Archive for the ‘David’ tag
September 20, 2009: The Wisdom of Solomon
Key Points
- Solomon, though wise, needed what we and all sinners need: Christ, Wisdom Himself, and the forgiveness He brings.
- Law: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, yet, in my sin, I fear many things more than I fear the Lord.
- Gospel: Jesus is wisdom personified, who gives to me and all who believe in Him a share of His wisdom, that is, Himself.
Context
Solomon, the second child of David and Bathsheba, was Israel’s third king. A self-described “little child” when be assumed the throne (1 Kings 3:7), he reigned forty years (tenth century BC). Right after becoming king, he settled some old political scores relating to his father’s reign (1 Kings 2:13–46); then “the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon” (1 Kings 2:46). Though the nation expanded its borders, there was money galore, the temple was built, and Israel was relatively at peace with its neighbors, all was not well. Solomon, though “he was wiser than all other men” (1 Kings 4:31), foolishly overtaxed and overworked his citizens and contracted alliances with Gentile nations. Worst of all, his pagan wives “turned away his heart after other gods” so that he “did what was evil in the sight of the LORD” (1 Kings 11:4, 6). As a result, after his death the nation split into the Northern Kingdom (Israel) and the Southern Kingdom (Judah).
September 13, 2009: Nathan Rebukes David
Key Points
- Just as God accepted and forgave King David and other great saints who committed grave sins, He accepts and forgives us, all for the sake of Christ.
- Law: Weighted down by my sins, I make excuses and put the blame on God and others.
- Gospel: God is faithful and just to forgive my sins because Jesus, God’s Son, has taken the blame for me, heaping upon Himself the sins of the world.
September 6, 2009: David Becomes King
The text for this lesson is 1 Samuel 16:1–13; 2 Samuel 5:1–10.
Key Points
- Just as David reigned over Israel, so the God-man, Jesus, our David, reigns over the kingdom of grace, of which we are citizens.
- Law: My sinful foolishness blinds me to the wise ways of my heavenly Father.
- Gospel: God truly sees and knows what I need; He does what is good, right, and salutary for me through His Son.
Context
For the Israelites, the grass was always greener on the other side of the political fence. Not content with having God alone as their King, they wanted a man to wear the crown, like their peer nations had. (See 1 Samuel 8:19–20.) So God gave them Saul. But God also forewarned them: green grass is deceptive, as the Israelites soon discovered for themselves. Saul’s reign began well but then went downhill. Angered by Saul’s acts of insubordination, the Lord through Samuel told Saul that because he had rejected God’s Word, God had rejected him from being king over Israel (1 Samuel 15:26). The Lord would give the kingship to a neighbor of Saul’s, someone better than he (1 Samuel 15:28). As the ensuing story tells us, David was that neighbor.
June 28, 2009: The Friendship of David and Jonathan
The text for this lesson is 1 Samuel 18:1–4; 19:1–7; 20:1–42; 2 Samuel 1:17–27.
Key Points
- Rather than being jealous that God had chosen David to be king and ancestor of the Messiah, Jonathan accepted God’s plan and befriended David.
- Law: When we see others being honored, we often become jealous.
- Gospel: In our Baptism into Christ Jesus, God has chosen and honored each of us beyond any human accolades.
Context
The Lord chose David to replace disobedient King Saul (1 Samuel 13:1–14; 15:23; 16:12). After David was anointed king, “The Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the LORD tormented him” (1 Samuel 16:14). David was called to play the lyre for Saul, which relieved his spiritual torment. Saul became even more dependent on David after he killed Goliath (1 Samuel 17) and was set over Israel’s army (1 Samuel 18:5). Almost immediately, Saul became extremely jealous of David’s successes, began to view David as a threat to his throne, and attempted to kill David (1 Samuel 18:5–27). Saul realized that the Lord was with David and became even more afraid of him; thus, “Saul was David’s enemy continually” (1 Samuel 18:29).
