Preschool
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Genesis 1:1
Returning Good for Evil
Memory Verses
Primary
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Genesis 1:1
Junior
All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. John 1:3
Background Scripture: 1 Samuel 24
Lesson Scripture: 1 Samuel 24:2-12, 16-17
Introduction
When we have accepted God into our hearts, our lives will testify of His love. God’s goodness will be evident to family, friends, neighbors, and even to our enemies. When the desire to reflect God’s goodness is not alive, we need to repent and ask God to cleanse and refine our affections. David was a man after God’s heart, and we can learn much from his example of humbly respecting and following God’s order.
May this lesson inspire a deepening of our love for all men, love that will harm not even the least of them in any way.
Key Verse
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord (Rom. 12:19).
Lesson Scripture
1 Samuel 24:2 Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats.
3 And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet: and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave.
4 And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the Lord said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul’s robe privily.
5 And it came to pass afterward, that David’s heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul’s skirt.
6 And he said unto his men, The Lord forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the Lord’s anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord.
7 So David stayed his servants with these words, and suffered them not to rise against Saul. But Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way.
8 David also arose afterward, and went out of the cave, and cried after Saul, saying, My lord the king. And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to the earth, and bowed himself.
9 And David said to Saul, Wherefore hearest thou men’s words, saying, Behold, David seeketh thy hurt?
10 Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that the Lord had delivered thee to day into mine hand in the cave: and some bade me kill thee: but mine eye spared thee; and I said, I will not put forth mine hand against my lord; for he is the Lord’s anointed.
11 Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand: for in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe, and killed thee not, know thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in mine hand, and I have not sinned against thee; yet thou huntest my soul to take it.
12 The Lord judge between me and thee, and the Lord avenge me of thee: but mine hand shall not be upon thee.
16 And it came to pass, when David had made an end of speaking these words unto Saul, that Saul said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice, and wept.
17 And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil.
Studying the Lesson
King Saul’s promising beginning as Israel’s first king soon degenerated into selfishness, causing him to become headstrong, self-willed, and disobedient. When Samuel confronted King Saul with his disobedience, the prophet told him that the Lord sought a man after His own heart. Because of Saul’s failure, God told Samuel to go to the house of Jesse and anoint the one He had provided to be the next king. David was chosen and anointed as the one who met God’s standard. Because David’s heart was right, he trusted God and desired to bring Him glory rather than to please himself.
As a lad, David was a shepherd; tending sheep gave him opportunity to spend time with God. He knew God loved him, and he believed that God would be his helper in life. When the lion and the bear threatened the flock, he was prepared to trust God to help him protect his sheep. One day while in the field, someone came calling for him because the prophet Samuel needed to speak to him. David did not feel that he was an important person; rather, he humbly knew that God was directing his life.
David’s father sent him to see how his brothers were faring in the fight against the Philistines. While there, he heard Goliath’s defiant challenge to Saul’s army. He saw the fear it brought to them. Knowing this was wrong, he told King Saul that he would fight Goliath. God had been his deliverer in the past, and he believed God would deliver him out of the hand of the Philistine.
Following the victory over Goliath, David was highly honored for his success, causing the king to envy David. In his passionate hatred, Saul tried to kill David, who was playing his harp to quiet Saul’s spirit. Another time He sent David to kill one hundred Philistines, hoping that he would be killed in the fray. Finally, David fled into hiding to escape Saul’s anger, only to find that the king was in hot pursuit. With the help of Jonathan, the king’s son, David was able to stay abreast of Saul’s intentions.
King Saul, with desperate hate, punished those who aided David. On the trail pursuing David, the king unknowingly rested in the very cave where David and his men were hiding. While Saul slept, David’s men encouraged him to take this chance to kill him. After all, he was his enemy, and it was permitted to kill one’s enemy. But David respected the Lord’s anointed and would not harm him, only severing a piece of Saul’s skirt to prove the harm he had been spared. David declared to King Saul that he would not harm him, and Saul repented and returned home. But the evil spirit returned, and soon he was again searching for David.
Practical Truths for Today
The two spiritual forces in this world are good and evil. The evil spirit invades the heart that is not filled with the good Spirit. Evil always returns evil for evil; good returns good for evil. This lesson shows us that God is love, and from His love flows His goodness. Although someone would completely reject God’s love, God continues to love him. “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him” (1 John 4:9). Those who accept the miraculous gift of redemption in which their hearts are filled with divine love receive power to love even their enemies. David refused to kill God’s chosen leader when he had the chance, because God’s love restrained the hand of revenge.
God loved His creation as He fashioned it for His glory, and man is the crowning glory of God’s marvelous handiwork. God wanted someone on whom to bestow His love, someone who would willingly love Him in return. God’s love is active; in His love for Adam and Eve, He gave them a home filled with every imaginable wonder. As we are filled with God’s love and realize His care for us, we reciprocate His love and seek to be a channel of His love flowing out to other people.
God desires to give us a love for those who are kind to us as well as those who are unkind—God’s love causes us to fervently love everyone. When divine love motivates us, we do not let another person’s actions affect our love for them. The nature of man is to retaliate, settle the score and prove that he will not be afflicted by anyone. The sentiment of the world around us aligns with our nature and maintains that we have a right to be treated equitably. Only the love of God gives us grace to do good to those who have crossed our path in an undesirable way. Though our carnal flesh feels the hurt someone inflicts on us, we, by the love of God, see the soul of the other person whom God loves dearly. In some cases that soul is being ravaged by the evil one and needs deliverance. As we sincerely pray, “looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith” (Heb. 12:2), we find strength to freely forgive another person’s trespasses.
Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross was an act of love and mercy. For God to be merciful, He first placed a judgment on sin, which cost the death of His Son. The merciful one must bear the cost of judgment. In the love of God, we extend mercy to others, regardless of the cost.
Questions
- We all love mercy, but mercy alone would be chaos. Where and when is justice required?
- What is the evident fruit of our life when the love of God dwells in our heart?
- Will there be any cliques among young Christians when they are motivated by God’s love in their relationships?
- Is our spiritual health and vitality of the same quality as that of the martyr brethren? Would the church prosper spiritually or be weakened if a wave of persecution would challenge our conviction of returning good for evil?
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Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).