1. 1 Chronicles 11 1.The people were ready to submit to David. David would be their shepherd and their ruler. What are the characteristics of a king who could do both? As Shepherd he would provide and be a spiritual leader As ruler he would govern and protect them 2.David refused to drink the water his men retrieved from a well outside Bethlehem. How does this fit in with our characterization of David’s rule? He let them know he was not worthy of the same devotion as the Lord

2. 3.David made a compact with Israel. We are not told the nature of the compact. But if there is time, read Deuteronomy 17:14-20, especially verses 18-20. What clues might this give us as to the nature of the compact? God describes what the heart of a king should be like Compare that to kings/rulers throughout history. 4.Ezra could have begun the story of David’s reign at various points of time. He began abruptly with David’s conquest of Jerusalem. Can you guess why? Jerusalem was the center of the Canaanites - a powerful city Jerusalem also became the center of Israel’s worship life 5.Following the account of the taking of Jerusalem, Ezra listed David’s mighty men. He gave the reason why he did this in verses 9 and 10. What was his reason? The mighty me helped establish David as king, united Israel. All of this was worked by the Lord

3. 1 Chronicles 12 1.What is significant about the fact that David’s men were so skilled in battle? about the fact that kinsman of Saul joined him? (verses 1,2) The best military men saw David as a great leader It was also evidence of their confidence in the Lord who chose David as king to succeed Saul 2.Note Ezra’s description of the Gadites who defected from Saul’s army and joined David. What does this tell us about how God blessed David? They too saw David as a great leader God used them to protect David before he became king 3.What God-pleasing characteristic does David again show in verse 17? David was God fearing and put his trust in the Lord

4. 4.First Chronicles is not just about names, fighting men, and battles. It is about how God worked in the past through his Spirit. How does this become clear in verse 18? The Holy Spirt brought about the unity 5.Note the final group mentioned, the men from Manasseh. When did they help David? They helped David against the Philistines 6.David finally was elected king over all Israel in Hebron. What point did Ezra make in his list of the troops who came to David there? in his description of David’s coronation? Men from all over Israel came to support David The nation was filled with joy over David becoming king 7.What inspires us to follow David’s greater Son, Jesus? The Holy Spirit has worked faith in our hearts to follow Jesus

5. 1 Chronicles 13,14 1.What was the ark of the covenant? Why was it so important to Israel? The ark of the covenant was where God met Israel It was covered with the Mercy Seat – a place of forgiveness and purification 2.Working with the ark was serious business. The answer to why the Lord punished Uzzah and David is found in 15:2,11-15. Why did the Lord do what he did? They had not followed God’s law. Only Levites were allowed to transport it and with gold plated poles 3.Nevertheless, the Lord continued to bless David. What blessings are listed in chapter 14? His family, military victories, he also made valuable allies 4.We do not have specific rules for worshiping the Lord. Yet from this account we can learn some principles for our worship. What are they? Take God and His word seriously Even “small” sins deserve death

6. 1 Chronicles 15:1–16:6 1.Review reasons David suffered such a setback the first time he tried to bring the ark into Jerusalem (verses 2,11-15). We discussed them in the previous chapter. Only Levites could transport the ark on gold plated poles 2.We begin to meet men who played important roles in Israel’s worship life. Besides the men appointed to carry the ark into Jerusalem (verse 11), worship leaders were also chosen (verses 17-22). Three important ones were Heman, Asaph, and Ethan. What do we learn about Asaph from Psalms 50 and 73-83? about Heman from Psalm 88? about Ethan from Psalm 89? They lead singing but also wrote Psalms inspired by the Holy Spirit 3.What other important office is mentioned in verses 23 and 24? What do you think these men did? The doorkeepers of the ark stood guard over the ark

7. 4.Besides prophet and king, in what other office did David distinguish himself? (15:27) Priest 5.Have you ever been embarrassed by a Christian who worships the Lord a little too zealously? What comment does our writer make about that attitude in verse 29? Don’t tell people how to feel about the Lord, nor should we prescribe how they express it (it should be done decently and in order) 6.What elements of worship are mentioned in 16:4? How do we imitate those in our worship? Praise, thanksgiving, petitions

8. 1 Chronicles 16:7-43 1.David composed a song of thanks for the occasion of bringing the ark into Jerusalem. Answer the following questions about David’s psalm. What verbs did David use to encourage the people to worship the Lord in verses 8-12? sing, give thank, make music According to verses 14-18, what is the main reason we worship the Lord? Because of God’s covenant to send his son Jesus How did God deal with Israel during its early years as a nation? (verses 19-22) God protected his people and caused them to prosper What verbs did David use to encourage the people to worship the Lord? (verses 23,24) sing, proclaim, declare What did David call on the nations to do? (verses 25-29) All nations were also to give glory to the Lord What would all creation do in response to the Lord’s greatness? (verses 30-33) All creations would rejoice as well What did the Israelites ask the Lord to do for them in verses 34-36? Why did they make this request? Unite them and deliver them from their enemies

