After many years of running from his enemy, David learned that King Saul and three of his sons, including David’s beloved friend Jonathan, had died in a battle. Instead of rejoicing at the death of his enemy, David was very sad and mourned for Saul and for Jonathan. Though David was sad, God’s promise finally came true and David became King of Israel. When David first became king, he ruled from a city called Hebron. David had his eye on another city where he wanted to set up his capital and build his palace. The name of it was Jerusalem which means “City of Peace”. Jerusalem sat on a small mountain called Zion where David would build his city and where the King of Kings will one day return and build His own city of peace.
How old was David when he began to reign as king of Israel? How many years did he rule as king?
David made a tabernacle for the ark of God. What was the ark and why do you think it was so important to David?
How do you think David felt when he was finally able to bring the ark into the tabernacle in Jerusalem? What did he do? What are some ways that we can worship and praise God?
David wrote a song about the ark being brought to the tabernacle (Psalm 105). Can you find the hymn we sing at church that is based on this psalm?
God promised David that his throne would be established forever. What does this mean? What will David be doing in the kingdom?
Memory Challenge:
2 Samuel 7:26
So let Your name be magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is the God over Israel.’ And let the house of Your servant David be established before You.
Jonathan, the son of Saul and David’s closest friend, had a son named Mephibosheth who was only five years old when his father died in a terrible battle. The nurse who was taking care of little Mephibosheth panicked when she heard the news of the battle. She was scared of what might happen, so she picked him up to leave quickly, but in her hurry, she dropped the young boy in such a way that his feet were badly hurt and he was lame for the rest of his life. The years went by, and one day, King David sat thinking about his friend Jonathan and wondered whether anyone in his family was still alive. That was when one of Saul’s old servants told David about the son of Jonathan. David was eager to meet him and to honor the covenant he made with his friend many years before.
Discuss:
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Why did David want to find out if anyone in Saul’s family was still alive?
Who was the person who told David about Jonathan’s son?
What did Mephibosheth do when he was first brought before King David? What are some ways that we can show respect to people who are in authority?
The Bible tells us that Mephibosheth was lame in both of his feet. What do you think it would be like to be lame in both feet? What kinds of things would you not be able to do if your feet didn’t work properly?
What did David do for Mephibosheth? Why did he show kindness to him?
Memory Challenge:
2 Samuel 9:7
So David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.”
King David had built a house for himself in the City of David which is in Jerusalem. Though he had a beautiful place to live, he was sad because the ark of the covenant, the special box which represented God’s promises to Israel, was being kept in a man’s home at a place called Kirjath Jearim. He wanted the ark to be put in its own special house. He knew that the ark represented God’s dwelling place, so he wanted to build a house for God in Jerusalem to help show the people that God was with them. Before the house – the temple – could be built, David set up a special tabernacle in Jerusalem where the ark could be placed. He was very excited that the ark would finally come into the City of David, so he prepared a special celebration.
Discuss:
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Who were the only ones who were allowed to carry the ark of the covenant? What was the special way the ark was to be carried?
What kind of instruments did David want to accompany the ark being brought into the city? What do you think the music sounded like?
What was David doing to worship God when the ark was brought into the city of David? What are some ways that we can worship God?
What did David give all the people so they could join in the celebration? (1 Chronicles 16:3)
What is a psalm? How do we use psalms and music in church today?
What was the covenant God made with David about the temple that he wanted to build?
Memory Challenge:
2 Chronicles 15:3
And David gathered all Israel together at Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the Lord to its place, which he had prepared for it.
Author: Mr. Kenneth Frank | Faculty, Living Education
Estimated Reading Time: 5 min.
Did you know that an Old Testament prophet of God made a mistake in judgment when advising King David about building the Temple?
