1st And 2nd Samuel (2015)

What should you do when you’re in a desperate circumstance? Listen to this lesson to see that first we should take our problem to the Lord. David shows us how we are to focus on God rather than our problems. See what it means that God is good and how we can taste and see that He is good. Learn what it means to bless God which is parallel to praising God. If you want to have joy instead of fear in life, praising God and hearing how He has the solution to all our problems is the answer. Dr. Dean mentioned the 2017 Bible Reading Challenge during tonight's class. If you're up to the challenge, you can download it here.

Maybe you’ll never be fleeing from an angry king who wants to kill you like David was in this Bible chapter but there are lessons here you can apply to your own life. See that in Psalm 34 we get insight into what David is thinking. Hear four things about people testing and its purpose. Learn that the many aspects of fear is the basic sin but that “fear of the Lord” gives us confidence. When we face problems in our life, we can learn the importance of wisdom as we handle people testing.

Did you know that as long as we are alive we will deal with problems caused by people? Listen to this lesson to learn that as believers we are to show impersonal love even to people who are treating us unfairly. Hear the story of how Jonathan and David dealt with King Saul’s attempt to murder David. See that God has a purpose for people testing in our life. Find out the steps we need to take to learn to love our enemies and bless those who curse us.

Will we see our enemies who treat us unjustly get punished? Listen to this lesson to see that we must learn to trust God and have confidence that He will dispense justice whether we see it or not. Find out that God always provides for believers no matter what the circumstances. Learn what wrath means and whether it involves emotion. Remember that no matter what happens to us we are to turn to God and trust Him.

Have you ever been in a terrible spot in your life and felt so sorry for yourself you wanted to throw a pity party? Listen to this lesson to learn that David was in a seemingly hopeless situation, but he turned his lament into a psalm of praise to God. Find out that when facing troubles we need to remember that God is all-powerful and we need to trust Him. Learn what an imprecatory prayer is and whether or not we should pray like this.

When you’re under pressure or in difficult times what should you do? Listen to this lesson to learn that it’s a good idea to turn to the book of Psalms in the Scriptures. One important one is Psalm 59, which was written by David and is called a lament psalm. Find out six characteristics of a lament psalm and how God ridicules evil doers. In order to better understand the psalm, it is important to see its context and structure to help us apply the principles to our own life.

Hear about an unusual event in the Old Testament when God protected David from Saul who was attempting to have him assassinated. See how David respected Saul’s evil authority and how Jonathan, Saul’s son, disobeyed his father when Saul was giving orders to have David killed. Find out what happened when Saul sent soldiers to kill David and how the Holy Spirit protected David by distracting his enemies by having them prophesy and what that involved. Understand that just as God protected David we are under His protection when we face danger.

How do you handle evil, cranky people filled with mental attitude sins without it affecting you? Listen to this lesson to learn how David suffered from King Saul’s murderous rage and jealousy but learned to trust God. See how the sin cycle can affect us and lead to fear and hatred in our own thinking. Hear several psalms, some written by David, that show how we can trust God when we are afraid and apply them to our own circumstances.

Do you have peace and happiness even when circumstances are not good? Listen to this lesson to hear how David understood that what counted was God’s protection. See how King Saul grew jealous of David and then became angry and fearful and sought to get rid of him. Realize that our happiness does not depend on what is happening in our life or to our country but is based on confidence in God, knowing that we can rejoice in the midst of the worst circumstances. During this class Dr. Dean mentioned an article entitled Warming Alarmists Redefine What a Hurricane is so We'll Have More of Them.

When everything seemed the darkest in Israel’s history, David, prepared by God, walked on the scene with five stones and a slingshot. Listen to this lesson to see how everything changed in the blink of an eye and Goliath was dead and the Philistines defeated. Find out that David was the aggressor because he knew that the battle was the Lord’s. Learn four basic principles from David’s victory and see that when you’re doing God’s will, He will always protect you.

Are you really committed to becoming the best you can be as a believer? Listen to this lesson to learn that God is not pleased with mediocre Christians who live no differently than unbelievers. Hear about five tests that David underwent that prepared him to be a champion who could defeat Goliath. See that the only way to mature spiritually is to listen to word-by-word expositional teaching of the Word of God. Ask yourself how you are facing tests designed by God to prepare you to handle whatever comes in your life. Dr. Dean referenced an important article on AmericanThinker.com entitled The Death of Evangelicalism during this class.

