Brave Hearts Ministry

I Chronicle

Memory Verse

  “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name.  Bring an offering and come before him.” (I Chronicles 16:29)

 

Key Facts

 

Author: Unknown

Key Story: David becomes King of Israel.  He defeats Israel’s enemies and works to make Israel a mighty nation.

Important People: David

Time: 1010 and 970B.C.

 

Key Stories

 

Ark Comes to Jerusalem            Chapter 15:1-4, 25-28

David Sins and Pays the Price   Chapter 21:1, 2, 8-19

Solomon Becomes King            Chapter 23:1-5

David’s Charge to Israel            Chapter 28:2-10

David’s Prayer                           Chapter 29:10-13

 

Lesson #1 Ark Comes to Jerusalem – Read 15:1-4, 25-28

 

   “After David had constructed buildings for himself in the City of David, he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it.  Then David said, ‘No one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, because the Lord chose them to carry the ark of the Lord and to minister before him forever.’

  David assembled all Israel in Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the Lord to the place he had prepared for it.  He called together the descendants of Aaron and the Levites.

  So David and the elders of Israel and the commanders of units of a thousand went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the house of Obed-Edom, with rejoicing.  Because God had helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord, seven bulls and seven rams were sacrificed.  Now David was clothed in a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and as were the singers, and Kenaniah, who was in charge of the singing of the choirs.  David also wore a linen ephod.  So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouts, with the sounding of rams’ horns and trumpets, and of cymbals, and the playing of lyres and harps.”

 

1.              What tribe was allowed to carry the ark? (vs.2 Levites)

2.              What was sacrificed in vs.26? (7 bulls and 7 rams)

3.              What did the Israelites do when the ark of the covenant was brought into the City of David? (v.28: shouts, sounding of trumpets, cymbals, playing of lyres and harps).

4.              What was the purpose of the ark in the Old Testament? (Dwelling place of God).

5.              Where does God dwell now? (God is everywhere and can dwell in your heart if you ask him).

6.              Why should we invite God into our hearts? (John 3:16)

 

Summary – Because God can live in your heart, He can be found any time of day or night for He is always with you.  He will never leave you or let you down.

 

Lesson #2 David Sins and Pays the Price – Read Ch 21: 1, 2, 8-19

 

  “Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel.  So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, ‘Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan.  Then report back to me so that I may know how many there are.’

  Then David said to God, ‘I have sinned greatly by doing this.  Now, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant.  I have done a very foolish thing.’

  The Lord said to Gad, David’s seer, Go and tell David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am giving you three options.  Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.’

  So Gad went to David and said to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Take your choice:  three years of famine, three months of being swept away before your enemies, with their swords overtaking you, or three days of the sword of the Lord – days of plague in the land, with the angel of the Lord ravaging every part of Israel.’ Now then, decide how I should answer the one who sent me.’

  David said to Gad, ‘I am in deep distress.  Let me fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is very great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men.’

  So the Lord sent a plague on Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell dead.  And God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem.  But as the angel was doing so, the Lord saw it and was grieved because of the calamity and said to the angel who was destroying the people, ‘Enough!  Withdraw your hand.’  The angel of the Lord was then standing at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

  David looked up and saw the angel of the Lord standing between heaven and earth, with a drawn sword in his hand extended over Jerusalem.  Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell facedown.

  David said to God, ‘Was it not I who ordered the fighting men to be counted?  I am the one who has sinned and done wrong.  These are but sheep.  What have they done?  O Lord my God, let your hand fall upon me and my family, but do not let this plague remain on your people.’

  Then the angel of the Lord ordered Gad to tell David to go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.  So David went up in obedience to ehe word that Gad had spoken in the name of the Lord.”

 

1.              What is a census? (vs.1 – a count of all the people).

2.              Does David confess his sin? (vs. 8 – yes).

3.              Does he still have to pay a consequence for sinning? (vs. 10 – yes)

4.              What were David’s three options for his consequence? (vs.12 – 3 yrs of famine, 3 months of defeat, 3 days of plague).

5.              What would you have chosen and why?

6.              Does your sin have a consequence? Think of something that you have done wrong and what was the consequence? (Take a moment and discuss possible consequences of sin – lying, stealing, cheating).

 

Summary – All people have sinned and have fallen short of perfection.  Only God is perfect.  All sin also has consequences, however, God will forgive you if you ask for forgiveness.

 

Lesson #3 Solomon Becomes King – Read Ch 23:1-5

 

“When David was old and full of years, he made his son Soloman king over Israel.

  He also gathered together all the leaders of Israel, as well as the priests and Levites.  The Levites thirty years old or more were counted, and the total number of men was thirty-eight thousand.  David said, ‘Of these, twenty-four thousand are to supervise the work of the temple of the Lord and six thousand are to be officials and judges.  Four thousand are to be gatekeepers and four thousand are to praise the Lord with the musical instruments I have provided for that purpose.”

 

1.              What was Solomon to build? (vs.4 Temple of the Lord)

2.              Who was Soloman? (David’s son)

3.              There were many jobs assigned to the various tribes.  They included workers, supervisors, judges, priests, musicians, gatekeepers, treasurers, soldiers, officers, and overseers of storehouses.  What would you have liked to do?

4.              It takes a lot of work/organization to keep a country of people running smoothly.  The same can be said for your family.  What do you do to help at home?

5.              What can you do to help more?

 

Summary – Solomon was given a job to do by God.  You also have a job to do.  We are to glorify God in all of our actions, and words.  All of what you do can bring glory to God because that is your purpose here on Earth.  It is your choice.  What will you choose?

 

Lesson #4 David’s Charge to Israel – Read 28: 8-10

 

 “So now I charge you in the sight of all Israel and of the assembly of the Lord, and in the hearing of our God: Be careful to follow all the commands of the Lord your God, that you may possess this good land and pass it on as an inheritance to your descendants forever.

  And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts.  If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.  Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a temple as a sanctuary.  Be strong and do the work.”

 

1.              What did David charge the Israelites with? (vs. 8 – follow all the commands of the Lord.  What are the commands of the Lord?)

2.              David charges Solomon to “serve God with his whole heart and with a willing mind”.  What do you think this means?

3.              Verse 9 states, “the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts.”  God knows your every thought, not just your actions.  Why do you think God wants to know your motives?

4.              What are examples of good motives? Bad motives?

5.              How can you keep your heart pure? (Focus on the things of God)

 

Summary – God wants you to have a pure heart and be wholly devoted to him.  There are many things in this life that can take your attention away from God (TV, movies, music, electronics, choice of friends).  Take care in what you allow yourself to focus on.  Peace and joy will follow a pure heart.

 

Lesson #5 – David’s Prayer – Read 29: 10-13

 

  “David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, ‘Praise be to you, O Lord, God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.  Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours.  Yours, O Lord is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.  Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things.  In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.  Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.’”

 

1.              King David prays a beautiful prayer of praise to God.   What belongs to the Lord? (Everything in heaven and earth)

2.              What comes from God?  (Wealth and honor)

3.              As a group, write your own praise prayer to God.  Look at the book of Psalms for some other examples of praise prayers.

 

Summary – Everything that you have was given to you by God.  All of your belongings and talents have been to you for a reason.  Always be thankful for what God has given to you (your home, your family, your clothes, your talents, the sunset, the birds and animals, the rain, your health and much more). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*The scriptures used for this study were taken from the “Young Women of Faith Bible New International Version published in 2001 by the Zondervan Corporation.

Posted 1.9.09