing himself to Judah by destroying many of Judah’s enemies.

    David’s deception did not alter the fact that He has betrayed his Hebrew Identity. Instead of putting his truth in God to change his circumstances, David sought to alleviate his pain by compromising who he was and serving an evil, ruthless King.

Question: What was wrong with David joining the Philistines, considering his responsibility to his men and their families.

David’s deceptive actions reflected a dangerous willingness to compromise. We never know where compromise will lead. We can deceive ourselves into thinking we can limit the nature and effects of the unwise decision we make. But in the end, deception is never the right path to follow.

B.David Suffers The Consequences. 1 Samuel 29:1-11

David’s leadership failure does not provide the lasting benefit he had hoped for ( 1 Samuel 29:1-5). Soon the Philistines resumed the military struggle with Isreal. When the Philistines were about to go into battle with Saul’s armies, Achish’s commander rebelled at the notion of David’s men going into battle with Isreal . They did not trust David remembering the songs sung about him. The word, “Saul slew in thousands and David ten thousands ”(verse 5) rang in their ears. They feared that when the battle was joined, David would again become loyal to his own people.

     Achish Commander forced the king to dismiss David before the battle commenced. Reluctantly Achish agreed. Some commentators observe that David may have shown his skill of double talk before in verse 8, with the veiled meaning of his word being that He regretted not being able to act as a stealth opponent to the Philistines anymore. Regardless, David left the Philistine army and started back home to Ziklag ( verse6-11).

     David was now no better off than when he had started following his way. He and his followers were fugitives again. His compromise involving the Philistines-including a betrayal of who he really was – had netted him nothing.

Question: How did David’d betrayal of his identity compounded his problems? What can we learn from his example??

       Christians have other options rather than compromise when facing difficult problems. Just as David wound have trusted the Lord and renewed his determination to seek God for an answer, we too are wise to trust in the Lord. Compromise will ultimately complicate our life than solving our problems. God has the power to intervene and respond to our prayers. This does not mean we will be immune from the hurt and the challenges of life. But we can be victorious and avoid compromise if we will place our confidence in Him.

2.     Blinded By Sinful Desires.

A.    Temptation, Sin And Cover-Up. 2 Samuel 11:2 -5, 14-27.

David’s failure can seem startling in a number of ways. His sin did not come out of nowhere. Note the first verse of 2 samuel 11. The Bible writer provided stark contrast between Israel’s armies who went out to fight enemies, and Israel’s king, who remained in the comforts of the palace verse 1. This was highly unusual for him, and indeed for any ruler of that time. One commentator said, it was in itself a reprehensible act, leading to even more disturbing actions.

        The account of David’s sin with Bathsheba in verse 2-5 is simple and strengthforward. He spotted a beautiful woman bathing and began to lust after her. David learned that the woman was the wife of Uriah-a Hittite who was possibly a worshiper of the Lord, and one of David’s loyal commander and to God and instead acted like a pagan king, taking what He wanted without regard for anything else.

        Adultery was not the king’s only sin. David soon learned that Bathseba had become pregnant. He immediately sought a cover-Up that ultimately resulted the death of Uriah. (verse 14-27).

        It is interesting to note the way Scripture  repeats a tragic refrain  in verses 21 and 24, as David is told, “Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead”. This proclamation reinforce  Uriah’s status as mercenary soldier  has joined God’s people as well as Uriah faithfulness to David-a faithfulness David has grossly betrayed . Verse 26 again states what was already known: Uriah was dead. After Uriah’s death, David married Bethsabath, believing He had gotten away with his sin. But the Lord was not plead with David.

Question: Why is it so easy to be blinded by selfish desires?

B.    Confrontation and Repentance. 2 Samuel 12:7-14.

  While David thought his sin remained hidden, it has not escaped God’s eyes. The Lord sent Nathal  to confront  David. The prophet told the king  a parable about a rich man  oppressing a poor man, taking the poor man’s only lamb to feed the rich man’s unexpected guest.. When Nathal finished, David burned in anger over the injustice exclaiming  that the rich man deserved to die for his heartless act ( 2 Samuel 12:1-6).

