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F-260 Psalm 19 The Works and Word of God What is your favorite outdoor scene? What do you think of when you hear the word law? In what ways does nature impact your everyday life? What do the heavens and skies have to say to us? (19:1) On what two themes did David focus in this psalm? (19:1-14) In what way do the heavens “display knowledge”? (19:2) How far does the voice of the heavens extend? (19:3-4) How does the sun affect the earth? (19:4-6) How did David describe the sun and its role? (19:4-6) What role did God’s law play in David’s life? (19:7-14) What words did David use to describe God’s law? (19:7-14) What power does God’s law have in the lives of His people? (19:7-14) How did the psalm writer describe the worthiness of God’s law? (19:10) What results from keeping God’s laws? (19:11) What did David say about our faults? (19:12) What two types of sins or faults do we need God’s help with? (19:12-13) What was David’s desire and prayer? (19:13-14) What did David want? (19:13-14) What can we learn about God from nature? How can people who have never heard the gospel of Jesus Christ still learn about God? What has nature taught you about God? What attitude did David have toward God’s law? What role does God’s Word play in your everyday life? What steps could you take to be more open to God’s Word? In what ways can we show respect and appreciation for God’s Word? For what “hidden fault” or “willful sin” do you need forgiveness? What action can we take to protect ourselves from a rebellious spirit and willful sinning? What changes do you think you need to make to ensure that your thoughts and words are pleasing to the Lord? What step could you take this week to show a commitment to God’s Word? What can you change in your thoughts or habits this next week to make them more pleasing to the Lord?

F-260 Psalm 1 The Righteous and the Wicked Contrasted When has peer pressure influenced your attitudes or actions? What’s most important to you about your friendships with Christians? How do you think you would feel if you were not allowed to attend church? What activities does the righteous person avoid? (1:1-3) What is the theme of this psalm? (1:1-6) How are the righteous and the wicked different? (1:1-6) What are the main points the psalm writer makes in this poem? (1:1-6) How does the psalm writer connect delight and meditation? (1:2) What does a righteous person do a lot? (1:2) What does the image of the tree tell us about the righteous person? (1:3) In what way is a righteous person rewarded for being righteous? (1:3) What differences are there between righteous people and unrighteous people? (1:3-5) What differences are implied by the references to “tree” and “chaff”? (1:3-5) How are the righteous described in the psalm? (1:4-5) How are the wicked described in the psalm? (1:4-5) What consequences do the wicked face? (1:5) What role does the Lord play in relation to the righteous and the wicked? (1:6) How do the futures of the righteous and the wicked differ? (1:6) What does it mean to meditate on God’s law day and night? Why is Christian fellowship important? What positive ideals does this psalm encourage us to follow? What does this psalm teach us about spiritual discipline? In what sense does a righteous person “prosper”? What image or mental picture would you use to describe yourself? What activities should you avoid because of your desire to be righteous? Whose company should you avoid and why? How can we demonstrate our delight in God’s Word? What kind of “fruit” should we yield? In what specific ways does this psalm encourage you to seek righteousness? How have you experienced the Lord’s protection in your life? What specific steps can you take in the next few weeks to demonstrate your delight in God’s Word? What concrete action can you take to avoid an unrighteous behavior? What righteous attitude or action would you like to cultivate in your life over this next week?

F-260 Psalm 24 The King of Glory Entering Zion Where do people turn for ultimate answers and solutions today? What are some of the good things in our world that can distract us from serving God? What does the beginning of this psalm reveal about God’s character? (24:1-2) Why is God worthy of worship and praise? (24:1-2) What is the purpose of this psalm? (24:1-10) What does this psalm celebrate? (24:1-10) Who may enter God’s presence? (24:3-4) What should a person do who wants to enter God’s presence? (24:3-6) What specific character traits do we need in order to enjoy God’s presence? (24:4-6) What do the righteous receive from the Lord? (24:5) How does this psalm use gates and doors to tell us about the Lord? (24:7, 9) How does the psalm writer welcome the victorious King into His sanctuary? (24:7-10) How is the “King of glory” described? (24:8, 10) What difference does it make that the earth and everything in it belongs to God? In light of this psalm, what view should we have of ourselves? of the world? of God? What does it mean to have clean hands and a pure heart? What does this passage tell us about God’s character? In your mind, why is God worthy of worship and praise? What is an idol? What’s wrong with worshiping things, people, or ourselves instead of God? What offerings of praise can you give to the Lord? How does this psalm affect your attitude toward church? How do we need to prepare for entering God’s house each week? Why is it good to go to church? What changes do you need to make in your schedule or activities to make worship a top priority? How can we guard against the temptation to serve things, other people, or ourselves instead of the Lord? What is one thing you can do this week to prepare yourself for the next time you go to church? What do you have that you want to “give back” to God?

