October 02, 2022

   DAVID: A RISE AND FALL

  October 02, 2022

Pastor Jonathan Falwell

Have you ever been in a situation where someone else got the praise, although you felt you deserved it? What emotions did you feel? Can you share?

As we continue our series, “David: Chasing the Heart of God,” we find the three thousand years that have elapsed since David was a shepherd boy have not diminished the many relevant lessons which we can apply to our own journey through life. Both David—a shepherd boy—and Saul—the most “handsome man among the children of Israel” (1 Sam. 9:2)—were anointed by God, but one grew to serve God with his whole heart while the other let himself be carried away by pride, forfeiting the pleasure God had in him. Join us as we study the lives of these two men, accepting the truth that a life of sin will never gain us God’s blessings.

Focal Passage: 1 Samuel 18:5-15.

David’s success grew

  • Who recalls where David went after Samuel anointed him king? Read Zech. 4:10. How was David’s youth as a shepherd a “day of small things”? How did he use those years to embrace his desire to “chase the heart of God”?
  • Read 1 Samuel 18:5a. When David was brought in to serve King Saul, what were his duties? When Saul later sent him to serve in the army, what did he do? Was his faithfulness to Saul a result of his kingship or of his integrity? Explain.
  • At this point in David’s life, what did he have to work with that we don’t have? Did he act with faithfulness and obedience because he loved God? Do we?

Saul’s insecurity grew

  • Read verses 6-8a. As the army came back from battle, what was Saul expecting to hear when the crowds flooded the streets? What did he hear? Whenever you hear a sentence, then a “BUT”, what do you infer? Can you give an example?
  • When Saul heard David praised, how did he react? What caused his anger and resentment? What is the difference between the two emotions?
  • Read Jas. 1:19-20 (NASB if possible). What emotion caused the anger? Did Saul have a choice how to handle his anger? What could he have done? (Is this how you handle being angry, or do you wait to repent after you have wounded the other person?) Is anyone immune to the seduction of pride? Read Prov. 11:2. How did Saul put himself on the road to destruction with his anger?

When God’s anointing is on you, the enemy is out in full force

  • Read 1 Sam. 10:10, 1 Sam. 16:13, and Eph. 1:13-14. Why are all these anointings of the Spirit of God the same? What was the aftermath of David’s anointing, Saul’s anointing, and ours? Do we all have the same power available at that point?
  • Read 1 Peter 5:8. Why does a large bull’s-eye appear on our back when we chase after the heart of God?
  • Read Jas. 1:13-15. How had Saul’s anger given way to actions? Read Jas. 3:16. Where could it end? How did David react as Saul tried to kill him? When you are attacked by someone who is angry and jealous, how do you normally respond?
  • Read Jas. 4:6. In what actions had Saul chosen his way over God’s way? How can the sin of pride destroy the anointing of God on our life?

The hand of God is better than the blessing of men

  • Read 1 Sam. 18:12-15. What were the emotions Saul was carrying every day because he had chased after the evil of the world? For a long season (possibly as long as three years), David was chased by Saul. Did he compromise his love for God in order to stay safe? How do you know?
  • Read John 6:66-69. This is a perfect passage for us to meditate on this week, as it encapsulates the choices we—as Spirit-anointed Christians—have as we choose to chase after the heart of God, or the praise of men. Man’s praise can build our pride so high that God removes His hand from us. What will you choose?

Close:

We listen to—or read in Scripture—the story of David, a young boy who was visited by the prophet Samuel, was anointed king over God’s people, and we think “well, I’ll never be like David!” That may be true but the lessons we are incorporating today can produce a life of obedience and faithfulness to God. What are these lessons?

We learn from the story of David that we can trust the promises of God. “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Num. 23:19). You have never prayed one prayer after salvation that God has not answered! That does not make Him a genie in a bottle—sometimes His answer is No, sometimes Yes, and sometimes it is Wait. But He never ignores you, or leaves you, or forsakes you. Reread the verse in Numbers again, absorbing the truth that if God says it, He will do it. If He has spoken, He will bring it about. He is a good, good Father.

We can also learn to not let ourselves be so discouraged from our circumstances that it keeps us from trusting in the plan God has for our life. Certainly, as humans we are subject to discouragement! Romans 8:28-39 reminds us that we are not yet perfect but are constantly being transformed by circumstances “into the image of God’s dear Son”, and “nothing can separate us from the love He has for us.” Our trust in His goodness and love for us should be so encompassing that even though we are discouraged, we know beyond a doubt that He has got everything worked out for our best.

We must also be convinced that we would be cutting our own throats to do anything that would separate us from God’s love—the loss of a relationship with Him would harm us more than we can grasp. To gratify the pride that would seek man’s praise and reject God would mean losing that blessed child-Father relationship which we should value above all things! Eph. 6:5-7 reminds us not to be men-pleasers, but to concentrate on God’s doing God’s will. Nothing we can do will ever cause Him to love us less, and nothing will ever cause Him to love us more. His love for us is complete. Let us love and serve Him above all else as we walk this earth.

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