David + the Rest

PRAYER:

Well girls! We’ve made it to the end of Hebrews 11! It’s been a beautiful journey together, studying the lives of so many of our great cheerleaders in the faith. If you’ve read through the series, I hope you now see how the Old Testament is strung together, telling one big, long story of the people of God and of His faithfulness to them. It may have felt like you were drinking from a fire hose at times, but I hope you’ve gained some valuable context surrounding so many of the stories you probably grew up hearing.

Today before we dive into the last study, I think it would be appropriate for you to start off your prayer time with Jesus by looking back. If you’ve done any of the studies in this series, flip back through your journal and read through some of the prayers you wrote. Did the Lord answer them? Then flip through the questions you answered and the quotes you may have written down. Were there any highlights from this series for you? How did the Lord show up in your time together?

Take some time to thank God for all He has taught you through this series. What has He taught you about Himself? What has He revealed to you about yourself? Before you close, invite Him to come sit by you and teach you something new as we wrap up. He’s not finished yet!

It’s come full circle, girls! We started the series by reading all of Hebrews 11 and here we are again recapping the final verses.

read hebrews 11:32-40.

I can definitely track with the author on verse 32! There is so much juicy detail and information to share for each person we’ve studied, and we didn’t even cover them all! Today, as we wrap up the series, we’re taking a look at the story of David, the man after God’s own heart.

David is another patriarch of our faith who’s life spans across many books of the Bible. His story starts in 1 Samuel and continues through the books of 2 Samuel, 1 Chronicles, and 2 Chronicles. And to top it off, we read a lot of his writing in the Psalms. So, the gold we’ll discover in this post is only scratching the surface of David’s life!

Before we enter into David’s story, let’s lay a bit of background.

read judges 2:8-23 (try to find it in the New Living translation). what happened after joshua died? who did God raise as new leaders for Israel?

After Joshua and his generation died, the Israelites forgot about God. Surrounded by the various other people groups (who were morally corrupt and worshiped false gods), Israel began to look more like the Canaanites than the people of God. And it might be easy to beat up on them for going astray, but we all have the same natural tendency to blend into our surroundings and start to act like those we hang around.

As the story goes, those same Gentile nations would bully and oppress Israel. Maybe you can relate? Making a friend you thought was a friend only to be attacked by them later? When the people would cry out for help, the Lord would raise up a leader for Israel, called a Judge. The Judges were not like the judges of today. They were military leaders that the Lord would use to defeat the oppressing nations and bring Israel back to a time period of peace. The peace would only last for a season, until the current judge passed away but then Israel would forget about God again and the cycle would start over.

At the same time, God was communicating with Israel through the Prophets whose job was to hear from the Lord and give word to the people, convicting them and encouraging them to follow God. They would also warn Israel of their sin and the consequences that would come upon them if they didn’t repent. Samuel was Israel’s very first prophet. He was also their last judge. And as you can imagine from Moses and Joshua’s stories, both jobs must have been difficult. In Chapter 8 of 1 Samuel, toward the end of Samuel’s life, we see that at the Israelites looked around at other nations and wanted what they had, but Israel didn’t at the time: a king.

let’s stop here a second. the gentile nations were led by kings. israel’s system of government was through judges and prophets. why do you think god set it up this way?

Have you ever looked around at your friends and wanted what they have? It could be anything. Maybe they have a TV in their room, and you can’t have one. Maybe they have more screen time. Maybe you still don’t have a phone and it seems like everyone else on earth does. While these things may not be bad in and of themselves, there’s probably a wise and discerning reason why your parents haven’t given these to you. It was a similar situation for Israel.

The people of Israel looked around and realized that they were different than everyone else and that stung. They looked around and “longed for a leader who could pull the kingdom together and give them a sense of national pride and identity.” ¹ But what they forgot was that they already had a King: God!

God was their King! He was their Ruler. Did you notice how this whole time, the leaders of Israel had received instructions from God!? And God was already a ruler who could unify the people and give them national pride and identity. I mean… who else on this earth could say they were led by the Creator of the Universe?! Who else could win any battle they entered because God was fighting their battles?! And who else should we find our identity in other than GOD?!

Samuel hesitated to grant the people’s request, knowing their trust was misplaced but the Lord directed him to do it anyway. ¹ In the next chapter, Samuel anoints King Saul as the first king over Israel. And in 1 Samuel 12, we hear Samuel’s farewell address as leader.

read 1 samuel 12:8-15 (read this in the NLT translation too, if you can). What was israel’s latest sin (v. 12)?

