Bible ReadingProverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
[49:08]1 Samuel 13:1-14 “Saul was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned over Israel forty-two years. Saul chose three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent home, every man to his tent. Jonathan defeated the garrison of the Philistines that was at Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, ‘Let the Hebrews hear.’ And all Israel heard it said that Saul had defeated the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel had become a stench to the Philistines. And the people were called out to join Saul at Gilgal. And the Philistines mustered to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen and troops like the sand on the seashore in multitude. They came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of Beth-aven. When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble (for the people were hard pressed), the people hid themselves in caves and in holes and in rocks and in tombs and in cisterns, and some Hebrews crossed the fords of the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul was still at Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him. So Saul said, ‘Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.’ And he offered the burnt offering. As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him and greet him. Samuel said, ‘What have you done?’ And Saul said, ‘When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, I said, “Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the Lord.” So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.’ And Samuel said to Saul, ‘You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.’”
Mark 10:17-22 “And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: “Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.”’ And he said to him, ‘Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.’ And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.’ Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”
Observation questions- In Proverbs 3:5-6, what three commands are given, and what promise is attached to them? [49:08]
- In 1 Samuel 13, what specific things did Saul see happening around him that helped push him toward offering the sacrifice himself?
- What words in Saul’s explanation show that he knew pressure was driving his decision? [57:31]
- In Mark 10:17-22, what are the signs that the rich young man came to Jesus seriously, and what was the one command that made him go away sorrowful? [01:04:23]
Interpretation questions- Proverbs says not to lean on personal understanding. What does that seem to mean in real life, especially when a situation feels urgent or confusing? [58:37]
- Saul’s words, “I forced myself,” make disobedience sound almost reasonable. Why does fear so often make a wrong step feel necessary? [57:52]
- The rich young man acknowledged Jesus, asked the right question, and received a clear answer. What does his response show about the difference between acknowledging Christ and surrendering to Christ? [01:05:45]
- God promises to direct the path of the one who trusts Him. Why might someone still resist the path once it becomes clear? [01:06:03]
Application questions- Where has life felt “like the sand on the seashore in multitude” lately—finances, health, family, work, anxiety, or something else? How has that pressure tempted the heart to act first and trust later? [58:52]
- A small lean can turn into a hard fall before a person even slows down enough to think. What is one area where the heart may be quietly leaning on instinct, experience, or emotion instead of on the Lord? [48:20]
- Saul knew what needed to happen, but he also knew it was not his place to take that action. Has there been a time when a person knew a choice was outside God’s bounds but did it anyway because it felt urgent? What did that reveal? [59:47]
- Jesus sometimes puts His finger on the one thing a person does not want to release. What kinds of possessions, comforts, plans, or habits most often compete with simple obedience to Christ? [01:03:54]
- It is possible to be rich in this world and poor toward eternity. In day-to-day life, what are some practical signs that stuff may be taking too large a place in the heart? [01:05:09]
- Trust in the Lord is meant to involve the whole heart, not just part of it. What would fuller trust actually look like this week in one specific decision or burden? [50:56]
- God directs paths, but those paths still have to be followed. Is there a clear step of obedience already known but still being delayed? What would it look like to stop delaying and follow? [01:06:08]
