April 2, 2017 - Absalom / David Worships

TONY & MICHELLE PAWLAK

MEMORY VERSE

  O God, you are my God; 

I will seek you eagerly. 

Psalm 63:1a

Who are the people in charge in your life: Parent? Teacher? Boss?  We all know that God has placed certain people in authority over us in different places and situations.  What if we don't like the person who has authority over us?  What if you thought you could do a better job than the person in charge of you?  Is it okay to try take their place?  What if your Sunday School teacher tried to take over being church Pastor by telling everyone that they should listen to him instead?  Would that be right?  Would God be pleased with that?  Believe it or not, something like that happened in the Bible!  

Lately we've been learning about King David.  The Bible says David was a man after God's own heart and was chosen by God  Himself to be King of Israel. David was put in authority over all of God's Chosen People; the Israelites.

Among David's many children was a man named Absalom. Absalom was very handsome and had very thick hair.  He and his father David did not get along very well even though King David loved his son very much.  

One day, Absalom decided that he wanted to be king instead of his father.  He got

himself a chariot and had fifty men run in front of him as he went through town.  This made the people think that Absalom was very important.  

Absalom knew that the people loved King David and, if he was going to take his dad's throne, he had to make the people love him

instead.  So, whenever people would come to see the King with a problem, Absalom would get to them first and say things like, "The King is too busy to see you.  If I were king I would care very much about your problem."  or, "If I were in charge, I would make sure that all the people's problems were heard and that justice was done."  The people began to think that maybe Absalom WOULD be a better king than David. 

After this, Absalom knew it was time to take the next step

.  So, after getting his father's permission to go to Hebron, he sent word to everyone that, when they heard the trumpets, to shout, "Absalom is King in Hebron!!"  So Absalom had himself crowned King and then headed toward Jerusalem to take his Father's throne.

When David heard what had happened, he decided that the best thing to do was to RUN.  David knew that Absalom had an army and he would destroy the city if he had to in order to get what he wanted.  Running saved David as well as all of Jerusalem.  

So David and his men were hiding from Absalom in the wilderness.  This was a very sad time for David.  His son had turned against him, the people had turned against him, and he had lost the throne of Israel that God had given him.  So what did David do?  He did what he always did; worshiped God.  David knew that we need to worship God in the good times and the bad times.  In fact, the song he wrote for God during that time is Psalm 63.  

Meanwhile, one of David's men, who was posing as an

adviser to Absalom, convinced Absalom to wait a while before going after David.  This allowed David time to recruit a bigger army.  David was ready when Absalom came after him.  

When Absalom came with

his army, King David still loved his son so much that he told his army not to hurt Absalom.  During the battle, Absalom came riding under a low branch.  His hair was so thick that it got caught in the branches and pulled him off his donkey and he was left hanging by his hair in the tree.  

When Joab, King David's General, heard about this, he ordered the men to kill Absalom.  They refused because David said not to but Joab hated Absalom.  Joab went and killed Absalom while he was stuck in the tree and they buried him in a pit covered with

rocks.  When King David heard that Absalom had been killed he was so sad that he said that he wished that he had died instead of Absalom.  So David once again became the King of Israel.

We may not always like the people in authority over us but, remember, God put them there for a reason.  If we are obedient to God, maybe someday He will put us in charge.  Even if He doesn't, we should always worship God by obeying Him and the people He puts over us.

March 26, 2017 - David Danced Before God

TONY & MICHELLE PAWLAK

MEMORY VERSE

It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High,

PSALM 92:1

  In class, we've been discussing ways that we worship God and how the word worship sounds a lot like the word "Worth-ship".  Some ways we may display worth-ship are by singing, obeying, praying, dancing, kindness and giving. Some play music, some shout about the great things God has done, and some even dance before God.  Some forms of worship may seem weird to some but perfectly normal to others.  It is easy to misunderstand someone's form of worship if it's not what you're used to.

We learned a few weeks ago about how the two disobedient sons of the High Priest Eli (the priest that raised Samuel) had taken the ark of the covenant into battle against God's will.  This was a great tragedy because the Israelite army lost the battle and the Ark of the Covenant was captured by the Philistines. The Philistines had the Ark all the way through King Saul's reign and into the reign of King David after Saul and his sons died.

After it was finally returned to Israel, King David wanted to bring the Ark and the Tabernacle to Jerusalem.  God had instructed Israel that the Ark had to be carried by the priests wherever it went.  The Israelites thought they had a better way. So, rather than obeying God, they loaded the Ark on an Ox Cart and they were on there way.  This greatly displeased God because they chose to disobey rather than to worship Him through their obedience.  While they were on their way to Jerusalem, one of the Ox stumbled and the Ark nearly fell off the cart.

A man named Uzzah who was walking beside the cart reached out to steady it so it wouldn't fall.