Here we see Samuel give a great summary of Israel’s history to the people. He recounted Israel’s cycle of sin and consequences, repentance and redemption. Then he ended by pointing out their latest sin: demanding a king. Here’s the deal: we discussed earlier how God was their King before this. Israel’s request for a human leader showed that they put trust in humankind over God. ² This was a rejection of God’s leadership and revealed their loss of confidence in God’s care for them, despite the continued faithfulness He showed Israel literally from the moment He called Abraham. ²

Y’all, this hit me hard. If it wasn’t already clear, let me say it one more time: when Israel asked for a king, they rejected God’s leadership. It was a slap in the face to God. We just read through this whole series how He had been faithful in every circumstance, from generation to generation and the people wanted someone else. They could find comfort in a human leader, who they could see and touch. Truth is, Israel hadn’t put away their idol worship. Instead of worshipping the false gods of the Canaanites, they made their own idol: trust in mankind over God.

We can get bogged down with the idea of idols, so let me put this another way. Idol worship is not limited to the Old Testament. Nor is it limited to bowing down to a gold statue. Replacing Jesus’ role with anything at any time for any reason is idolatry. For instance, Jesus is our Comforter. So, running to things that are not Jesus for comfort is a form of idolatry. How many times do we do this – find comfort in other things than God? Or go with what we see in front of us, rather than following the Holy Spirit’s leadership because He isn’t tangible or talking with us face to face?

Let me give some examples. If you run to fun to hide from your problems rather than taking them to Jesus and dealing with them… you have made fun an idol. If you try to silence negative thoughts by scrolling through hours of countless TikTok videos or Instagram reels… you have made social media an idol. If your first instinct is to listen to happy songs to bring you comfort when you’re sad or circle your friends around for advice, rather than running to the Lord first for comfort and advice… you have made idols of music and your friends.

Do you see a common thread here? There’s nothing wrong with any of these things on the surface. We need to have fun and adventure in our lives, but not to hide from our problems. Social media is a great way to connect with the world and explore, but not to heal us from negative thoughts. Listening to music can be uplifting and is a great source of enjoyment and advice from a friend can be helpful, but these can’t comfort you like Jesus does. Putting any of these things before Jesus says, “I trust this to help me, more than You.” And that’s a complete joke! None of the happiness or comfort we receive from any of these things will last. It wasn’t meant to. Only Jesus can bring lasting comfort, joy, hope, and peace. We were meant to turn to Jesus first – in all things.

One last point on this and then we can move on. With this change in human leadership, God didn’t stop ruling over Israel. Instead, He used this as a new instrument of His rule. ² This was a great move of grace on His part. He could have said, “No,” but consistent with His character to let us choose, He didn’t. That said, it was really important that Israel’s kings followed God. Saul had a chance to rule over Israel but ultimately became disobedient toward God and sought other things than Him.

Fast forward to Chapter 15, the Lord literally got fed up with Saul and rejected him as Israel’s King. And this is where we enter David’s story:

read 1 samuel 16:1-7. how did samuel’s thoughts on the matter differ from god’s? what was god’s response?

After the Lord rejected Saul, He sent Samuel on a mission to anoint another king. And in this first group of verses, we see a special conversation between Samuel and the Lord. When Jesse and his sons arrive to the sacrifice, Samuel sees the eldest son and thinks to himself “surely this guy is the one!” I mean, this guy checked all the “king” boxes (a lot like Saul had): he was the oldest son – as we’ve learned, a very important characteristic in this day and time – and he was apparently tall and good looking. Sounds a lot like the shallow end of what we all look for in a guy! But the Lord uses this moment to kindly teach Samuel that appearance doesn’t matter. And here we get one of the most famous verses in the Bible: “…The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7, NIV). God was looking for someone who had a heart for Him! This new king was going to lead His people and He wanted Israel to thrive in obedience. And for that, they would need someone to lead by example by obeying God from the throne.

I think there is a lesson for all of us in this part of the story. Have you ever thought you knew what was best? Maybe you made a group of friends at school – and on the surface they seemed like a good crew to hang around: they seemed cool, you could laugh with them, they liked a lot of the same things as you… but over time, you’ve realized that these friendships are toxic. And by that, I mean hanging around them is literally like poison to your walk with Jesus. They watch videos online that you find uncomfortable, they have a foul mouth, they talk about things that you know you shouldn’t discuss, they gossip and talk mean behind other people’s backs… and maybe you feel like it’s hard to say, ‘No’ when you’re around them and all of a sudden you feel like you’ve drifted from the Lord.

