This week we begin digging into a fascinating character. A man who was a poet, artist, musician and warrior. He is written about so often throughout scripture that the number of mentions of his name are only second to Jesus Christ. This week we begin our series on DAVID. Much about David’s story is a foreshadowing of the person of Jesus Christ.
This week we look at at an era just before David entered the scene. It will help give us some historical context. In 1177 BC what is known as the “bronze age” collapsed. Pastor Adam referred to a book by Eric Cline called “1177 BC - the year civilization collapsed.” In it Cline states: “the thriving cultures of the late second millennium BC, which had stretched from Greece to Egypt and Mesopotamia suddenly ceased to exist. Long used trading routes were abandoned, along with writing systems, advanced technology and monumental architecture." It has been called worse than WWI or the ice age. Worse also than the fall of the Roman Empire. It was the Dark Ages before the Dark Ages. All this destruction and change occurred in only one generation.
By 1100 BC the world as it was known had vanished. All the glory, splendor and riches turned into a wasteland. Most people groups were only bands of people trying to survive as best they could. This all lead up to the point in history when David arrived on the scene. In the last verses of Judges (21:25) it is described like this “In those days, Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.” No law. No authority. Each person for themselves. Defend yourself or be wiped out. Survival of the fittest. It was chaos.
INVITATION: As you read and study the scripture this week, (and generally at this current time in history) you many be wondering where is God? Where are his purposes, his power and his plan? Where is hope? How does faith survive such confusion and uncertainty? But remember that there have been many uncertain times in history. The times and the scenes are chaotic as the curtain rises on the life of David. What does God have for you in this day and time and from these scriptures? Join in as we begin our series on David by looking at the life of a woman: Hannah.
MONDAY: I Samuel 1:1-11: The fact that Hannah did not have any children was a big deal. Children were a necessary means of survival during this period of chaos. They were also a status symbol and provided increased safety. The priests mentioned in these verses, Hophni and Phinehas, were corrupt. Everything you can think of that could cause you to despise and resent corrupt leaders (particularly in the church) these two did.
Hannah’s husband loved her and treated her tenderly (even though he did not choose the most empathetic wording in verse 8)! Pastor Adam pointed out to the men this is NOT an example of something tender to say in this situation! Hannah has much pressure on her, but even so, Hannah’s prayers are not just for her own benefit. She promises God that she will offer back the very gift she asks for: the child for whom she yearns.
Today spend some time taking stock of at least one of the gifts God has given you. Then, act out the offering of that gift back to God today. Perhaps it's singing and you will sing a song to/for the Lord today. Perhaps writing is your gift, perhaps it's expanding an idea and making a plan, perhaps it's caring for another. Use your talent and gift imaginatively, expressively and thankfully today. Offer your gifting back to God.
TUESDAY: I Samuel 1:12:20: Hannah becomes pro-active by leaving and going to the temple to pour her heart out to God. Eli the priest notices her and accuses her of being drunk. Compared to the earlier verses in this chapter, Hannah now seems to be stepping out in confidence with the Lord by her side. She is praying boldly to God, so speaking boldly to Eli was easy! Likely for the first time in her life, she refused presumptions about herself and fought to define who she was and who she was not. The Lord remembers Hannah’s plea and she gives birth to Samuel. It means “God has heard.”
WEDNESDAY: II Samuel 2:1-7: Hannah goes back to the temple to dedicate Samuel to the Lord. These verses are beautiful lines from her prayer. As you read them, notice how they sound much like the future hymns and poems of David. In spite of a life of being belittled and put down, Hannah displays an enormous faith in God. Her life shows how God works through the excluded, not just the included. This is a theme in Hannah’s life that later is a pattern for David’s life and God’s work through scriptures up through today. How can you take the prayer “There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you, there is no Rock like our God” into your heart and life today? How does Hannah’s faith in the midst of hard circumstances encourage you today? How has God been a rock for you recently?
THURSDAY: II Samuel 2:8-10: Even though Hannah was surrounded by chaos and confusion, she boldly states her trust in God and HIS foundations of the earth. Pastor Adam introduced us to the Landfill Harmonic. It is an orchestra built from trash from a small village in Paraguay. The village happened to be located near a dump and items from the dump were all the villagers had from which to make instruments. Hannah, and the Landfill Harmonic, remind us of our God who takes us from living in a dump and creates a masterpiece. Ephesians 2:10 says WE are God’s “handiwork” or “workmanship” or “masterpiece.” GOD makes beauty from ashes (Isaiah 61:3). Have you made the great exchange in your life from the dump and ashes into a life of beauty and bold faith because of “the anointed one” (vs. 10) Jesus Christ? Have you handed over your life to God?
FRIDAY: I Samuel 16:1: We have fast forwarded quite a bit here. In the interim, Eli’s son’s are horrible leaders and the Ark of the Covenant is taken away. All the tribes come to Samuel (Hannah’s son) and ask for a King to lead them. Samuel tries to talk them out of it, but they end up with King Saul, who is flawed in so many ways. A downward spiral begins. In this verse, the Lord is speaking with Samuel about HIS plan for the future King. The small, seemingly insignificant Hannah clung tight to God during her chaotic life and culture and kept on believing in God’s bigger plan. Can you admit that you are weak and don’t have all the answers? How can you cling to “the rock” that Hannah clung to today and in the days ahead? Hannah had many reasons to choose despair, yet she held on to her faith. How can you ask God to increase your faith today?
SATURDAY: Mark 9:24: Sometimes the prayer of this father is a helpful prayer in our lives. How can you take this prayer into your day today?