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Michal Saves David’s Life

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Michal Saves David’s Life

  • The Lord Works in Mysterious Ways (FYI: This phrase is not found in the Bible.)

Isaiah 55:8-9 NLT
8 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways
and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. 

Ecclesiastes 11:5 NLT
5 Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things. 

However, we can understand what is happening in today’s story.

Today’s lesson includes attempted murder, lies, idols, prophesying, indecent exposure, and more.

1 Samuel 19:11-24 NLT
Michal Saves David’s Life
11 Then Saul sent troops to watch David’s house. They were told to kill David when he came out the next morning. But Michal, David’s wife, warned him, “If you don’t escape tonight, you will be dead by morning.” 12 So she helped him climb out through a window, and he fled and escaped. 13 Then she took an idol and put it in his bed, covered it with blankets, and put a cushion of goat’s hair at its head.
14 When the troops came to arrest David, she told them he was sick and couldn’t get out of bed.
15 But Saul sent the troops back to get David. He ordered, “Bring him to me in his bed so I can kill him!” 16 But when they came to carry David out, they discovered that it was only an idol in the bed with a cushion of goat’s hair at its head.
17 “Why have you betrayed me like this and let my enemy escape?” Saul demanded of Michal.
“I had to,” Michal replied. “He threatened to kill me if I didn’t help him.”
18 So David escaped and went to Ramah to see Samuel, and he told him all that Saul had done to him. Then Samuel took David with him to live at Naioth. 19 When the report reached Saul that David was at Naioth in Ramah, 20 he sent troops to capture him. But when they arrived and saw Samuel leading a group of prophets who were prophesying, the Spirit of God came upon Saul’s men, and they also began to prophesy. 21 When Saul heard what had happened, he sent other troops, but they, too, prophesied! The same thing happened a third time. 22 Finally, Saul himself went to Ramah and arrived at the great well in Secu. “Where are Samuel and David?” he demanded.
“They are at Naioth in Ramah,” someone told him.
23 But on the way to Naioth in Ramah the Spirit of God came even upon Saul, and he, too, began to prophesy all the way to Naioth! 24 He tore off his clothes and lay naked on the ground all day and all night, prophesying in the presence of Samuel. The people who were watching exclaimed, “What? Is even Saul a prophet?”

Examine the Scriptures
1 Samuel 19:11-24 NLT
Michal Saves David’s Life

Previous lesson:

Saul Tries to Kill David
1 Samuel 19:9-10 NLT
9 But one day when Saul was sitting at home, with spear in hand, the tormenting spirit from the Lord suddenly came upon him again. As David played his harp, 10 Saul hurled his spear at David. But David dodged out of the way, and leaving the spear stuck in the wall, he fled and escaped into the night. 

11 Then Saul sent troops to watch David’s house. They were told to kill David when he came out the next morning.

Saul sent troops (agents, guards, men, messengers, officers) to kill David.

Again, Saul wants David destroyed.

  • Saul sent troops to David’s house with instructions to kill David. 

But Michal, David’s wife, warned him, “If you don’t escape tonight, you will be dead by morning.” 

Michal was instrumental in saving David’s life.

Michael, at this point in time, displayed love and faithfulness.

Both Jonathan and Michal (two of Saul’s children) saved David from their father and undermined their father’s plans to eliminate him.

  • Michal was instrumental in saving David’s life.

12 So she helped him climb out through a window, and he fled and escaped.  

13 Then she took an idol and put it in his bed, covered it with blankets, and put a cushion of goat’s hair at its head.

  • The Hebrew word for idol (as it is used here) is teraphim.

The teraphim was a figurine or image in human form called a household idol.

Some sources refer to a teraphim as a “household good luck image”.

The Hebrew people appeared to have a strange attraction to these “household idols”.

Michal employed the use of a household god (teraphim) in trickery and out of loyalty for her husband rather than her father.

Josiah said the use of teraphims was a detestable practice.

2 Kings 23:24 NLT
24 Josiah also got rid of the mediums and psychics, the household gods, the idols, and every other kind of detestable practice, both in Jerusalem and throughout the land of Judah. He did this in obedience to the laws written in the scroll that Hilkiah the priest had found in the Lord’s Temple.

Zechariah 10:2 NLT
2 Household gods give worthless advice,

Israelites using idols appears throughout the scriptures, 

Genesis 31:34 NLT
34 But Rachel had taken the household idols (idols belonging to Laban) and hidden them in her camel saddle, and now she was sitting on them. When Laban had thoroughly searched her tent without finding them,    

Judges 17:5 NLT
5 Micah set up a shrine for the idol, and he made a sacred ephod and some household idols. 

The use of household idols appears to be a practice influenced by pagan idol worship. 

14 When the troops came to arrest David, she told them he was sick and couldn’t get out of bed.

Michal lied.

Previously in scripture, Rahab also lied to save the two Hebrew spies she was hiding.

Joshua 2:4-5 NLT
4 Rahab had hidden the two men, but she replied, “Yes, the men were here earlier, but I didn’t know where they were from.  5 They left the town at dusk, as the gates were about to close. I don’t know where they went. If you hurry, you can probably catch up with them.” 

Michal lied to save David.

15 But Saul sent the troops back to get David.

Saul was persistent.

He ordered, “Bring him to me in his bed so I can kill him!” 16 But when they came to carry David out, they discovered that it was only an idol in the bed with a cushion of goat’s hair at its head. 

  • Idols and lies were used to keep David from being murdered. 

17 “Why have you betrayed me like this and let my enemy escape?” Saul demanded of Michal.

“I had to,” Michal replied. “He threatened to kill me if I didn’t help him.”

Michal lied again.

18 So David escaped and went to Ramah to see Samuel, and he told him all that Saul had done to him.

Then Samuel took David with him to live at Naioth. 

Naioth in Ramah (verse 19)

A section of Ramah 

19 When the report reached Saul that David was at Naioth in Ramah, 20 he sent troops to capture him. But when they arrived and saw Samuel leading a group of prophets who were prophesying, the Spirit of God came upon Saul’s men, and they also began to prophesy. 

What just happened here?

David was saved by “the Spirit of God”.

Saul’s men joined with the group of prophets and being filled with the Holy Spirit (controlled by the Holy Spirit) they no longer sought to capture David.

This seems to imply that the troops, inspired by the Holy Spirit, were acting in an enthusiastic, uncontrolled manner, praising of God.

  • The troops sent to kill David were incapable of carrying out their mission.

Editorial comment: “Troops” controlled by the Holy Spirit would appear to us to be acting in a “strange” manner.

21 When Saul heard what had happened, he sent other troops, but they, too, prophesied! 

The same thing happened a third time.

  • God repeatedly saved David from capture by Saul.

This is “strange” but it could have been worse.

A story from:
2 Kings 1:2-17 NLT
Elijah Confronts King Ahaziah2 One day Israel’s new king, Ahaziah, fell through the latticework of an upper room at his palace in Samaria and was seriously injured. So he sent messengers to the temple of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether he would recover.
3 But the angel of the Lord told Elijah, who was from Tishbe, “Go and confront the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, ‘Is there no God in Israel? Why are you going to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether the king will recover? 4 Now, therefore, this is what the Lord says: You will never leave the bed you are lying on; you will surely die.’” So Elijah went to deliver the message.
5 When the messengers returned to the king, he asked them, “Why have you returned so soon?”
6 They replied, “A man came up to us and told us to go back to the king and give him this message. ‘This is what the Lord says: Is there no God in Israel? Why are you sending men to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether you will recover? Therefore, because you have done this, you will never leave the bed you are lying on; you will surely die.’”
7 “What sort of man was he?” the king demanded. “What did he look like?”
8 They replied, “He was a hairy man, and he wore a leather belt around his waist.”
“Elijah from Tishbe!” the king exclaimed.
9 Then he sent an army captain with fifty soldiers to arrest him. They found him sitting on top of a hill. The captain said to him, “Man of God, the king has commanded you to come down with us.”
10 But Elijah replied to the captain, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and destroy you and your fifty men!” Then fire fell from heaven and killed them all.
11 So the king sent another captain with fifty men. The captain said to him, “Man of God, the king demands that you come down at once.”
12 Elijah replied, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and destroy you and your fifty men!” And again the fire of God fell from heaven and killed them all.
13 Once more the king sent a third captain with fifty men. But this time the captain went up the hill and fell to his knees before Elijah. He pleaded with him, “O man of God, please spare my life and the lives of these, your fifty servants. 14 See how the fire from heaven came down and destroyed the first two groups. But now please spare my life!”
15 Then the angel of the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down with him, and don’t be afraid of him.” So Elijah got up and went with him to the king.
16 And Elijah said to the king, “This is what the Lord says: Why did you send messengers to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether you will recover? Is there no God in Israel to answer your question? Therefore, because you have done this, you will never leave the bed you are lying on; you will surely die.”
17 So Ahaziah died, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah. 