That’s all because what the Lord said about us is true: people look at the outward appearance. We can’t help it. And maybe you weren’t wrong. Maybe they do have lots in common with you. Maybe they are cool and fun. But if they’re also a bad influence over you, you should step away. Pray over what that looks like specifically in your life, but I’d say the worse the situation, the more drastic of a change you should probably make.

Then consider this: the friends you spend the most time with… the ones that you go to their house for sleepovers… the ones you confide in… the ones you get advice from… those friends need to be the friends that love Jesus and are chasing after Him. That way, they can lift you up when you’re down in your faith and you can do the same for them when they need it.

look up proverbs 27:17, just past the very middle of your bible. what do you think this verse is saying about our christian friends?

This is another famous verse that you may have heard a lot but never stopped to investigate. When you read “iron,” don’t think “cast iron skillet.” Iron is also used for knives, so think more like “the blade of a knife”. Now that you have that imagery, have you ever seen a chef rub two knives together? That’s because the friction caused by rubbing metals together sharpens their edges. That is what it is like when we spend quality time with other Christians. When we are vulnerable with them, they can keep us accountable, pray for us, encourage us, and point us to God, reminding us of His faithfulness. And you can do the same for them. You both help each other’s faith grow and flourish. See how this relationship is so different than the first type of friendship we discussed?

That said, I’m not saying completely abandon all of your friends who do not love Jesus; there are some sweeties out there. Besides, we’re not called to live in a cave away from non-believers. Instead, we are called to make disciples which often involves finding commonality with people and building relationships with them. You are a light, but you have to stay connected to the Source and not get covered up by a bunch of gunk. Does that make sense?

Looking back at 1 Samuel, let’s see how the prophet takes the advice God gave him.

read 1 samuel 16:8-13. how does the scene play out?

Let’s look at verse 12 one more time. What does this verse say about david?

Y’all! The Lord can do more than we ask or imagine! Not only did David have a good heart with immense faith in the Lord, but he was good looking! If it was going to be so important that Israel have a tall, handsome king… they got it and more! Let that be a word for someone! If you wait for the one God has for you – and don’t rush it or get impatient – he will check all the boxes. He’ll love Jesus, he’ll be sweet to you, kind to others, and he’ll be cute and funny and all the other things you find attractive. All gushing aside, this can also be applied to friendships. If you make the sacrifice to cut out truly toxic friendships, you won’t be alone forever. The Lord is able to provide you with new friends that are cool, funny, and relatable that best of all, have a heart for Him.

We start to see David’s heart in the next chapter of 1 Samuel where we read one of the most famous stories in the Bible: the showdown between David and Goliath.

read 1 samuel 17:1-16. in your journal, summarize the events taking place so far.

In this first part of the passage, we see two nations at a standoff. One on one side of the valley, one on the other side of the valley. Knowing what we’ve covered many times in this series, what do you see wrong with this picture? There’s something Israel has forgotten.

Recreate the chart below in your journal and then read and summarize the verses:

Do you see a pattern here? What was Israel to do when faced with battle? They were to stand strong and have no fear. Why? Because the Lord was with them! He would fight the battles! Their part was to trust Him, and they did not.

Another thing we see in this passage is that they had been camped out at this standoff for forty days.

Where else have we seen the number 40 in this series? do you remember what it signifies?

Whenever you see the number 40 in the Bible, pay close attention. The number 40 in Scripture, while typically giving a timeline for a particular event, also represents a test or trail. Each time we encounter the number 40, it’s supposed to get us thinking about whether or not the people in the story are going to pass the test. So far, the Israelite army was in some desperate need of help.

Luckily for them, (and in our lives too) the Lord still had a plan even if they were going to stand and do nothing. And along comes young David. Scholars agree that David was likely 12 or 13 at this point – so, fittingly right around your age. 😊

dive into the next part of the story and read 1 samuel 17:17-30. what is immediately apparent in the difference between david and the israelite army?