Nathan was a prophet during the reigns of both David and Solomon. He is first mentioned in the account of David’s arrangements for building the Temple. David had built himself a fabulous palace and thought it showed a lack of respect and sanctity that God’s worship center was merely a tent. Even though Nathan wanted to encourage David in his heart-felt desire to build God a permanent structure (a temple) for worship, he gave David advice he had to later retract. There are two passages of this account in the Old Testament: 2 Samuel 7 and 1 Chronicles 17.
Nathan’s mistake is a common one: not consulting God before acting on our decision or before advising someone else on their decision. Another example of this was in the time of Joshua when the Israelites made a league with the Gibeonites without first consulting God (Joshua 9:14). They were tricked into a long-term covenant they later regretted. When we fail to seek God before making major decisions, we are asking for trouble. Nathan’s advice to David was premature. An annotation on 2 Samuel 7:3 in Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible explains: “What Nathan said here was partially wrong. God was with David and approved of his desire to build a temple. He let David collect materials for the temple, but He had reasons for not letting David build it himself (1 Chronicles 22:1-16). Nathan later told David who would build it (1 Chronicles 17:4-15).”
The Temple would be built instead by David’s son, Solomon, because David had made great wars and had shed blood (1 Chronicles 22:8; 1 Chronicles 28:3). Solomon’s name means peaceful or peaceable. Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible explains: “Heathens, Jews, and Christians, have all agreed that soldiers of any kind should have nothing to do with Divine offices.” The Jamieson Fausset and Brown Commentary adds further, “An innate feeling of propriety dictates the purification of the worshipper from all defilement when about to engage in the solemn rites of religion. Above all, persons polluted with blood were prohibited even among the pagan, of which many instances are found in the works of classical writers, (see Homer, ‘Iliad,’ 6:, 335; Euripides, ‘Iphigesia, in Tauris,’ 5:, 380; Vigil, ‘AEneid,’ 6:).”
The Jamieson Fausset and Brown Commentary explains what went wrong with Nathan’s counsel: “The prophets, when following the impulse of their own feelings, or forming conjectural opinions, fell into frequent mistakes (see the notes at 1 Samuel 16:6; 2 Kings 4:27).” What was missing in Nathan’s advice? Robert Hawker’s comment in The Poor Man’s Commentary on 2 Samuel 7:3 explains: “Had the prophet first made it a subject of prayer, his directions would have been better. The Lord being with his people, as indeed he always is, doth not supersede the necessity of asking continually his wisdom to guide us.” God expects us to consult Him. Nathan meant well and David’s desire was honorable (2 Chronicles 6:8) – but we learn from them that we must always consult the LORD in our plans. In our New Testament, the Apostle Paul provides us wise counsel of a similar nature in Philippians 4:6-7 (KJV throughout): “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. (7) And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Even though Nathan made a mistake in judgment, God did not cast him aside. He went on to have a successful and lengthy career advising David and Solomon, two of the greatest kings during the heyday of Israel’s United Kingdom. He later reproved David for his adulterous affair with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12:1-14), was charged with Solomon’s education (2 Samuel 12:25), and took a prominent role in Solomon’s accession to the throne (1 Kings 1:8-11, 1 Kings 1:22-45). His two sons, Zabad and Azariah, held high places in the king’s court (1 Chronicles 2:36; 1 Kings 4:5). He seems to have written a life of David (1 Chronicles 29:29) and another of Solomon (2 Chronicles 9:29).
No doubt, sometime in your life you realized you had not consulted God before making a major decision. It may have not turned out well. We may even wonder why God would allow that decision to go astray. The Almighty is trying to teach us that He alone knows the end from the beginning. “Seek the LORD” appears 27 times in our Bible revealing an important lesson for us since it is so frequent. Isaiah 55:6instructs us, “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.” This seeking has a condition attached: “But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul (Deuteronomy 4:29).” Our seeking God must be genuine and with pure hearts. King David composed under inspiration many of our psalms. Here is one that is especially fitting for this lesson in life: “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass (Psalm 37:4-5).”