At least Saul’s troops weren’t killed. 

 22 Finally, Saul himself went to Ramah and arrived at the great well in Secu. “Where are Samuel and David?” he demanded. 

“They are at Naioth in Ramah,” someone told him. 

23 But on the way to Naioth in Ramah the Spirit of God came even upon Saul, and he, too, began to prophesy all the way to Naioth! 

This was the last time the Spirit of God would rest on Saul.

God is preventing Saul from harming David.  He turned Saul’s heart to prophecy and not to harm David.

Proverbs 21:1 NLT
21 The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord;
he guides it wherever he pleases.

Psalm 22:28 NLT
28 For royal power belongs to the Lord.
He rules all the nations.

  • Again, God prevented Saul from harming David. 

More details: 

24 He tore off his clothes and lay naked on the ground all day and all night, prophesying in the presence of Samuel.

  • Prompted by the Holy Spirit, Saul tore off his clothes and lay naked on the ground.

A very humiliating experience.

The Spirit of God made Saul incapable of killing David.

There was another time previous to this when the Spirit of God came powerfully upon Saul, and he began to prophesy.

Review the time when Samuel anointed Saul as king.

1 Samuel 10:5-7 & 9-11 NLT
Samuel Anoints Saul as King
5 “When you arrive at Gibeah of God where the garrison of the Philistines is located, you will meet a band of prophets coming down from the place of worship. They will be playing a harp, a tambourine, a flute, and a lyre, and they will be prophesying. (Praising God and instructing the people.) 6 At that time the Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them. You will be changed into a different person. 7 After these signs take place, do what must be done, for God is with you.
9 As Saul turned and started to leave, God gave him a new heart, and all Samuel’s signs were fulfilled that day. 10 When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, they saw a group of prophets coming toward them. Then the Spirit of God came powerfully upon Saul, and he, too, 

began to prophesy. 

A familiar Old Testament expression relating to empowerment for some God given task.

Saul was being empowered by the Holy Spirit to carry out the role of King of Israel.

11 When those who knew Saul heard about it, they exclaimed, “What? Is even Saul a prophet? How did the son of Kish become a prophet?”

  • Saul removing his royal garments was symbolic of God’s rejection of Saul as king over Israel.
  • In the O.T. the indwelling of the Holy Spirit was not a permanent status.

David knew that the presence of the Holy Spirit could be removed from a person.

Psalm 51:11 NLT
11 Do not banish me from your presence,
and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. 

The people who were watching exclaimed, “What? Is even Saul a prophet?”

  • The people were witnessing the power of the Holy Spirit working in Saul, however they would not have understood all that was happening.

PTF 2023

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PTF 2023

As parents and teachers we have an incredibly important and challenging, and at times seemingly overwhelming, God given assignment.

Proverbs 22:6 (KJV) starts out by saying:
Train up a child in the way he should go: 

Scripture tells us to teach our children. (Deuteronomy 11:19 NLT)

It’s our role to:

Train   Guide   Teach   Direct   Instruct    or   Disciple

our children in the way they should go.

Scripture says we are to bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord. Eph 6:4

Proverbs 22:6 (KJV)
Train up a child in the way he should go:
and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

What does this proverb communicate? 

Good training establishes lifelong habits, patterns, and values.

Who is this proverb addressing?

Who is responsible for the training of children?

Parents have the primary responsibility for training their children.
Grandparents, teachers, and others come along side of the parents in a partnership to train children, but let me repeat, in a two parent family, both the mom and dad have the primary role of training their children.

It’s encouraging to know that God also plays a major role this assignment, and in fact He does the hard work.

1 Corinthians 3:6-9 NLT
6 I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. 

One plants the seed (parents), one waters the seed (teachers, grandparents, others), but it is God who makes the seed grow.

We need to let God do His part.

Psalm 127:1 NLT
1 Unless the Lord builds a house,
the work of the builders is wasted.

Back to the assignment: Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Let me suggest a Biblical principle you want your children to know and practice?

This is found in:
Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.

Imagine what could happen if you spent the next 12 to 15 years training your children to put their hope in the Lord, not in themselves.

Imagine what could happen if your children, over a period of time, truly leaned the importance of living a Christ-centered life.

Imagine what could happen if your children leaned to:
Trust in the Lord with all their heart;
and not depend on their own understanding.

In 12-15 years from now they would go off to college
Trusting in the Lord with all their heart;
and not depending on their own understanding.

Later when they are starting a family they would be
Trusting in the Lord with all their heart;
and not depending on their own understanding.

They would be teaching their children, your grandchildren to
5 Trust in the Lord with all their heart;
…not depending on their own understanding.

Don’t forget: Proverbs 22:6 (KJV)
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 29:17 NLT says:
17 Discipline (disciple, train, or instruct) your children, and they will give you peace of mind
and will make your heart glad

How do we do this?

How do we Train up a child in the way he should go:

Let me give you a starting point.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (NLT)
4 “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.
5 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. 6 And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. 7 Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. 8 Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders.  9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Verses 5-6 tell us two things we as adults, as parents, as teachers “must” do.

We read:
And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. 

we must “Love God with every fiber of our being.”

We must have a right relationship with God.

The passage goes on to say: 

6 And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today.  

We must know God’s Word – We must spend time in the Word.

This takes commitment – effort – work – on our part.

We cannot have a right relationship with God if we do not know what His word says.

When we commit ourselves wholeheartedly to the scriptures we will know God better and gain a better understanding of His will for our lives.

This passage goes on to say: 

7 Repeat them (God’s instructions) again and again to your children.

Repeat Biblical truths again and again to your children.

Talk about them (Biblical truths) when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. 

When you are at home.

When you are eating breakfast.

When you are on the road (car groups).

When you are eating dinner.

When you are getting ready for bed.

YOU SHOULD BE TALKING ABOUT GOD, JESUS, AND BIBLICAL TRUTHS WITH YOUR CHILDREN ALL DAY LONG. 

8 Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders.  9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Surround yourself and your family with visual reminders of the message of God’s Word.

What do people see when they walk into your house.

What kinds of pictures or plaques are on display in your home?

What is on display in your children’s bedrooms?

Be creative in the ways you surround yourself with reminders of the messages of God’s Word.  Fill your house with reminders of God and His Word.

More importantly, fill your thoughts, fill your minds, with God’s Word.

Train up a child in the way he should go:
and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

My challenge to you is that you make this a #1 priority for your life.

Jesus, the True Vine

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Jesus, the True Vine

From Redeemer’s web page (www.redeemerdayschool.org):

Our Mission

To provide a Christ-centered, teacher-directed, academically challenging school for Atlanta’s children while mentoring parents in Christ-centered child-rearing.

Briefly address one of Redeemer’s Core Values.

Core value (under Christ-Centered)

            Nurturing students in love for the Lord by learning the Bible is Truth

2 Timothy 3:16 NLT
16 All Scripture is inspired by God (God breathed) and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

Either you believe that everything from Genesis 1:1 through Revelation 22:21 is truth or you don’t.

We believe it is truth.

We may not understand everything we read in scripture, but we know that it is truth.

We want our children to believe that everything from Genesis 1:1 through Revelation 22:21 is God’s truth.

Our Mission

To provide a Christ-centered, teacher-directed, academically challenging school for Atlanta’s children while mentoring parents in Christ-centered child-rearing.

The words of Jesus clearly address the importance of Christ-centered lives.

Redeemer’s school verse.

Psalm 78:4-7 NLT
4 We will not hide these truths from our children;
we will tell the next generation
about the glorious deeds of the Lord,
about his power and his mighty wonders.
5 …
He commanded our ancestors
to teach them to their children,
6 so the next generation might know them—
even the children not yet born—
and they in turn will teach their own children.
7 So each generation should set its hope anew on God,
not forgetting his glorious miracles
and obeying his commands. 

One of Redeemer Day School’s primary reasons for existing is to share Biblical truths from both the Old and New Testament with all of the students. (verse 4)

At some point in their lives:  (Hopefully before they reach their 18th birthday)

We want our children to learn to set their hope on Christ (God) and not on themselves. (verse 7) 

We want our children to come to understand Psalm 127:1 

Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. — Psalm 127:1.

We want our children to live Christ-centered lives.

Our goals are clearly contrary to the goals of secular humanism and the modern paganism that goes with it.

A look at some of the Words of Jesus.

John 15:1-10 NLT
Jesus, the True Vine
15:1 “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. 3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.
5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. 7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! 8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.
9 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. 10 When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. 

Examine the Scriptures:

John 15:1-10 NLT

This passage of scripture may have been directed to the disciples, but the principles of this passage apply to all believers.

15:1 “I am

the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 

The last of the seven “I am” statements.

