Understanding His story helps us to understand that His-Story is our Story!
Understanding His story helps us to understand that His-Story is our Story!
By:Michael Anderson and David Anderson
With excerpts from Chronological Bibe Teaching by: Iva & Stan May
Overview
After the fall, Adam, Abel, Enoch and Methuselah had faith in the Lord and passed on the teachings of the Lord for others to follow. Methuselah’s grandson, Noah, is then found to be the only one carrying their legacy forward and the world is destroyed! Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph take the same path of faith that Noah took and leave a legacy of faith for the generations after them! Moses, Joshua, Caleb, Deborah, Samson, Ruth and Samuel all left a legacy of faith behind for the next generation to follow. David is the beneficiary of those legacies and he knew he was a link in the line... “One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts” (Psalm 145:4). The legacy of faith that David and the rest of these men and women left behind is so great that they are still influencing the world thousands of years later!!
David followed the faith of many of his forefathers and left an indelible legacy, not only for the next generation, but also for us to follow! His legacy is built upon seeking God in faith. “O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You... In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water” (Psalm 63:1 NKJV). Though David was a sinner like everyone else, when faced with his sin, he repented greatly. David turned to God and away from sin. He learned to rely fully upon the Lord! That’s what makes him a great man with a great legacy!
David’s life is spent overcoming adversity and learning to lead a nation under the Lord’s leadership. But his greatest desire is to build a house for the LORD. “David said to Solomon: ‘My son, I had it in my heart to build a house for the Name of the Lord my God’” (1 Chron. 22:7 NIV). Moses told them this would happen, “then it shall come about that the place in which the Lord your God will choose for His name to dwell...” (Deut. 12:11). But David was not to be the one to build the Temple. God reserved that right for his son, Solomon. David chases after God and learns valuable lessons from all of his failures. This is what allowed him to finish well in life! By looking at David's legacy that he has left behind, perhaps God will awaken us to the legacy that we are leaving behind and hopefully help us to leave a legacy of faith in Jesus Christ as that by which we will be remembered.
Lesson Objective:
At the conclusion of this lesson, students will realize that everyone leaves a legacy of some kind. But only those who leave a legacy grounded in faith in Jesus Christ will leave a lasting legacy that will carry through into eternity.
Key Truths
A lasting legacy is left only by those who seek after the Heart of God and become a man or woman after God’s Own Heart.
A man or woman after God’s Own Heart will submit to God and His plan.
A man or woman after God’s Own Heart will live to bring honor to the Lord and to be a blessing to others.
A man or woman after God’s Own Heart will leave a legacy of faith through their love, their vision, the use of their resources and through prayer.
Lesson Outline
David’s life before God creates a love for God and His people that drives him to leave a legacy for future generations. Back in 2 Samuel 7, we see David expressing his desire to build a lasting house for God. But, through the prophet Nathan, God tells David that he is not the one to build the House of God. His love for God was great but because of his past sins and the blood upon his hands from murdering Uriah, David would not be allowed to build the place where the Name would dwell.
In 2 Samuel 7, God says no to David concerning building God a house because of sin and then God turns right around and tells David He will build David a house for eternity! Wow! In response to David’s love and desire to please God, David receives a legacy of a king upon his throne for eternity! I'm not sure if David realized it, but God just promised him that the Messiah, who would be King of Kings and Lord of Lords for all eternity, would be a descendant of his. David’s love for the Lord turns into the ultimate legacy through Jesus Christ who is also called a son of David. The legacy of the Messiah and Salvation for all who would trust in Jesus!
2, David’s Legacy is Preceded by Vision!
David’s love for God gives him a vision of a place where all people would be able to worship the Lord God. It would be the place where the Name of God would dwell (1 Chron. 29:3-9). This vision is then cast forward to his son, Solomon. The important thing to remember is that his vision was not just any vision. It was a vision that was centered on the Lord. So his vision for his son was also centered on the Lord! Something that is not common in today’s world. Most parental visions are based on the physical, social and monetary success of the children in the future.
David gives us an example of what the vision should be for every parent when planning for the future of their children. That they would leave a legacy of faith behind for successive generations to follow. David has learned this the hard way. His failure with Amnon, Absalom, and Tamar are consequences that David can never undo.
So, David prepares to transfer his authority to the next King of Israel, Solomon. “Then King David said to the entire assembly, “My son Solomon, whom alone God has chosen, is still young and inexperienced and the work is great; for the temple is not for man, but for the Lord God. Now with all my ability I have provided for the house of my God…” (1 Chron. 29:1-2).