F-260 2 Samuel 24 David Counts His Fighting Men What modern day status symbols do we regard as “the more the better”? What are some examples of the followers’ suffering when the leader does something wrong? How did God use David to punish Israel? (24:1) What did the king want his commanders to find out for him? (24:2) Who objected to David’s plan and tried to dissuade him? (24:3) Whose opinion prevailed as to what should be done? (24:4) How long did it take for the commanders to go throughout the land counting the fighting men? (24:8) How many fighting men did David have in Israel and Judah? (24:9) What did David realize after the census was finished? (24:10) What was David’s prayer when he realized his error? (24:10) What did God instruct the prophet Gad to ask David? (24:11-12) What choice did Gad present to David? (24:13) What punishment did David choose from the three options God put before him? (24:14) How many people died in the plague? (24:15) Where was the angel of death when God instructed him to stop? (24:16) What was David’s confession when he saw what was happening to Israel? (24:17) What did Gad instruct David to do as part of ending the plague? (24:18) What was Araunah’s response when David asked to buy the threshing floor in order to build an altar? (24:19-23) Why did David insist on paying for all of the items for the sacrifice? (24:24) What did God do for David and Israel when all of these actions were completed? (24:25) What does it mean that God “incited” David against Israel when God was angry with Israel? Why was it wrong for David to want to count his fighting men? How did David demonstrate his knowledge of God by the choice he made of the means of punishment? How does God feel when He sees the suffering we bring on ourselves through our sin? Why is a “cheap” sacrifice inappropriate to offer to the living God? What sort of offering does God find acceptable from us today? What does it mean to offer sacrifices to God today? How can we make sure that the things we offer to God have not cost us nothing? What temptation to count or calculate the value of your blessings can you resist by faith? What can you offer to God that is valuable or important (not cheap)? How?

F-260 Psalm 51 David’s Prayer for Pardon What character traits are most valued among your coworkers? What are some Christian characteristics that our culture looks down upon? What Christian traits do you think are the most difficult to cultivate because of pressure from your non-Christian friends? What attributes did the poet ascribe to God in this psalm? (51:1) Why was the psalm writer able to ask for forgiveness from God? (51:1) What common experience does this psalm typify? (51:1-19) What was the psalm writer’s attitude toward his sin? (51:3-5) What main picture of forgiveness is highlighted in this psalm? (51:2, 7, 9) What does the picture of forgiveness used in this poem reflect about the psalm writer’s attitude? (51:2, 7, 9) To what do the “inner parts” and “inmost place” refer? (51:6) Where does God desire truth? (51:6) What did the author of this psalm desire? (51:10-12) How would the psalm writer’s own experience of God’s forgiveness affect others? (51:13) What did the psalm writer expect to be the outcome of God’s forgiveness? (51:13-15) What does God not require of His people? (51:16) What does the Lord want from His people? (51:17) How does the prayer for Jerusalem serve as a fitting conclusion for this psalm? (51:18-19) What does this poem tell us about God’s character? How should we respond to our sin and God’s forgiveness? What do you think it means to have a broken and contrite heart? How do you need to change your own attitude toward your sin and God’s gift of forgiveness to you? What should we do in response to God’s forgiveness? How can you teach God’s ways to others? With whom can you share your experience of God’s forgiveness? In what ways would you like your desires to match those of the psalm writer’s in this poem? If you have lost the joy of your salvation, what can you do to regain it again? What can you do to cultivate a broken and contrite heart before God? What do you need to do about confessing sin? Who is one person you can make a conscious effort to teach God’s ways over the next month?