9. 2.Israel’s worship life was temporarily divided between two locations. What were they? Jerusalem – where the ark was Gibeon where the tabernacle was 3.Give one example of how God does for us today what he did for Israel as described in verses 21 and 22. What wonders, miracles, and judgments has God done for your congregation? Our work continues to be blessed

10. 1 Chronicles 17:1-15 1.What did David want to do for the Lord? What was the prophet Nathan’s response? Build a temple Nathan encouraged him to proceed but after the Lord spoke to him he said “no” 2.In response to David’s request, what was the first point the Lord made in verses 4- 6? God does not need a permanent home David would not be the one to build the temple 3.The heart of our relationship with the Lord is not what we do for him but what he does for us. What had the Lord already done for David? On the basis of verses 7-10, what would the Lord do for David in the future? for his people Israel? The people would be planted in the promised land and protected from enemies David would be king

11. 4.Verse 10b is the heart of this section. David wanted to build a house for the Lord, but the Lord turned the tables on David. How so? David would not build a house for God Rather God would establish David’s throne forever. 5.What did the Lord promise David in verses 10b-15? To which son of David does this promise refer? Solomon would build the temple Jesus would establish the throne forever. 6.Grace church was engaged in a great building program. Since it was an old church and had quite a few members, its building program was not exactly modest. One member of the building committee exclaimed, “What a beautiful building this will be, and all to the glory of God.” What does this section have to say to this member? The heart of our worship is not what we do for God, but what God doe sfor us.

12. 1 Chronicles 17:16-27 1.Agree or disagree. David was quite disappointed that he was not able to build the temple. David turned his focus to establishing the kingdom 2.For what three things did David thank the Lord in verses 16 and 17? He went from Shepherd to king God spoke about David’s future God dealt with David as if he were the most exalted of men 3.For what did David thank the Lord in verses 18 and 19? For honoring him and the promises about David’s future

13. 4.For what did David praise the Lord in verses 20-22? There is no God like our God God blessed his people 5.In verse 23 David prayed that God would do as he promised. Nevertheless, David ended his prayer on a different note. See verse 27. How did David end his prayer? With a firm confidence that God would keep his promises 6.You have just prayed a prayer for wisdom in how to live your life so as to serve God. The Lord has guided you, perhaps he has chastened you, and you have been comforted by his Word. Now you are doing what you know is right. How can David’s prayer help you express your feelings to the Lord? We can have that same confidence that David had

14. 1 Chronicles 18 1.Make a list of the nations David subdued and locate them on a map. Philistines - Gaza Moabites - Jordan Zobah/Damascus area Hamath which is modern Syria and Iraq Damascus – Syria Edom - Jordan 2.What did David do with the plunder he took from these nations? Dedicated it to the Lord for use in the temple

16. 3.What did David do with the gifts he received from anyone who wanted to make alliances with him? He also dedicated this to the Lord for use in the temple 4.The Lord gave David victory over his enemies and peace on his borders so he could carry on the Lord’s work. What similar blessings may the Lord give to Christians who serve him and dedicate themselves to extending his kingdom? When we need time and resources the Lord will supply our need

17. 1 Chronicles 19,20 1.Israel fought many battles against its neighbors. We might conclude that the Lord liked to see his people fighting with their neighbors. However, God’s leaders never fought for the sake of fighting. Most (but not all) of its neighbors challenged Israel and drew the country into warfare. How does chapter 19 give us examples of both kinds of neighbors? Nahash the king of the Ammonites was David’s friend His son Hanun was foolish and drew David into war 2.How was Israel drawn into a war with the Ammonites? Hanun humiliated David’s envoys 3.What problem did Joab face? How did he handle it? (See verse 10.) Battle of two fronts He did what he had to do, from a military point of view Placed himself in the hands of the Lord

18. 4.What application would this story have had for the Jews in Ezra’s time? Place yourselves in the hands of the Lord. He will take care of you. 5.How would the account of the war with the Philistines and the special battles fought by some of David’s men encourage Ezra’s readers? The stories are of confidence in the Lord and the Lord’s deliverance. 6.Think of a time in your life when the Lord helped you in an especially dramatic way. How did this help you later in your life? Answers will vary