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MUSICIAN AND ARMORBEARER

I Samuel 16:14-23

Victor M. Eskew

 

1.       Outline:

 

i.                    SAUL’S AFFLICTION (I SAMUEL 16:14)

ii.                  SERVANT’S SOLUTION (I SAMUEL 16:15-17)

iii.                SHEPHERD’S QUALIFICATIONS (I SAMUEL 16:18)

iv.                SON’S OCCUPATION (I SAMUEL 16:19-23)

 

2.       “But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul…” (I Sam. 16:14).

 

3.       What kind of spirit troubled Saul? (I Sam. 16:14)

 

…and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him.

 

A.     An evil spirit

1.       The spirit was “from the Lord.”

a.       The Lord allowed this spirit to come upon Saul.

b.      It appears to be a demonic spirit that afflicted Saul from time to time.

c.       This spirit worked in tandem with the deteriorating nature of Saul’s mind.

2.       LESSON:  The ultimate control of the hadean realm is in the hands of God.

 

4.       Define:  troubled (I Sam. 16:14)

 

A.     Strong (1204):  to fear

 

B.      BDB:  to terrify, startle, dismay, be overtaken by sudden terror

 

C.     The spirit caused a phobia to come upon the king.  This would play into the natural disposition of a rejected king.

 

5.       Who suggested a solution to the king? (I Sam. 16:15)

 

And Saul’s servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee.

 

A.     Saul’s servants

 

B.      LESSON:  One’s position does not necessarily diminish his knowledge and ability to help, even those who are his/her superiors.

1.       We saw earlier in this book when servant guided Saul to the prophet Samuel.

2.       A little slave girl pointed Naaman to the prophet for cleansing.

3.       Naaman was advised by his servants to listen to the instructions of the prophet to dip seven times in the Jordan River.

 

6.       What solution did they propose? (I Sam. 16:16)

 

Let our lord now command thy servants, which are before thee, to seek out a man, who is a cunning player on a harp:  and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well.

 

A.     They suggested that a skilled man who could play the harp be brought before Saul when the evil spirit was upon him.

 

B.      K&D:  “The powerful influence exerted by music upon the state of the mind was well known even in the earliest times; so that the wise men of ancient Greece recommended music to soothe the passions, to heal mental diseases, and even to check tumults among the people” (e-sword).

 

C.     An old adage:  “Music hath charms to sooth the savage beast.”

 

7.       Define:  cunning (I Sam. 16:16)

 

A.     Strong (3045):  to know

 

B.      BDB:  to know, to know how, to be skillful in, to be instructed

 

8.       “Provide me now a man that can play well.” (I Sam. 16:17)

 

9.       What seven descriptions are given of David in I Samuel 16:18?

 

Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the Lord is with him.

 

A.     The son of Jesse

 

B.      Cunning in playing

 

C.     A mighty valiant man

 

D.     A man of war

 

E.      Prudent in matters

 

F.      A comely person

 

G.     The Lord is with him

 

H.    LESSON:  Sometimes qualified people possess more than just one talent.  David was cunning in playing, but he also had many other attributes that made him more attractive and the right man for the job.  Sadly, some employers would say:  “He is over qualified for the job,” and reject him.

 

10.   Define:  mighty valiant (I Sam. 16:18)

 

A.     This description is two words in the Hebrew language.

1.       Mighty

a.       Strong (1368):  mighty, a warrior.  It is translated elsewhere as champion, chief, giant, mighty, strong, valiant

b.      BDB:  strong, mighty, brave

2.       Valiant

a.       Strong (2428):  a force, virtue, valor, strength

b.      BDB:  strength, might, ability

 

11.   Define:  prudent (I Sam. 16:18)

 

A.     Strong (995):  to separate (mentally), distinguish, understand

 

B.      BDB:  to discern, understand, consider, perceive, to have insight

 

12.   Define:  comely (I Sam. 16:18)

 

A.     Strong (8389):  outline, that is, figure or appearance

 

B.      BDB:  shape, form, outline, figure, appearance

 

13.   Of all the traits that used to describe David in I Samuel 16:17, which one do you believe is the most valuable?  Why?

 

A.     The Lord is with him.

 

B.      This trait will be the one that he will need the most in the days ahead.  He will be promoted because of his ability, but he will face difficult times that only his walk with God will be able to see him through.

 

14.   Where was David when the messengers of the king sent word to Jesse? (I Sam. 16:19)

 

Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said, Send me David thy son, which is with the sheep.

 

A.     He was tending the sheep

 

15.   What three things did Jesse send with David on his trip to see the king? (I Sam. 16:20)

 

And Jesse took an ass laden with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid, and sent them by David his son unto Saul.

 

A.     Bread

 

B.      Bottle of wine

 

C.     Kid of the goats

 

16.   What do the words, “stood before him” mean? (I Sam. 16:21)

 

And David came to Saul, and stood before him…

 

A.     To stand before the king involves coming into his presence and serving him in the capacity to which one was called.