The bread of life
The light of the world
The door
The good shepherd
The resurrection and the life
The way and the truth and the life
The true vine 

2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. 3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you.  

  • God, the gardener wants branches (people, Christians) who bear fruit (much fruit).
  • We want our children to be “Fruit bearers” – those who produce much fruit.

God does what is needed to make the vines produce fruit.

Pruning produces fruitfulness.

Most of us desire the same thing for our children and ourselves.

We pray for this.

Colossians 1:9-10 NLT
9 So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. 

Another of Paul’s prayers:
Philippians 1:9-11 NLT
9 I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. 10 For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. 11 May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God. 

Instructions from Jesus. (For our children and for us.) 

4 Remain in me, (abide)           

What does it mean to remain, or abide, in Christ? 

Accept Jesus as Savior.
Believe the truth of the Bible.
Obey God’s commands.
Committed to serving Jesus and obeying His Word.

John 8:31 NLT
31 Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. (We need to know the scripture.)

Colossians 1:21-23
21 This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. 22 Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.
23 But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News.  

1 John 2:24 NLT
24 So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father.

John 14:21 NLT<
strong>21 Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”
23 Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. 

  • Jesus instructs us to remain in Him.

and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and

 you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. 

  • A branch out of contact with the vine is lifeless. 

5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. 

For apart from me (Christ) you can do nothing.  

Apart from Christ people do become doctors, lawyers, teachers, professional athletes, successful entrepreneurs, 

What is it that we can’t do without Jesus?  We can’t produce the fruit Christ wants us to produce. 

What does it mean to produce much fruit?

I can be the person God intended me to be.
I can live the life God has planned for me to live.
I can do everything God wants me to do.
I can bear the fruit God wants me to bear.
I can have the impact on others that God intends for me to have.

  • Apart from Christ we can do nothing. 
  • Our goal is for all of our children to learn to set their hope on Christ (God) and not on themselves.

Gold, silver, and jewels vs. wood, hay, and stubble.

1 Corinthians 3:10-15

1 Corinthians 3:10-15 NLT
10 Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.
12 Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. 13 But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. 14 If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. 15 But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.

Unless the Lord build …

Psalm 127:1-2 NLT
A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. A psalm of Solomon.
1 Unless the Lord builds a house,
the work of the builders is wasted.
Unless the Lord protects a city,
guarding it with sentries will do no good.
2 It is useless for you to work so hard
from early morning until late at night,
anxiously working for food to eat;
for God gives rest to his loved ones. 

  • Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.— Psalm 127:1 ESV 
  • Are we teaching our children to build on wood, hay, and stubble or gold, silver, and jewels? 

6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. 7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! 8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.

9 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. 10 When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.  

  • Obedience and love go together.

What does this look like?

Psalm 1:1-3 NLT
1 Oh, the joys of those who do not
follow the advice of the wicked,
or stand around with sinners,
or join in with mockers.
2 But they delight in the law of the Lord,
meditating on it day and night.
3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
and they prosper in all they do. 

Colossians 2:6-7 NLT
6 And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. 7 Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

Psalm 92:12-15 NLT
12 But the godly will flourish like palm trees
and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon.
13 For they are transplanted to the Lord’s own house.
They flourish in the courts of our God.
14 Even in old age they will still produce fruit;
they will remain vital and green.
15 They will declare, “The Lord is just!
He is my rock!
There is no evil in him!”

A final thought.

Philippians 4:13 NLT
13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

I can be the person God intended me to be.
I can live the life God has planned for me to live.
I can do everything God wants me to do.
I can bear the fruit God wants me to bear.
I can have the impact on others that God intends for me to have.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spirit-Guided Relationships: Slaves and Masters

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Spirit-Guided Relationships: Slaves and Masters

Introduction:

Previous lessons:

            Living by the Spirit’s Power
Spirit-Guided Relationships: Wives and Husbands

Spirit-Guided Relationships: Children and Parents

Today’s lesson:

Spirit-Guided Relationships: Slaves and Masters

Ephesians 5:18 NLT tells us to:
18 …  be filled with the Holy Spirit,

  • A Spirit-controlled (Spirit-Guided) life is necessary for living the life God has planned for us to live.  (This theme is repeated from the two previous lessons.)

Ephesians 6:5-9 NLT
Spirit-Guided Relationships: Slaves and Masters
5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. 6 Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. 7 Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 8 Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.
9 Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Don’t threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favorites.

Examine the scriptures:

Ephesians 6:5-9 NLT
Spirit-Guided Relationships: Slaves and Masters 

5 Slaves,

Slaves – Servants – Bondservants

Bible scholars have estimated that about one-third of the population in the Roman Empire in Paul’s time were slaves.  One-third of the population in Ephesus would have been slaves.

  • Bible scholars have estimated that about one-third of the population in the Roman Empire in Paul’s time were slaves.

Slaves were, indirectly, a part of the family (household).

Husbands/wives
Children/parents
Slaves/masters

These passages all involve relationships between people.

Galatians 3:26-28 NLT
26 For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. 28 There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.

There would have been Christian slaves under Christian masters.

There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.

  • A Spirit-controlled (Spirit-Guided) life is necessary for living the life God has planned for us to live.

This passage is not approving of or condemning slavery.

Slavery was a fact of life in that culture.

This passage is addressing relationships that existed in the Roman Empire. 

obey your earthly masters 

  • We are commanded to obey those who are in authority over us. (Repeated from previous lesson.)

Romans 13:1 NLT
Respect for Authority
13:1 Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.

Colossians 3:22 NLT
22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. …

The principles taught here would apply to employee/employer relationships today.

Obey those in positions of authority over you.

We are to practice continuous, uninterrupted submission to those in authority. (as long as the expectations do not contradict scripture.)

  • Obedience is the right thing to do.
  • Obedience pleases the Lord. 

with deep respect and fear 

With:

Respect for their authority.

Sincerity.

A healthy fear.

1 Peter 2:18-23 NLT
18 You who are slaves must submit to your masters with all respect. 

1 Timothy 6:1-2 NLT
6 All slaves should show full respect for their masters so they will not bring shame on the name of God and his teaching. 2 If the masters are believers, that is no excuse for being disrespectful. Those slaves should work all the harder because their efforts are helping other believers who are well loved.

Everyone should show full respect for those in authority so they will not bring shame on the name of God and his teaching.

  • We are commanded to obey AND respect those who are in authority over us.

Romans 13:7 NLT
7 Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honor to those who are in authority. 

Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. 

Colossians 3:22-23 NLT (repeated)
22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Serve them sincerely because of your reverent fear of the Lord. 23 Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

Ephesians 5:21 NLT
21 And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
for this is the right thing to do.  

6 Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. 

Not just when it is easy to do so.

1 Peter 2:18-23 NLT
18 You who are slaves must submit to your masters with all respect. Do what they tell you—not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are cruel. 19 For God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust treatment. 20 Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.
21 For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.
22 He never sinned,
nor ever deceived anyone.
23 He did not retaliate when he was insulted,
nor threaten revenge when he suffered.
He left his case in the hands of God,
    who always judges fairly. 

As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NLT
19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

Titus 2:9-10 NLT
9 Slaves must always obey their masters and do their best to please them. They must not talk back 10 or steal, but must show themselves to be entirely trustworthy and good. Then they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive in every way.

  • Obey with obedience that comes from your heart.
  • Obey because you belong to the Lord. (6:1)

 7 Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 

  • The will of God is that Christian slaves honor Him by serving their human masters faithfully and with enthusiasm.
  • The will of God is that Christian employees honor Him by serving their employers faithfully and with enthusiasm.

8 Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.

9 Masters, treat your slaves in the same way.

With integrity and concern.

Mutual honor and respect.

Colossians 4:1 NLT
4:1 Masters, be just and fair to your slaves.

Paul speaking to Philemon about his slave Onesimus.

Philemon 1:16 NLT
16 He is no longer like a slave to you. He is more than a slave, for he is a beloved brother, especially to me. Now he will mean much more to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord.

Application:

Teachers, treat your students in the same way.

Administrators, treat your teachers in the same way.

Don’t threaten them; 

More application.

Teachers, don’t threaten your students.

Administrators, don’t threaten your teachers. 

  • Masters, be just and fair to your slaves. 

remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favorites. 

Romans 2:11 NLT
11 For God does not show favoritism.

1 Peter 1:17 NLT
17 And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time here as “temporary residents.”

Galatians 3:26-28 NLT
26 For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. 28 There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. 

With different roles.

God will fairly judge both masters and servants.

  • A Spirit-controlled (Spirit-Guided) life is necessary for living the life God has planned for us to live.  (Repeated)
  •  

“We will…tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord…
so that they should set their hope in God.” 

Spirit-Guided Relationships: Slaves and Masters 

Ephesians 6:5-9 NLT
5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. 6 Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. 7 Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 8 Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.
9 Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Don’t threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favorites.

