Oct23–29: Abigail: No Victim of Circumstances

Teaching Points

1. Read 1 Samuel 25 and make a chapter outline.

ANSWER:

• 1Sa 25:1-11 Nabal refuses David’s request
• 1Sa 25:12-17 David plans to take revenge on Nabal
• 1Sa 25:18-31 Abigail’s plea to David
• 1Sa 25:32-35 David grants Abigail her request
• 1Sa 25:36-44 Nabal’s death and David marries Abigail 

2. Read 1 Samuel 25:1–13, 21. Why is David so insulted by Nabal’s reply? What does David hear?

ANSWER:

• 1Sa 25:21 Now David had said, Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow hath in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained unto him: and he hath requited me evil for good.

OBSERVATION:

• “Though David has demonstrated amazing self-restraint with murderous King Saul, he, like us, feels deeply wounded when told that he is a nobody and amounts to nothing. This is compounded by the fact that he had shown kindness and was being rewarded with insults and humiliation.” SSL 39
• Notice what David said in the previous chapter regarding King Saul: 1Sa 24:12 “The LORD judge between me and thee, and the LORD avenge me of thee: but mine hand shall not be upon thee.”
• David recognized God as his Avenger in chapter 24; but in chapter 25, he sought to avenge himself.

APPLICATION QUESTION:

• How do you respond when others insult you with disrespect after you have done so much good for them?
• Do you feel like they owe you their kindness?
• How can you overcome this temptation? 

DISCUSSION QUESTION:

• Why is it so bad to think of those whom we help as owing us their love, kindness, and generosity?

3. Read carefully Abigail’s speech in 1 Samuel 25:23–31. Contrast that to Nabal’s reply (vss. 10, 11). What does this tell us about the difference between the two of them?

ANSWER:

• Abigail: “My lord.”
• Nabal: “Who is David?” 

OBSERVATION:

• Abigail uses the phrase “my lord” 14 times in her speech.
• These words, as well as her charitable gift to David and his men, were able to turn away the wrath of David.

APPLICATION QUESTION:

• What would you do if you were Abigail? Would you come to the defense of someone who deserved to get what was coming to them?

CONCLUSION:

• Ro 12:17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. . . . Ro 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
• Abigail clearly showed the right spirit as a mediator. She showed unconditional love for her unruly and foolish husband by taking personal responsibility for his actions. Yet at the same time, by her kind words and implications she was also able to subdue the irritated feelings of David.
• Abigail is a type of Christ here. The wrath of God is against all unrighteousness. Yet this wrath is postponed to a later time because of the intercession of Christ. At the same time, while Christ takes our guilt upon Himself, that kindness, or grace, melts and changes our hearts.
• “The Spirit of the Son of God was abiding in her soul.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 667.

Oct16–22: Jonathan: Born for Greatness

Teaching Points

1. Read 1 Samuel 14 and make a chapter outline.

ANSWER:

• 1Sa 14:1-15 Jonathan and his armor-bearer attack the Philistines
• 1Sa 14:16-23 the Philistines turn against one another in their confusion
• 1Sa 14:24-46 Saul’s oath and Jonathan spared from death
• 1Sa 14:47-52 Saul’s conquests and Saul’s family

OBSERVATION:

• “Because of Saul's sin in his presumptuous offering, the Lord would not give him the honor of vanquishing the Philistines.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 623.
• Yet in 1 Samuel 1:47-52 we learn that God still worked through Saul, gaining victories for Israel.

DISCUSSION QUESTION:

• Why do you think God still wrought victories through Saul?

2. What are the steps that Jonathan undertakes before climbing up to the enemy outpost? 1 Sam. 14:6–13.

ANSWER:

• 1Sa 14:6 “Come, and let us” – Jonathan consults his armor-bearer about the attack
• 1Sa 14:6 “It may be” – Jonathan is not presumptuous; he is humble and cautious, yet confident and dependent upon God at the same time
• 1Sa 14:6 “No restraint” – Jonathan is already giving God the credit for being more than able to do the work, whether with large or small numbers
• 1Sa 14:7-13 “The Lord hath delivered” – It is pretty clear that God was ordering this attack 

SOP:

• Jonathan, the king's son, a man who feared the Lord, was chosen as the instrument to deliver Israel. Moved by a divine impulse, he proposed to his armor-bearer that they should make a secret attack upon the enemy's camp….  {PP 623.1} 
• The armor-bearer, who also was a man of faith and prayer, encouraged the design, and together they withdrew from the camp, secretly, lest their purpose should be opposed. With earnest prayer to the Guide of their fathers, they agreed upon a sign by which they might determine how to proceed.  {PP 623.2}
• These two men gave evidence that they were moving under the influence and command of a more than human general. To outward appearance, their venture was rash, and contrary to all military rules. But the action of Jonathan was not done in human rashness. He depended not on what he and his armor-bearer themselves could do; he was the instrument that God used in behalf of his people Israel. They made their plans, and rested their cause in the hands of God.  {YI, November 24, 1898 par. 6}

APPLICATION QUESTION:

• How do you know if you are resting your plans in the hands of God or not?

