Tuesday

30-Apr-19

1 Sam 22-24; Ps 52; Acts 11

1 Sam 22: What men did David lead? What happened to Ahimlech and why?

1 Samuel 23:  How did David escape from Saul at Keilah? 

1 Samuel 24: What did David NOT do when he had the chance and why not?  What assurance does God give David through the words of his enemy Saul?

Acts 11:  Who were those of the circumcision party? Why was the church scattered? (see verse 19)  What major shift do we see in this chapter?

Journal Prompt: We read in Acts 11:26 that it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.  Write about what it means to you to be known as a Christian.  What other names were they known as?

Answers:

1 Sam 22:  David led his father’s and brothers’ houses and ‘everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul,’.  Saul found out that Alimilech had helped David (from Doeg the Edomite) by giving David’s men consecrated bread and giving David, Goliath’s spear, so Saul ordered his men to kill Alimilech and his family.  The men refused to kill the priestly family, so Doeg killed 85 priests as well as all the priestly inhabitants of the city of Nob.

1 Samuel 23:  David asked the Lord if Saul and his men were coming to Keilah and if the men of Keilah would surrender David to Saul.  The Lord told him that is what would happen so David and his men escaped.

1 Samuel 24:  David did not kill Saul when Saul came into the cave where David was hiding to relieve himself.  He was urged to do so by his men, but he reminded them that Saul was God’s chosen.  After Saul realizes that the Lord have given David the opportunity to kill him, but David spared his life, Saul told David that he was more righteous and that the kingdom was surely to be his.

Acts 11:  Those of the circumcision party seem be to Jewish believers who clung to the traditions of the Jewish faith which included circumcision, abstaining from certain foods, and heaven forbid eacting with the Gentiles. In this chapter we see the inclusion of the Gentiles to a much greater degree.  The disciples of Jesus were also called: (you had to do a bit of research for this!  They had been called saints (Acts 9:13), believers (Acts 5:14), brothers (Acts 6:3), witnesses (Acts 5:32), followers of the Way (Acts 9:2), Nazarenes (Acts 24:5)