Heart Over Hype: Wisdom & Foolishness

Use this curriculum to help you further engage with the sermon, the scriptures, and each other. Allow the Holy Spirit to bring things up to encourage and guide you so that you are always growing in your faith. If the Spirit leads you away from these questions and into conversation and prayer that encourages and points you to Jesus, go for it.

scripture

Read the following scriptures together: 1 Samuel 25.

overview

Over the years, David has demonstrated his dependence on God whether he was tending the sheep of his father’s pasture, defeating Goliath, leading armies into battle against the Philistines, or escaping from assassination attempts. But here in chapter 25, David seems to be unprepared for this new adversary in the hard-hearted and stingy landowner named Nabal. When Nabal rudely dismisses David’s humble request for provisions, David doesn’t miss a beat – he immediately tells his men to “strap on their swords” so they can brutally teach this man a lesson.

question 1

Andrew summarized this well, saying that “offenses can shrink our vision, but wisdom expands it again”. Can you think of a time when your own vision “shrank” after being offended, and you responded to an insult with a desire for retaliation?

discussion

Proverbs 12:16 tells us that “fools show their annoyance at once, but the prudent overlook an insult.” Nabal (whose name literally means “fool”) ends up dragging David down to the same level of foolishness, goading him to retaliate with violence. But God in his infinite mercy sends Abigail, the embodiment of divine wisdom, to bring David back to his senses before any serious damage is done. Abigail reminds David of who he really is and speaks aspirational truth over him, saying that “the Lord has kept you from bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hands”, even before David actually puts his sword down.

question 2

Have you ever had someone speak aspirational truth over you in a way that helped you change your heart?

Abigail restores David back to his former trust in God. Once more, we see David resembling his true self, just like in the previous chapter when he restrained his hand from harming Saul and trusted instead that God would be the one to avenge him. Here in the story of Nabal, that’s exactly what happens next. After a self-indulgent night of excess partying “like that of a king”, Nabal’s heart is unable to receive the sober news in the morning about his near-death experience, and he drops dead about a week later. David then praises the Lord, grateful that God has “kept his servant from doing wrong and has brought Nabal’s wrongdoing down on his own head.”

question 3

When is the last time God kept you from doing wrong?

weekly application

David was able to receive the wisdom of Abigail because he was willing to listen to the advice of others and admit when he was wrong. How do you typically respond to correction? Are you quick to admit your faults, or do you tend to cover your mistakes with defensiveness or anger? Bring these questions to the feet of Jesus in your prayer times this week, inviting the Spirit to search your heart and guide you further along his paths of righteousness.