1. powerpoint presentation designed by claro ruiz vicente http://clarovicente.weebly.com Adult Bible Study Guide Oct Nov Dec 2010 Adult Bible Study Guide Oct Nov Dec 2010

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4. Background Characters in the Old Testament Contents 1. Story and History 2. Caleb: Living With the Wait 3. Hannah: Learning to Be Someone 4. Jonathan: Born for Greatness 5. Abigail: No Victim of Circumstances 6. Uriah: Faith of a Foreigner 7. Abiathar: The Priest 8. Joab: David’s Weak Strongman 9. Rizpah: The Influence of Faithfulness 10. The Man of God: Obedience is Not Optional 11. The Widow of Zarephath: The Leap of Faith 12. Gehazi: Missing the Mark 13. Baruch: Building a Legacy in a Crumbling World

5. Background Characters in the Old Testament Our Goals {181} T o “learn things that can help us to write a different and better story for ourselves.” To “read Scripture afresh, looking beyond the obvious to discover the joy of learning new truths from God’s Word.” To “remember the power of our own lives and examples.”

6. Background Characters in the Old Testament Lesson 9, November 27 Background Characters in the Old Testament Lesson 9, November 27 Rizpah: The Influence of Faithfulness

7. Key Text Psalm 91:4 NIV H e will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”

8. Rizpah: The Influence of Faithfulness Initial Words {287} A s a woman and a concubine of an earlier king, Rizpah had few options. Her prospects looked bleak and dreary. Her two sons dead, the larger family of her deceased “husband” at the brink of annihilation, she nevertheless acted nobly, instead of sitting in a corner and lamenting her bad fortune. Her presence in two crucial moments of David’s history makes her a kingmaker and a nation builder.

9. Rizpah: The Influence of Faithfulness Quick Look 1. Rizpah: BEREAVED Mother (2 Samuel 21:8-9) 2. Rizpah: BRAVE Defender (2 Samuel 21:10) 3. Rizpah: BLEAK Duty (2 Samuel 21:11-14)

10. Rizpah: The Influence of Faithfulness 1. Bereaved Mother 2 Samuel 21:8-9 NKJV S o the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of Rizpah, whom she bore to Saul…and he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged then on the hill….”

11. 1.Bereaved Mother The King’s Concubine {288} C oncubines often were taken from the ranks of female slaves or maids of a family. Their express purpose was to produce heirs, and once they had produced male offspring, their status and social standing were similar to those of regular wives.

12. 1.Bereaved Mother The King’s Concubine {288} Rizpah’s personal circumstances are far from ideal. She belongs to the household of Saul, and even though the able general Abner is propping up Ishbosheth, the weak descendant of Saul, as Saul’s concubine, Rizpah has no security. Her fate seems totally out of her hands, controlled by forces and circumstances way beyond her authority or control.

13. 1.Bereaved Mother The King’s Concubine {293} Complicating her situation, her husband was killed in disgrace, she was implicated in an illicit relationship with the ranking general, plus her sons—the primary means of support for a husbandless concubine were executed at David’s command. Despite these foreboding circumstances, however, Rizpah is remembered for faithfulness in the teeth of despair!

14. Rizpah: The Influence of Faithfulness 2. Brave Defender 2 Samuel 21:10 NKJV N ow Rizpah…took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of the harvest until the late rains poured…. And she did not allow the birds of the air to rest on them by day not the beasts of the field by night.

15. 2. Brave Defender Faithfulness Is a Way of Life {294} T he author emphasizes his high regard for Rizpah’s actions by again mentioning her father’s name (cf. 2 Samuel 3:7), in contrast to David, who is not referred to as king or by his lineage. We only can imagine Rizpah’s pain and grief as she watches over the seven bodies of the executed.

16. 2. Brave Defender Faithfulness Is a Way of Life {294} She builds a makeshift hut from sackcloth, and there, under the open sky, she camps close to the decomposing bodies and protects them from desecration by birds and animals. Rizpah does not do this for one day or seven days, but it appears that she watches over the bodies for many weeks, until the autumn rains begin.

17. 2. Brave Defender Faithfulness Is a Way of Life {294} Not only is Rizpah a devoted mother, but she stands out as an example of faithfulness in the midst of a story dominated by men who are not always faithful.

18. 2 Samuel 21:11-14 NKJV A nd David was told what Rizpah…had done. Then David went and took the bones of Saul, and…Jonathan…and gathered the bones of those who had been hanged. They buried the bones…. And after that God heeded the prayer for the land.” Rizpah: The Influence of Faithfulness 3. Bleak Duty

19. Building a Nation {296} R izpah’s example of faithfulness comes to David’s attention. Her being on the mountain “before the Lord,” close to the seven bodies, seems to motivate David to consider a very important act: he orders the proper reburial of Saul, Jonathan, and the descendants of Saul.

20. This funeral is very significant, as it marks the end of intertribal fighting and lays the foundation for a united Israel. The famine does not end after the seven descendants of Saul are executed. God responds only after David has provided a respectable resting place for the remains of Saul and his descendants. 3. Bleak Duty Building a Nation {296}

21. Rizpah’s example of faithfulness, even under hopeless and desperate conditions, appears to have brought about faithfulness and reconciliation on a much larger scale, resulting in an Israel that can begin to heal the wounds of intertribal warfare. By living faithfully, Rizpah subtly influenced the outcome of a nation. 3. Bleak Duty Building a Nation {296}

22. Rizpah: The Influence of Faithfulness Final Words {296} R izpah’s role in this crucial part of David’s reign teaches an important lesson: circumstances alone do not make or break a child of God; rather, we determine by our choices, for good or bad, whether we will be pawns or whether our quiet faithfulness will powerfully influence the lives around us.