Hidden Hurts #2 - Loneliness
1 Samuel 27; 2 Samuel 6
Dr. Kurt Bjorklund
Part of Hidden Hurts—January 7 - February 26, 2023
January 13, 2023

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Group Study Guide

Date: January 14-15, 2023
Speaker: Dr. Kurt Bjorklund
Series: Hidden Hurts
Message: #2 - Loneliness

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Scripture

1 But David thought to himself, “One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me anywhere in Israel, and I will slip out of his hand.”

2 So David and the six hundred men with him left and went over to Achish son of Maok king of Gath. 3 David and his men settled in Gath with Achish. Each man had his family with him, and David had his two wives: Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, the widow of Nabal. 4 When Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him.

5 Then David said to Achish, “If I have found favor in your eyes, let a place be assigned to me in one of the country towns, that I may live there. Why should your servant live in the royal city with you?”

6 So on that day Achish gave him Ziklag, and it has belonged to the kings of Judah ever since. 7 David lived in Philistine territory a year and four months. —1 Samuel 27:1-7 (NIV)

Notes

  1. The Experience of Loneliness
    • Psalm 13:2
    • 1 Samuel 27:1
    • 2 Samuel 6:20-23

  2. The Response to Loneliness
    • Proverbs 14:10
    • Psalm 13:5-6
    • Psalm 25:14

Study Guide

Step One: Open
Read 1 Samuel 27 and 2 Samuel 6 and pray to open your time together in God’s word.

Step Two: Icebreaker (Optional)
You have an open weekend evening and a good friend calls you to get together with a few others. Describe what your idea of a great evening would look like.

Step Three: Discuss

  1. What stood out to you the most in this weekend’s teaching? What was challenging, encouraging, or confusing to you?

  2. In 1 Samuel 27, we see David on the run for his life, hiding from Saul. Looking at verse 1, what can we gather about David’s mental state at this point in his life?

  3. David relocated his army of about 600 men to a remote place where Saul couldn’t find them. Verse 7 tells us that they remained there for 16 months. What do you think were some of the challenges that David faced in leading this effort?

  4. Read Psalm 57 together as a group. Take a look at David’s words in this Psalm and put it up against the David we see in 1 Samuel 27. What insights do we gain about David’s own personal relationship with God?

  5. Although few of us can probably relate to having to run for our physical lives, have you ever found yourself “on the run?” Or perhaps searching for people that you could truly call your friends?

  6. Reread 2 Samuel 6:6-9. David is said to be afraid of the Lord after he saw what happened to Uzzah. Discuss the difference between having a healthy fear of God versus being afraid of God. (Check out Matthew 10:28)

  7. What do you know to be true about God that can help as we experience seasons of loneliness or isolation?

Step Four: Close in Prayer