 Uzzah apparently had forgotten that God had ordered that no one was allowed to touch the Ark.  As soon as his hand touched it he fell down dead.  King David then realized that they had made a major mistake in putting the Ark on the cart and was angry that God had killed Uzzah.

Was God being mean by killing Uzzah? Absolutely not!  If Uzzah, King David, and the other Israelites had obeyed God, the Ark would not have been in danger in the first place.  We can either choose to worship God by obeying or accept the punishment for not obeying.  

Understandably, David decided that it wan't a good time to bring the Ark to Jerusalem and left it with a man named Obed-Edom the Gittite.  Obed-Edom took care of the Ark for three months and God blessed him greatly for it.  When David heard about about how Obed-Edom was being blessed, he decided that he wanted to bring the Ark all the way to Jerusalem.  Before they set out they sacrificed a bull to God and had the priests carry the Ark like God wanted.

 This time, however, he would do it right! 

David was so happy to be bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem that he worshiped God by dancing with all his might while wearing an ephod (a priestly undergarment).  It was like a big parade with people shouting and many instruments.  It must have been crazy fun! 

Meanwhile, Michal, David's wife (and King Saul's daughter) was watching the procession with King David dancing all the way.  Did she think David was worshiping? No,  She thought he looked foolish and was just trying to impress those who watched him.  She was actually

embarrassed.  When David got home Michal scolded him for it.  

God knew that David was worshiping Him by dancing and was not happy that Michal was angry at David for it.  God decided it was time to fulfill Him promise that King Saul would never have a descendant on the throne of Israel so He kept Michal from ever having children.  

There are many ways of worshiping God and other people may or may not understand them all but we must be careful about judging the way others worship.  Sure, there are right and wrong ways to do things but we had better be careful before deciding to scold someone for what we may not understand.  Wouldn't it be great to love God so much and feel His joy so greatly that you can't help but dance for Him?  I hope we all get there some day.

March 12, 2017 - Armor of God

TONY & MICHELLE PAWLAK

MEMORY VERSE

Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

EPHESIANS 6:11

Have you ever felt that it's you against the world?  Has God put you in a situation that you think you're not strong enough to overcome?  Sometimes it's hard to remember that    1 Believer + God = Winning Team every single time! 

King Saul's son Jonathan knew this well.  Even though his

father had lost favor with God, Jonathan was a good man who loved God and who even became best friends with David.  

One day, during Israel's war with the Philistines, King Saul didn't know what to do.  God had stopped talking to

him and so had Samuel the Prophet.  Jonathan saw that something had to be done.  So Jonathan and his armor bearer sneaked away from the camp without telling King Saul in order to find some Philistines.  

Jonathan knew that if God was with them, it didn't matter that there were only two of them and many Philistines. "Let's show ourselves to the

Philistines." Jonathan said to his armor bearer. "If they say 'Come here' then we will know God wants us to attack them.  But if they say 'we will come to you' then we should not attack them."  Then the armor bearer said to Jonathan, "Do all that you have in mind. Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.” 

So they showed themselves to the Philistines who saw them and said, “Come up to us and we’ll teach you a lesson.” Knowing that God was with them, Jonathan and his armor bearer attacked the Philistines and killed about twenty of them. This caused the Israelites to

become brave and fight harder.

So why did Jonathan have an armor bearer?  Is having armor that important?  Should we wear armor today? The answer is a resounding YES!  Paul says in the Bible that we should

wear the Armor of God.  It is not physical armor but Spiritual armor.  Each piece represents something that we need in order to do battle with the Devil every day.

The first piece of armor is the Belt of Truth.  The belt is an important piece because it not only holds everything

together but also carries our sword.  We need to base everything we say, do, and believe on the truth of God's Word.

The second piece is the Breastplate of Righteousness.  This over over your chest and protects

your heart.  We must fill our hearts with righteousness: living and thinking as God wants us to. If we protect our hearts, we will live lives that please God.

Third are the Shoes that are the Readiness that comes from the Gospel of Peace. Good shoes anchored to the ground will make sure

we cannot be pushed back.  If we stand on the Gospel, we will not be moved by the lies of this world.

Fourth is the Shield of Faith.  A shield is made to block arrows and other dangers that come from

enemies. If our faith in God and His Word is strong, then we will be able to block the lies (fiery darts) of the Devil.  The Devil is constantly telling us lies trying to stop us from being effective soldiers of Christ. If we only have a little faith, then we can only block a few of the lies.  We must have a big faith to keep us safe.

Fifth is the Helmet of Salvation.  A helmet protects our

brain/mind.  When we guard our minds with the knowledge that we are saved and that we are new creatures in Christ, we will know not to return to the ways of the world.