  • A Spirit-controlled (Spirit-Guided) life is necessary for living the life God has planned for us to live.  (This theme is repeated from the two previous lessons.)
  • Bible scholars have estimated that about one-third of the population in the Roman Empire in Paul’s time were slaves.
  • We are commanded to obey those who are in authority over us. (Repeated from previous lesson.)
  • Obedience is the right thing to do.
  • Obedience pleases the Lord.
  • We are commanded to obey AND respect those who are in authority over us.
  • Obey with obedience that comes from your heart.
  • Obey because you belong to the Lord. (6:1)
  • The will of God is that Christian slaves (Christian employees) honor Him by serving their human masters (employers) faithfully and with enthusiasm.
  • Masters, be just and fair to your slaves.
  • A Spirit-controlled (Spirit-Guided) life is necessary for living the life God has planned for us to live.

 

Saul Tries to Kill David

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Saul Tries to Kill David

Review:

The birth of Samuel.
–          Samuel’s parents were Elkanah and Hannah.

Samuel given to the Lord by Hannah, his mother.
–          Samuel became an apprentice in the temple under the supervision of Eli the priest.

Eli the priest and his worthless sons.

The Lord calls Samuel.
–          Samuel was a priest, prophet, and judge.

Samuel was God’s spokesman for all of Israel.

The Philistines capture the Ark of God.

The Philistines return the ark of God.

Samuel, as the Judge of Israel, leads the Israelites to victory over the Philistines.

Israel requests a king.

Samuel privately anoints Saul as king.

Initially Saul was a good king.

Continued war with the Philistines.

Jonathan was Saul’s son.
–          Jonathan most likely would have made a good king, but that was not God’s plan for Israel.

The Lord rejects Saul.  Saul’s kingship was a failure.

Samuel privately anoints David as king.

David kills Goliath.

 

The conclusion of the previous lesson.

1 Samuel 18:27-30
… So Saul gave his daughter Michal to David to be his wife.
28 When Saul realized that the Lord was with David and how much his daughter Michal loved him, 29 Saul became even more afraid of him, and he remained David’s enemy for the rest of his life.
30 Every time the commanders of the Philistines attacked, David was more successful against them than all the rest of Saul’s officers. So David’s name became very famous.

There was a time when Saul loved David.

1 Samuel 16:21-22 NLT
21 So David went to Saul and began serving him. Saul loved David very much, and David became his armor bearer.
22 Then Saul sent word to Jesse asking, “Please let David remain in my service, for I am very pleased with him.”

  • Saul was afraid of David, and he remained David’s enemy for the rest of his life.
  • David continued to succeed in everything he did, for the Lordwas with him.

1 Samuel 19:1-10 NLT
Saul Tries to Kill David
19:1 Saul now urged his servants and his son Jonathan to assassinate David. But Jonathan, because of his strong affection for David, 2 told him what his father was planning. “Tomorrow morning,” he warned him, “you must find a hiding place out in the fields. 3 I’ll ask my father to go out there with me, and I’ll talk to him about you. Then I’ll tell you everything I can find out.”
4 The next morning Jonathan spoke with his father about David, saying many good things about him. “The king must not sin against his servant David,” Jonathan said. “He’s never done anything to harm you. He has always helped you in any way he could. 5 Have you forgotten about the time he risked his life to kill the Philistine giant and how the Lord brought a great victory to all Israel as a result? You were certainly happy about it then. Why should you murder an innocent man like David? There is no reason for it at all!”
6 So Saul listened to Jonathan and vowed, “As surely as the Lord lives, David will not be killed.”
7 Afterward Jonathan called David and told him what had happened. Then he brought David to Saul, and David served in the court as before.
8 War broke out again after that, and David led his troops against the Philistines. He attacked them with such fury that they all ran away.
9 But one day when Saul was sitting at home, with spear in hand, the tormenting spirit from the Lord suddenly came upon him again. As David played his harp, 10 Saul hurled his spear at David. But David dodged out of the way, and leaving the spear stuck in the wall, he fled and escaped into the night.

Examine the Scriptures

1 Samuel 19:1-10 NLT
Saul Tries to Kill David
19:1 Saul now urged his servants and his son Jonathan to assassinate David.

David’s success against Israel’s enemy, the Philistines, caused Saul to act irrationally.

Prior to this, Saul was hoping that David would be killed by the Philistines.

1 Samuel 18:12-16 NLT
12 Saul was then afraid of David, for the Lord was with David and had turned away from Saul. 13 Finally, Saul sent him away and appointed him commander over 1,000 men, and David faithfully led his troops into battle.
14 David continued to succeed in everything he did, for the Lord was with him. 15 When Saul recognized this, he became even more afraid of him. 16 But all Israel and Judah loved David because he was so successful at leading his troops into battle.

  • Saul’s urged his servants and his son, Jonathan, to kill David.

Saul wants David completely out of his life. 

But Jonathan, because of his strong affection for David,  

Previous chapter

18:1 After David had finished talking with Saul, he met Jonathan, the king’s son. There was an immediate bond between them, for Jonathan loved David. 

  • When David met Jonathan, there was an immediate bond between the two young men.

Where did this affection come from? (Clearly this was a result of God’s intervention.)

1 Thessalonians 4:9 NLT
9 But we don’t need to write to you about the importance of loving each other, for God himself has taught you to love one another.

1 Thessalonians 3:12 NLT
12 And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows.

1 John 4:7 NLT
7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God.

1 John 3:16 NLT
16 We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.

Proverbs 17:17 NLT
17 A friend is always loyal,
and a brother is born to help in time of need. 

  • Jonathan was a true friend and true friends are faithful in times of adversity.

Jonathan continues to be David’s best friend, even when he knows David, not him, will be the next king of Israel.

1 Samuel 23:17 NLT
17 “Don’t be afraid,” Jonathan reassured him. “My father will never find you! You are going to be the king of Israel, and I will be next to you, as my father, Saul, is well aware.”

Back to 1 Samuel 19: 

2 told him what his father was planning. 

19:1 Saul now urged his servants and his son Jonathan to assassinate David. 

  • God, in His infinite mercy, used Saul’s son Jonathan to inform David of Saul’s evil intensions. 

“Tomorrow morning,” he warned him, “you must find a hiding place out in the fields.  

3 I’ll ask my father to go out there with me, and I’ll talk to him about you. Then I’ll tell you everything I can find out.”

  • Jonathan was truly concerned about David’s welfare. 

4 The next morning Jonathan spoke with his father about David, saying many good things about him. “The king must not sin against his servant David,” Jonathan said. “He’s never done anything to harm you. He has always helped you in any way he could. 5 Have you forgotten about the time he risked his life to kill the Philistine giant and how the Lord brought a great victory to all Israel as a result? You were certainly happy about it then. Why should you murder an innocent man like David? There is no reason for it at all!”

Jonathan stood up for David.

  • Jonathan reminded his father, Saul, that David had done nothing to deserve death.

Jonathan appealed to his father to do the right thing.

6 So Saul listened to Jonathan and vowed, “As surely as the Lord lives, David will not be killed.”

  • Jonathan temporarily convinced his father that it would be wrong for him to kill David.

7 Afterward Jonathan called David and told him what had happened. Then he brought David to Saul, and David served in the court as before.

8 War broke out again after that, and David led his troops against the Philistines. He attacked them with such fury that they all ran away. 

9 But one day when Saul was sitting at home, with spear in hand, the tormenting spirit from the Lord suddenly came upon him again. As David played his harp, 

  • The Lord had turned away from Saul. (1 Samuel 18:12)

The Lord sent a tormenting spirit.  This was a tormenting spirit, not the Lord Himself.

Evil spirits are subject to God’s control.

Saul was mentally unbalanced.

Saul’s behaviors are predictable.

Galatians 5:19-21 NLT
19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

10 Saul hurled his spear at David. But David dodged out of the way, and leaving the spear stuck in the wall, he fled and escaped into the night.

Saul:

  • Jealousy, rage, and anger once again dominated Saul and he attempted to kill David.

1 Samuel 18:10 NLT (the previous chapter)
10 The very next day a tormenting spirit from God overwhelmed Saul, and he began to rave in his house like a madman. 

Jeremiah 17:9 NLT
9 “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things,
and desperately wicked.
Who really knows how bad it is?

David:

  • The Lord was with David.

18:12 Saul was then afraid of David, for the Lord was with David and had turned away from Saul.  

18:14 David continued to succeed in everything he did, for the Lord was with him.  

 

Psalm 18:1-3 NLTA psalm of David, the servant of the Lord. He sang this song to the Lord on the day the Lord rescued him from all his enemies and from Saul. He sang:
1 I love you, Lord;
you are my strength (defender).
2 The Lord is my rock (protector), my fortress, and my savior;
my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
He is my shield, the power that saves me,
    and my place of safety.
3 I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
and he saved me from my enemies.

