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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.

Treehouse Homegroup Meeting – 1 Samuel 13-14

Mom/Kristin – Spurgeon Sermon – ”Samuel: An Example of Intercession” (1 Sam 12:23) http://www.spurgeongems.org/vols25-27/chs1537.pdf
1 Samuel 12:23: ”Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and the right way.” (Samuel speaking to the people)
- Many people have come to salvation through someone praying for them
- Job’s turning point was after praying for his friends
- David praying in Psalm 35 but God apparently didn’t answer his prayer, but STILL was of great benefit to David because it changed HIS heart towards his enemies. God uses prayer to change us and grow us.
Point 1 – First dwell upon Samuel’s habit of intersession
- Samuel’s whole existence was bathed in prayer – A woman of sorrowful spirit prayed for him. Named in prayer – means ”asked of God” and carries out his name by beginning life by asking of God continually, so many things nurtured by a woman of prayer at first, then left to dwell in the house of prayer. A waiting and watchful spirit is the very knee of prayer.
- Samuel is singled out in the Bible as being a man devoted to prayer.
- May we learn the art of prayer in our early days to grow up and be proficient in it.
- Spurgeon’s summary phrase for Samuel: ”He cried to the Lord, and the Lord heard.”
- The power of prayer cannot be exaggerated, even the very elements (weather) were controlled through prayer.

Hannah – Samuel’s response is always prayer. When the people asked for a king, he responded by bringing it to the Lord, not scolding the people or responding to the people out of anger.
Point 2 – Second, dwell on Samuel’s perseverance and endurance in prayer

Mom/Kristin – Samuel still tries to help the people do right and make the best of it under a human king, even though they had rejected first God as King. He didn’t give up on them.

Hannah – Point 3 – Samuel’s persevering intersession (very similar to point 2!)

Kristin/Mom – Favorite life changing part – He who prevails with God for man can prevail with man for God. If you can overcome heaven by prayer, you can overcome earth by preaching. If you know the art of speaking to the eternal, you can be assured you can speak to men. All true power over men lies in the power of secret prayer. We have power over people.

Hannah – The last point – Samuel showed his sincerity of prayer by his corresponding actions. After praying for your friends, try as well as you can to answer your own prayers in your means.

Everyone agrees that Jonathan is really cool!!!

Kristin/Mom – 1 Samuel 13:14 – A man after the Lord’s own heart. God already has someone else planned. Contrast between David and Saul, like just compare their prayers – Saul’s prayer – ”Just give me the right answer, God!” contrasted to David’s psalms – so intimate, just pouring out his heart to God.

Hannah – confused about the sinning against the rule that Saul made Was the fact that Jonathan ate the honey really the reason that God didn’t answer Saul?

Richard – whole chapter seems to be about the fact that Jonathan is great and Saul is not so great. A showing comparison. Maybe Saul was doing it on purpose trying to get Jonathan …

Meat and blood in it – Mark – ESV Study Bible – When they slaughtered animals on the ground, it was harder to drain the blood. When they slaughtered it on a stone, the blood would run off. They were just so hungry and eager to eat that they didn’t slaughter it on a stone, thus the instruction by Saul.

Dad/Mark – Trying to make a change in my life to have a chunk of time for intercessory prayer. This section has had a big effect on my life and I wonder if it is supposed to have a big effect on this whole Bible study.

Praying for other people helps make you feel more connected to them, perhaps increases your unconditional love for them (supernaturally!).

Treehouse Homegroup Meeting – 1 Samuel 10-13

Chapter 10
Karina – Spurgeon’s Sermon – ”Hiding Among the Stuff” (http://www.spurgeongems.org/vols58-60/chs3322.pdf)
Spurgeon says – May we not assume wrongdoing on Saul’s part, instead let’s assume it was ”mock modesty.”
Saul’s actions after he became king were wise – made peace with men speaking badly about him instead of killing him
Christians hid away among stuff
First half – addressed sinners
- While Saul was hiding from an earthly crown, sinners hide from a heavenly crown.
- ”Stuff” that sinners hide from is worldliness, opportunities which might led them to be saved (avoid churches, preachers, etc.)
- Challenges Christians to go ”hunt among the stuff” for the unbelievers and bring them out
The second half addresses the Christians – we may not hide ourselves from heavenly crowns, but we may hide from more specific crowns.
- One crown is the crown of the victorious suppliment – a person who prays (Jacob, Martin Luther) – sometimes our prayer is swallowed up in the pressures of business
- Another crown is the crown we receive from feasting and fellowshipping with Christ

