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Week Twelve – June 12-18, 2016

June 10, 2016 By Leave a Comment

2 Samuel

Ask.

  • Have you ever experienced a relationship change where someone who was once a friend began to treat you poorly?
  • Have you ever tried to confront someone who was mad at you who wouldn’t explain what had happened to change things between the two of you?
  • Have you ever been anxious or sad about something when everyone else told you you should be happy or excited?

Listen.

Once he realized that Saul could not continue on as King of the Israelites, Samuel secretly anointed a boy named David. This meant that as far as God was concerned, David would be the next true king of Israel. At first, David was welcomed in Saul’s court. He was a gifted poet and musician, a war hero after killing Goliath and he even became best friends with Jonathan (Saul’s son). But jealousy soon crept into Saul’s heart. When David returned from a military operation that had seemed impossible to survive, the women sang, “Saul has slain his thousands but David has slain his tens of thousands.” Saul finally realized the threat posed by David’s popularity with the common people and began plotting to have him killed. It broke David’s hear to lose the King’s friendship. He left court with many loyal warriors and became an outlaw. A civil war broke out with each side gaining the upper hand at different points until finally Saul was killed in a battle against the Philistines. David was saddened at the loss of the men who were once his mentor (Saul) and his best friend (Jonathan). But the people rallied around him as he took the throne.

Through the prophet Nathan, God talked to David about what would happen next…

Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

– 2 Samuel 7:8-13 (NRSV)

When David heard all that God planned to accomplish through his reign, he was overwhelmed. In so many ways, he was still the farm boy, the son of a shepherd who had gotten caught up in events bigger than him. Yet here he was now sitting on the throne of a kingdom, instantly wealthy beyond his dreams, beloved by the people and the favored champion of his God.

Think.

  • How hard to do you think it would be to stay humble with all that suddenly thrust upon David? Would you be able to handle it?
  • How hard would it be to be King Saul and see how everyone stopped celebrating you and began celebrating David? How would you try to handle it in his shoes?
  • Who are some public figures in our culture today (celebrities, athletes, etc.) that people like to point out have been negatively “changed” by fame or success? Do you think that’s fair?
  • When David got hold of the warrior who had killed Saul, he had him executed. Then he mourned the loss of his king, even as he took his throne. How would you react to the downfall of a “frenemy” in your own life?

Remember.

Worrying about what other people are doing or saying can backfire.
Saul was not necessarily a bad king. Yes, there were some things he got wrong. But overwhelmingly he made sure in his personal life and in the life of his nation that God’s laws were obeyed. What ultimately led to his downfall was his jealousy of David – another person who was doing his best to live for God. While Saul was so fixated on stopping David, it was a battle against the Philistines that led to his death.

Pray.

Consider someone who you feel has made your life more difficult despite your feeling that they are not justified in how they feel about you. Pray for that person. Pray that God will bless them and that they will change their mind about you. Ask God to guide your words and actions toward that person to reflect your best, not your worst, thoughts about them.

More.

Youtuber Kaitlin discusses her “frenemy” from when she was in high school. Watch the video and think about what she advises. Does she get it right? What do you think? https://youtu.be/W3bI-Jmlp4Q

 

 

Filed Under: Blog, Summer 2016 Devos, Youth Ministry Blog Tagged With: , , , , ,

Week Eleven: June 5-11, 2016

June 3, 2016 By Leave a Comment

1 Samuel – Power’s Problem

Ask.

  • Have you ever asked your parents for something that you felt like you just couldn’t live without?
  • Did they try to convince you that you really wouldn’t enjoy it once you had it?
  • Have you ever tried to persuade your friends not to do something because you thought it wasn’t a good idea but ultimately they decided to do it anyway?

Listen.

The twelve tribes of Israel continued to live in the Promised Land under the law of Moses with guidance from the judges. Yet time and again, they turned away from the holy rules for living that they had vowed to keep which led to renewed attacks by the enemies on their borders – like the Philistines who had landed on the coast and settled there. And each time, God raised up new judges to beat back their enemies and to remind them of their vows. This pattern repeated itself for around a hundred years.

But as the Israelites looked at the strength of their neighbors, they noticed something that each of them had but that they did not: a king. So they petitioned to God to give them an earthly king that they could be proud of and rally to in times of danger. Speaking through the last of the great judges, a man named Samuel, God warned the people of Israel that any king, no matter how faithful at first, would always be tempted to stray from God’s law and would eventually abuse their power for their own gain. But the people were adamant. They demanded a king. Samuel was furious that the people were so stuck on having a king like their neighbors. They even seemed to care less about his character than whether or not he looked the part of a king. God comforted him and helped him select a boy named Saul, who was handsome, strong and faithful. This would be their new king. Samuel spoke to the people from the high ground of a battle site where God had led them to a recent victory over the Philistines.

Samuel summoned the people to the LORD at Mizpah and said to them, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’ But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses; and you have said, ‘No! but set a king over us.’ Now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and by your clans.”
– 1 Samuel 10:18-19 (NRSV)

When Saul was presented to the people, they immediately said he looked the part of a king – they didn’t even care about his character! They were pleased and eventually all the Israelites pledged their loyalty to him. Samuel was sick about how shallow they were being and wrote out everything he could think of to guide Saul on how to rule wisely and to keep the young king from abusing his power or disobeying God. And then he did his best to serve him as a loyal advisor. But over the years of his reign, even Saul began to care less about Samuel’s instructions for how to follow God’s desires. So finally in secret, Samuel sought out and anointed the son of a shepherd (he poured sacred oil on his head, marking him as special) so that one day this boy would rise up to take the throne from Saul.

Think.

Have you ever seen people rally to someone hoping that they think could fix all the country’s problems if only they were president? Or have you ever noticed how a coach who has won countless games suddenly has fans booing them and questioning their coaching when their team gets behind? What does this say about politicians or coaches or other people in leadership positions? What does this say about people who follow or support them and who later change their minds? Why do we project our shortcomings or hopes and fears on other people?

Remember.

Only God can be trusted with absolute power. And only God is perfect.
We often expect, even demand, things that in the end are not in our best interests. We get offended when someone tells us that we don’t know what is best for us. We are surprised and hurt when someone that we trust acts selfishly and not in our interests. We enjoy reading gossip about the failures of politicians and celebrities. It’s been said that power corrupts; and that absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Pray.

Pray for our leaders. Pray that as they make decisions they consider, not just their own interests, but what glorifies God and what helps the weak and those without access to power and influence.

More.

In the Marshmallow Experiment, children at Watermark Community Church wrestle with waiting to eat a marshmallow in hopes of a bigger prize. This experiment is based on many previous and similar scientific tests. https://youtu.be/QX_oy9614HQ

 

Filed Under: Blog, Summer 2016 Devos, Youth Ministry Blog Tagged With: , , , ,