David obviously loved all of his sons and daughters, but this time he was going to get it right! He prepares Solomon to follow in his footsteps of seeking after God with all of his heart!
3. David’s Legacy is Possible Because his Vision Controls his Resources!
“Now with all my ability I have provided for the house of my God the gold for the things of gold, and the silver for the things of silver, and the bronze for the things of bronze, the iron for the things of iron, and wood for the things of wood, onyx stones and inlaid stones, stones of antimony and stones of various colors, and all kinds of precious stones and alabaster in abundance. Moreover, in my delight in the house of my God, the treasure I have of gold and silver, I give to the house of my God, over and above all that I have already provided for the holy temple” (29:2-3).
If a heart after God's Own Heart is a tree that produces good fruit as Jesus said, then the root of the heart/tree is love! The fruit of a heart after God’s Own Heart is giving! Not just money! It is giving emotionally, spiritually and physically. It is giving kindness, peace and joy! It is the Fruit of the Spirit. And our resources are used as tools to make that fruit grow. We have many different kinds of resources! Our resources can be a wonderful servant or they can turn into a terrible taskmaster! Physical things like money and belongings can be a wonderful servant or they can be a terrible master! Do they serve to help us in our walk with Christ or do they serve to drive us to acquire more?
Religion can also be a wonderful servant or a terrible master! Religion that leads someone to the Grace of God’s love and forgiveness can be a wonderful servant! But religion that leads to legalistic, self-inflating, or self-degrading judgmentalism can be a very harsh and terrible master! Those will be the people Jesus was speaking of when he said, “‘Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness’” (Matt. 7:21-23). These people supposedly did things for God, but what I noticed is that the things he lists here are things that gain people fame and maybe even fortune, but not a word of giving of their resources is mentioned. They did these things and it cost them nothing… It's as if they had
Jesus as their servant and their religion as their master when it should have been the opposite.
Vision can be a wonderful servant or a terrible taskmaster as well. David's vision helped him keep his heart focused on the Lord. David’s heart produced fruit for the Lord. His heart held no value for treasure other than to make use of it in service to God. That does not mean he gave it all away and lived as a pauper, but it does mean that once he had his life in line with God, everything he was - was about God!
Jesus connects the state of one's heart with the state of one's own treasure. “for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:21). People with a heart after God’s own heart are revealed by what consumes their resources. Those of whom Jesus was speaking of in Matt. 7 did things that looked impressive but it cost them nothing. Take the widow’s mite for example? (See also: 2 Cor. 8:7.) What consumes your resources? Be honest with yourself, that's where your heart is!
And here is the proof of David’s heart! “‘And now, because of my devotion to the Temple of my God, I am giving all of my own private treasures of gold and silver to help in the construction. This is in addition to the building materials I have already collected for his holy Temple. (1 Chron. 29:3-5 NLT)? Just a thought: is this why God blessed Solomon with such great riches? Because his father had given away his inheritance?
4. David’s Vision Overflows into the Public Arena! - 1 Chronicles 29:3-20
A. David Giving Overflows Publically!
David sets the example for everyone else! As a result, David’s giving affects the community as it captures the heart and possessions of Israel, “Then the family leaders, the leaders of the tribes of Israel, the generals and captains of the army, and the king’s administrative officers all gave willingly. For the construction of the Temple of God, they gave about 188 tons of gold, 10,000 gold coins, 375 tons of silver, 675 tons of bronze, and 3,750 tons of iron. They also contributed numerous precious stones, which were deposited in the treasury of the house of the Lord under the care of Jehiel, a descendant of Gershon. The people rejoiced over the offerings, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord, and King David was filled with joy” (29:6-9 NLT).
B. David worships the LORD publicly!
“So David blessed the Lord in the sight of all the assembly…” (29:10). He exalts God, submits to Him as the head of the nation Israel, and acknowledges that from Him comes all they they have.
C. David prays publicly!
King David recognizes the need for uprightness and intercedes for Israel’s next generation “Give my son Solomon the wholehearted desire to obey all your commands, laws, and decrees, and to do everything necessary to build this Temple, for which I have made these preparation” (29:19 NLT).
D. David remains humble in private and in public!
“Thus David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel” (1 Chronicles 29:26 KJV). See also: Psalm 23, 27:14, 131:1, 2 Sam 7:18, just to name a few.
