The Story Chapter 14 Reflective Questions

Here is a song about King David, the man who was called the King after God’s own heart. But his son Solomon had a divided heart, and upon his death, the kingdom that was David’s was divided into two.

These are the chosen people of God, the ones who are to always be pointing to God, and they were fading away. Not only were they fading away, but they actively sought out false gods. This was the beginning of the end, the fulcrum point of the downhill road.

Have you ever been on a downhill path? It is not fun. The slide becomes fast and furious and literally you do now know how to get off. That is how it was with the divided kingdom. Now we have the Northern Kingdom, which retained the name Israel, and the Southern Kingdom, who took on the name Judah.

The important point is, the temple was still in Jerusalem. Remember, the temple was the place on earth where “God was present.” Remember the people were to make sacrifices at the temple. So the new king of the Northern Kingdom solved that problem, he just made two golden calves for the people to worship.  (Remember the first commandment that the people received at Mt. Sinai? This was not in the best interest of the people, and it was certainly as about as far away from God’s heart as one could get.)

What is pulling you in the opposite direction from God? As we prepare for Advent, how can you “Get back on the right track, how can you get off the slippery slope that is falling away from God?”

Use these questions for your own study time. (Taken from the Adult Bible Study.)

1.Rehoboam sought counsel to make an important decision (p. 160) and so did Jeroboam (p. 161).   What criteria did each seem to use in evaluating the counsel of others?  What makes for wise counsel?

2.Jeroboam “counterfeited worship” by redirect Israel’s attention away from the temple in Judah to local idols.  What did he gain from this?

3.The split of Israel and Judah led to continual warfare for hundreds of years.  What issues divide God’s people today?  Share with your group practical ways to promote unity at our church and unity with believers from other churches.

4.Does the prophecy from the man of God, the sign of the altar, and the leprous hand represent acts of grace or acts of judgment toward Jeroboam (p. 162)?  What should Jeroboam’s response have been?

5.Jeroboam recognized that Ahijah spoke the truth, even when he did not like it.  How do you respond when you hear a truth you do not like?  How can you be different from Jeroboam, and use these as opportunities to change?

6.Have you had an occasion when someone asked you for advice and counsel because he or she respected your integrity and truthfulness?  What happened?

7.Under King Rehoboam, the people of Judah “engaged in all the detestable practices of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.”  The idolatry in the culture had become the idolatry of God’s people.  In what ways are God’s people today similar to the non-Christian culture all around us?  How are we different?

8.Why did the sons of Hiel die during the rebuilding of Jericho?  Consult p. 77 of The Story or Josh. 6:26.  What does this incident teach you about the character of God?

9.Why would God allow such evil kings to rule over His people?  How do the tragedies in this chapter fit into God’s Upper Story?

10. What is the standard used in this chapter for a good king?  What kind of standards are you setting for the generations that will follow you?

The Story Chapter 12 Reflection Questions

As we arrive to Christ the King Sunday, which is the last Sunday of the church calendar year, we also see in The Story our King David drawing near to the end of his life. Mistakes have been made, the perfect story has gone a little sour. However, David’s heart is still a heart for God. In spite of mistakes he has a repentant heart and he wants to be faithful to God.

David’s closing chapter turns the page from battles to building.  He knew that his son, Solomon, would build a house for God, so he did all he could to prepare the way.  From the overflow of David’s heart came the emptying of his bank account.  Others followed the king’s example and gave willingly to build God’s temple.  King David’s story draws to a close with poetic psalms of praise, reminders of faithfulness to Solomon and his sights set on living “in the house of the LORD forever.”

David’s Lower Story places the spotlight on one man’s sin and its tragic consequences.  Yet it also beams with the offer of forgiveness and redemption. God’s grand Upper Story reminds us that no one is righteous on their own.  God’s promise to David (p.129) pointed across a millennium to a sinless King of Kings; no end of righteousness, no end of peace, and the redemption of all things.

(The following questions were taken from the study guide, use them for your own reflection time.)

1. What were the steps in David’s sin and cover-up?  Compare David’s steps leading to sin with Eve’s (p. 4).  How can your group help hold each other accountable to guard against the same pathway?

2. Which Ten Commandments did David break in his sin with Bathsheba and Uriah?

3. Why did God take the life of the child when it was his father who sinned?  How do you feel about God’s decision?

4. Does God’s punishment of David (and all his family) fit the crime if God truly forgave him?

5. Psalm 32 describes what David felt before and after his confession. (p. 135)  If all our sins were forgiven by Christ dying on the cross, then what value does confession have today?  Why is it so important?

6. Who did David sin against—Bathsheba, Uriah or God?  Find examples in the text that prove your point. What does this teach us about sin?

7. Compare David’s reaction when hearing the news that his baby had died to his reaction when his son Absalom had died.  Discuss with your group some explanations that could account for the differences.

8. Following his sin, David’s family unraveled.  He was betrayed by his son Absalom and deeply mourned his death.  How have you responded to betrayal?
9. How did the people feel about giving to the work of the temple that Solomon would build?  Why were they so willing?

10. Look back at Psalm 23.  Why do you think this passage continues to be so meaningful to people?

The Story Chapter 12 An Introduction

The “man after God’s own heart” had known seasons of triumph and tragedy, yet his legacy is marked by overall faithfulness and trust that God would keep His word. David’s story closes with instruction and warning for his son, Solomon, who was already poised to carry on the heritage. David charged the new king with the divinely appointed task of leading God’s chosen nation and urged him to “walk in His ways,” so their family would “never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel,” as God had promised.

What is our season marked with? As I lead another funeral service this week I was wondering what legacy would I like to be said about me. My prayer for myself is that folks would know me to be faithful to Jesus. David’s legacy was, “A man after God’s own heart”, in spite of his times of failure. God forgives the repentant heart and looks at the overall story lived into God’s own story. What do we want our own legacies to be?

Thanksgiving time is a good time to reflect upon that legacy that we all want to leave. Maybe that legacy is not yet in place. What can you do to change the direction? The prophet Nathan helped move David into a new direction, that of a repentant heart. Who or what can help you move into God’s story?