     Nathal then boldly proclaimed that David himself  was the man in the story. God has reveiled to Nathan the extend of David’s sin and the certainty of  divine punishment ( verse 7 -12).

     Nathan’s words were harsh, penetrating to the heart of the matter. David had repeatedly experience the blessing of the Lord throughout the curse of his life. Furthermore, had desired , God would have given him even more (verse 7-8). But David still acted with gross injustice. He was guilty of the blood of Uriah. The punishment would be severe. Some commentator believe prophecy that the sword will never scape David include a sense that generation to come would be reminded of David’s sin as they fought battles. In deed all Israel will see the hand of God judgment fall on David (verse 12).

    David immediately repented, crying out to Lord in confession of his guilt (verse 13).

Question: Why do you think David’s respond was so immediate and heartfelt, considering the cold-hearted nature of his sin?

    It is here that we see another side of David. Once He was confronted, He turned to the Lord with a repentant heart. It is a great example to believers. No matter how great the sin, God is able to and willing to forgive. Although sin can bring great calamity into our lives, as it did for David (verse 14), Our relationship with God can be restored.

3.     DAVASTATED BY PRIDE.

A.    A Prideful Act. 1 Chronicles 21 : 1 – 7.

Later in his reign, King David succumbed again to temptation, committing a sin that brought harm to the nation (1 Chronicles 21: 1 – 7)  He took census of Israel to determine the number of fighting men at his disposal. The Bible specifically Identity Satan as inciting this census ( verse 1).

QUESTION: Why do you think David’s census was displeasing to the Lord?

Scripture does not specifically stated why this was evil in God’s sight, but an examination of the context will help us draw some conclusion. When David ordered the census, Joab tried to persuade David not to go through with it, warning him that it will bring guilt on the nation (verse 3). David overrule Joab and ordered him to go forward with the census to assay the military strength at David disposal, rather than depend on God to lead them in battle and protect them .

and protect them against their enemies. This would indicate that David was motivated by pride and self-reliance rather than humility and dependence on

God. David overruled Joab and moved forward with the census.

  When Israel and Judah were counted, the number exceed One million men ( verse 4-5). David was indeed king over a vast, powerful kingdom that has become the most formidable military power in the region. But David’s insistence on the numbering them brought God’s Judgment (verse 7).

A.    Repenting Again. 1 Chronicles 21:8 – 17

             Scripture does not state how David realized the depth of his sin; it only notes that he acknowledged the gravity of what he had done and pleaded with God to remove his guilt (1 Chronicles 21:8). Though God forgave, He told David there will be consequences of his actions.

 Question: Why is pride so devastating and so enticing??

    Pride lies at the root of many sins. It causes people to focus on self, pursuing their independence from God and desire for self-reliance.

   While God’s punishment would be severe, He gave David three options (verse 9). Israel would experience three years of famine, three months of defect in battle, or three days of plaque. David chose the last reasoning that it was best to place the nation under the mercies of the Lord rather than his enemies. In the end, God’s mercy kept Israel from greater suffering (verse 9-16). David had repented but his pride brought forth tragic results for himself and his nation. The best defend we can have against pride is prayerful and a humble spirit. Humility must be cultivated and practiced. It does not just happened.

Question: How can we keep ourselves from repeating David’s failure and indulging in the sin of Pride?

DISCIPLESHIP IN ACTION.

   Mercy can be defined as receiving what we do not deserve as well as not receiving what we do not deserve. The Cross represents God’s extension of His mercy. It is there that we are extended mercy rather experiencing the just penalty for our sins. Instead of reaping what we deserve, we are treated mercifully.

    We receive mercy when we acknowledge our sins to the Lord and turn from them in repentance. The term repentance essentially means to change your mind and turn from sin and to the Lord. The gospel declares that God has made his offer of mercy available to all people. This is true regardless of what you have done in the past. God will forgive you if you will humbly turn to Him. But He will not make that choice for you. It is yours to make alone.

 MINISTRY IN ACTION

  Conclude the lesson with a time of prayer. Encourage students to make the decision to receive Jesus as Lord and Saviour if they haven’t already done so. Lead in prayer for forgiveness for any sins you or the students have committed. Encourage students to spend time evaluating their choices in the following days.