1 Samuel 19
Leaders Prep Section
Watch this video, read these notes, and send the pre-written email (below) to your group 2-3 days before you meet.
Notes
Leadership sets us up to feel a sense of control – when we speak, things happen. But when we lead on behalf of God, we’re never really the ones in control. And the moment we try and be the one in control, we lose control. So figuring out how to handle control is as important as achieving it in the first place.
Group Guide Starts Here
Context of scripture
Saul has promised his two daughters to David in marriage. In both cases, he was doing it to put a target on David’s back – an attempt to have the Philistines assassinate him. Saul gave his first daughter to another man at the last minute. But his second daughter, Michal, was offered if David went on a suicide mission: kill 100 Philistines and bring back their foreskins. David instead killed 200, and then counted them out in front of Saul. David and Michal are now married. Saul is unhinged with rage.
Read 1 Samuel 19: 1-7
Note in verse 1, Saul gives the order to kill David. Saul is not venting or complaining; he is actually giving a real order that he expects others to follow. There is no indication of how long it took Jonathan to convince Saul to rescind the order…it could have been over a year’s period for all we know.
Saul is stuck in a place of rage. And rage always comes when a man is not in control. What’s angered you the most in the last year? And what could you not control?
Read 1 Samuel 19: 8-17
God is, once again, pushing Saul beyond his natural limit. Saul’s rage has put him on a slippery slope – making him lose even his own children.
Who or what has been most at risk because of your anger?
Read 1 Samuel 19: 18-24
There is no way to know what a “prophetic frenzy” actually is. However, it’s clear that Saul is completely out of control. And God has complete control of him.
As best you can tell, what does God expect a man to control and where is the limit on that control?