Psalm 145:20 NLT
20 The Lord protects all those who love him,
but he destroys the wicked.

  • The Lord protects all those who love him.

Encouragement for us.

1 John 4:9-15 NLT
9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. 12 No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.
13 And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. 14 Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God.

  • All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God.   (1 John 4:15)

 

 

 

Spirit-Guided Relationships: Children and Parents

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Introduction:

A brief look at two of Redeemer Day School’s four core values.

Redeemer’s four core values:

Christ-Centered
Teacher Directed
Academically Challenging
Mentoring Relationships

Two of our Core Values talk about obedience.

Christ-Centered

Nurturing students in displaying obedience.

Teacher Directed

Respect is fostered through listening and obeying.

Ephesians 6:1-4 NLT
Spirit-Guided Relationships: Children and Parents
6:1 Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. 2 “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: 3 If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”
4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.

Examine the scriptures:
Ephesians 6:1-4 NLT
Spirit-Guided Relationships: Children and Parents

Previous lesson:

Living by the Spirit’s Power
Spirit-Guided Relationships: Wives and Husbands

Today’s lesson

Spirit-Guided Relationships: Children and Parents

Next lesson:

Spirit-Guided Relationships: Slaves and Masters

Ephesians 5:18 NLT tells us to:
18 …  be filled with the Holy Spirit,

  • A Spirit-controlled (Spirit-Guided) life is necessary for living the life God has planned for us to live.

6:1 Children, obey your parents

Both parents.

because you belong to the Lord,  

Additional scriptures:

Ephesians 5:21 NLT
21 And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Colossians 3:20 NLT
20 Children, always obey your parents, for this pleases the Lord. 

Proverbs 6:20 NLT
20 My son, obey your father’s commands,
and don’t neglect your mother’s instruction.
21 Keep their words always in your heart.
Tie them around your neck.
22 When you walk, their counsel will lead you.
When you sleep, they will protect you.
When you wake up, they will advise you.
23 For their command is a lamp
and their instruction a light;
their corrective discipline
is the way to life. 

for this is the right thing to do. 

As if obeying the Lord Himself.

  • Obedience is the right thing to do.
  • Obedience pleases the Lord.

2 “Honor your father and mother.”

Additional scriptures:

Exodus 20:12 NLT
12 “Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

Deuteronomy 5:16 NLT
16 “Honor your father and mother, as the Lord your God commanded you. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

Honor is more than obedience.

Hebrews 12:9 NLT
9 Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever?

Proverbs 1:7-9 NLT
7 Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
8 My child, listen when your father corrects you.
Don’t neglect your mother’s instruction.
9 What you learn from them will crown you with grace
and be a chain of honor around your neck.

Honor is more than obedience.

Honor shows respect.

Honor displays a right attitude.

Honor is an act of submission. 

  • Honor is more than obedience. Honor recognizes the importance or value of obedience.

This is the first commandment with a promise:

This might not actually be the first commandment with a promise.  (See Exodus 20:6)

Exodus 20:6 NLT
6 But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.

This might not even the greatest commandment. (See Matthew 22:37 – Mark 12:30 – Luke 10:27)

This is a commandment of primary importance for children.

 3 If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.” 

Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas, disobeyed Eli and ….

1 Samuel 2:12 & 25
12 Now the sons of Eli were scoundrels who had no respect for the Lord …

25 … But Eli’s sons wouldn’t listen to their father, for the Lord was already planning to put them to death. 

1 Samuel 4:10-11 NLT
10 So the Philistines fought desperately, and Israel was defeated again. The slaughter was great; 30,000 Israelite soldiers died that day. The survivors turned and fled to their tents. 11 The Ark of God was captured, and Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were killed.

  • The environment in a home (classroom) is more pleasant when obedience is being practiced.

Jeremiah 7:22-23 NLT
22 When I led your ancestors out of Egypt, it was not burnt offerings and sacrifices I wanted from them. 23 This is what I told them: ‘Obey me, and I will be your God, and you will be my people. Do everything as I say, and all will be well!’

Isaiah 1:19-20 NLT
19 If you will only obey me,
you will have plenty to eat.
20 But if you turn away and refuse to listen,
you will be devoured by the sword of your enemies.
I, the Lord, have spoken!” 

4 Fathers, 

The head of the family, responsible for disciplining the children. 

do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them.

Colossians 3:21 NLT
21 Fathers, do not aggravate your children, or they will become discouraged.

Not excessive
Not harsh
Nor unjust
Domineering and thoughtless acts will discourage children.

Loving and gentle
No unreasonable demands, petty rules, or favoritism.

  • Fathers (parents) do not aggravate your children, or they will become discouraged. 

Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.

Disciple

Teach by example.

Reflect on the Lord’s discipline.

Hebrews 12:5-11 NLT
5 And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children?  He said,
“My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and don’t give up when he corrects you.
6 For the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.”
7 As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? 8 If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. 9 Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever?
10 For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. 11 No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

  • The Lord disciplines those he loves.

 

  • There are numerous scriptures that are amazing similar to Ephesians 6:1-4 directed to us as adults.

Remember, we are children of God.

As children of God:

Deuteronomy 6:1-9 NLT
6:1 “These are the commands, decrees, and regulations that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you. You must obey them in the land you are about to enter and occupy, 2 and you and your children and grandchildren must fear the Lord your God as long as you live. If you obey all his decrees and commands, you will enjoy a long life. 3 Listen closely, Israel, and be careful to obey. Then all will go well with you, and you will have many children in the land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you.
4 “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. 5 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. 6 And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. 7 Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. 8 Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. 

Deuteronomy 11:13-21 NLT
13 “If you carefully obey the commands I am giving you today, and if you love the Lord your God and serve him with all your heart and soul, 14 then he will send the rains in their proper seasons—the early and late rains—so you can bring in your harvests of grain, new wine, and olive oil. 15 He will give you lush pastureland for your livestock, and you yourselves will have all you want to eat.
16 “But be careful. Don’t let your heart be deceived so that you turn away from the Lord and serve and worship other gods. 17 If you do, the Lord’s anger will burn against you. He will shut up the sky and hold back the rain, and the ground will fail to produce its harvests. Then you will quickly die in that good land the Lord is giving you.
18 “So commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. 19 Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. 20 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, 21 so that as long as the sky remains above the earth, you and your children may flourish in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors. 

The Biblical principles found in Ephesians 6:1-4 certainly apply to adults as well as to children.

They applied to Jesus.

Philippians 2:8 NLT
8     he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

We are commanded to obey those in authority.

Romans 13:1 NLT
Respect for Authority
13:1 Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.

  • A Spirit-controlled (Spirit-Guided) life is necessary for living the life God has planned for us to live. 

“We will…tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord…
so that they should set their hope in God.”

Spirit-Guided Relationships: Children and Parents 

Ephesians 6:1-4 NLT
6:1 Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. 2 “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: 3 If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”
4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.

  • A Spirit-controlled (Spirit-Guided) life is necessary for living the life God has planned for us to live.
  • Obedience is the right thing to do.
  • Obedience pleases the Lord.
  • Honor is more than obedience. Honor recognizes the importance or value of obedience.
  • The environment in a home (classroom) is more pleasant when obedience is being practiced.
  • Fathers (parents), do not aggravate your children, or they will become discouraged.
  • The Lorddisciplines those he loves.
  • There are numerous scriptures that are amazing similar to Ephesians 6:1-4 directed to us as adults.
  • A Spirit-controlled (Spirit-Guided) life is necessary for living the life God has planned for us to live.

 

 

 

Jesus, the True Vine

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Jesus, the True Vine

From Redeemer’s web page (www.redeemerdayschool.org):

Our Mission

To provide a Christ-centered, teacher-directed, academically challenging school for Atlanta’s children while mentoring parents in Christ-centered child-rearing.

A brief summary of one of Redeemer’s Core Values.

Core value (under Christ-Centered)

Nurturing students in love for the Lord by learning the Bible is Truth.

Redeemer Day School teaches that all Scripture is truth.

2 Timothy 3:16 NLT
16 All Scripture is inspired by God (God breathed) and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

Either you believe that everything from Genesis 1:1 through Revelation 22:21 is truth or you don’t.

We, at Redeemer Day School, believe all of scripture is truth.

We may not understand everything we read in scripture, but we know that it is truth.

Our Mission

To provide a Christ-centered, teacher-directed, academically challenging school for Atlanta’s children while mentoring parents in Christ-centered child-rearing.

The words of Jesus clearly address the importance of Christ-centered lives.

Redeemer’s school verse.

Psalm 78:4-7 NLT
4 We will not hide these truths from our children;
we will tell the next generation
about the glorious deeds of the Lord,
about his power and his mighty wonders.
5 …
He commanded our ancestors
to teach them to their children,
6 so the next generation might know them—
even the children not yet born—
and they in turn will teach their own children.
7 So each generation should set its hope anew on God,
not forgetting his glorious miracles
and obeying his commands. 

