Difference between revisions of "First Samuel 25 Anger and Restraint"
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| + | [[First Samuel 25 Anger and Restraint Handout]] | ||
| + | |||
=Objectives= | =Objectives= | ||
==Cognitive Objectives== | ==Cognitive Objectives== | ||
| Line 14: | Line 16: | ||
=Introduction= | =Introduction= | ||
| + | *What examples can you think of where a character from the Bible became angry or needed to deal with anger? | ||
| + | **Cain and Abel | ||
| + | **Joseph and his brothers | ||
| + | **Moses and the rock | ||
| + | ** | ||
| + | ** | ||
| + | ** | ||
=Main Body= | =Main Body= | ||
| − | ==Introducing Nabal== | + | What follows is a series of questions together with answers that can be used to lead a discussion of First Samuel 25. The purpose of these questions is to bring out key aspects of the narrative. |
| + | |||
| + | Before David ever became King he spent some time on the run. If you have ever watched a western with the band of outlaws you can think of this period of David's life as his outlaw period. King Saul was afraid that David would take the throne from his family and in response Saul chased David through the countryside. In one scene of our western David is going to have to deal with a wealthy landowner Nabal. | ||
| + | ==Introducing Nabal (v. 2-12)== | ||
| + | ====Summary:==== | ||
| + | In the first 12 verses of the passage we are introduced to a wealthy man, Nabal and a problem, David and his men were on the run and running low on supplies. We are presented with a start contrast, the evil of Nabal and the wisdom of Abigail. We see the stage set for a significant conflict between David and this man. | ||
| + | |||
===The Man (v. 2-3)=== | ===The Man (v. 2-3)=== | ||
| − | + | *According to verse 2, was Nabal a wealthy man? | |
| − | *Nabal was a very wealthy man | + | **Nabal was a very wealthy man |
| − | + | *How does verse 3 compare and contrast each of Nabal and Abigail? | |
| − | *Verse 3 describes Nabal as harsh and badly behaved but it describes Abigail as discerning and beautiful. The word for discerning is that of someone with good sense. In other words, Abigail was the sort of person who made good decisions. In contrast to Abigail, Nabal is described as someone who is harsh and badly behaved. | + | **Verse 3 describes Nabal as harsh and badly behaved but it describes Abigail as discerning and beautiful. The word for discerning is that of someone with good sense. In other words, Abigail was the sort of person who made good decisions. In contrast to Abigail, Nabal is described as someone who is harsh and badly behaved. |
===The Situation (v.4-9)=== | ===The Situation (v.4-9)=== | ||
| − | + | *What action does David take in verses 4 and 5? | |
| − | * | + | **David sent men to go and make a request of Nabal. |
| + | *What request did David's men make? | ||
| + | **David's men asked for some undisclosed amount of food. | ||
===The Offense (v.10-12)=== | ===The Offense (v.10-12)=== | ||
| − | ==Offended== | + | *How does Nabal respond to David's request in verse 10? |
| + | **Nabal essentially mocks David claiming that he and his men are nothing more than a rogue band of men who have broken away from their master. | ||
| + | *What was Nabal's answer to David's request? | ||
| + | **Nabal said no. | ||
| + | *What do verses 15 and 16 teach us about what David had done for Nabal? | ||
| + | **The verses indicate that David and his men had provided special protection for Nabal and his estate. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ====Questions to Ponder==== | ||
| + | *Have you ever thought that someone would treat you well only to discover that they treat your poorly? | ||
| + | *How do you respond when someone treats you poorly? | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Offended (v. 13-22)== | ||
| + | ====Summary==== | ||
| + | David is livid. We see David preparing to go to battle with Nabal and his household. David is prepared to slaughter the people in his anger. | ||
===The Initial Reaction (v. 13-17)=== | ===The Initial Reaction (v. 13-17)=== | ||
| + | *How did David respond to Nabal's answer? | ||
| + | **David told his men to prepare for battle | ||
| + | *How did Nabal's men respond to Nabal's answer to David? | ||
| + | **Nabal's people realized that Nabal had done wrong and told Abigail of the problem. | ||
===The Plan (v. 18-22)=== | ===The Plan (v. 18-22)=== | ||
