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Treehouse Homegroup Meeting – 1 Samuel 15-16

Spurgeon’s Sermon on 1 Samuel 15:22: ”Obedience Better Than Sacrifice” (http://www.spurgeongems.org/vols10-12/chs686.pdf)

Hannah:
- It’s good to remember that obedience is better than sacrifice. Even if you’re giving money to missionaries, that’s good, but we are commanded to share the gospel and that is obedience, so that is better.
- Give as God has given to you, but remember to act as God acts – FEED the hungry, CARE for the poor, HEAL the sick, don’t just give money to those things. (Spurgeon speaks strongly.)
- Hannah loves Calvinists. Spurgeon has a good balance of people needing to come to Christ because God commands it and people should come to Christ because it will give them a good life.
Examples – Soldier leaves his command to get flowers for his commanders; taking care of your body but not eating food – you die. If you don’t believe in Jesus – you die.

David – Command is simple – Just need to believe. But some unbelievers find it too simple, there needs to be more. It’s good to remember that the sacrifice is better than obedience.

Dad:
– 7th century warrior – huge factor in war is PLUNDER. Soldiers took the sheep and cattle from the plunder. Money/wealth was major factor.
- This destruction on the Amalekities was all done to people who were being punished because of the actions of their ancestors. God destroyed them based on their ancestors, 400 years ago! Tribal generational sin carried on. Jethro’s descendent’s were Kenites who were spared because of their ancestors. God has the right to punish me because of the sin of our forefathers. We usually deal lightly with God’s attitude towards our past sins or our forefathers past sins. may we gain a greater appreciation of God saving us from His wrath of our own individual sins that we have done, and from the sins of our ancestors.
- Saul disobeyed this command to wipe out completely, but in 1 Samuel 22, Saul did wipe out an entire city – all men, women, and children, sheep, donkeys, everything – in the city of God, the city of Nob, where the priests were

Perhaps they did not destroy all of the people as well – 1 Samuel 30 – David destroys the Amalekites. Also, Haman is descendant of Agag, king of the Amalekites. Or perhaps God only meant a specific region, area (from Havilah to Shur).

Karina – question about 1 Samuel 15:29 – says that God does not have regret or change His mind like man does, and yet in verse 35 it says He was grieved/regretted that He has made Saul king.
- Derek – ”regretted” seems to indicate that He wanted to change His mind, while ”grieved” just indicates sadness, etc.
- Mark – It is using strong terms, but we must learn from context and from what we know from the Bible about God’s character, that He didn’t really change His mind, and is sovereign over all things. Similar word to what it says in Genesis right before Noah – God was grieved that He had made man on the earth.
- Karina’s NIV study Bible -referenced Numbers 23, Malachi 3:6, Psalm 110:4, and Jeremiah 4:28

Mark/Dad – Spurgeon’s Sermon on 1 Samuel 16:12 – ”Who Are the Elect?” (http://www.spurgeongems.org/vols10-12/chs638.pdf)
Father Jesse was bringing his sons to Samuel, but he didn’t bring the youngest!
Richard – He did have seven other sons!
Derek – The odds of David being chosen as king out of the other sons are 12.5%.
Even after David is anointed, it doesn’t seem like his father and brothers even seem to get it!
Mom/Kristin – maybe it was more done in secret, because Samuel says ”Saul will kill me if I anoint another king”
Hannah – chronology may not be necessarily as written – David may have been playing for Saul before the anointing by Samuel.
- Spurgeon – One way to find out if they are the elect, is to share the gospel! That’s the test! If they get saved, then they are the elect!
- The elect is someone who will think about God and think on His Word.

Richard – Jesus says, ”My sheep know my voice, and will turn and follow Me.”
Mark/Dad – Read an interview by John Piper of Rick Warren.
Hannah – Calvinists are sensitive. They took offense to The Purpose Driven Life.
Piper grilled Rick Warren and it turns out, Warren is a very strong Calvinist. Dad now has a lot of high respect for Rick Warren.
Richard likes Rick Warren’s tweets – they are very edifying, just tweets scripture
Rick Warren’s great grandfather got saved by Spurgeon and came over to America and became a pastor, and his son was a pastor, and his son, and now Warren.

2 Corinthians 1:22 – anointing – Put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come

The elect are anointed and have God with them always so put the crown on now.

Richard – Thought on the choosing of David – first son was tall but not the one. Saul was tall. Why did God pick Saul? David is a symbol of the King to come, a man after God’s own heart. But even David failed. Only King that will not fail is God Himself. God is basically sharing the gospel with Samuel. God reveals hope and the gospel.

Thanks for the great discussion last night. I was reading 2 Corinthians this morning and these verses struck me.

10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, 11 as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many. (2 Cor 1:10-11)

It is interesting how their prayers will HELP the Lord deliver them. Of course, the Lord is able to deliver us without prayers and yet, it seems that He desires to use our prayers of intercession to deliver others. And I love the next sentence too: the result of intercessory prayer is more people giving thanks to God. Intercessory prayer brings God greater glory.