One of Redeemer Day School’s primary reasons for existing is to share Biblical truths from both the Old and New Testament with all of the students. (verse 4)

At some point in their lives:

We want our students to learn to set their hope on Christ (God) and not on themselves. (verse 7) 

We want our students to come to understand Psalm 127:1 

Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. — Psalm 127:1.

We want our students to live Christ-centered lives.

Our goals are clearly contrary to the goals of secular humanism and the modern paganism that goes with it.

A look at some of the Words of Jesus.

John 15:1-17 NLT
Jesus, the True Vine
15:1 “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. 3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.
5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. 7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! 8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.
9 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. 10 When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. 

Examine the Scriptures:

John 15:1-10 NLT

This passage of scripture may have been directed to the disciples, but the principles of this passage apply to all believers.

15:1 “I am

the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 

This is the last of the seven “I am” statements.

I am:

The bread of life
The light of the world
The door
The good shepherd
The resurrection and the life
The way and the truth and the life
The true vine 

2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. 3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you.  

  • God, the gardener wants branches (people, Christians) who bear fruit (much fruit).
  • We, at Redeemer Day School, want our students to be “Fruit bearers” – those who produce much fruit.

God does what is needed to make the vines produce fruit.
Pruning produces fruitfulness.

Most of us desire the same thing for our children, our students, and ourselves.

We pray for this.

Paul prayed for this

Colossians 1:9-10 NLT
9 So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. 

Another of Paul’s prayers:

Philippians 1:9-11 NLT
9 I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. 10 For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. 11 May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God. 

Instructions from Jesus. (For our children, our students, and for us.) 

4 Remain in me, (abide)           

What does it mean to remain, or abide, in Christ?

 Accept Jesus as Savior.

Believe the truth of the Bible.

Obey God’s commands.

Committed to serving Jesus and obeying His Word.

John 8:31 NLT
31 Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. (We need to know the scripture.)

Colossians 1:21-23
21 This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. 22 Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.
23 But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News.  

1 John 2:24 NLT
24 So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father.

John 14:21 NLT
21 Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”
23 Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. 

  • Jesus instructs us to remain in Him.

and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. 

  • A branch out of contact with the vine is lifeless. 

5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. 

For apart from me (Christ) you can do nothing.  

Apart from Christ people do become doctors, lawyers, teachers, professional athletes, successful entrepreneurs, 

What is it that we can’t do without Jesus?  We can’t produce the fruit Christ wants us to produce. 

What does it mean to produce much fruit?

I can be the person God intended me to be.

I can live the life God has planned for me to live.

I can do everything God wants me to do.

I can bear the fruit God wants me to bear.

I can have the impact on others that God intends for me to have.

  • Apart from Christ we can do nothing. 
  • Our goal is for all of our students to learn to set their hope on Christ (God) and not on themselves. 

Gold, silver, and jewels vs. wood, hay, and stubble.

1 Corinthians 3:11-15

1 Corinthians 3:10-15 NLT
10 Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.
12 Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. 13 But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. 14 If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. 15 But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.

Unless the Lord build …

Psalm 127:1-2 NLT
A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. A psalm of Solomon.
1 Unless the Lord builds a house,
the work of the builders is wasted.
Unless the Lord protects a city,
guarding it with sentries will do no good.
2 It is useless for you to work so hard
from early morning until late at night,
anxiously working for food to eat;
for God gives rest to his loved ones. 

  • Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.— Psalm 127:1 ESV 
  • Are we teaching our students to build on wood, hay, and stubble or gold, silver, and jewels? 

6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. 7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! 8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.
9 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. 10 When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.  

  • Obedience and love go together.

 What does this look like?

Psalm 1:1-3 NLT
1 Oh, the joys of those who do not
follow the advice of the wicked,
or stand around with sinners,
or join in with mockers.
2 But they delight in the law of the Lord,
meditating on it day and night.
3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
and they prosper in all they do. 

Colossians 2:6-7 NLT
6 And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. 7 Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

Psalm 92:12-15 NLT
12 But the godly will flourish like palm trees
and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon.
13 For they are transplanted to the Lord’s own house.
They flourish in the courts of our God.
14 Even in old age they will still produce fruit;
they will remain vital and green.
15 They will declare, “The Lord is just!
He is my rock!
There is no evil in him!”

A final thought.

Philippians 4:13 NLT
13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

I can be the person God intended me to be.

I can live the life God has planned for me to live.

I can do everything God wants me to do.

I can bear the fruit God wants me to bear.

I can have the impact on others that God intends for me to have.

 

Jesus, the True Vine

John 15:1-17 NLT
15:1 “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. 3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.
5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. 7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! 8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.
9 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. 10 When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.

  • Our goal is for students to learn to set their hope on Christ (God) and not on themselves.
  • God, the gardener wants branches (people, Christians) who bear fruit (much fruit).
  • Jesus instructs us to remain in Him.
  • A branch out of contact with the vine is lifeless.
  • Apart from Christ we can do nothing.
  • Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.— Psalm 127:1.
  • Are we teaching our students to build on wood, hay, and stubble or gold, silver, and jewels?
  • Obedience and love go together.

David Marries Saul’s Daughter

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David Marries Saul’s Daughter

1 Samuel 18:17-30 NLT
17 One day Saul said to David, “I am ready to give you my older daughter, Merab, as your wife. But first you must prove yourself to be a real warrior by fighting the Lord’s battles.” For Saul thought, “I’ll send him out against the Philistines and let them kill him rather than doing it myself.”
18 “Who am I, and what is my family in Israel that I should be the king’s son-in-law?” David exclaimed. “My father’s family is nothing!” 19 So when the time came for Saul to give his daughter Merab in marriage to David, he gave her instead to Adriel, a man from Meholah.
20 In the meantime, Saul’s daughter Michal had fallen in love with David, and Saul was delighted when he heard about it. 21 “Here’s another chance to see him killed by the Philistines!” Saul said to himself. But to David he said, “Today you have a second chance to become my son-in-law!”
22 Then Saul told his men to say to David, “The king really likes you, and so do we. Why don’t you accept the king’s offer and become his son-in-law?”
23 When Saul’s men said these things to David, he replied, “How can a poor man from a humble family afford the bride price for the daughter of a king?”
24 When Saul’s men reported this back to the king, 25 he told them, “Tell David that all I want for the bride price is 100 Philistine foreskins! Vengeance on my enemies is all I really want.” But what Saul had in mind was that David would be killed in the fight.
26 David was delighted to accept the offer. Before the time limit expired, 27 he and his men went out and killed 200 Philistines. Then David fulfilled the king’s requirement by presenting all their foreskins to him. So Saul gave his daughter Michal to David to be his wife.
28 When Saul realized that the Lord was with David and how much his daughter Michal loved him, 29 Saul became even more afraid of him, and he remained David’s enemy for the rest of his life.
30 Every time the commanders of the Philistines attacked, David was more successful against them than all the rest of Saul’s officers. So David’s name became very famous.

Examine the Scriptures
1 Samuel 18:17-30 NLT

David Marries Saul’s Daughter

17 One day Saul said to David, “I am ready to give you my older daughter, Merab, as your wife. But first you must prove yourself to be a real warrior by fighting the Lord’s battles.”

David had already “earned” the right to marry one of Saul’s daughters.  Now Saul was adding addition conditions to his original promise.

  • Saul reneged on a promise he had already made to David.

1 Samuel 17:25 NLT
25 “Have you seen the giant?” the men asked. “He comes out each day to defy Israel. The king has offered a huge reward to anyone who kills him. He will give that man one of his daughters for a wife, and the man’s entire family will be exempted from paying taxes!”

“Fighting the Lord’s battles” would be a challenging appeal to David.

Saul knew that David was committed to serving the Lord. 

For Saul thought, “I’ll send him out against the Philistines and let them kill him rather than doing it myself.”

  • Saul’s gesture was a snare. It was an attempt to have David killed in battle.

Saul did not grasp the fact that “the Lord was with him (David)”.

Why didn’t Saul kill David?  As king he could have easily arranged to have David killed.

David was loved by the people of Israel and Judah.

1 Samuel 18:16 NLT
16 But all Israel and Judah loved David because he was so successful at leading his troops into battle.

Most likely Saul did not want to kill David for fear of a negative response from the people of Israel and Judah.

Note:

Notice the similarity between Saul’s treachery and that of David with Uriah.

2 Samuel 11:15 NLT
15 The letter instructed Joab, “Station Uriah on the front lines where the battle is fiercest. Then pull back so that he will be killed.” 

18 “Who am I, and what is my family in Israel that I should be the king’s son-in-law?” David exclaimed. “My father’s family is nothing!” 

David felt unworthy to marry a daughter of the king.

  • Family lineage was normally crucial when marrying into the king’s family.