| − | ==Diffusion== | + | *What plan does Abigail set in motion in verses 18-19? |
| + | **Abigail prepared food to go and try to appease David. | ||
| + | *According to verses 20-22, what had David, in his anger, decided to do? | ||
| + | **In his anger David had decided to kill Nabal and all the males in his house. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ====Questions to Ponder==== | ||
| + | *Have you ever been so angry with someone that you did or said something you regretted later? | ||
| + | *Why is it important that we slow down and think about things when we are angry? | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Diffusion (v. 23-31)== | ||
| + | ====Summary==== | ||
| + | Abigail in an act of great wisdom moves to slow David down and asks him to consider the consequences. Abigail recognizes that to act out of anger would be wrong. | ||
===The Humble Response (v.23-27)=== | ===The Humble Response (v.23-27)=== | ||
| + | *What actions did Abigail take that indicate humility in her approach to diffusing the situation? | ||
| + | **Bowed down | ||
| + | **Asked that the guilt be charged to her | ||
| + | **Acknowledged Nabal's worthlessness | ||
| + | **Elevated David | ||
===The Hope of Promise (v.28-29)=== | ===The Hope of Promise (v.28-29)=== | ||
| + | *What does Abigail remind David of? | ||
| + | **God had promised David a sure house | ||
| + | **God would fight David's battles. | ||
| + | **God would provide for David's righteousness | ||
===The Importance of Innocence (v.30-31)=== | ===The Importance of Innocence (v.30-31)=== | ||
| − | ==Judgement== | + | *What reasons does Abigail give for David to restrain himself? |
| + | **Abigail wants David to have a clear conscience | ||
| + | **Abigail wants notes that David should not try to work his own salvation. | ||
| + | ====Questions to Ponder==== | ||
| + | *How do you think David would have felt later had he killed Nabal? | ||
| + | *What might have happened had David killed Nabal and his household? | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Judgement (v. 38-42)== | ||
| + | ====Summary==== | ||
| + | God is the judge and God can take care of judging people for the wrongs they have done. | ||
===The Judge (v.38-39)=== | ===The Judge (v.38-39)=== | ||
| + | *According to verses 38 and 19, who judges Nabal? | ||
| + | **God judges Nabal | ||
===The Blessing (v.42)=== | ===The Blessing (v.42)=== | ||
| + | *How does God bless David? | ||
| + | **God provides David with a wife. | ||
| + | ====Questions to Ponder==== | ||
| + | *Should you hope that God brings judgement on your enemies? | ||
| + | **Note Luke 9:51-56, Jesus rebukes his disciples for wanting to bring down the wrath of God. There are times in which we may get angry but that does not mean we should be hateful or vengeful. | ||
=Conclusion= | =Conclusion= | ||
| + | *What are ways in which you can relate to David's feelings of anger over the situation with Nabal? | ||
| + | *When have you incorrectly responded to feelings of anger? How did that make you feel? | ||
| + | *How should a Christian deal with anger? | ||
Latest revision as of 21:58, 30 November 2019
First Samuel 25 Anger and Restraint Handout
Contents
Objectives
Cognitive Objectives
- Students will be able to describe the ways in which Nabal wronged David.
- Students will be able to describe David's anger including why he was angry and how he initially intended to respond to his anger.
- Students will be able to describe how David responded to Abigail's call for restraint.
Affective Objectives
- Students will relate David's feelings of anger to times in which they were angry over wrongs committed against them.
- Students will consider how they have reacted to anger in the past and how those reactions have felt.
- Students will be confident that God alone is the judge.
Theme
- David may have had good reason to be angry with Nabal but chose to act with discretion and allowed God to judge Nabal. God chose to judge Nabal and bless David. Anger itself is not necessarily wrong but the way in which we act upon that anger can be wrong.
Introduction
- What examples can you think of where a character from the Bible became angry or needed to deal with anger?
- Cain and Abel
- Joseph and his brothers
- Moses and the rock
Main Body
What follows is a series of questions together with answers that can be used to lead a discussion of First Samuel 25. The purpose of these questions is to bring out key aspects of the narrative.
