Bible Study on King David and King Saul

1. Old Testament (OT) Journey
Lesson 19: From Sovereign God to Earthly Kings
GOD’S TOUCHPOINTS
Old Testament Summary
The Patriarchal Ages
The Judges
The Reign of Royalty
The Prophetic Era

2. OT Walkthru - The Reign of Royalty
1. From Sovereign God to Earthly Kings
2. David leverages the win-win
3. The falls and recoveries of David
4. Royal Verses – Psalms
5. Royal Wisdom – Proverbs, Ecclesiastes
6. A Royal Love Story – Song of Solomon
7. Division and Downfall of Israel
8. Esther, Queen of Persia

3. Presentation Overview
• 1 Samuel 3-17
• Israel demands a King
• A jump start with the
Holy Spirit
• A poor finish with an
evil spirit

4. Israel Demands a King
6 But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this
displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord
told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is
not you they have rejected, but they have
rejected me as their king.– I Samuel 8

5. Israel Demands a King
As they have done from the day I brought them
up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and
serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 9 Now
listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know
what the king who will reign over them will claim as his
rights.” – I Samuel 8

6. Saul – Chosen by God
23 They ran and brought him out, and as he
stood among the people he was a head
taller than any of the others. 24 Samuel said
to all the people, “Do you see the man
the LORD has chosen? There is no one
like him among all the people.” 1 Samuel
10

7. Saul Among the Prophets
9 As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s
heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day. 10 When
he and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a procession of
prophets met him; the Spirit of God came
powerfully upon him, and he joined in their
prophesying. 1 Samuel 10

8. Saul – Rejected by God
13“You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said. “You have
not kept the command the LORD your God gave you; if you
had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for
all time. 14 But now your kingdom will not endure;
the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and
appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not
kept the LORD’s command.” 1 Samuel 13

9. Saul’s Face Saver
30 Saul replied, “I have sinned. But please honor me
before the elders of my people and before
Israel; come back with me, so that I may worship
the LORD your God.” 31 So Samuel went back with Saul,
and Saul worshiped the LORD.
1 Samuel 15

10. Samuel Mourns for Saul
34 Then Samuel left for Ramah, but Saul went up to his home
in Gibeah of Saul. 35 Until the day Samuel died, he did not go
to see Saul again, though Samuel mourned for him. And
the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.
1 Samuel 15

11. Saul Seeks a Medium
5 Saul took one look at the Philistine army and started
shaking with fear.6 So he asked the LORD what to do. But
the LORD would not answer, either in a dream or by a priest
or a prophet. 7 Then Saul told his officers, “Find me a
woman who can talk to the spirits of the dead.
I’ll go to her and find out what’s going to happen.” 1 Samuel
28

12. Both Saul and David had humble
beginnings.
Saul sought man’s favour (I Samuel
15:30) – God removed his spirit (I
Samuel 16:1)
David sought God’s favour - God’s
spirit came mightily upon him (I
Samuel 16:13).

13. David Honoured
David is first brought to us in the Bible in a brilliant,
dramatic way. He is introduced to us in the Bible with a
huge head start. We see him:
• Honoured by God
• Honoured by the King
• Honoured by the people

14. Honoured by God
I Samuel 16
“For man looks at the outward appearance but God
looks at the heart”.

15. Discussion
Read 1 Samuel 16 v. 1-
14, 21-23
1. What qualities did
Samuel and Jesse look
for in their choice of a
King?
2. What did Jesse think
of David?

16. Honoured by God
• Read II Chronicles 16:9 “For the eyes of the LORD range
throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts
are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing,
and from now on you will be at war."
• Even today, God is looking for someone to anoint.
• Does God’s opinion of us or man’s opinion of us disturb
us more. How do we see people?

17. Discussion
The Lord is with him 1 Sam 16 v 18
1. What are some of the qualities David possesses now?
V. 18
2. What does that show about the work of the spirit? –
develops all aspects of personality.
3. How do you view this as part of God’s plan? – training
for Kingship…
4. What do we observe about David’s relationship with
Saul?