Dad/Mark – Thing that struck me the most was ”Do whatever your hand finds to do and God is with you.” (1 Samuel 10:7)
- expresses a lot of freedom in God’s will
- We are made in His image
- Adam and Eve – Can eat from any tree in the garden, with just one boundary
- Colossians 3:23 – ”Whatever you do …” (Paul says to slaves)

Chapter 12
Exposition by Spurgeon – ”Harvest Time” http://www.spurgeongems.org/vols49-51/chs2896.pdf
Hannah – asking the Lord for things and God giving them to you even if it might not be the best thing – Hezekiah example, granted him living longer, but perhaps Manassah would not have been born if Hezekiah had died sooner!!! (not sure if accurate?) So – we don’t need to be afraid of asking the Lord for things in prayer, even if it’s not exactly the right way or the right motives.
Christ came from the kings! So this WAS God’s plan!
Dad – The people asked for a king but didn’t ask in prayer, didn’t ask God
But isn’t going to Samuel like going to God?
Richard – Samuel actually tells the people not to be afraid

Richard – John Piper – ”The Sinful Origin of the Son of David”
- God planned a kingship from the beginning for Israel; and Christ came from the kings – King of King and Lord of Lords
6 points on what we learn from the fact that Christ came from sinful origins:
1. We are a stiff necked, rebellious people – insisting that they want a human king when they had God as king
2. God is faithful to His own Name – 1 Sam 12:22 – The Lord will not forsake His people for His name’s sake
3. The grace that sinners receive flows form God’s supreme allegiance to His own name. Samuel says to the people, ”Do not be afraid. You have done evil.” Shouldn’t it say Be Afraid?! Pure grace right there!
4. Kingship belongs only to God – every king was wicked, even David was wicked! The story of the kings is to show that no man can be king. (Hannah says – Thomas Paine – Common Sense) (Derek says – 1 Samuel 13:13-14 – There IS one king that did all that God commanded – Christ!)
5. A ”God-Man” must be king. A man had to die to pay for our sins
6. A King died for His people. Needed to be a human king. God can’t die. Only man can die. Rightful king of Israel must be God, king must die for people so must be man, therefore must be God-Man.

Mom – The whole line of the Messiah shows how merciful God is! The women included in the geneoligies of the Messiah, Rehab, Tamar, just God’s mercy that led to Jesus being born!

Richard – The people asking for a king, which was bad, actually was a blessing, to bring Christ – God changes our sin to glorify Himself and bring us to Him! To be with Him! So when Samuel ways, ”Do not be afraid,” we really don’t have to be even when we have done evil.

Mom – We can pray with confidence, verbalize to God that this is our desire but that our ultimate desire is for Him to be glorified and for it to be His will.

Richard – the cool ending – In every gospel Jesus is asked, ”Are you the king of the Jews?” And Jesus says, ”It is as you say.” But He is not JUST the king of the Jews, He is the King of all. Revelation – on His robe and thigh He has His name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lord

Hannah – Harvest Time – 1 Samuel 12:17
Wheat harvest takes place in month of May when weather is settled and a thunderstorm would be rare. So wouldn’t a thunderstorm destroy all the crops? A punishment on the people?
Mark/Dad – If it rained during harvest, they couldn’t get the crops. Crops couldn’t get out because of mud, etc. And grain and crops would be wet and ruin the crops, knock down the crops, when wheat is ripe, bends over easily, can bend and break, rot on ground.
Hannah – Rain is like repentance – Phenomeon of nature often empresses God’s power on people (Dad – doesn’t seem to anymore as much)

Mom – 1 Samuel 12 – A theme of the whole chapter is that we should make a conscious effort to consider the great things God has done for us and the wicked things we have done. 1 Samuel 12:7 – Samuel says, ”I will confront you about all the righteous acts before the Lord…” And also verse 16 – ”Now see the great things the Lord is doing before our eyes and see the great thing the Lord is about to do today. … Realize that your wickedness is great.”
Serve the Lord faithfully and consider the great things He has done for you – AMP says, ”Consider how great are the things He has done for you.”

For next time – discussion of 13 and the sermon, and chapter 14 and possibly 15