Kenneth Frank was born and raised in New Jersey, USA, and attended Ambassador College, graduating in 1973. He served in the Canadian ministry from 1973-1999, after which he returned to the USA to pastor churches in Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina for 15 years. Having earned a BA degree from Ambassador College he later earned a MA degree from Grand Canyon University before being assigned to the Charlotte office to teach at Living University, now Living Education. Currently, he teaches the Survey of the Bible course to the on-campus students and writes the Digging Deeper column for our online Bible study program. He is married, has four children, and seven grandchildren.
Many years had passed since King David died, and Israel had split into two kingdoms, Israel and Judah. The kings of Israel turned the people away from God. They worshipped idols and acted in evil ways. For the Kingdom of Judah, some of the kings practiced evil, and some of the kings wanted to follow God like King David. Jehoshaphat was a king who wanted to seek God and did what he could to lead the people to obey God. Even though Jehoshaphat didn’t do everything perfectly, God was pleased with his attitude and protected him from harm. One day, King Jehoshaphat heard that some enemies were coming to start a war. Jehoshaphat and the people cried out to God for help. God told them that they would not even have to fight in the battle. They would only need some faith and some singers!
Who was Jehoshaphat’s father? How do you think Jehoshaphat’s father helped him prepare to be a good king? How do your parents help you learn how to follow God?
How did King Jehoshaphat become wealthy and powerful?
Why did God protect Jehoshaphat in the battle with King Ahab? Do you know of any examples where God has protected you or anyone in your family?
Why didn’t King Ahab listen to the prophet Micaiah who warned him of what would happen in the battle?
What did King Jehoshaphat do when he heard that some of his enemies were going to attack Judah? How were his actions and attitude different than King Ahab’s had been? What did the musicians do in the battle?
Memory Challenge:
2 Chronicles 20:15
And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.’”
After King Jehoshaphat died, the Kingdom of Judah was ruled by many other kings. Some of them tried to follow God, while others worshipped idols and turned the people away from God. The name of one of them was Ahaziah. Ahaziah was a wicked king, and his mother Athaliah was just as wicked. When King Ahaziah died, his mother wanted to take over the kingdom and get rid of anyone who opposed her. Now, Ahaziah had a son named Jehoash (sometimes also called Joash). Jehoash was just a baby when his father died, and his aunt hid him and his nurse to protect him from the evil queen. When Jehoash was only seven years old, the priest brought him out of hiding to proclaim him as king before the people. As a young king, Jehoash grew up with the priest of God as his teacher which prepared him to help the people of Judah turn back to God.
Discuss:
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How old was Jehoash when he became king? How old are you? What do you think it would be like to be a king or queen at your age?
Jehoash was about the age of a first or second grade student when he became king. Who helped him with his responsibilities as king of Judah?
What did Jehoash do to fix the mess that the previous rulers had made in the temple? Do you think God was pleased with what Jehoash did?
Jehoash did well as long as he listened to Jehoiada, who was a wise priest. What happened after Jehoiada’s death? (You can read more about what happened to King Jehoash in 2 Chronicles 24)
Memory Challenge:
1 Kings 12:2
“Jehoash did what was right in the sight of the Lord all the days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him.”
When King Jehoash died, his son Amaziah reigned in Judah. His time as king was short, and it wasn’t long before his son Uzziah became king of Judah after his father King Amaziah (2 Kings 14). In the Bible, Uzziah is sometimes also named King Azariah. Uzziah followed in the footsteps of his father as a good king, but like his father, he did not remove the high places where the people worshipped other gods. However, because he tried to do the right thing, God gave him many successes. He built cities, made his army strong, and protected the people from their enemies. Unfortunately, his successes filled him with pride.
Discuss:
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How old was Uzziah when he became king of Judah? What do you think Uzziah did to prepare to be king as he grew up? What can you do now to prepare to be a good king and priest in the future?
We know that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). How did God reward Uzziah for seeking Him and listening to God’s priest?
What does the Scripture mean where it says that Uzziah “loved the soil”?
Why did Uzziah build towers in Jerusalem?