3. Read 1 Samuel 14:24–46. How could Jonathan, had he wanted, used this incident as an excuse to stop honoring his father? Have not people turned on their own parents for less? What does this tell us about the kind of person Jonathan was?

ANSWER:

• Jonathan could have rebelled against his father’s decree. But this shows the true character of Jonathan. Just when Saul’s rash character is revealed, so is Jonathan’s, who patiently waits on the Lord for his deliverance and vindication. Ps 37:7 “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.”

APPLICATION QUESTION:

• How do you treat those who are wrong and in authority over you? Do you still obey them, or rebel against them? 

DISCUSSION QUESTION:

• We are admonished to obey our parents “in the Lord” (Eph 6:1). Since Saul’s decree was obviously not “in the Lord”, then why do you think Jonathan would allow himself to be killed?
• How can one determine whether or not something is in the Lord or not?

4. Read 1 Samuel 31:1–7 and 2 Samuel 1:5–12. What kind of end did Jonathan have? How do we understand this?

ANSWER:

• Sometimes God rewards his faithful servants at the resurrection morning.

CONCLUSION:

• Ex 20:12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
• Jonathan’s life of unselfish love to his father is a testimony of what it means to truly honor your father and mother. Through the dark times of Saul—even when he was against his own son—Jonathan stood by him, giving him loyal support, even though Saul many times acted out his own rash will. 

Oct9–15: Hannah: Learning to Be Someone

Teaching Points

1. Read 1 Samuel and make an outline of the chapter.

ANSWER:

• 1Sa 1:1-8 Elkanah and his two wives, Hannah and Peninnah
• 1Sa 1:9-18 Hannah’s prayer
• 1Sa 1:19-23 Hannah’s prayer answered: the birth of Samuel
• 1Sa 1:24-28 Hannah presents Samuel to the Lord

2. Read 1 Samuel 1:1–16. Why was Hannah so distraught over not having children, even though she knew that her husband loved her?

ANSWER:

• 1Sa 1:2 And he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. … 1Sa 1:5 But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the LORD had shut up her womb. 1Sa 1:6 And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb.
• From the way Peninnah treated Hannah, it seems very probable that being able to give your husband children meant a special honor and blessing in the home and society. 

OBSERVATION:

• “The blessing so earnestly sought by every Hebrew was denied this godly pair (Elkanah and Hannah)…”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 569.
• “Having no child at all was understood as a divine curse. Both in the public and in the family sphere, a woman without a child had to live with a stigma of supposedly being cursed by God.
• “For Hannah, jealousy and the sense of ‘being nobody’ created an explosive mix of emotions that finally blew up when she poured out her heart before the Lord. What made matters worse was that Hannah was not getting younger. Time was against her, and, apparently, so was God.
• “Remember also that in Hannah’s time, a woman’s role in society was associated primarily with child bearing and rearing. There were no other career possibilities. A woman could not just change careers and find fulfillment in another occupation. We have examples of woman judges and female prophetic leadership in the Old Testament, but these are indeed limited and depended on God’s direct call. It was only through children that Hannah could count the worth of her life and leave a legacy. To her, without children her life had no real meaning.” SSL 23

DISCUSSION QUESTION:

• Why do you think God waited until Hannah made her vow to give her a child?
• Why do you think God allowed Hannah to first go through the bitter experience and conflict before granting her request?
• Most likely Hannah was Elkannah’s first wife, then why didn’t God just give them a child of their own from the start, before Elkannah married Peninnah?

APPLICATION QUESTION:

• How do you respond when God does not answer your prayer in the time and manner in which you asked? Do you continue to pray for the blessing, or do you assume the blessing is not for you?
• How do you feel when you think God has not blessed you? When you think about it, is that really true? What can you do to change those thoughts and feelings?
• How can you prevent yourself from thinking that bad things are happening to you because God is punishing you? What can we learn from Hannah’s example?

3. Observe another problem Hannah was facing, and how did she respond?

ANSWER:

• 1Sa 1:6 And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb. 1Sa 1:7 And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat.
• 1Sa 1:10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore. 