18. The Spirit of God in a person can
influence the most heathen rebel.
The Spirit of God in our lives can
drive out the evil spirit in others

19. Honoured by the King
Read I Samuel 16 :14-23
• 5 Whatever mission Saul sent him on, David was so
successful that Saul gave him a high rank in
the army. This pleased all the troops, and Saul’s officers
as well. 1 Samuel 18:5
• Augustine’s father, a heathen told him, “Be great”. His
mother told him “Be good”. He said I will be both. After
years of folly he resolved to be good. He is still
remembered as one of the world’s greatest saints.
• What a contrast from Lord Clive who while being cheered
by the nation for his success shot himself through his
head.

20. Honoured by the People
6 When the men were returning
home after David had killed
the Philistine, the women
came out from all the towns of
Israel to meet King Saul with
singing and dancing, with
joyful songs and with timbrels
and lyres. 7 As they danced,
they sang:
“Saul has slain his
thousands, and David his
tens of thousands.”
1 Samuel 18

21. Discussion
David’s experience of God was restricted to “those few
sheep in the wilderness”. Now he was facing a whole
army. But it did not matter to him.
Read v. 22-33
1. What are the possible reasons why David’s heart could
have failed?
2. Instead what response did he show? V 32.37

22. David’s Key Success Factors
A single mind – he was
highly focussed, nothing
could deter him
A single motive – v 46
that the earth may know
that there is a God in
Israel.

23. Old Testament (OT) Journey
Lesson 20: David’s win-win
GOD’S TOUCHPOINTS
Old Testament Summary
The Patriarchal Ages
The Judges
The Reign of Royalty
The Prophetic Era

24. OT Walkthru - The Reign of Royalty
1. From Sovereign God to Earthly Kings
2. David leverages the win-win
3. The falls and recoveries of David
4. Royal Verses – Psalms
5. Royal Wisdom – Proverbs, Ecclesiastes
6. A Royal Love Story – Song of Solomon
7. Division and Downfall of Israel
8. Esther, Queen of Persia

25. Presentation Overview
David Leverages the Win-Win
1 Samuel 18-32
• Courageous when
cheated
• Not bitter when hated
• Submissive to suffering
David not only won
battles, he won
relationships!

26. Win Lose (I Sam 18:6-8) – Saul’s Attitude
I Sam 18:8 The
women's song upset
Saul, and he became
very angry. He thought,
"The women say David
has killed tens of
thousands, but they
say I have killed only
thousands. The only
thing left for him to have
is the kingdom!"

27. David’s win-win Attitude
Courageous when Cheated
I Samuel 18:21-30
• Saul tried to trap David
to death. David doubled
the challenge and won
Michal, Saul’s daughter
as his wife.
• In v.30, “…David met
with more
success than the rest
of Saul’s officers, and his
name became well
known”

28. David’s win-win Attributes
Courageous when Cheated
1 Samuel Ch 22 v 1-3,
23
• What portions in these
passages indicate
David’s inner strength?
• In Psalm 27, what are
the secrets of David’s
strength?

29. Amy Carmichael’s Prayer
From prayer that asks that I should be
Sheltered from winds that beat on thee
From when I should aspire
From fainting when I should climb higher
From silken self O captain free
Thy soldier who would follow Thee.
Give me the love that leads the way
The faith that nothing can dismay
The hope no disappointments tire
The passion that will burn like fire
Let me not sink to be a clod
Make me Thy fuel, flame of God.

30. David’s Win-win Attitude
Not Bitter when Hated
• Saul makes three
more attempts to
David’s life. Yet we see
no bitterness –just
questions.
• God’s strong hand of
protection is on David.

31. David’s win-win Attitude
10 This day you have seen with your own eyes how
the Lord delivered you into my hands in the cave. Some
urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, ‘I will not
lay my hand on my lord, because he is the Lord’s
anointed.’ 11 See, my father, look at this piece of your
robe in my hand! I cut off the corner of your robe but did not
kill you. See that there is nothing in my hand to indicate
that I am guilty of wrongdoing or rebellion. I have not
wronged you, but you are hunting me down to
take my life. badly. 1 Samuel 24

32. David’s win-win Attitude
Not Bitter when Hated
• The victim becomes a
victor with an army
behind, an army in
front – and not a drop
of blood or hatred.
• Enact this scenario
with two players –
David and Saul

33. David’s win-win Attitude
Submissive to Suffering
1 Samuel Ch 20 v 41, 42.
• David does not complain
of his fate. He weeps
and bids Jonathan
goodbye. He accepts the
fact that he is now a
hunted man.
• What is the secret of
David’s acceptance? (v
42)?