5. David’s Vision Produces a Legacy of Prayer!
The Lord used all of David’s experiences to train him and teach him. God had given him wisdom and changed his views of the past. The past is not something he runs from but rather it is something he embraces. The good and the bad. The Lord uses David’s past to shape his future. In many of his Psalms, he is obviously remembering the past and he is able to see in hindsight just how the Lord worked in his life. Many believe that David may have been remembering the victory over Goliath as he prays and sings to to Lord in Psalm 9 which we will be reading later this week. Maybe, but what we do know from the Psalms that we are reading this week is that David prayed! A lot! And we have those prayers in God’s Word. We can learn from those prayers and even pray them to the Lord for ourselves! What a legacy!
Charles Spurgeon said, “I would rather teach one man to pray than ten men to preach!” David teaches us how to pray! In Psalm 4 David prays his evening prayer. “In peace I will both lie down and sleep, For You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety.” In Psalm 5 and 6 he prays for protection from the evil around him! In Psalm 7, he prays for righteousness to triumph. He is asking God to judge between himself and Cush, the Benjamite. We do not know who Cush is because he is mentioned nowhere else, but it is believed that he is a follower of King Saul. In Psalm 8, he is overwhelmed with thoughts of the greatness of God! “O Lord, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth, Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!” His thought is simple: He asks who am I? His answer is I am no one! “What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him?” In Psalm 9 he declares his relationship with the Lord and ends with a prayer for God to have victory over man who sets himself up as greater than God is! David often learned humility the hard way! Psalm 11 is a declaration! The New Living Translation may make it easier to understand: “I trust in the Lord for protection. So why do you say to me, ‘Fly like a bird to the mountains for safety!’” He is declaring that the Lord is still on the throne! He still rules! He still judges! And David believes that the Lord still loves those who trust in Him. David knows that the Lord loves him. And David’s love for the Lord was infectious to the people around him and it is still infectious to us today!
In Psalms, we really do get a clearer picture of what it means to be “A Man After God’s Own Heart”. David’s prayers are a window into his soul.
What do you pray about when you talk to God? God wanted to hear about every thankful thought, every desire, every fear, worry, praise, victory or anything that was on David’s mind! And that’s what He wants to hear from you! Everything! Tell Him everything! If you know Jesus as your Savior you already have the heart of God in you. His name is the Holy Spirit.
Application - Finding Jesus on Every Page:
Like David, Jesus had a love for the Father that was infectious to the people around him! David is a picture of the love of Jesus for the house of God and a desire to build the house of God Not a temple or church building… We are that house! Jesus invests his time, resources and treasure into us to make us living stones in the house of God. “You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood” (2 Peter 2:5).
David had come through so many situations that could have totally defeated him and stopped the plans God had for him But, David had victory when victory was impossible! Why? He prospered when there was nothing to prosper from! Why? He received forgiveness when he did not deserve it! Again, why?
He trusted in the Lord! The impossible is always possible through our God! David understood that God loved him and had a plan. He understood that David was not in charge of the plan! God is going to do what He is going to do. Paul said it this way, “According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:10).
God’s Kingdom will be built! The question is, will He do it with you or without you? I know God’s plan will be done. I can be used by him or I can be left out of it! It is my choice. It is your choice. The truth is: Everyone leaves a legacy of one kind or another weather they plan to or not! That is something that most people never truly realize…
Some other things we need to realize:
Summary
God speaks through the legacy of those who have come before us.
God acts by using the legacies of those who sought him with all of their hearts.
God reveals that living in the awareness of His presence leaves a far greater legacy than possessions.
Discussion Questions
How should living with an awareness of our potential legacy alter how a parent leads in the home or a person serves the church body?
How has our secular culture affected how believers live “publicly” before the Lord?
What are some ways that our legacy of faith should be overflowing into the public world.
What kind of legacy are most kids and teenagers being taught to leave behind today wether on purpose or accidental?
Copyright © 2018 Michael & Angela Anderson - Prodigalmike.com, Connections Bible Study - Connecting God's Word From Cover To Cover - Finding Jesus on Every Page! "We receive no compensation from any websites listed in this site or from any part of this website. We just love Jesus and want to spread his Word! All opinions in the website are my own! Always check the things we say against what the Bible says and decide for yourself." - Mike & Angie - All Rights Reserved.
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