F-260 2 Samuel 12 Nathan Confronts David When was a time you were eventually thankful that someone didn’t grant a request of yours? To what extent do you believe public officials should be accountable for their private behavior? In Nathan’s story what was special about the ewe lamb belonging to the poor man? (12:1-3) What injustice was perpetrated by the rich man against the poor man in Nathan’s story? (12:4) How did David react to Nathan’s story? (12:5-6) How did Nathan use the story to convict David? (12:7-9) What judgment did God pronounce on David through Nathan? (12:10) How did God say He would bring David’s secret sin into the open? (12:11-12) What did David admit after Nathan had spoken? (12:13) According to Nathan, what would be the consequences of David’s sin? (12:13-14) What happened in David’s family after Nathan left the palace? (12:15) What did David do in response to his son’s illness? (12:16-17) Why were the servants afraid to tell David that David’s child had died? (12:18) How did David find out that his son was dead? (12:19) How did David act after he knew that God was not going to change His mind and allow the child to live? (12:20) How did David explain his sudden change of demeanor to the puzzled servants? (12:21-23) What was the name of the next child of David and Bathsheba? (12:24-25) How was Joab and the army of Israel faring in the war? (12:26-27) What message did Joab send from the front to his commander in chief? (12:28) What was the outcome of David’s battle against Rabbah? (12:29-31) Why was the parable Nathan told to David so effective? In what sense did David “despise” God by taking Uriah’s wife and having Uriah killed? In what sense can a definite “no” from God in response to our request actually be a relief? Why did God not strike David dead because of his sin? How did David’s fasting and prayer before the child died show the quality of his relationship with God? What did David mean when he said, “I will go to him, but he will not return to me”? How can “getting on with our lives” after a crisis be an acknowledgement of the sovereignty of God? Why is our sense of outrage easily sparked against strangers but difficult to muster in relation to our own actions? Why does a good servant or employee let his or her superior take the credit for accomplishments he or she might have engineered? How can you develop an ear for parables so that you will recognize your situation when it is appropriate to do so? On what matter of concern can you plead for God’s mercy while there is still a chance that God might grant it?

F-260 2 Samuel 11 David and Bathsheba In what ways do you agree or disagree with the adage “Power corrupts”? Whom have you ever known who seemed so loyal and honest as to be “too good to be true”? Where was David while the Israelite army was engaged in battle against the Ammonites? (11:1) What did David observe one night from the roof of the palace? (11:2) How did David misuse his authority as king in relation to the woman he observed? (11:3-5) After David found out Bathsheba was pregnant, what did he do next? (11:6) What was David’s pretext for sending for Uriah from the battlefront? (11:7) Where did David send Uriah after he spoke with him? (11:8) Why didn’t Uriah take David up on the invitation to go to his own home? (11:9-11) What ploy did David try to get Uriah to go home to his wife? (11:13) When Uriah did not go home, what message did David send back with him to Joab? (11:14-15) What steps did Joab take to fulfill the king’s wishes? (11:16-17) What special instructions did Joab give to the messenger in case David grew angry at the losses taken by the Israelites? (11:18-21) How did David receive the news of the battle when he realized that his purposes had been accomplished with regard to Uriah? (11:25) How did Bathsheba react to the death of Uriah the Hittite? (11:26) How did David treat Bathsheba once her husband was out of the way? (11:27) How did God feel about what David had done? (11:27) Why did David try everything within his power to get Uriah to sleep with his wife while he was home from the wars? How did one sin lead to another and another in David’s case? What was the immediate human cost of David’s lust and selfishness? Why do you suppose Joab put a whole group of men in peril instead of following David’s suggestion about abandoning Uriah? If he had been thinking like a responsible leader, how should David have reacted to the losses Joab reported from the battle? Why does one sin often lead to other sins? How does a position of authority exaggerate the human tendency to take what we want? How can you break the cycle the next time you find yourself committing one sin to cover up another? What can you do to maintain respect for people in the way you use power and authority? In what area of your life would you like to develop an unwavering loyalty like Uriah’s?

F-260 Psalm 18 The Lord is Praised for Deliverance What struggles or challenges do you think politicians face? Who has helped you over the years? What are the benefits and dangers of being a Christian leader? What did David reveal about his relationship with God? (18:1-3, 6, 18-19, 20-24, 28-29, 32-36, 47-48) What motivated David to write this song of praise to the Lord? (18:1-6) What images or mental pictures did David use to describe the Lord? (18:2, 14, 30) What are the three major themes of this poem? (18:4-19, 20-29, 30-45) How did God help David? (18:4-19) From what did the Lord deliver David? (18:4-19) In David’s mind, why did the Lord save him from his enemies? (18:20-29) How does God show Himself to us? (18:25-27) What resulted from David’s righteousness and pure character? (18:20-24) Where did David get his confidence and courage? (18:29, 32-45) In what specific ways did God enable David? (18:32-45) Why was David motivated to praise the Lord? (18:46-50) What vow did David make? (18:49) How did David view himself and his relationship with God? (18:50) What does this psalm teach us about the way God relates to people? In what ways would you like your relationship with the Lord to be like David’s? What new perspective does this passage offer you about yourself or about God? What motivates you to praise God? What has the Lord done for you recently? How God’s actions influenced your relationship with Him? In what ways has God enabled you to do things that were beyond your normal capabilities? How should we follow David’s example in responding to God’s help? What challenging responsibilities has God given you? What step could you take this week to strengthen your relationship with the Lord? What do you want to remember the next time you doubt your ability to do what God has given you to do? For what can you give praise to God today?