34. Old Testament (OT) Journey
Lesson 21: The Falls and Recoveries of David
GOD’S TOUCHPOINTS
Old Testament Summary
The Patriarchal Ages
The Judges
The Reign of Royalty
The Prophetic Era

35. OT Walkthru - The Reign of Royalty
1. From Sovereign God to Earthly Kings
2. David leverages the win-win
3. The falls and recoveries of David
4. Royal Verses – Psalms
5. Royal Wisdom – Proverbs, Ecclesiastes
6. A Royal Love Story – Song of Solomon
7. Division and Downfall of Israel
8. Esther, Queen of Persia

36. Presentation Overview
The Falls and Recoveries of David
2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 1, 2
• Objectives
• A Shining Start
• A Stunning Fall
• A Stuttering Recovery
• Video
• Recap
• Discussion

37. Objectives
To:
 Realize that the most faithful believer is vulnerable to fall
 Understand the tripping points in David’s life and avoid
them
 Realize what is irrecoverable and what can be recovered
in a fall

38. A Shining Start - Forgave Enemy
Read II Samuel 1-8
Wept over Saul’s death
and avenged it (ch 1)
Kept his promise to his
friend Jonathan (ch 4)
Avenged the death of
Ishbosheth (ch 4)

39. A Shining Start - Feared the Lord
Read II Samuel 1-8
When Uzzah died,
David’s anger turned to
reverence – ch 6

40. A Shining Start -On Fire for the Lord
Read II Samuel 1-8
Danced before the ark
of the Lord, oblivious of
self – Ch 6.

41. A Stunning Fall - Cover up/ Deceit
• Started with Abimelech
(1Sam 21:2).
• Continued with Achish
(I Sam 27:9-11)
• Culminated with Uriah
(II Sam 11:10)

42. A Stunning Fall - Carnality to Covetousness
• Abigail (I Sam 25:39-41)
– after her husband’s
death
• Michal (II Sam 3:14) –
while her husband was
alive
• Multiplied concubines
and wives (II Samuel
5:13)
• Uriah’s wife (II Sam
11:4) - after causing her
husband’s death

43. A Stunning Fall - Cruelty/ Murder
• Angry enough to kill
Nabal (I Sam 25: 22,
39)
• Actually got Uriah
murdered (II Sam
11:17)

44. A Stunning Fall - Census
• Relied more on
schemes – culminating
in Numbering the
people (II Samuel 24)

45. A Stuttering Recovery
II Samuel 24:14 - “It is
better to fall into the
hands of God than into
the hands of man.”
• God’s Reproval
• David was not to build
the temple II Sam 7:13
• Sword in his house
- II Sam 12:10, 16:28
• Wives publicly violated -
II Sam 12:11
• Immorality - II Sam
16:22

46. A Stuttering Recovery
David’s Response
His sin, not God’s
punishment Ps 38:4
His hope, not
arguments/ questions
Ps 38:14,15
His confidence in
God’s vindication, not
doubt (Ps 38:20)

47. A Stuttering Recovery
II Samuel 24:14 - “It is
better to fall into the
hands of God than into
the hands of man.”
David’s Restoration
• Kingdom established
(Present and future)
• Dies in honour
• Immortalized as “Man
after God’s own heart”

48. Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsaT_B9Izlc

49. King David – Falls and Recoveries
Recap
• A Shining Start
• Forgave Enemy
• Feared the Lord
• On Fire for God
• A Stunning Fall
• Cover up
• Carnality
• Cruelty
• Census
• A Stuttering Recovery
• God’s Reproval
• David’s Response
• David’s Recovery

50. Discussion
• How could a man of
God fall so hard?
• In spite of his serious
lacunae in morals how
was David a
benchmark for all other
kings?