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Have you tried to make friends with someone, but he or she did not want to be friends with you? How did that make you feel?
David loved and depended upon God. David wanted to honor and serve the king of Israel, but King Saul was so jealous, he tried to kill David more than once.
Now, use your imagination, as we journey back through time to look at the Life Connection Story "David Part 2."
(Story adapted from 1 Samuel 18 - 2 Samuel)
My name is David. I am excited to share with you how God worked in my life.
After I killed Goliath the giant, I became such a hero to the Hebrew people that they sang songs about me. King Saul became very jealous of me and even tried to kill me with his spear twice. I escaped both times, but I knew I couldn't trust him. Even when I married Saul's daughter, Michal, he still plotted to kill me.
It was unusual how things worked out, but Saul's son, Jonathan, became my best friend. Jonathan would always warn me about King Saul's plans. He asked his father to let me go, but that made Saul even more furious. He wanted his son Jonathan to become the next king of Israel, not me. But Jonathan knew that God had chosen me to be the next king, so he willingly gave up his right as heir to the throne. He did all he could to help protect my life.
I was afraid so I hid out in different caves. One day, Saul came all by himself into the same cave that I was in. My men believed God had given Saul into my hands, and they wanted me to kill him. But, I didn't want to harm the king, even though he wanted to harm me. On another occasion, I went into Saul's camp at night. The Lord caused Saul and his men to stay asleep while I took his spear and water jug. Again, one of my men wanted me to kill the king, but I wanted to wait on God to give me the kingdom, instead of grabbing it for myself. Is there something in your life that God wants you to wait for Him to give you? Or are you trying to grab it now for yourself?
After Saul died I was made the king of Judah, and eventually I was the king over all of Israel. I won many battles, but in my success I made a huge mistake. Instead of being on the battlefield with my soldiers, I decided to stay at home. One night I saw a beautiful woman who lived near my house. She was the wife of one of my soldiers, and I took her as if she was my wife. Shortly after this, the woman, Bathsheba, told me she was going to have a child by me. Instead of confessing my sin, I tried to hide it. I sent Bathsheba's husband, Uriah, to the fiercest battle so he would get killed. As a result of my deception in hiding this secret, I suffered for many years in my relationship with my family and friends. The child that was born to Bathsheba died. My eldest son, Absalom, killed my other son, Amnon. Then Absalom got killed while he was trying to take over my kingdom. Confession would have been painful for me, but it would have saved many unnecessary consequences. Have you ever found yourself trying to run away and hide a secret sin in order to avoid the consequences?
My huge mistakes, as well as my great moments, caused me to look for an intimate personal relationship with God. In many of the Psalms, I cried out to God for His deliverance from my enemies and for His mercy on my life. I also wrote many Psalms of praise to God for His love and protection such as, "The Lord is my Shepherd; I have everything I need." The Promised One who would never sin and would take away the sin of the world is truly the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords!
Let's thank God for all He has done and for His great love for us. Pray these words of praise to Him:
God, thank You that I can wait on You to give me what I need, instead of grabbing it for myself. I don't have to hide when I am afraid. I know that it is always better to confess my sin than to hide it. Thank You for sending the Promised One to take on the payment for our sins. He truly is the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords!
Use 1 Samuel 18 - 2 Samuel and the Life Connection Story. They will help you complete your Life Connection Response.
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