Description:

We will use a disappointment in the life of David to help us face our own disappointments better.

Message from Marsh: “Blessings on each man who will consider a different option to disappointment than just sadness and disbelief. Help us to turn it around to faith.”

Marsh

Founder/President

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CRITICAL ISSUES for Men

Lesson 4 – Disappointment

(www.mensgroup.org – “Original Study”)

PRAY: A suggested opening prayer for small group members or individuals to invite God to connect as we seek Him in his Word. Feel free to add your own words, “in prayer.”

Lord, you are gracious to us and yet we do have disappointments in our lives. Help us to view them from a heavenly perspective and trust that you are always working for our good. Clarify that for us today in this lesson.

OPENING QUESTIONS:

1. Share a time in your life when you were disappointed.

2. What did you learn from that experience?

SCRIPTURE PASSAGE:

David and the six hundred men with him left and went over to Achish son of Maok king of Gath. David and his men settled in Gath with Achish. Each man had his family with him, and David had his two wives: Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, the widow of Nabal.

Then David said to Achish, If I have found favor in your eyes, let a place be assigned to me in one of the country towns, that I may live there. Why should your servant live in the royal city with you? So on that day Achish gave him Ziklag…David lived in Philistine territory a year and four months (1 Samuel 27:2-3, 5-7).

In those days the Philistines gathered their forces to fight against Israel. Achish said to David, You must understand that you and your men will accompany me in the army. David said, Then you will see for yourself what your servant can do (1 Samuel 28:1-2a).

The Philistines gathered all their forces at Aphek, and Israel camped by the spring in Jezreel.

As the Philistine rulers marched with their units of hundreds and thousands, David and his men were marching at the rear with Achish. The commanders of the Philistines asked, What about these Hebrews? Achish replied, Is this not David, who was an officer of Saul king of Israel? He has already been with me for over a year, and from the day he left Saul until now, I have found no fault in him.

But the Philistine commanders were angry with Achish and said, Send the man back, that he may return to the place you assigned him. He must not go with us into battle, or he will turn against us during the fighting. How better could he regain his master’s favor than by taking the heads of our own men?

So Achish called David and said to him, As surely as the LORD lives, you have been reliable, and I would be pleased to have you serve with me in the army. From the day you came to me until today, I have found no fault in you, but the rulers don’t approve of you. Now turn back and go in peace; do nothing to displease the Philistine rulers.

But what have I done? asked David. What have you found against your servant from the day I came to you until now? Why can’t I go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?

Achish answered, I know that you have been as pleasing in my eyes as an angel of God; nevertheless, the Philistine commanders have said, He must not go up with us into battle.

Now get up early, along with your master’s servants who have come with you, and leave in the morning as soon as it is light. So David and his men got up early in the morning to go back to the land of the Philistines, and the Philistines went up to Jezreel (1 Samuel 29:1-11)

David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day. Now the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it, and had taken captive the women and everyone else in it, both young and old. They killed none of them, but carried them off as they went on their way.

When David and his men reached Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. David’s two wives had been captured—Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God.

Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelek, Bring me the ephod. Abiathar brought it to him, and David inquired of the Lord, Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them? Pursue them, he answered. You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue.

They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. David asked him, Who do you belong to? Where do you come from? He said, I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me when I became ill three days ago. 14 We raided the Negev of the Kerethites, some territory belonging to Judah and the Negev of Caleb. And we burned Ziklag. David asked him, “Can you lead me down to this raiding party?

He answered, Swear to me before God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them. He led David down, and there they were, scattered over the countryside, eating, drinking and reveling because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah. David fought them from dusk until the evening of the next day, and none of them got away, except four hundred young men who rode off on camels and fled. David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives. Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back. He took all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock, saying, This is David’s plunder (1 Samuel 30:1-30).

LESSON:

Tired of running from King Saul, David finally realized he would be in continual danger until he got out of Israel. So, he moved to Philistine territory and became a friend of King Achish of Gath. He requested of the king another place to live with his 600 men and their families so the king gave him the town of Ziklag.

He continued to go out, but raided Philistine instead of Israelite villages. However, no one was ever left to bring the bad news to King Achish that it was David’s men. At the same time, King Achish was convinced of David’s loyalty and he treated him well.

As the Philistine Kings prepared a large offensive to strike Israel, David joined their ranks. Complaints were lodged by the other Philistine Kings to King Achish concerned including David in the war. King Achish went to his defense, but the kings won out and David was told to return to Ziklag.

That was disappointing to David but he obeyed the King’s command and traveled back to Ziklag only to find it in ruins and all their treasure and families taken captive. David again was disappointed and was losing face before his men, so he decided to go after the raiders. Upon catching up to them, they caught them off guard, won the battle, and restored to the men their families and treasure.

Here was where the disappointment disappeared. If David had taken the side of the Philistine Kings, he and his men would have been present when King Saul, Jonathan, and his two other sons were killed. How would he have explained that to the tribes of Israel? Seemingly, it would be looked at as betrayal by David and his men and certainly impact his ability to become the new king of Israel and his men live again in Israel territory safely.

Consider a disappointment you experience as evidence of God’s movement in your life. God can be protecting you from making a worse mistake, or providing you focus on what really is important, or paving the way for a future success. Considered your disappointment as a good thing, rather than something to get frustrated or angry about.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. What was David’s motivation for moving into Philistine territory?

2. How did David’s obedience in returning to Ziklag as ordered by King Achish become a blessing?

3. What are other thoughts on disappointment that you find helpful?

APPLICATION:

1. Share a personal experience when have you experienced a heart-felt disappointment?

2. What was your initial response and what happened in the end?

3. What would it take for you to consider disappointment a good thing?

CLOSING PRAYER:

Lord, we are often challenged with disappointments in life. From looking at this experience of David, we can see that his obedience led him to be where God wanted him. Help us to be affirmed in our disappointment that you are ever with us in the hard as well as the good times.

Continue to Lesson 5 – Aloneness

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