 

B.      In this case, David would play the harp for Saul when the evil spirit was upon him.

 

17.   How did Saul respond to David? (I Sam. 16:21)

 

…and he loved him greatly…

A.     He loved him greatly.

 

B.      David’s service benefited Saul greatly.  He felt relief from his affliction when David played.  Therefore, Saul developed a deep affinity for this young man.

 

C.     NOTE:  Or, was this a description of David’s love for Saul?  David stood before Saul and loved him greatly.  He admired this man.  He was the first king of Israel and was a mighty warrior.

 

18.   What other position did David assume? (I Sam. 16:22)

 

…and he became his armorbearer.

 

A.     He was made Saul’s armorbearer.

 

B.      We have already discussed this position when we talked about Jonathan’s armorbearer.

1.       It was a position of trust and responsibility.

2.       It shows the admiration Saul had for David. 

 

19.   “Let David, stand before me:  for he hath found favor in my sight” (I Sam. 16:22).

 

A.     Note that we are not told all of the details of this arrangement. 

 

B.      There may have been times when David was allowed to return home to assist his father at home.

 

C.     K&D:  “This guidance on the part of God was a school of preparation to David for his future calling. In the first place, he was thereby lifted out of his quiet and homely calling in the country into the higher sphere of court-life; and thus an opportunity was afforded him not only for intercourse with men of high rank, and to become acquainted with the affairs of the kingdom, but also to display those superior gifts of his intellect and heart with which God had endowed him, and thereby to gain the love and confidence of the people. But at the same time he was also brought into a severe school of affliction, in which his inner man was to be trained by conflicts from without and within, so that he might become a man after God's heart, who should be well fitted to found the true monarchy in Israel” (e-sword).

 

20.   What instrument did David play when the evil spirit came upon Saul? (I Sam. 16:23)

 

And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took a harp, and played with his hands…

 

A.     A harp

Related image

 

21.   What is the three-fold description of Saul’s response to David’s playing? (I Sam. 16:23)

 

…so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.

 

A.     He was refreshed

 

B.      He was well

 

C.     The evil spirit departed from him

 

22.   Define:  refreshed (I Sam. 16:23)

 

A.     Strong (7304):  to breathe freely, that is, revive

 

B.      BDB:  to breathe easily, to be relieved

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE PHILISTINES AND GOLIATH vs ISRAEL AND SAUL

I Samuel 17:1-16

Homework

Victor M. Eskew

 

1.       Outline:

 

v.                  I Samuel 17:1-3

vi.                I Samuel 17:4-10

vii.              I Samuel 17:11

viii.            I Samuel 17:12-15

ix.                I Samuel 17:16

 

2.       Who gathered their armies together against Israel? (I Sam. 17:1).

 

 

3.       Where did they gather themselves? (I Sam. 17:1)

 

 

4.       To whom did this city belong? (I Sam. 17:1).

 

 

5.       Where did they pitch their tents? (I Sam. 17:1)

 

 

6.       In what valley did Saul and the men of Israel pitch their tents? (I Sam. 17:2)

 

 

7.       What was between the two armies? (I Sam. 17:3)

 

 

8.       What man came out of the camp of the Philistines? (I Sam. 17:4)

 

 

9.       Define:  champion (I Sam. 17:4)

 

 

10.   How tall was Goliath? (I Sam. 17:4)

 

 

11.   What did he have upon his head? (I Sam. 17:5)

 

 

12.   What was the weight of his coat of mail? (I Sam. 17:5)

 

 

13.   What were on his legs? (I Sam. 17:6)

 

 

14.   What was between his shoulders? (I Sam. 17:6)

 

 

15.   What was the staff of his spear like unto? (I Sam. 17:7)

 

 

16.   How much did the head of his spear weigh? (I Sam. 17:7)

 

 

17.   T – F    There went before him a man carrying his shield. (I Sam. 17:7)

 

18.   Goliath said:  “…choose you a __________ for you, and let him come down to men” (I Sam. 17:8)

 

 

19.   What were the two outcomes of the battle that Goliath proposed? (I Sam. 17:9)

 

 

20.   “And the Philistine said, I ____________ the armies of Israel this day…” (I Sam. 17:10).

 

 

21.   Define:  defy (I Sam. 17:10)

 

 

22.   “…give me a _________________, that we may ______________ together” (I Sam. 17:10).

 

 

23.   How did Saul and Israel react to the cry of the Philistine? (I Sam. 17:11)

 

A.                                                                       B.

 

24.   Whose son was David? (I Sam. 17:12)

 

 

25.   How many sons did Jesse have? (I Sam. 17:12)

 

 

26.   T – F    Jesse was an old man in the days of Saul (I Sam. 17:12)

 

27.   T – F    Jesse’s three oldest sons followed Saul to battle. (I Sam. 17:13)

 

 

28.   What were the names of Jesse’s three oldest sons? (I Sam. 17:13)

 

A.                                               B.                                                         C.

 

29.   T – F    David was the youngest son of Jesse. (I Sam. 17:14).

 

30.   T – F    David also followed Saul in battle (I Sam. 17:15)

 

 

31.   Instead of being with Saul, where was David (I Sam. 17:15).

 

 

32.   How often did the Philistine draw near to challenge the Israelites to battle? (I Sam. 17:16)