Note who King Solomon married.

1 Kings 11:3 NLT
3 He had 700 wives of royal birth …

Frequently kings married the daughters of other kings to form alliances.

Saul was interested in David’s lineage.

Previously Saul was asking about David’s lineage:

1 Samuel 17:55-58 NLT
55 As Saul watched David go out to fight the Philistine, he asked Abner, the commander of his army, “Abner, whose son is this young man?”
“I really don’t know,” Abner declared.
56 “Well, find out who he is!” the king told him.
57 As soon as David returned from killing Goliath, Abner brought him to Saul with the Philistine’s head still in his hand. 58 “Tell me about your father, young man,” Saul said.
And David replied, “His name is Jesse, and we live in Bethlehem.” 

19 So when the time came for Saul to give his daughter Merab in marriage to David, he gave her instead to Adriel, a man from Meholah.

Another broken promise.

Before anything happened between David and Merab, Saul gave Merab to another man.

Note:
Later, we read where David handed over 5 of Merab and Adriel’s sons to the Gibeonites to be executed. 

20 In the meantime, Saul’s daughter Michal had fallen in love with David,

Two of Saul’s children loved David while their father Saul was trying to kill him. 

and Saul was delighted when he heard about it. 21 “Here’s another chance to see him killed by the Philistines!” Saul said to himself. But to David he said, “Today you have a second chance to become my son-in-law!”

Here again Saul this as an opportunity to get rid of David.

22 Then Saul told his men to say to David, “The king really likes you, and so do we. Why don’t you accept the king’s offer and become his son-in-law?”

This is clearly a lie.

  • Saul lied to David. 

23 When Saul’s men said these things to David, he replied, “How can a poor man from a humble family afford the bride price for the daughter of a king?”

Normally the “bride price” or dowry was money and the amount of money for a king’s daughter would be far more than David could afford.

  • David’s family could not afford the bride price to marry a king’s daughter. 

24 When Saul’s men reported this back to the king, 25 he told them, “Tell David that all I want for the bride price is 100 Philistine foreskins! 

Such mutilation of the bodies of slain enemies was commonly practiced in ancient warfare.

  • In place of the normal dowry, David could earn the privilege of marrying Michal by killing 100 Philistines. 

Vengeance on my enemies is all I really want.” But what Saul had in mind was that David would be killed in the fight.

Saul lied again.

Proverbs 12:22 NLT
22 The Lord detests lying lips,
but he delights in those who tell the truth.

Saul used Michal to lure David into what he thought would be a fatal encounter with the Philistines. 

26 David was delighted to accept the offer. Before the time limit expired, 27 he and his men went out and killed 200 Philistines.

  • God protected David, and he and his men were able to kill twice as Philistines than Saul had specified.

Then David fulfilled the king’s requirement by presenting all their foreskins to him. So Saul gave his daughter Michal to David to be his wife.

David became Saul’s son-in-law by marrying Michal.

28 When Saul realized that the Lord was with David

It appears that Saul himself never made any attempt to restore his relationship with God.

and how much his daughter Michal loved him, 29 Saul became even more afraid of him, and he remained David’s enemy for the rest of his life.

Saul’s fear of David was unfounded.  David consistently honored Saul as king.

David did not kill Saul when he had the opportunity to do so.

1 Samuel 24:6-7 NLT
6 He (David) said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this to my lord the king. I shouldn’t attack the Lord’s anointed one, for the Lord himself has chosen him.” 7 So David restrained his men and did not let them kill Saul.

1 Samuel 26:9-11 NLT
9 “No!” David said. “Don’t kill him. For who can remain innocent after attacking the Lord’s anointed one? 10 … 11 The Lord forbid that I should kill the one he has anointed! … 

30 Every time the commanders of the Philistines attacked, David was more successful against them than all the rest of Saul’s officers. So David’s name became very famous.

  • David’s military successes continued and his popularity increased.

1 Samuel 18:14 NLT
14 David continued to succeed in everything he did, for the Lord was with him. 

  • David continued to succeed in everything he did, for the Lord was with him.

A reminder for us.

Isaiah 41:10 NLT  (The promise of God’s presence is central to the Bible.)
10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

Spirit-Guided Relationships: Wives and Husbands

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Spirit-Guided Relationships: Wives and Husbands

Introduction:

Verses 22-24 are directed to wives,
Verses 25-32 are directed to husbands.
One is not dependent on the other.

Ephesians 5:21-33 NLT

21 And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
22 For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23 For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. 24 As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.
25 For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her 26 to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. 27 He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. 28 In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. 29 No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. 30 And we are members of his body.<BR>31 As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” 32 This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. 33 So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Examine the scriptures:

Ephesians 5:21-33 NLT
Spirit-Guided Relationships: Wives and Husbands

Previously: Instructions for holy living.

Ephesians 5:15-20 NLT
Living by the Spirit’s Power
15 So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. 16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. 18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, 19 singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. 20 And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Without being filled with the Holy Spirit, it would be impossible to live up to the expectations of today’s passage of scripture. 

Verse 21 is addressed to all believers. 

21 And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Spirit-controlled believers are to submit to one another.

Christ’s example.

Matthew 20:28 NLT
28 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.

  • Submission to others is not expressed out of fear or desire for personal gain, but out of reverence for Christ.
  • No believer is inherently superior to any other believer. In their standing before God, they are equal in every way.

Submission does not mean inferiority.  Submission is recognizing God given roles.

Submission is accepting the role God has given to you, and respecting the role God has given to others.

  • Submission results out of reverence for Christ and a recognition of God given roles.

Submit to others according to the order and authority established by God.

Examples:

Romans 13:1 NLT
Respect for Authority
1 Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. 

Ephesians 6:1-4 NLT (Next Lesson)
Children and Parents
6:1 Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. 2 “Honor your father and mother.” 

Ephesians 6:5 NLT
Slaves and Masters
5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ.

Today’s lesson:
Wives and Husbands

In each of these relationships the first partner is commanded to be to be submissive or obedient. The second partner is also to show submissiveness by his care and concern for the first partner. 

Note: The word obey does not appear in scripture with respect to wives, though it does with respect to children and slaves.

To submit (the way it is used in this passage) means to yield one’s own rights.

As educators a review of the following may help us better understand this passage.

In a school setting things go better when students submit to their teachers.
That does not mean that teachers are smarter or better than their students.
It does mean that the role of the teacher is different than the role of the student.
The student needs to respect the role of the teacher.
The teacher needs to love the student and have a desire to help the student learn and mature and develop into the person God intended them to be.

22 For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 

Instructions given to wives.

Other related scriptures:

1 Corinthians 11:3 NLT
3 But there is one thing I want you to know: The head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.

Colossians 3:18 NLT
18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting for those who belong to the Lord.

1 Timothy 2:11-12 NLT
11 Women should learn quietly and submissively. 12 I do not let women teach men or have authority over them. Let them listen quietly.

Titus 2:4-5 NLT
4 These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children, 5 to live wisely and be pure, to work in their homes, to do good, and to be submissive to their husbands. Then they will not bring shame on the word of God.

1 Peter 3:1-2 NLT
1 In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands. Then, even if some refuse to obey the Good News, your godly lives will speak to them without any words. They will be won over 2 by observing your pure and reverent lives. 

  • Wives submit to your husbands out of reverence for Christ. (v. 21)
  • Submission is something wives should willingly and lovingly offer. It is not something for the husband to command.

Out of obedience to the Lord, a wife submits to her husband regardless of his personal worthiness or spiritual condition. 

23 For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. 24 As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.

  • Husbands have a God given role of leadership in the family for the health of the marriage relationship. 

25 For husbands, this means love your wives,

  • Husbands are commanded to love their wives.

Instructions given to husbands.

Paul uses 9 verses to address the husband’s duty.
Paul used 3 verses to address the wife’s duty.

Other related scriptures:

1 Peter 3:7 NLT
Husbands
7 In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered. 

Colossians 3:19 NLT
19 Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly.

1 Corinthians 11:3 NLT
3 But there is one thing I want you to know: The head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. 

Husbands are commanded to submit to Christ.

Husbands are commanded to love and honor their wives.
Husbands are to treat their wives with understanding, being thoughtful of their needs.
Husbands should never treat their wives harshly.

  • Love and honor are things husbands should willingly give to their wives. It is not something for the wives to command. 

just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her 26 to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. 

Husbands should love their wives with unreserved, selfless, and sacrificial love.

27 He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. 

  • A husband’s greatest desire for his wife should be that she grows in her relationship with God and becomes the person God intended her to be.

28 In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. 29 No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. 30 And we are members of his body.

A husband should provide for the needs of his wife.  “… feeds and care for …”
Numerous translations say “… nourishes and cherishes …”.

  • Husbands should love, prize and cherish their wives. 

31 As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” 

Genesis 2:24 NLT
24 This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.