OBSERVATION:

• “Those who are closest to us often know how to hurt us most. With Peninnah’s constant provocations, it is not surprising that Hannah’s life became bitter.” SSL 24
• Yet Hannah did not respond to those provocations in a retaliating way. We can clearly see the meek and quiet spirit of Hannah, especially when severely tested.

APPLICATION QUESTION:

• How do you react when someone provokes you? What do you feel like doing at that moment, especially if you are in the right and done nothing wrong? 

4. Read what the Spirit of Prophecy has to say about why Hannah was in such a trying position.

SOP:

• The blessing so earnestly sought by every Hebrew was denied this godly pair; their home was not gladdened by the voice of childhood; and the desire to perpetuate his name led the husband--as it had led many others--to contract a second marriage. But this step, prompted by a lack of faith in God, did not bring happiness. Sons and daughters were added to the household; but the joy and beauty of God's sacred institution had been marred and the peace of the family was broken. Peninnah, the new wife, was jealous and narrow-minded, and she bore herself with pride and insolence. To Hannah, hope seemed crushed and life a weary burden; yet she met the trial with uncomplaining meekness.  {PP 569.2}

OBSERVATION:

• Elkannah had good intentions to bring happiness to his home and multiply his seed.
• However good the intentions, it led to family division and bitterness of soul for Hannah.
• This is similar to Abraham: Ge 16:2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. 

SPIRITUAL LESSON:

• You can want to do the right thing but yet still relying on your flesh to do it. The flesh doesn’t necessarily mean only desiring to do bad things.
• How can you determine whether or not you are performing by the flesh versus by the Spirit?

DISCUSSION QUESTION:

• What kind of sin did Elkannah commit in marrying Peninnah? Is it considered adultery if he’s married to her?
• Why do you think God allowed righteous men such as Abraham and Elkannah to marry more than one wife? Why would this not be a wise practice for today? 

5. What kind of spirit and attitude did Hannah have while in prayer?

ANSWER:

• 1Sa 1:10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore. … 1Sa 1:15 And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD.

OBSERVATION:

• Hannah was in “bitterness” and had a “sorrowful” spirit while in prayer to God for her request.
• It’s interesting that her earnest prayer was said in her heart (see verse 13).

DISCUSSION QUESTION:

• What other characters in the Bible had a similar experience (think of Daniel, Moses, Jesus, etc)? What was common about all their prayers? What can we learn about from these examples about how to approach God in our own bitter and sorrowful times?

CONCLUSION:

• It is obvious that the turning point of this whole chapter is Hannah’s prayer. Her prayer changed her bitter experience into a great joy. It also brought the blessing she and her husband longed to have, but without relying on what they could do to bring it. Hannah’s prayer attitude is an example of what to do when in circumstances that seem to look like God has put us under a curse.

APPLICATION QUESTION:

• What attitude do you bring to God in prayer when experiencing difficult times? Do you come to Him doubting His love for you, or do you come to Him like Hannah, giving Him your sorrows but without complaint?
• Do you desire to please God but yet still relying on your flesh to do those things? How can you prevent yourself from living this experience?

Oct2–8: Caleb: Living With the Wait

 

Teaching Points

1. Read Numbers 13:26-14:2. What lesson can we learn from this account about living by faith and not by sight?

ANSWER:

• Nu 13:30  And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.

OBSERVATION:

• Originally, it was the people—not God—who wanted to go and search out the land: De 1:22 And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come.
• Read Numbers 13:2, 16-21. God agreed with the people’s suggestion; however, based upon the whole of chapter 13, God put more emphasis on the land and not on the people.
• Yet in Numbers 13:26-14:2 it is obvious the people enlarged upon the difficulties and dangers of their conquest—they focused much more on what they saw.
• “What we see, and how we interpret what we see, can have very direct personal consequences. Our interpretations of ‘facts’ form the building blocks of our daily decisions, and these ‘facts’ so often interact with our emotions. The idea that we can believe whatever we like without those beliefs affecting who we are and what we do is a myth.” SSL 15
• God’s way was clear: Just go and possess the land, but if you want to send spies, then go ahead, but My directions are to focus more on the land.
• Man’s way was also clear: We will give more attention to that which God had not emphasized.
• It is obvious that ten of the spies, along with the rest of the congregation, walked by sight and not by faith.
• Walking by sight meant that they depended on their own calculations and judgment apart from God’s word. They put their own reasoning powers above the word of God.
• But Caleb said, “Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.”
• Caleb exercised faith—strong faith—in the midst of the bad reports from the other spies.
• So in order for Caleb to exercise faith, he had to go against speak out against what the people were emphasizing.
• In order for Caleb to speak out like this, he had to go against the facts about the people of the land, as well as go against the pressure of the other spies.
• Basically, Caleb went against what he could see and hear. This is faith—he denied his natural senses and did not put his trust in them over God’s word. 