F-260 2 Samuel 9 David’s Kindness to Mephibosheth If you had it within your power, whom would you elevate from “rags to riches” and why? What activities of daily life are a continual challenge for people with disabilities? What commitment did David remember when he was established in the kingship of Israel? (9:1) From whom did David seek information about Saul’s survivors? (9:2) Which relative of Saul did David learn about from the servant Ziba? (9:3) Where did David find Jonathan’s son living? (9:4-5) What attitude did Mephibosheth assume toward David when they met? (9:6) What promises did David make to Mephibosheth? (9:7) How did Mephibosheth expect to be treated by David? (9:8) What commands did David give to Ziba concerning Mephibosheth? (9:9-10) What kind of treatment did Mephibosheth receive in David’s house? (9:11) How would another generation of Saul’s family continue in Israel? (9:12) Why did Mephibosheth live in Jerusalem from this time onward although his family’s lands were elsewhere? (9:13) Why was it especially important to David to find the surviving members of Saul’s family? Why did Mephibosheth have reason to be afraid of David? What special provision did David make because of Mephibosheth’s disability? Why is it important to carry through on promises made, even if the person to whom you made them is dead and gone? Why is it a bad idea to hold a grudge against the heirs or associates of a person who has persecuted you? Why is it a greater honor to ask someone to eat with you than simply to give him or her a meal? What promise from the past can you take steps to fulfill today? What concrete way can you find to honor a friend or relative who is deceased? The next time you encounter someone who has a disability, how can you be sure to respect his or her dignity?

F-260 2 Samuel 7:1-17 David Plans for a Temple, and God’s Promise to David In what way do you think church buildings should reflect our humility? our esteem for God? In what sense can prosperity be both comfortable and uncomfortable? What contrast bothered David after he was well established in Jerusalem? (7:1-2) What was Nathan’s initial reaction to David’s instinct to build a house for the ark of God? (7:3) According to the word Nathan received from the Lord, how did God feel about the fact that no permanent house of worship had been built? (7:5-7) What did God remind David about how he had achieved his current prosperity? (7:8-9) What promise did God make concerning His people, Israel? (7:10-11) What was God’s covenant with the house of David? (7:11-12, 16) What was God’s will concerning the building of a house for His Name? (7:13) How long did God promise to establish the throne of David? (7:13) What relationship did God promise to have with David’s son and his descendants? (7:14) How did God promise to treat David differently than He had treated Saul? (7:15) What did Nathan do after God had revealed these things to him in the night? (7:17) Initially, did David’s concern for the house of God sound pious or presumptuous? Why is it significant that Nathan heard from God immediately after he had spoken with David? What gentle correction did God include with His promises to David? What was God’s intention in making David powerful and prosperous? How should we determine the appropriate setting and methods for worshiping God? What statement sums up the worst that happened to King Saul? What is the most reassuring aspect of God’s covenant with the house of David? How is God’s punishment consistent with His unfailing love? How might God be intending to bless others through His blessings to you personally? What is the most important “temple” you can offer to God, and what is one thing you can do to offer it? 2 Samuel 7:18-29 David’s Prayer What is the first thing you want to do when you receive very good news? What’s your favorite example of a pleasant surprise? How much do your ancestors and your descendants figure into your day-to-day life? After David heard Nathan’s word from God, what did he do? (7:18) What was David’s attitude toward the blessings he was currently enjoying? (7:18) What was even more amazing to David than his current prosperity? (7:19) Why did David find himself almost speechless before God? (7:20-21) What attributes of God did David begin to praise? (7:22) What did David proclaim to be unique about Israel? (7:23) Who was the initiator in the relationship between God and Israel? (7:24) What request did David make of God in the midst of his praises? (7:25) What testimony did David envision coming out of the blessing of his family? (7:26) According to David, where did he find the courage to pray to God? (7:27) How did David demonstrate his confidence in God and His word? (7:28-29) What did David ask of God at the end of his prayer? (7:29) How did David demonstrate that he understood the uniqueness of God’s covenant with him? Why was David in shock? Why is it important to thank God for the good things we enjoy? What are the benefits of praising God? In what way had God used Israel to “make a name for himself”? What was unusual about the request David made of God? Why is it appropriate to ask God for things He has already promised? In what sense does it take courage to approach God in prayer? In what area of life could you benefit by praying that God will do as He has promised? In the coming week, how can you cultivate a sense of awe at God’s goodness? For what great gift or blessing do you want to thank God now?