In marriage, the husband’s life is so intimately joined to the wife’s that they are one.

“Joined” carries the sense of a permanent or indissoluble union.

32 This is a great mystery,

  • The unity of husband and wife is a great mystery.

Two becoming one. 

but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. 

Christian marriages become a reflection of the union and relationship between the Lord and the church. 

33 So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

  • Christian marriages should be marked by love and respect.

Remember Paul’s (God’s) instructions for holy living.

Ephesians 5:18
… be filled with the Holy Spirit. … 

None of this is possible without God’s help.

Saul Becomes Jealous of David

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Saul Becomes Jealous of David

1 Samuel 18:1-16 NLT
18:1 After David had finished talking with Saul, he met Jonathan, the king’s son. There was an immediate bond between them, for Jonathan loved David. 2 From that day on Saul kept David with him and wouldn’t let him return home. 3 And Jonathan made a solemn pact with David, because he loved him as he loved himself. 4 Jonathan sealed the pact by taking off his robe and giving it to David, together with his tunic, sword, bow, and belt.
5 Whatever Saul asked David to do, David did it successfully. So Saul made him a commander over the men of war, an appointment that was welcomed by the people and Saul’s officers alike.
6 When the victorious Israelite army was returning home after David had killed the Philistine, women from all the towns of Israel came out to meet King Saul. They sang and danced for joy with tambourines and cymbals 7 This was their song:
“Saul has killed his thousands,
and David his ten thousands!”
8 This made Saul very angry. “What’s this?” he said. “They credit David with ten thousands and me with only thousands. Next they’ll be making him their king!” 9 So from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David.
10 The very next day a tormenting spirit from God overwhelmed Saul, and he began to rave in his house like a madman. David was playing the harp, as he did each day. But Saul had a spear in his hand, 11 and he suddenly hurled it at David, intending to pin him to the wall. But David escaped him twice.
12 Saul was then afraid of David, for the Lord was with David and had turned away from Saul. 13 Finally, Saul sent him away and appointed him commander over 1,000 men, and David faithfully led his troops into battle.
14 David continued to succeed in everything he did, for the Lord was with him.
15 When Saul recognized this, he became even more afraid of him. 16 But all Israel and Judah loved David because he was so successful at leading his troops into battle.

Examine the Scriptures

1 Samuel 18:1-16 NLT
Saul Becomes Jealous of David

18:1 After David had finished talking with Saul,

It appears that David may have had a lengthy conversation with Saul after killing Goliath.

1 Samuel 17:57 NLT
57 As soon as David returned from killing Goliath, Abner brought him to Saul …

he met Jonathan, the king’s son.

David and Jonathan had a lot in common.

Both were military heroes.

Both had a strong faith in God.

Both had a claim to the throne.

As Saul’s oldest son, Jonathan was heir apparent to the throne.

David had been selected by God (1 Samuel 16) to become the King of Israel. 

There was an immediate bond between them, for Jonathan loved David. 

More about this in verse 3.

This love went both ways.

2 Samuel 9:1 NLT
David’s Kindness to Mephibosheth
9:1 One day David asked, “Is anyone in Saul’s family still alive—anyone to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 

  • When David and Jonathan met, there was an immediate and long lasting bond between the two men. 

2 From that day on Saul kept David with him and wouldn’t let him return home. 

This was self-serving on Saul’s part.

Samuel warned the Israelites that this would happen.

1 Samuel 8:11 NLT
11 “This is how a king will reign over you,” Samuel said. “The king will draft your sons and assign them to his chariots and his charioteers, making them run before his chariots.

David had previously served Saul on a “part time” basis.

1 Samuel 16:23 NLT
23 And whenever the tormenting spirit from God troubled Saul, David would play the harp. Then Saul would feel better, and the tormenting spirit would go away.

1 Samuel 17:15 NLT
15 but David went back and forth so he could help his father with the sheep in Bethlehem. 

Now David was in a position where Saul could “keep an eye on him”.

  • David was exposed to the duties and responsibilities of a king.

First as a shepherd.

Now in the palace of the king.

God’s sovereignty is manifested through these events in David’s life. 

3 And Jonathan made a solemn pact with David,

Jonathan iniated this pact.

19:1 … But Jonathan, because of his strong affection for David, … 

20:8  … for we made a solemn pact before the Lord … 

20:17 And Jonathan made David reaffirm his vow of friendship again, for Jonathan loved David as he loved himself.

 20:42 At last Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for we have sworn loyalty to each other in the Lord’s name. The Lord is the witness of a bond between us and our children forever.”  

22:8  For not one of you told me when my own son made a solemn pact with the son of Jesse.  

23:18  So the two of them renewed their solemn pact before the Lord. 

because he loved him as he loved himself. 

Mark 12:30-31 NLT
30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ 31 The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” 

  • The pact between Jonathan and David appears to a pledge of mutual loyalty and friendship. 

 4 Jonathan sealed the pact by taking off his robe and giving it to David, together with his tunic, sword, bow, and belt.

Jonathan gave David items that symbolized his official status as the king’s son and heir to the throne.

  • Jonathan symbolically (perhaps unintentionally) gave David his right of succession to the throne.

Later:

1 Samuel 23:17 NLT
17 “Don’t be afraid,” Jonathan reassured him. “My father will never find you! You are going to be the king of Israel, and I will be next to you, as my father, Saul, is well aware.” 

5 Whatever Saul asked David to do, David did it successfully.

Refer to verse 14.
14 David continued to succeed in everything he did, for the Lord was with him. 

  • David continued to succeed in everything he did, for the Lord was with him. 

So Saul made him a commander over the men of war, an appointment that was welcomed by the people and Saul’s officers alike. 

6 When the victorious Israelite army was returning home after David had killed the Philistine, women from all the towns of Israel came out to meet King Saul. They sang and danced for joy with tambourines and cymbals  

7 This was their song:

“Saul has killed his thousands,
and David his ten thousands!”

This may have been Hebrew parallelism.

Meaning Saul and David together have killed many thousands.

However, this is a song that Saul hated.

8 This made Saul very angry. “What’s this?” he said. “They credit David with ten thousands and me with only thousands.

“It is a measure of Saul’s insecurity and jealousy that he read the women’s intensions incorrectly and took offence.” (NIV Study Bible) 

Next they’ll be making him their king!” 9 So from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David.

  • Saul was jealous of David. 

10 The very next day a tormenting spirit from God overwhelmed Saul, and he began to rave in his house like a madman.

  • A tormenting spirit caused Saul to act and speak irrationally.

1 Samuel 16:14 NLT
14 Now the Spirit of the Lord had left Saul, and the Lord sent a tormenting spirit that filled him with depression and fear.

Another example of Saul’s irrational behavior:

1 Samuel 20:33 NLT
33 Then Saul hurled his spear at Jonathan, intending to kill him. So at last Jonathan realized that his father was really determined to kill David.

David was playing the harp, as he did each day. But Saul had a spear in his hand, 11 and he suddenly hurled it at David, intending to pin him to the wall. But David escaped him twice.

Clearly God was protecting David.  Saul was a seasoned warrior skilled with using weapons of war.

  • The Lord was with David, but He had left Saul. 

12 Saul was then afraid of David, for the Lord was with David and had turned away from Saul. 

  • Saul was afraid of David. 

13 Finally, Saul sent him away and appointed him commander over 1,000 men, and David faithfully led his troops into battle.

What Saul really wanted was for David to be killed.

1 Samuel 18:17-25 NLT
17 One day Saul said to David, “I am ready to give you my older daughter, Merab, as your wife. But first you must prove yourself to be a real warrior by fighting the Lord’s battles.” For Saul thought, “I’ll send him out against the Philistines and let them kill him rather than doing it myself.” 

20 In the meantime, Saul’s daughter Michal had fallen in love with David, and Saul was delighted when he heard about it. 21 “Here’s another chance to see him killed by the Philistines!” Saul said to himself. But to David he said, “Today you have a second chance to become my son-in-law!”

25 he (Saul) told them, “Tell David that all I want for the bride price is 100 Philistine foreskins! Vengeance on my enemies is all I really want.” But what Saul had in mind was that David would be killed in the fight.

1 Samuel 19:1 NLT
19 Saul now urged his servants and his son Jonathan to assassinate David.

  • Saul wanted David to be killed.

Joseph (a similar experience)

Genesis 50:20 NLT
20 You (Joseph’s brothers) intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.

Isaiah 55:8 NLT
8 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 

14 David continued to succeed in everything he did, for the Lord was with him. 

15 When Saul recognized this, he became even more afraid of him. 

James 4:1-3 NLT
4:1 What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? 2 You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. 3 And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure. 

“God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.”

16 But all Israel and Judah loved David because he was so successful at leading his troops into battle.

  • All Israel and Judah loved David because he was so successful at leading his troops into battle.