DISCUSSION QUESTION:

• Why is it so easy to live by sight and not by faith?
• Notice that Caleb did not rebuke the people for their faithlessness or sin, he just spoke out courageously to trust and obey God—why do you think he did it that way?

APPLICATION QUESTION:

• How do you respond to the “plain old facts” that seem to go against God’s word? Do you go against the facts or do you go against God’s word?
• How do you respond to others’ complaints? Do you complain about their complaints? Or do you, like Caleb, stand tall and speak positive?
• Are people blessed by your courage, or do people avoid you because of your courage? 

2. Read Numbers 14:1–10, 20–24. What do we see here as an end result of rejecting God’s Word and thus coming to a faulty interpretation of the “facts”?

ANSWER:

• Nu 14:2  And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness! Nu 14:3 And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?
• Nu 14:10  But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel.
• Nu 14:22  Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; Nu 14:23  Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it: 

OBSERVATION:

• Heb 3:11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)
• After complaining against Moses, Aaron, and God, and then attempting to stone Joshua and Caleb—the end result is that they will not enter into the Promised Land.
• Perhaps the worst part of it all was when they said, “Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.”
• Now Moses, Aaron, Joshua, and Caleb have to suffer the consequences of the rebellion of the people. 

DISCUSSION QUESTION:

• The people acknowledged their sin in verse 40. Why didn’t God accept their confession and allow them to come into the land of Canaan?

APPLICATION QUESTION:

• How do you react when everyone is at fault but you? Do you point out their fault with an attitude of “I told you so”?
• Do you sometimes break away from those at fault to join a new movement or church?
• How can you be more like Caleb in these situations? 

3. Read Joshua 14. What request does Caleb make, and why do you think he made it? What does this tell us about him and his faith?

ANSWER:

• Jos 14:12 Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said.

OBSERVATION:

• Notice that Caleb wants to secure the land where the Anakims dwell. What do we know about these people from the Bible?
• Nu 13:22  And they ascended by the south, and came unto Hebron; where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) …. Nu 13:28  Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. … Nu 13:33  And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.
• De 1:28  Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.
• De 2:10  The Emims dwelt therein in times past, a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims; De 2:11  Which also were accounted giants, as the Anakims; but the Moabites call them Emims. … De 2:21  A people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims; but the LORD destroyed them before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead:
• De 9:2  A people great and tall, the children of the Anakims, whom thou knowest, and of whom thou hast heard say, Who can stand before the children of Anak!
• It is pretty clear from these verses that the Anakims were a very tall, great, strong, and gigantic people.
• I see a very important point that Caleb is making here. Caleb’s voice was the one that said in the midst of the evil reports from the unbelieving spies, “Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it” (Nu 13:30). Now, continuing in the strength of God, he chooses to take possession of the place that all the other spies thought unable to overcome. What consistency in his faith!

SOP:

• [Caleb] therefore presented a request that Hebron he given him for a possession. Here had been for many years the home of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and here, in the cave of Machpelah, they were buried. Hebron was the seat of the dreaded Anakim, whose formidable appearance had so terrified the spies, and through them destroyed the courage of all Israel. This, above all others, was the place which Caleb, trusting in the strength of God, chose for his inheritance.  {PP 511.4}
• Caleb's faith now was just what it was when his testimony had contradicted the evil report of the spies. He had believed God's promise that He would put His people in possession of Canaan, and in this he had followed the Lord fully. … He did not ask for himself a land already conquered, but the place which above all others the spies had thought it impossible to subdue. By the help of God he would wrest his stronghold from the very giants whose power had staggered the faith of Israel. It was no desire for honor or aggrandizement that prompted Caleb's request. The brave old warrior was desirous of giving to the people an example that would honor God, and encourage the tribes fully to subdue the land which their fathers had deemed unconquerable.  {PP 512.2}

CONCLUSION:

• The word of God doesn’t become outdated or old over time. It still has the same power to accomplish what it says as when it was first spoken from the mouth of God long ago. We saw Caleb’s faith in Numbers 13, and his faith in God’s power didn’t change 45 years later at the division of Canaan in Joshua 14. In order for Caleb to do this, he had to make constant decisions to go against what he could see and hear. He had to deny his natural senses. Therefore, if we would exercise a similar faith to enter into the Heavenly Canaan, we also need to deny ourselves by the power of God.

APPLICATION QUESTION:

• Ask yourself this question. How has the passing of time affected your commitment to God? Has it grown deeper or has it become shallow? Has it grown at all?
• What can you do this week that would give you a deeper experience with God?