Life Principle 8
Fight all your battles on your knees and you win every time. (2 Sam 15:31)
Fight all your battles on your knees and you win every time. (2 Sam 15:31)
Life’s Questions
Have you ever been wrongly accused by someone you know? Have you ever endured the wrath and rejection of a co-worker or loved one? Perhaps some of the most hurtful situations that you’ve experienced came through the condemnation of a person that you cared about. Whether or not you merited their criticism, the pain which they inflicted was no doubt devastating and probably took a long time to overcome.
What can you do when you’re betrayed and your heart is broken by another? How do you protect yourself from their ongoing attacks? As a child of God, you have a responsibility to respond in a godly manner when someone challenges you to combat, and Life Principle 8 holds the key to turning your circumstances around: Fight all your battles on your knees and you win every time.
What the Bible Says
Read 2 Samuel 13:1. Who were Absalom, Tamar, and Amnon?
Read 2 Sam 13:6-14, 2 Sam 13:23-28. What did Absalom do to avenge his sister Tamar (2 Sam 13:28)?
Read 2 Samuel 13:37–38. What was Absalom forced to do?
These verses were given to you as background into Absalom’s character. What is your initial impression of him?
Eventually, Absalom returned to Israel. Read 2 Samuel 15:1–12. Do Absalom’s actions confirm your initial impression of him?
*** Hebron was where David was anointed king of Israel (see 2 Sam 5), and it was also where Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were buried. It was a symbolic center of Israel’s leadership, making it the perfect place for Absalom to stage his coup. With the murder of David’s firstborn son Amnon, and the death of his second son Chileab (also called Daniel), Absalom was next in line for the throne and he was ready to take it.
Do you think that Absalom’s time away from Jerusalem healed the anger that he had toward Amnon? Why or why not?
Read 2 Samuel 15:13–16, 2 Sam 15:23-31. How do you think David felt when he found out that his son had betrayed him?
What was David most interested in finding out (2 Sam 15:25-26)?
*** Almost 1,000 years after David went to the Mount of Olives to seek God, his descendant, Jesus the Messiah, went there, too. At the foot of the Mount of Olives is the garden of Gethsemane where Jesus accepted the Father’s will (see Luke 22:42) and prepared to do battle with our sin on the cross.
What did David finally ask of God (2 Sam 15:31)?
What It Means
Can you imagine how devastating it was for King David to be betrayed by his son? In every way, this was a lose-lose situation. David could not regain his kingdom without hurting his son and many of his countrymen, and he couldn’t restore his relationship with his son while the kingdom hung in the balance. No slingshot or sword would solve his problem—but God could.
Life Examples
Read Psalm 3. When have you felt as David did in verses Ps 3:1-2?
*** David wrote Psalm 3 while he was fleeing from Absalom.
Why was it important for David to know that the Lord was his shield during this time (Ps 3:3)?
What would you say David’s mood was in the midst of this terrible trial (Ps 3:6-7)?
How do you feel, knowing that your vindication comes from God? Does this encourage you, or do you feel cheated that you cannot take revenge?
Living the Principle
God eventually delivered the kingdom of Israel back into David’s hands, and although David did everything he could to protect him—Absalom still lost his life (see 2 Sam. 18). That is what always happens when a person harbors unforgiveness and revenge in his heart—he hurts the people around him unnecessarily and eventually destroys himself. That is why, whenever people attack you, you can’t just react to them out of your fear and rage. You must be like David and have a battle plan. Your combat strategy must begin and end with getting on your knees and realizing that God is in control of your situation. He will handle everything for you if you will humble yourself and obey Him. However, you must stop being distracted by your own feelings and the details of your circumstances, and put your focus on Him and what He can teach you. Whenever you surrender yourself completely to God and trust Him with your struggles, you’ll find that He is faithful to lead you to victory.
How will you live out Life Principle 8 this week? Are you facing a battle that seems like a lose-lose situation? Are you heartbroken by someone’s accusations? Discuss your battle plan for taking your trouble to God and surrendering yourself to Him. Then spend time in prayer, asking God to draw you into intimate communion with Himself and to transform your life so that you can affect the world for the sake of His kingdom.
