Bible Study

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  1. What brought about Saul’s demons – the demons that made them send for the
    singer? (See 1 Samuel 15 & 1 Samuel 16:14-23)
  2. What were the two rash oaths Saul made that nearly got Jonathan killed? (1 Samuel
    14:24-45 particularly vs. 24 & 44.)
  3. Why did God send famine during David’s reign? (2 Samuel 21:1-14)
  4. What treaty had Saul ignored when he killed the Gibeonites and tried to exterminate
    them? (Joshua 9:1-27) What does this tell us about how God feels about oaths and
    treaties?
  5. All men die but once in a while God gives us a reason for a specific person’s death.
    He does that regarding Saul. What was the reason? (1 Chronicles 10:13-14)
  6. The Amalekite that came to David told David that he had killed Saul – finishing him
    off after he saw that Saul’s attempted suicide had failed. According to 1 Chronicles
    10:1-6, is this true? How did Saul die? Why might the man have lied?
  7. Why did Saul lose the right to pass the kingship on to his son, Jonathan? (1 Samuel
    15 – the whole chapter but verse 28 in particular.)
  8. What emotions led to Saul’s continual attempts to murder David? (See 1 Samuel
    18:8, 9, 12, 15, & 29) How did Saul act on these emotions?
  9. Michal watched her father go from being a popular king to a murderous madman,
    yet whose side did she take – Saul’s or David’s? (1 Samuel 18:27-28)
  10. 1 Samuel 19:9-17 gives us the story of how Michal helped David escape from her
    father. What reasons might she have had for lying to her father about her part in it
    all? Does the Bible tell us for sure?
  11. After David has married two other women, Ahinoam and Abigail, we are told in 1
    Samuel 25:44 that Saul had given Michal, David’s wife, to Paltiel. The Bible has
    very little to say about Paltiel, but given that one statement – “Michal, David’s wife”
    - both Saul and Paltiel knew that Michal belonged to David. What does that tell us
    about Paltiel’s character?
  12. 2 Samuel 3:12-16 gives us the scene where David demands Michal’s return. Paltiel
    follows her weeping all the way from Mahanaim to Bahurim a distance of about 45
    miles, until Abner tells him to go home. What does this tell us about how Paltiel felt
    toward Michal?
  13. Despite Paltiel’s feelings, he was still living with another man’s wife. According to
    the Mosaic Law, what should have been Paltiel’s penalty? (Leviticus 20:10) (Hint:
    the verse would indicate both parties in adultery deserve punishment, but Scripture
    indicates it was Saul who gave Michal to Paltiel, making Paltiel and Saul the guilty
    parties.)
  14. Deuteronomy 24:1-4 says that a divorced woman who remarries may not at some later date go back and marry her first husband again. Why was David allowed to get Michal back without some type of judgment? (Hint: because David had never divorced Michal. Paltiel was the one in the wrong.)
  15. When David brings the ark of the Lord to Jerusalem, he leaps and dances before the Lord, wearing only a linen ephod—the dress of priests. According to 2 Samuel 6:16 Michal is watching David from a window (probably of the palace.) What else does it say about her?
  16. Read 2 Samuel 6:12-23. What is the last thing the Bible records regarding Michal? Based on the Scripture, do you see Michal’s life as hopeful or tragic?

Author’s Note: My fictional account of Michal’s story imagines what might have happened after her tragic encounter with David when she shows him her disdain for who he is. But the story is just that, a story. All we really know is what is recorded in Scripture. Someday, when all things are known, the truth will be fully revealed. Until then, I hope my version of Michal’s story will inspire you to read and study the biblical account. It’s a fascinating read!

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