Before David ever became King he spent some time on the run. If you have ever watched a western with the band of outlaws you can think of this period of David's life as his outlaw period. King Saul was afraid that David would take the throne from his family and in response Saul chased David through the countryside. In one scene of our western David is going to have to deal with a wealthy landowner Nabal.
Introducing Nabal (v. 2-12)
Summary:
In the first 12 verses of the passage we are introduced to a wealthy man, Nabal and a problem, David and his men were on the run and running low on supplies. We are presented with a start contrast, the evil of Nabal and the wisdom of Abigail. We see the stage set for a significant conflict between David and this man.
The Man (v. 2-3)
- According to verse 2, was Nabal a wealthy man?
- Nabal was a very wealthy man
- How does verse 3 compare and contrast each of Nabal and Abigail?
- Verse 3 describes Nabal as harsh and badly behaved but it describes Abigail as discerning and beautiful. The word for discerning is that of someone with good sense. In other words, Abigail was the sort of person who made good decisions. In contrast to Abigail, Nabal is described as someone who is harsh and badly behaved.
The Situation (v.4-9)
- What action does David take in verses 4 and 5?
- David sent men to go and make a request of Nabal.
- What request did David's men make?
- David's men asked for some undisclosed amount of food.
The Offense (v.10-12)
- How does Nabal respond to David's request in verse 10?
- Nabal essentially mocks David claiming that he and his men are nothing more than a rogue band of men who have broken away from their master.
- What was Nabal's answer to David's request?
- Nabal said no.
- What do verses 15 and 16 teach us about what David had done for Nabal?
- The verses indicate that David and his men had provided special protection for Nabal and his estate.
Questions to Ponder
- Have you ever thought that someone would treat you well only to discover that they treat your poorly?
- How do you respond when someone treats you poorly?
Offended (v. 13-22)
Summary
David is livid. We see David preparing to go to battle with Nabal and his household. David is prepared to slaughter the people in his anger.
The Initial Reaction (v. 13-17)
- How did David respond to Nabal's answer?
- David told his men to prepare for battle
- How did Nabal's men respond to Nabal's answer to David?
- Nabal's people realized that Nabal had done wrong and told Abigail of the problem.
The Plan (v. 18-22)
- What plan does Abigail set in motion in verses 18-19?
- Abigail prepared food to go and try to appease David.
- According to verses 20-22, what had David, in his anger, decided to do?
- In his anger David had decided to kill Nabal and all the males in his house.
Questions to Ponder
- Have you ever been so angry with someone that you did or said something you regretted later?
- Why is it important that we slow down and think about things when we are angry?
Diffusion (v. 23-31)
Summary
Abigail in an act of great wisdom moves to slow David down and asks him to consider the consequences. Abigail recognizes that to act out of anger would be wrong.
The Humble Response (v.23-27)
- What actions did Abigail take that indicate humility in her approach to diffusing the situation?
- Bowed down
- Asked that the guilt be charged to her
- Acknowledged Nabal's worthlessness
- Elevated David
The Hope of Promise (v.28-29)
- What does Abigail remind David of?
- God had promised David a sure house
- God would fight David's battles.
- God would provide for David's righteousness
The Importance of Innocence (v.30-31)
- What reasons does Abigail give for David to restrain himself?
- Abigail wants David to have a clear conscience
- Abigail wants notes that David should not try to work his own salvation.
Questions to Ponder
- How do you think David would have felt later had he killed Nabal?
- What might have happened had David killed Nabal and his household?
Judgement (v. 38-42)
Summary
God is the judge and God can take care of judging people for the wrongs they have done.
The Judge (v.38-39)
- According to verses 38 and 19, who judges Nabal?
- God judges Nabal
The Blessing (v.42)
- How does God bless David?
- God provides David with a wife.
Questions to Ponder
- Should you hope that God brings judgement on your enemies?
- Note Luke 9:51-56, Jesus rebukes his disciples for wanting to bring down the wrath of God. There are times in which we may get angry but that does not mean we should be hateful or vengeful.
Conclusion
- What are ways in which you can relate to David's feelings of anger over the situation with Nabal?
- When have you incorrectly responded to feelings of anger? How did that make you feel?
- How should a Christian deal with anger?
