Lesson For The Week (Apr. 11)

Grief and Comfort
“Happy are those who mourn; God will comfort them!” (Matthew 5:4)

Getting Started
When we are grieving, we might feel like nobody understands what we are going through. Perhaps we don’t want to be with our friends. But, at the same time we may not want to be alone. When we are grieving, we sometimes lose hope. It is hard to imagine a time when we will be happy again. But people who have gone through grief can tell us that it helps us grow into better, stronger people. And our times of grief can help us to comfort others.

Vocabulary
grief (n) – sadness or suffering caused by misfortune, disaster or loss
grieve (v) – to experience or express grief
pledge (v) – to promise wholeheartedly
rebel (v) – to fight against a government or leader in charge
overcome (v) – to win over; to be overpowered by
sorrow (n) – very great sadness
mourn (v) – to feel or express grief

Reading God’s Word

King David knew a lot about grief. He experienced the death of many loved ones. Perhaps his most painful grief was over his son, Absalom, who tried to steal the kingdom from him.

2 Samuel 15:13-14

13 A messenger reported to David, "The Israelites are pledging their loyalty to Absalom." 14 So David said to all his officials who were with him in Jerusalem, "We must get away at once if we want to escape from Absalom! Hurry! Or else he will soon be here and defeat us and kill everyone in the city!"

2 Samuel 18: 5b-7

"For my sake don't harm the young man Absalom." All the troops heard David give this command to his officers. 6 David's army went out into the countryside and fought the Israelites in Ephraim Forest. 7 The Israelites were defeated by David's men; it was a terrible defeat, with twenty thousand men killed that day.

2 Samuel 18:31-33
31 Then the slave arrived and said to the king, "I have good news for Your Majesty! Today the Lord has given you victory over all who rebelled against you!" 32 "Is the young man Absalom all right?" the king asked. The slave answered, "I wish that what has happened to him would happen to all your enemies, sir, and to all who rebel against you." 33 The king was overcome with grief. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he cried, "O my son! My son Absalom! Absalom, my son! If only I had died in your place, my son! Absalom, my son!"

Ecclesiastes 3:1-4
1 Everything that happens in this world happens at the time God chooses. 2 He sets the time for birth and the time for death, the time for planting and the time for pulling up, 3 the time for killing and the time for healing, the time for tearing down and the time for building. 4 He sets the time for sorrow and the time for joy, the time for mourning and the time for dancing.

Psalm 34:18
The Lord is near to those who are discouraged; he saves those who have lost all hope

Taking a Closer Look
1. Did Absalom plan to kill David? (15:13-14)
2. What order did David give his troops? Why? Was this a wise decision to help win the battle? (18:5b)
3. Was David happy about his victory? What was the one thing he cared about? (18:32)
4. What would he have preferred to happen? (18:33)
5. Does anything happen by accident? Does anything happen for no reason? (Ecclesiastes 3:1-4)
6. Psalm 34:18 tells us that God, “saves those who have lost all hope.” How can we find new hope in the Lord?

Taking Action
1. We know from Ecclesiastes 3:1-4 that everything happens according to God’s timing. Sometimes this is very hard to accept – we would prefer things to happen according to our timing. How can we learn to accept that God is in control?
2. How can we help others who are grieving?

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