Passage: 1 Samuel 2–3

Theme: Kingdom Divided

A Difficult Ascent to the Throne:

· Inquiry of the Lord (2:1–4a)

· Blessing and Appeal to Jabesh Gilead (2:4b–7)

· Two kingdoms (2:8–11)

· Civil War (2:12–3:5)

· Power Grabs run amok (3:6–30)

· David’s grief and “innocence” (3:31–39)

Theological Applications:

1. The Lord works in mysterious ways to advance His kingdom.

2. Continually seek the Lord’s direction.

3. Be careful about invoking the Lord for your convenience and ambition.

Main Idea: While waiting on God, live according to His revealed will by resisting the desires of selfish ambition.

Application Questions:

· Which elements of these scenes do you find most disturbing? Why is this so? What do we learn from God through such scenes?

· Where do you see selfish ambition surface in the two chapters? What is the antidote in this for the Christian today (cf. Phil. 2:1–11)?

· What strengths and weaknesses do you find in David from these scenes? In our own actions, is he a character that we are to emulate, avoid, both? What might this teach us about being one chosen by God?

· How does the human tendency to invoke the Lord when it is convenient and for our own ambition surface in your life? What can we do so that this isn’t true of us?