Category: Bible

In our recent look at 1 Kings 19:1-21, I mentioned that escaping hopelessness often requires, by faith, going against what you feel like doing. One of the strongest impulses for the depressed person is the impulse to do nothing. The person feels unable to face life and so retreats into sorrow or indulgent activities. But this is actually counterproductive.

I remember a professor at seminary once pointing out an interesting pattern in counseling: people who largely get to make their own schedules are more likely to struggle with depression. The explanation is: when a downcast person has room to nurse his depression and neglect responsibilities, the ultimate result for that person is deeper despair.

We therefore can see the Lord’s wisdom in not only ministering to and teaching Elijah but also commissioning Elijah to return to action. Activity helps us again see the good of God in the world, moves our focus away from ourselves and our problems, and puts us in fellowship with those who can continue to encourage us.

If you’re caught in deepening despair, taking even a small action may seem monumental. But focus on just one step at time. Do the next thing that God has called you to do, by faith. And you will eventually remember the joy of the Lord.

Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why are you disturbed within me?
Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him,
The help of my countenance and my God. (Psalm 43:5, NASB)

Questions to Consider:
1. If you’ve ever been depressed, what did you feel like doing? Were those actions spiritually productive or counterproductive?
2. Is procrastination a form of despair? Why, or why not?
3. What is the next right thing God has called you to do by faith?

As this week’s follow-up to the recent sermon, let’s consider how King Saul is a negative example of what Jesus describes in Matthew 6:25-34.

King Saul was certainly a man filled with worry. Saul became anxious about approaching Philistine hordes when his own army was scattering (1 Samuel 13:8, 11); Saul worried about his people’s displeasure if they had animal spoils taken away (1 Samuel 15:15, 24); and Saul, after hearing the people praise David for leading them in victory, feared David as a critical threat to Saul’s rule (1 Samuel 18:6-9).

And what did Saul’s worry lead Saul to do? Saul turned from following Yahweh to secure himself according to human wisdom. Saul sacrificed to God against Samuel’s instructions (1 Samuel 13:8-12), gave in to the people’s demands to keep the Amalekite animals that were supposed to be destroyed (1 Samuel 15:9-15), and became angry with David and unjustly tried to kill David many times (1 Samuel 18:8-9, 11, 17, 21, 25; 19:1; 20:30-34).

Why did Saul worry and then act so foolishly and wickedly? Saul was idolizing his kingdom rule, the people’s support, and human strength. Saul supposed that, if he could just keep these three treasures, he would be happy and secure. Sadly, however, by looking ultimately to these earthly helps instead of God, Saul lost God, the kingdom, and all true happiness and security. If only Saul had sought God’s kingdom and righteousness first, God would have given Saul the lesser treasures (Matthew 6:33)!

1 Samuel 13:13-14a, Samuel said to Saul, “You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, for now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not endure.” (NASB)

For more on Saul and David, check out the recent Sunday school lessons.

Questions to Consider:
1. How has worry caused you to act in your life or affected your relationships?
2. What earthly treasures do you need to be willing to give up in order to be free from worry?
3. How does David contrast Saul as a positive example when it comes to worry and seeking God?

One truth that certainly emerges from Matthew 5:21-26 (see recent sermon) is that God really cares about how we treat those made in his image. We are not to murder those made in God’s image (Genesis 9:6), nor should we even be sinfully angry with people or speak evil of them. James 3:9-10 further says,

“With it [the tongue] we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.” (NASB)

Any thought or action that devalues other people is necessarily an affront to God’s own honor since God made humans as his image-bearers and under-rulers (Genesis 1:26-27). By contrast, properly revering God means respecting all those made in God’s image—whether those persons look or act deserving of such respect.

Questions to think about:
1. Do we think of all others as deserving of respect for God’s sake, or do we make exceptions?
2. What implications does the image of God have for issues besides anger, such as prejudice, lust, or church unity?
3. How would regarding even our enemies as image-bearers of God change the way we think about and behave towards them?