Back to: CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS STUDIES SS2
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In today’s Christain Religious Studies class, We will be learning about David’s Submission to the Will of God. We hope you enjoy the class!
DAVID’S SUBMISSION TO THE WILL OF GOD (1Sam. 26:1-25)
David although anointed the King of Israel was not crowned as the king because Saul the current King was alive. Saul was after David’s life. This was very true because the Spirit of God had left Saul and another spirit from God was troubling him. David ‘s continuous success became a threat to him. When David saw clearly that Saul was after his life he fled to the wilderness.
The Ziphites informed Saul about David’s hideout in the wilderness. Saul arose immediately to look for David with three thousand chosen soldiers, this was aimed at killing David however the Lord saved David.
David had the opportunity to kill Saul twice but he did not kill him stating that Saul was the anointed of the Lord. Despite being pressured by one of his soldiers Abishai that “God has given your enemy into your hands this day” David refused to kill Saul. Abishai made a request to kill Saul on David’s behalf. But David refused Abishai’s request, saying, “God forbid that I should put forth my hand against the Lord’s anointed but take now this spear at his head and jar of water and let us go.”
In this way, David submitted to the will of God because he knew it was wrong to touch someone like Saul who was the anointed of God. He left the scene with Abishai and moved a distance away before calling Saul and Abner. He challenged Abner for not protecting his master soul as expected of a commander. David asked Abner for Saul’s spear and a jar of water. Saul recognized David’s voice then realised what was happening, he felt guilty and repented, he also promised not to seek David’s life. David after this returned the jar of water and spear to Saul through one of his men.
In this episode, David did not only demonstrate his submission to God’s will but also an act of forgiveness towards someone who was after his life.
David: Sin, Punishment and Repentance (2Sam 11&12).
There was a war between Israel and the ammonites, Joab and the army went to war but David stayed back in Jerusalem. One day, as David took a walk around the roof of his house (palace) he saw a woman who was having her bath. This woman was beautiful and David’s heart lusted after her, so he sent someone to find out who she was. The feedback came that she was Bathsheba the daughter of Eliam and wife of Uriah the Hittite, a soldier in David’s army.
David sent his servant to bring Bathsheba he laid with her. A few days after, she sent words back to David that she was pregnant. In order to cover up for his sinful act, David sent a message to Joab asking him to send Uriah Bathsheba’s husband to him. When Uriah arrived David encouraged him to go to his house so that he might sleep with his wife. However, Uriah being a patriotic soldier refused. He said, “Joab and my Lord’s men are encamped in open-field. How could I go home to my house to eat and drink and sleep with my wife? Surely as you leave I will not do such a thing.” David made Uriah stay back for one more day so as to convince him to go home, he got him drunk yet Uriah did not go home, rather he slept among the king’s servants at the palace.
After David’s attempt to cover his sin proved abortive he committed murder by writing to Joab, the commander of the army to strategically put Uriah at a dangerous position then withdraw from him. God was displeased by David’s act, so he sent Nathan the prophet to David to announce the evil he had done.
Nathan conveyed the message to David using the parable of the rich man who had many flocks of sheep however took to a poor man’s only goat to entertain his visitor.
David was angry at the rich man’s behaviour. He said, ‘the rich man must be made to pay four times over what he took from the poor man and must be put to death.’ Nathan then revealed to him that he was the man.
Nathan told David about his wickedness in taking the only wife of Uriah and killing him. He also reminded David of how God gave him Saul’s wives and delivered him from Saul. Thereafter, Nathan declared the word of the Lord to David, these are:
- for killing Uriah with the sword of the ammonites the Sword of the ammonites shall not depart from David’s house
- God will raise evil against David out of his own house
- Before David’s eyes, God will give his wives to his neighbours who will sleep with them in broad daylight.
- The child of adultery with Bathsheba shall die.
David’s response to God’s words.
David was very remorseful in his reaction to Nathan’s decree. He said I have sinned against the Lord then Nathan told him that the Lord had forgiven him. Despite David’s plea for the child, the child died on the seventh day. After the child’s death, David rose from the ground, washed and anointed himself, changed his clothes then went into the house of the Lord to worship and after he returned to his house requested for food and ate. This act showed David’s submission to the will of God.
Lessons from David’s submission to the will of God
- We must not misuse our position no matter how highly placed we may be, we must learn from David’s action.
- Sexual sin is very dangerous. Thus, we must avoid it in all ways.
- one thing can lead to another we must close our eyes to all temptations from Satan to sin.
- Conspiracy is evil. It was the conspiracy between David and Joab that ended the life of Uriah.
- we must accept our faults whenever we are wrong as David did when Nathan confronted him.
- Just like David we must ask for forgiveness and make genuine repentance whenever we sin against God.
Evaluation
Describe the event that led to the statement by David “the Lord forbid that I should put forth my hand against the Lord’s anointed”
Assignment
- a. Describe the reaction of David to the death of the child born to him by Bathsheba.
- what two lessons can be learnt from this? (June 2003 WASSCE)
- Narrate the story in which David spared Saul’s life and indicate three significant lessons to be learnt from the episode.
Reading Assignment
Read the account of the reconciliation between David and Abner.
We have come to the end of this class. We do hope you enjoyed the class?
Should you have any further question, feel free to ask in the comment section below and trust us to respond as soon as possible.
In our next class, we will be learning about how Jonah Submitted to the Will of God. We are very much eager to meet you there.
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