1 Samuel 18–31 recounts the drama of Saul’s efforts to secure his throne by killing David. Though David was anointed king by the Lord in 1025 BC, he did not become king of Judah (the southern kingdom) until 1010 (2 Samuel 2), after Saul and his son Jonathan died (1 Samuel 31). David became king of Israel (the northern kingdom) in 1003 (2 Samuel 5).
June 21, 2009: David, the Shepherd Boy
The text for this lesson is 1 Samuel 16:11; 17:32–35; Psalm 23.
Key Points
- While David tended his flock, the Lord was David’s shepherd—protecting him, leading him, and providing for him.
- Law: Many jobs involve real danger, and though we are often unaware of it, Satan has the power to do us harm at any moment.
- Gospel: Our Good Shepherd walks with us even through the valley of the shadow of death, assuring us that no matter what evil we encounter, He will defend us into eternal life.
- Law: As we handle the tasks assigned to us, we may rely on ourselves and wrongly think we are the ones doing great things.
- Gospel: God accomplishes great things and honors us by using us.
Context
The Lord delivered Israel out of Egyptian slavery in 1446 BC and led them into the Promised Land in 1406. After the deaths of Moses and Joshua, various judges exercised leadership in Israel, from about 1380–1050 BC. Israel, however, wanted a king; they foolishly rejected the Lord’s kingship over them (1 Samuel 8:1–9).
Saul reigned from 1050 until 1010. He wickedly disobeyed the Lord’s Word (1 Samuel 13:1–14; 15:23), and so the Lord rejected him and chose “a man after His own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14) to replace him. In about 1025 David was anointed to succeed Saul as king (1 Samuel 16:1–13) and took the throne in 1010.
November 30, 2008: David and Jonathan
The text for this lesson is 1 Samuel 18:1–30; 20:1–42.
Key Points
- Just as God filled Jonathan’s heart with love for David and David’s with love for Jonathan, so Christ fills our heart with God’s love, enabling us to love our neighbor.
- Law: Hatred and envy shatter ties, even the closest of family ties. They turn a mother against her daughter, a father against her son, as they did Saul against Jonathan. This, in turn, spawns murderous thoughts, if not murder itself.
- Gospel: “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy” (1 Corinthians 13:4). Jonathan’s love for David and David’s for Jonathan was the love of God within their hearts spilling over into each other’s lives. We love because God first loved us (1 John 4:19), giving us His Son: love enfleshed.
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November 23, 2008: David and Goliath
The text for this lesson is 1 Samuel 17:1—58.
Key Points
- As David slew the giant Goliath, so David’s greater Son—Jesus—slew the jeering Goliaths of sin, Satan, and death with the weapon of His own death.
- Law: The enemies that face Christians are hardly pipsqueak rivals easily trounced. The devil is a roaring lion, not a hissing kitten. Danger and death await the believer who belittles these foes. Beware.
- Gospel: We do not fight our adversaries alone. In fact, there is one who fights for us: Jesus Christ. With His word of truth, He fells them as easily as David downed Goliath with a sling. His victory is our victory. “We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). More than conquerors are we, for we are kings and queens with the King of Kings Himself.
November 16, 2008: Saul Becomes King
The text for this lesson is 1 Samuel 8:1—10:27; 11:12–15.
Key Points
- Though God lets us have our own way at times, His is the way of forgiving and saving, which He did for His people of old and for us today.
- Law: “Be careful what you wish for,” we’re often told. This is very good advice for sinners, since we wish—indeed, we crave—the very things that lead to our undoing. We “Israels” clamor for our own “Sauls,” no matter how much God warns us that we are like thirsty travelers begging for salty water.
- Gospel: The Lord knows what we need, both in terms of discipline and in terms of grace. As a loving Father, He upholds us, even when we bear the painful consequences of our own choices. He forgives us our faults and sustains our hopes. For in Christ, we are His children, beloved beyond words.