Are you a champion for God? Listen to this lesson to learn that God gives every Christian the resources to become a mature believer. Hear the true story of how God prepared a perfect event for David, a young Jewish man, to face Goliath, a nine-and-a-half-foot Philistine warrior. Hear about the tests that David faced to become a champion and see how God has prepared tests for each of us to face in our lives. Understand that everything that happens to us is designed for a purpose and goes back to a spiritual issue.

Get ready for a triumphant true story of an epic battle between a young Jewish man and a massive warrior named Goliath. Listen to this lesson to learn that this was an attack on the God of Israel by a pagan nation. The stakes were high as Goliath taunted the Israelite army who were shaking in their boots. Understand the parallels between this event and modern-day attacks on Christians by terrorists. Stay tuned to learn next week the answer God always has for our seemingly impossible situations.

What does the Bible teach about demon possession? Listen to this lesson to learn two main reasons why believers cannot be demon possessed. Learn about two areas in the temple and how they are reflected in our bodies. Hear Christ’s high priestly prayer which keeps us from the Evil One. Learn about Saul and the music therapy that he used to try to relieve him from demon oppression. Get an overview of the human brain and how we can succumb to demon influence by our own volition. See how music provides structure and meaning and helped Saul to obtain relief. Dr. Dean referenced an important article on AmericanThinker.com entitled The Death of Evangelicalism during this class.

How do you know when someone is demon possessed? Listen to this lesson to learn that the Bible does not describe any symptoms of demon possession or any remedies for removing demons from someone. Hear some ideas that people in the past have come up with to describe demon possession that have no basis in the Bible. Learn that there was an explosion of demon activity during the time of Christ, the Messiah, was on the earth. As Christians, understand that we don’t need to be fearful of demons because we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit.

Do we have anything to fear from demons? Listen to this lesson to learn that demons are fallen angels who rebelled against God, their Creator. Find out that they are very active in human history and that as believers we are engaged in spiritual warfare with them. See the difference between demon influence, which can involve believers and unbelievers alike, and demon possession, which can only happen to people who do not trust in Christ as their Savior. To guard against demon influence as believers we must learn the Word of God, walk by means of the Holy Spirit, and apply spiritual truths to our lives.

Do you know that everyone, believer and unbeliever alike, is influenced by the thinking of demons? Listen to this lesson to learn that any thoughts and ideas that are not biblical are demonic. Find out what happened to Saul when the Spirit of the Lord departed from him and an evil spirit descended. See that he is mentally tormented in a way that completely paralyzed him with fear. Learn how David was brought out of the sheepfold and into the court to play the harp to sooth Saul. Learn that God was working out His plan for David, the future king of Israel. Note that the video for this class includes two videos from the Museum of the Bible, which are located at: Museum of the Bible Overview and Museum of the Bible Fly-Through. Click to visit the Museum of the Bible website. Dr. Dean also mentioned Gatestone Institute if you're interested in news from Europe and the Middle East.

If you like to hear about the lives of great men, be prepared to learn about the riveting life of King David. Learn why God declared him to be a man after His heart. Hear that David was not perfect but that he had the right mental attitude of toughness and responsibility and devotion to God. Find out four functions of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament. Learn from David that it’s not our background but our submission to God’s authority that counts.

Two men. Two kings. Saul and David. Listen to this lesson to see the contrast between the one who was disobedient to God and the one who loved God and wanted to grow spiritually even though he had many failures. Find out about the pattern in the Saul/David relationship that foreshadows the rule of Satan over the earth. See how David is a type of the future Church Age as he and his followers were outcasts being trained to rule and reign in the future.

Are there times when we have the right to disobey government authority? Listen to this lesson to learn what the Bible says is the only exception to obedience to authority. Hear about two situations in Daniel that show how believers are to live in a pagan world. Find out that there are God-given distinctions between the roles of men and women. See that divination is an acceptance of the authority of demons. Recognize that when we violate the laws of establishment that we are in rebellion against God.