Finally we have the Sword of the Spirit, our only

weapon. Our sword is the Word of God.  When Jesus battled Satan, He used Scripture.  We must know our Bible so we can use it to defeat the Devil when he comes against us.

So we have learned two things this week: With God we can overcome any obstacle, and that we need to put on

our Armor of God every day to do battle with the Devil.  

March 5, 2017 - God Prepares David

TONY & MICHELLE PAWLAK

MEMORY VERSE

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an  example for the believers…

I Timothy 4:12a

Have you ever been on a sports team? What did you think of those endless hours of practice, exercise, learning drills and plays?  Did you ever wonder, "Why do I have to do all this?"  It wasn't until game day that all that work paid off and you performed well on the field, court, etc.. 

Succeeding in life is all in the preparation.  

Last week we learned of Samuel anointing Young David to be the next King of Israel.  However, David wasn't yet ready to be king so God had some preparation work for

him to do...like herding sheep.  What?? Herding sheep is preparation to be king?  Of course.

While herding sheep, young David learned what it was to care for others and even be willing to lay down his life to protect

them. Whenever a lion or a bear would show up and try to run off with one of David's sheep, David would risk his own life to save the sheep and kill the lion or bear.  

This bravery came in handy one day when David's father sent David to take food to his brothers who were off with the army fighting the Philistines.  When David arrived, he saw a Philistine named Goliath, who was nine feet tall, standing between the two armies challenging any Israelite who was brave enough to face

him.  The entire Israelite army looked on in fear and no one would dare try to fight the giant, even when King Saul tried to bribe them with money.  He even said whoever would kill Goliath would marry the king's daughter.  Still, they were all too afraid.

Goliath even started making fun of God.  This was too much for David to stand.  He decided to fight the giant himself!  King Saul tried to talk him out of it but David was determined.  He went out to face Goliath with only a sling and his faith in God to protect him.

David took five smooth river stones and stood before

Goliath. His very first stone nailed Goliath right between the eyes, knocking him out!  David then used Goliath's own sword to remove the giant's head!  Suddenly, the Philistines weren't so brave anymore and they all ran away. Young David was a hero.

One of David's favorite hobbies was playing a harp called a lyre.  He would use it to sing praises to God.  God used this to prepare David for something else.  What could playing a lyre prepare David for? Let's see.

When King Saul had disobeyed God, God's Holy Spirit left him and an evil spirit came to make Saul miserable.  Whenever the evil spirit came upon Saul, it would torment him.  They decided that maybe music would

calm their king down so they sent for young David.  Whenever David would play his lyre for Saul, the evil spirit would leave him and Saul would be happy again. All this and more were moving David closer and closer to becoming king.  

So when you go through hard time, keep having faith.  Maybe it's just God preparing you for something amazing!   I know it's hard to have faith when things are going wrong but we must remember that God has things well in hand.  Neither hard times, old age, or even being young can stop God from using you.

February 26, 2017 - Samuel Anoints David King

TONY & MICHELLE PAWLAK

MEMORY VERSE

Man looks on the outward 

appearance,But the Lord

looks on the heart.

I Samuel 16:7b

How would you describe the perfect best friend.  Would you talk about how tall they were?  How strong?  How good-looking?  Or would you rather talk about things like honest, kind, happy, patient (or basically the Fruits of the Spirit)?  Which would make a person more enjoyable to be around?  Usually, it's what is in the heart that is more important.

Last week we learned how Israel wanted a king like the other nations.  God knew that such a king would not have the right kind of heart.  Samuel tried to warn the people but they wouldn't listen.  God knew that the only way they would learn is the hard way so He gave them what they wanted, He gave them King Saul.  Eventually, Saul proved to

be a poor king that gave into pressure and disobeyed God.  God then rejected Saul as King of Israel and said the he would be replaced by someone better than Saul. 

God then told the prophet Samuel to go to the house of a man named Jesse.  There, he would find the next king.

 So Samuel came and, one by one, Jesse showed Samuel his sons.  When Samuel saw the first son he thought, "Surely this must be the one God has chosen."  But God said, "Don't think because he is tall and handsome that I've chosen him. Man looks on the outward appearance,But the Lord looks on the heart." 

So Jesse brought seven sons before Samuel but God rejected them all! Then Samuel asked Jesse, "Are these all of your sons?"  Jesse answered, "My youngest son is out tending the sheep."  "Send for him." Samuel said.

So Jesse sent for his youngest son, a young man named David.  When David came before Samuel, Samuel saw that this one was healthy and

handsome like the others.  "This is the one.  Anoint him." God said. So Samuel anointed David to be the next King of Israel and the Holy Spirit came heavily on David.

So next time you start to judge someone by how they look, just remember that God is looking at their heart.  It doesn't matter if someone is good-looking or not if their heart is ugly.  So let's all make sure our heart's are good looking to God.  Remember, He's watching.