Bible Study Questions Scandalous Scripture: "You're Not David"
- Prayer
- Summary
- David is one of the most celebrated people in Scripture, but the Bible presents a far more complicated picture than the heroic version many Christians know from David and Goliath. David is genuinely courageous, gifted, chosen by God, and capable of remarkable faith. He is also capable of deception, violence, sexual sin, abuse of power, terrible leadership decisions, and devastating consequences.
- Following David’s story beyond 1 Samuel 17 helps us distinguish giftedness from godliness, understand what Scripture means when it calls David a man after God’s own heart, and resist using David’s failures as an excuse for our own sin. Most importantly, the New Testament does not ultimately move from David to us. It moves from David to Jesus.
- Questions
- 1. What Do the Ancient Texts Say About Goliath?
- Read 1 Samuel 17:4 and compare the textual footnotes in several modern Bible translations if available.
- What different readings are preserved concerning Goliath’s height, and how might the earlier reading affect the way you picture the confrontation between Goliath, Saul, and David?
- Hint: Pay attention to the textual footnotes rather than assuming every ancient manuscript preserves the same number.
- 2. What Does the Text Tell Us About David Before Goliath?
- Read 1 Samuel 16:14–23 and 17:31–40.
- What abilities, experience, and reputation does David already have before he steps onto the battlefield against Goliath?
- Hint: Look at how other people describe David as well as what David says about his own previous experience.
- 3. What Problem Appears Between Chapters 16 and 17?
- Read 1 Samuel 16:18–23 and 17:55–18:5.
- What seems difficult to reconcile between these two passages, and how does comparing the ancient textual traditions of Samuel help us understand the problem?
- Hint: First establish what Saul already knows in chapter 16. Then compare the ending of chapter 17 with textual notes or an ancient Greek/Septuagint comparison if one is available.
- 4. What Happens While David Is Running From Saul?
- Read 1 Samuel 21:1–9; 22:6–23; and 25:21–35.
- What difficult or questionable decisions does David make during this period, and what consequences develop around him?
- Hint: Follow David’s interactions with Ahimelech, Doeg, Nabal, and Abigail. Notice both David’s failures and the moments when someone prevents him from going further.
- 5. What Happens During David’s Time With Achish?
- Read 1 Samuel 27:1–12.
- What pattern develops while David is living among the Philistines, and how does David keep Achish from discovering what he is actually doing?
- Hint: Pay close attention to who David attacks, what he takes, what happens to the people in those places, and what David later tells Achish.
- 6. What Went Wrong When David Moved the Ark?
- Read 2 Samuel 6:1–11 and 1 Chronicles 15:1–15.
- What additional information does Chronicles give that helps explain why the first attempt to move the Ark ended in tragedy?
- Hint: Compare the method used in the first attempt with the instructions followed during the second attempt.
- 7. What Develops After David’s Sin With Bathsheba?
- Read 2 Samuel 11:1–27; 12:1–14; and 13:1–32.
- What sequence of decisions does David make concerning Bathsheba and Uriah, how does Nathan confront him, and what begins happening within David’s family afterward?
- Hint: Follow the movement from desire, to concealment, to escalating decisions, to confrontation, and then into David’s household.
- 8. What Happens Near the End of David’s Reign?
- Read 2 Samuel 24:1–17 and 1 Chronicles 22:6–10.
- What does David do, what consequences follow, and what limitation is later placed on something David deeply wants to accomplish?
- Hint: Notice David’s own words after the judgment begins, and compare them with the reason given for who will eventually build the Temple.
- 9. What Does It Mean That David Was “A Man After God’s Own Heart”?
- Read 1 Samuel 13:13–14; 2 Samuel 12:1–13; Psalm 51:1–12; and Acts 13:21–23.
- How can Scripture describe David as a man after God’s own heart when David also committed serious sins? What do these passages show about David’s relationship to God, his response when confronted, and the larger purpose God was accomplishing through him?
- Hint: Do not read “after God’s own heart” as “sinless.” Compare David with Saul, notice what David does when Nathan confronts him, and watch where Paul takes the story immediately after mentioning David.
- 10. How Should Christians Respond to David’s Sins?
- Read Galatians 5:16–24; Ephesians 5:3–7; 1 John 2:1–6; 3:4–10; Hebrews 10; and John 5:14.
- How does the New Testament describe the Christian relationship to sin, and why would David’s failures be a dangerous excuse for continuing in behavior Scripture tells Christians to leave behind?
- Hint: Notice the difference between acknowledging that Christians can sin and treating ongoing sin as something harmless or expected.
- 11. Where Does David’s Story Ultimately Point?
- Read Acts 13:21–23 and John 10:11–18.
- How does the New Testament move from Saul to David and then beyond David? How does Jesus differ from the shepherd-king whose failures sometimes brought suffering upon his people?
- Hint: Follow Paul’s movement in Acts rather than stopping with David, and compare what each shepherd does for his sheep.
- Closing Reflection
- Read Psalm 51:10–12 and Acts 13:22–23.
- When David is confronted, he can repent and ask God for a clean heart. Where might Scripture be confronting something in you that needs repentance rather than explanation or defense?
- And as you read biblical stories, how might your reading change if you begin by asking “What is this showing me about God and Jesus?” rather than immediately asking “How can I become the hero in this story?”
- Discussion