Life Lessons to Remember
Have you ever been wrongly accused by someone you know? Have you ever endured the wrath and rejection of a co-worker or loved one? Perhaps some of the most hurtful situations that you’ve experienced came through the condemnation of a person that you cared about. Whether or not you merited their criticism, the pain which they inflicted was no doubt devastating and probably took a long time to overcome.
What can you do when you’re betrayed and your heart is broken by another? How do you protect yourself from their ongoing attacks? As a child of God, you have a responsibility to respond in a godly manner when someone challenges you to combat, and Life Principle 8 holds the key to turning your circumstances around: Fight all your battles on your knees and you win every time.
What the Bible Says
Read 2 Samuel 13:1. Who were Absalom, Tamar, and Amnon?
Read 2 Sam 13:6-14, 2 Sam 13:23-28. What did Absalom do to avenge his sister Tamar (2 Sam 13:28)?
Read 2 Samuel 13:37–38. What was Absalom forced to do?
These verses were given to you as background into Absalom’s character. What is your initial impression of him?
Eventually, Absalom returned to Israel. Read 2 Samuel 15:1–12. Do Absalom’s actions confirm your initial impression of him?
*** Hebron was where David was anointed king of Israel (see 2 Sam 5), and it was also where Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were buried. It was a symbolic center of Israel’s leadership, making it the perfect place for Absalom to stage his coup. With the murder of David’s firstborn son Amnon, and the death of his second son Chileab (also called Daniel), Absalom was next in line for the throne and he was ready to take it.
Do you think that Absalom’s time away from Jerusalem healed the anger that he had toward Amnon? Why or why not?
Read 2 Samuel 15:13–16, 2 Sam 15:23-31. How do you think David felt when he found out that his son had betrayed him?
What was David most interested in finding out (2 Sam 15:25-26)?
*** Almost 1,000 years after David went to the Mount of Olives to seek God, his descendant, Jesus the Messiah, went there, too. At the foot of the Mount of Olives is the garden of Gethsemane where Jesus accepted the Father’s will (see Luke 22:42) and prepared to do battle with our sin on the cross.
What did David finally ask of God (2 Sam 15:31)?
What It Means
Can you imagine how devastating it was for King David to be betrayed by his son? In every way, this was a lose-lose situation. David could not regain his kingdom without hurting his son and many of his countrymen, and he couldn’t restore his relationship with his son while the kingdom hung in the balance. No slingshot or sword would solve his problem—but God could.
Life Examples
Read Psalm 3. When have you felt as David did in verses Ps 3:1-2?
*** David wrote Psalm 3 while he was fleeing from Absalom.
Why was it important for David to know that the Lord was his shield during this time (Ps 3:3)?
What would you say David’s mood was in the midst of this terrible trial (Ps 3:6-7)?
How do you feel, knowing that your vindication comes from God? Does this encourage you, or do you feel cheated that you cannot take revenge?
Living the Principle
God eventually delivered the kingdom of Israel back into David’s hands, and although David did everything he could to protect him—Absalom still lost his life (see 2 Sam. 18). That is what always happens when a person harbors unforgiveness and revenge in his heart—he hurts the people around him unnecessarily and eventually destroys himself. That is why, whenever people attack you, you can’t just react to them out of your fear and rage. You must be like David and have a battle plan. Your combat strategy must begin and end with getting on your knees and realizing that God is in control of your situation. He will handle everything for you if you will humble yourself and obey Him. However, you must stop being distracted by your own feelings and the details of your circumstances, and put your focus on Him and what He can teach you. Whenever you surrender yourself completely to God and trust Him with your struggles, you’ll find that He is faithful to lead you to victory.
How will you live out Life Principle 8 this week? Are you facing a battle that seems like a lose-lose situation? Are you heartbroken by someone’s accusations? Discuss your battle plan for taking your trouble to God and surrendering yourself to Him. Then spend time in prayer, asking God to draw you into intimate communion with Himself and to transform your life so that you can affect the world for the sake of His kingdom.
Life Lessons to Remember
- Prayer and obedience to God are the biblical approach to overcoming all of our troubles (see 2 Chron. 7:14; Phil. 4:6–7).
- You can remain firm in your faith only when you completely submit all areas of your life to God (see James 4:7–10).