David comes to check on his brothers bringing comfort foods from home. Soon after he arrives, he hears the same threats from Goliath that had continued for 40 days and instead of quivering with fear, he was outraged. Why do you think this is? Verse 26 gives us a clue. David remembered the strength of “the living God” and the power that Israel’s armies had when God fought their battles. Remember in the last post how God’s fame had spread through the land before Israel got to Jericho and the people were shaking? Don’t you think it’s possible that the Philistines had heard rumors that Israel could win any battle? God’s honor was at stake! And David wasn’t having it. Literally #NotTodaySatan. David’s immense faith was in direct contrast with Israel’s lack of faith. And here we see why God appointed David as Israel’s next king. He was already exhibiting leadership and trust in God before his official job began.

Have you ever heard the phrase “the elephant in the room”? It’s a phrase people use when they’re describing an obvious problem or topic amongst those in the room that no one wants to mention or discuss. It’s an elephant. You can’t miss it. Well, Goliath was a tall dude. You couldn’t miss him either! And who could ignore that he came stomping out of his tent every day threatening everyone? The point is the Israelite army had become complacent. They settled into a mentality that they were more or less camping out with their buddies and were apathetic to the danger just outside their camp. They heard the threats. They even knew the promise of marriage to the princess of all things – which would likely come with a title, high-status, wealth, you name it. But no one budged – until David arrived on the scene.

One takeaway, here, is that when everyone else around us is content to ignore injustice and refuses to stand up for the truth or what is right, we should go against the grain and speak up. When everyone else looks the other way, we should face the problems straight on and do what we can to help. The people around you need the Light you have living inside you. Don’t hide it away. 

Let’s not move on before we address some of David’s family drama. In verses 28-30 we see Eliab, David’s oldest brother, begin to taunt David. Why are you even here, David?! And what happened to your little sheep? [as if tending sheep is a measly little task…] You’re the worst. Get outta here. Despite being the oldest son of Jesse, Eliab had been passed up for David as Israel’s next king and most likely didn’t want this same annoying little brother poking around the battlefield, showing everyone up. David did react to his brother, but he was undeterred in his mission. I’m sure he was filled with adrenaline and the Holy Spirit at that time. He was going to put an end to this “disgrace,” despite his age.

The bible gives an encouraging truth noting the age god can start using us. read 1 timothy 4:12. write it in your journal and underline the commands paul gives.

In 1 Timothy, Paul is writing his apprentice, Timothy, encouraging him to take the baton of spreading the Gospel. Timothy was much younger than Paul and was likely overwhelmed and intimidated at such an important task. But Paul encouraged Timothy that his age and relative inexperience didn’t matter. The Lord can use whoever He wants to. He doesn’t wait until we’re a certain age to give us tasks. As a believer you have already been tasked with Heavenly assignments, even as a middle schooler. You’re tasked to take the gospel and your testimony of all God has done and is currently doing in your life to your school, to your sports teams, to your dance studio, to your gymnastics and cheerleading squad, to your families and friends. Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young. And don’t look down on yourself, waiting for the right time. People need to hear what the Lord has done now!

Let’s finish the story by reading 1 samuel 17:31-50. how does david’s faith lead to action?

BAM! That’s all I’ve got to say. If you just blew past that in a ho hum way, I’m gonna need you to go back and read it again, out loud, like you’re reading a movie script. I mean… the sheer tenacity and courage in David to do and say those things! He was certainly fueled by faith, something I hope we can carry with us into the battles we face in life. In fact, this section of the story has several gems we can take with us.

Have you ever lived a season of life that was scary or painful and then in the future witnessed how the Lord used that season to help someone else? In verses 34-37, David recounts for King Saul the times he killed a lion and a bear in defense of his flock. See? Watching sheep is not for the faint of heart. You can imagine how scary that would have been for him at the time, but the Lord used those experiences to prepare David to fight Goliath. Not only did it teach David how to fight, but the Lord had protected and provided for David, and he recognized it. As David remembered God’s faithfulness, it encouraged him to take even the scariest step of faith. Looking back on this whole series, we’ve studied the lives of people who walked by faith and for many of them, the fuel to keep going came from remembering all God had done.

We find the next takeaway in verse 47, where we see that David remembered what the Israelite Army had forgotten: the battle is the Lord’s. We’ve just discussed how remembering the Lord’s faithfulness propelled so many of our cloud of witnesses to keep going but what about you? Like the song “Same God” on our playlist says, “I may not face Goliath, but I’ve got my own giants.” Turns out, we all have giants every once in a while. And when yours pop up, don’t just ignore them. Partner with the Holy Spirit – the God of the Universe! – and STOP the giant in Jesus’ name. It could be anything: a bully, bad thoughts, a tough subject at school, maybe a sin you keep struggling with… anything you feel like is crushing you and taunting you and putting you down. Depending on your circumstance, there would be different moves to take, but pray about it and ask the Lord what the first step would be in defeating your Goliath.