What did King Uzziah do that made God angry with him? Why do you think Uzziah made that bad decision? How did God punish him? Do you think Uzziah learned from his mistake?
Memory Challenge:
2 Chronicles 26:5
“He sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God; and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper.”
After King Uzziah died, several more kings ruled the land. Some of them were very good, and some of them were very wicked, and caused the people of Judah to sin against God. A king named Amon, who was a very wicked man, only ruled for two years before God allowed him to die. His little eight year old son, Josiah was crowned as king after him. Despite having Amon for a father, Josiah was a good king. By the time he was sixteen years old he was determined to get rid of all the idols so that the people would have to worship the true God. He also wanted to repair the beautiful temple of God to be used once again for the right purposes. One day when some men were cleaning out the temple, they found an old book that had been forgotten and decided to show it to the young king.
Discuss:
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How old was Josiah when he became king? Does a person have to be a certain age to begin to follow God?
What did Josiah do to get rid of the pagan idols in the land? Which of God’s commandments was Josiah following when he got rid of the idols in Judah?
What was the book that was found in the temple? What did King Josiah do when they read it to him? Why was he so sad?
What feast did King Josiah have all the people in Judah keep? What do you think that Passover was like for the people in Judah?
Memory Challenge:
2 Chronicles 34:31
Then the king stood in his place and made a covenant before the Lord, to follow the Lord, and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that were written in this book.
Babylon was captured by the Medes the very night that Daniel interpreted the handwriting on the wall. The new King Darius appointed one hundred twenty satraps (princes) over the provinces of his empire and three governors over them. One of the governors over the satraps was Daniel. Daniel did so well at his job that the king thought about making him the leader over the whole realm. The other governors and satraps were not happy about this idea. They wanted to find something that Daniel was doing wrong, but they couldn’t find anything that would be a reason to fire him from his job. They needed to come up with a plan to get rid of Daniel.
Discuss:
Rebekah Ross | Living Education
Why do you think the other government officials wanted to take action against Daniel? Why was it hard for them to find anything wrong with Daniel?
What was the scheme the men came up with to get rid of Daniel. How did the satraps and governors get the king to sign their new decree?
What did Daniel do when he heard about the new law? What character traits can we learn from Daniel’s decision?
Why could the king not pardon Daniel when the officials wanted him punished for praying to God? How did the king feel he found out what his officials were up to?
What was Daniel’s punishment? How did God protect Daniel? How did the king respond to the miracle?
What happened to the officials who accused Daniel?
Memory Challenge
Daniel 6:25-27
Then King Darius wrote: To all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth:
Peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel. For He is the living God, And steadfast forever; His kingdom is the one which shall not be destroyed, And His dominion shall endure to the end. He delivers and rescues, And He works signs and wonders In heaven and on earth, Who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.
Haman had built a gallows for Mordecai, but his opportunity to tell the king about the plan to use them instead turned into a conversation about how to honor Mordecai for his good deeds. Haman, humiliated from having to lead a parade of honor for his enemy Mordecai, after sulking to his wife at home, arrived at Esther’s second banquet. At the banquet, King Ahaserus asked Esther what she desired, and he would give it to her — even up to half the kingdom! Haman and the king were both caught off guard by Esther’s request, and a lovely banquet quickly turned into the queen’s triumph and the end of a very bad day for Haman.
Discuss:
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What do you think Haman was thinking about when he came to Esther’s second banquet?
What was Esther’s petition to the king? Esther had the opportunity to ask for any desire up to half of the kingdom! For what could have she asked? What can we learn about Esther from her response to the king?
How did the king respond to Esther’s request? Why do you think he reacted the way he did?
What happened to Haman? What happened to Mordecai in the end?
How did Haman’s plan turn out for the Jews? How did the king help fix the situation for them?
In the book of Esther, the name of God is not used at all. What things from the narrative show us that God was working with the characters throughout the story?
Memory Challenge:
Esther 7:3
Then Queen Esther answered and said, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the King, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request.”
