Lesson: As a sovereign God rules and overrules in the affairs of human beings. Text(s): 2 Samuel 7 Ice-Breakers: (opening questions to ask the members of the group) 1. Share with your group a time when God interrupted your plans and called you to change your direction. Include in your story how you reacted to God’s challenge. 2. Brainstorm together all the ways your group has experienced or heard or read about God’s disruptive entry into someone’s life. Ask each person to share about the disruption without a lot of detail. The idea is to note how often and varied are these disruptions. Background: King David has come a long way from tending sheep in his father’s pasture. Samuel has anointed him king in place of disobedient Saul (1 Sam 16). He has defeated the Philistine champion Goliath. He has served with distinction as a military commander in Saul’s army and became part of Saul’s inner circle, marrying his daughter Michal. As Saul descended into madness David became enemy #1 of the king barely escaping from the court with his life. David was chased around the desert of southern Judea for nearly a decade before Saul and Jonathan were killed in battle with the Philistine armies. The southern tribal leaders of Judah asked David to serve as their king and after a protracted civil war the northern tribes did the same. David then set about building a nation by first conquering Jerusalem and establishing his capital city there. He built himself a fine palace. He then brought the ark into the city and established centralized worship in Jerusalem. In our text (2 Sam 7) David sets out to build a temple to house the ark when God interrupts those plans with a much larger plan of His own. Digging Deeper: - Read 2 Samuel 7 aloud in your group. Notice how many times in this chapter God says He is going to do something on David’s behalf. Eugene Peterson counts 23 first-person God statements. God was countering David’s desire to do something (build a temple) for Him. Why do you think God did this? Do you think this is a difficulty for contemporary believers?
- Geno noted that there were four major covenants flowing from God’s initiative in relation to human beings (with Noah, Abraham, Moses and David). What does initiating and keeping covenants reveal about the nature and character of God?
- Geno spoke about the Hebrew word Hesed and its meaning as that of the loving, loyal, merciful attitude behind the concrete act of entering into covenant between two individuals and also between God and human beings. Why do you think God decided to sustain Hesed with David and his sons and not with Saul? (see 7:15)
- In 7:18 the text says that David went in and ‘sat’ in the presence of God. What is so important about the meaning of this very common action that it receives special note in the text?
- EXTRA CREDIT: Scholars widely agree that the coming of Christ is heavily foreshadowed in this encounter between David and God. With your group list ways in which the prophet Nathan’s words to King David prefigure New Testament teachings about the nature of Jesus. (* see below for one scholar’s answer)
Wrap Up: - David stopped what he was doing, laid aside is plans and listened to God’s word of direction to him. Are there plans you have made or a direction in which you are driving that the Lord of Hosts wishes to adjust? Often times someone close to us can answer this question better than we can. Notice that God used Nathan to communicate with David. Is there someone to whom you need to listen for advice or rebuke?
- David’s second reaction was to praise and honor God as the sovereign one. Take some time in your huddles to give God praise for his free intervention into your life. Thank Him that He has not left us to our own devices but rules and overrules in our lives.
Reaching Out: - If your group or a few individuals in your group participated in the Neighborhood Bible Clubs consider asking one of the families you met to join you at a small group gathering for a meal and some conversation.
- The stories about God’s disruptive activities in our lives can be powerful testimonies to others. Look for opportunities to share your story with a friend or perhaps set up a small gathering with the intent of sharing these stories. Be sure to tell your invited non-believing friend what you plans include so he/she will not feel ambushed.
* “The Lord’s words recorded here arguably play the single most significant role of any Scripture found in the Old Testament in shaping the Christian understanding of Jesus. The divine declarations proclaimed here through the prophet Nathan are foundational for seven major New Testament teachings about Jesus: that he is (1) the son of David (cf. Matt 1:1; Acts 13:22-23; Rom 1:3; 2 Tim 2:8; Rev 2:1, etc.); (2) one who would rise from the dead (cf. Acts 2:30; 13:23); (3) the builder of the house for God (cf. John 2:19-22; Heb 3:3-4, etc.) (4) the possessor of a throne (cf. Heb 1:8; Rev 3:21, etc.); (5) the possessor of an eternal kingdom (cf. I Cor 15:24-25; Eph 5:5 Heb 1:8; 2 Pet 1:11, etc.); (6) the son of God (cf. Mark 1:1; John 20:31; Acts 9:20; Heb 4:14; Rev 2:18 etc.); and (7) the product of an immaculate conception, since he had God as his father (cf. Luke 1:32-35).” (Bergen, New American Commentary 1996, 7:337-338) |