One of the first things David did was to proclaim victory. David wasn’t proclaiming confidence in himself. He was proclaiming confidence in God. Proclaiming the power of the Lord over your circumstance may seem like a small act, but it most certainly helps. David told Goliath just how big his God was and then he took Goliath down. It probably built David’s confidence in the moment and it let everyone within earshot know that God was going to win this battle. And then He did. And the people RAN in fear. Not because of a boy with a slingshot and a few stones, but because of a God who wins any battle He faces.

Let’s bring this concept into everyday life. What would it look like for you to proclaim confidence in the Lord?

Here are a few ideas:

• PRAY BOLD PRAYERS | The Lord cherishes expectation. It shows that we trust Him. This will take a little practice, because Jesus isn’t going to give us something simply because we expect It’s more like praying and believing things He has already promised. Part of this exercise will require you to read through scripture and be able to recall it. It also will require you to listen for promises specific to you that the Holy Spirit may share with you.
• SING ANTHEMS | Anthems of worship can become like a war chant over your circumstance, reminding you of the power of God. Fill your day with them.
• READ SCRIPTURE | We’ve discussed this over and over in this series but I can’t say it enough. Reading scripture is like food to the soul. Literally. It is the water to your little plant of faith. When you dive into scripture and start recognizing God’s character and His love for you, that changes things. It changes And it will most certainly give you confidence in Him.

Before we end, let’s talk about “the rest” listed in Hebrews 11. It’s waaay before your time – technically before my time too! – but have you ever seen reruns of Gilligan’s Island? The show is about 7 people who were shipwrecked on a tropical island after a boat tour that was only supposed to last a few hours. In the opening credits, each of the main characters’ pictures are shown as the theme song lists their names. The song folds in the minor characters by saying, “and the rest!” Sorry – random, but that’s what I get suck in my head when I think about these verses. 😉 “Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip…”

Unlike the song (which eventually listed those characters’ names in future seasons) the Hebrew’s writer wasn’t suggesting that any of the people in this list were unimportant. He simply started at the beginning of scripture and felt he had given quite a long enough list to encourage the Hebrews to keep going in their faith. But here we see the “other side of the coin.” Many of those listed in Hebrews 11 had amazing victories over their circumstances but verses 35-37 paint the portraits of many who suffered for their faith. If you remember from the first post the Hebrews author was writing to encourage this new church to keep going, despite persecution. In these verses, he reminded them that the persecution they were facing was not new, but in fact littered most of the Old Testament. And while the world would look at them and take away their human dignity, thinking them unworthy to live, the truth was that the world wasn’t worthy of them.³ Those who attacked God’s people couldn’t appreciate what treasures they had in their midst – people in all walks of life, all ages, who waited on the Lord, followed His lead, tapped into His strength, and accomplished such great things for the Kingdom of God. What inspirations! What lights in this dark world!

Let’s close by looking one more time at the last 3 verses of Hebrews 11.

Go back and read Hebrews 11:39-40. What do you think it means that “none of them received what had been promised”? hint: who hadn’t come yet?

What the Hebrews author is stating here is that Old Testament believers had faith in God and His promises, but they did not know Jesus, who is the complete fulfillment of God’s promises. ² They had the old covenant with sacrifices and rituals to atone for sins. We have the new covenant with Jesus’ payment on the cross for complete redemption from our sins. They had the Spirit of God living in an “Ark.” We have the Spirit of God living inside our hearts. They had specific leaders who could communicate with God. Now, everyone has access to God and the opportunity for an intimate relationship with Him!

I love how William MacDonald summarizes these verses and I think he uncovers such a beautiful challenge to end this series, “To put it another way, the Old Testament believers were not as privileged as we are. Yet think of their thrilling triumphs and tremendous trials! Think of their exploits and their endurance! They lived on the other side of the cross; we live in the full glory of the cross. Yet how do our lives compare with theirs? This is the [well-argued] challenge of Hebrews 11.” ³ Mic drop! May we take everything God has taught us to heart and not hold back as we run the race set before us. Be inspired friends.

Fin.