1. Fear God 1:14 And David said to him, Why were you not afraid to stretch forth thy hand to destroy the LORD'S anointed?

2. Cherish your Friends 1:26 I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant have thou been to me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.

3. Use God's blessings to bless others (Repay Kindness) 2:5 David...Jabeshgilead, and said to them, Blessed [be] ye of the LORD, that ye have shown this kindness to your lord, [even] to Saul, and have buried him. 6 And now the LORD show kindness and truth to you: and I also will repay you this kindness, because ye have done this thing. cf 9:1; 10:2

4. Work for the benefit of others 5:4 David was 30 years old when he began to reign; he reigned 40 years. 12 And David perceived that the LORD had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for his people Israel's sake.

5. Ask/trust God not circumstances 5:18 Philistines also came and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. 19 And David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up... 22 Philistines came yet again, and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. 23 And when David enquired of the LORD, he said, Thou shalt not go up...

6. Stick close to God on His terms so He can bless you 6:7 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for [his] error; and there he died by the ark of God...12 And it was told king David, saying, The LORD has blessed the house of Obededom, and all that [pertains] to him, because of the ark of God. So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obededom into the city of David with gladness.

7. Care more about what God thinks than others think 6:16 And as the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal Saul's daughter looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart. 20...And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel to day, who uncovered himself to day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the foolish fellows shamelessly uncovers himself! 21 And David said to Michal, [It was] before the LORD, who chose me before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel: therefore will I play before the LORD. 22 And I will yet be more contemptible than this, and will be base in my own sight: and by the maidservants which thou have spoken of, by them shall I be had in honour. 23 Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child until the day of her death.

8. Do Something Nice for God 7:1 And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the LORD had given him rest around from all his enemies; 2 That the king said to Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells within curtains. 3 And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that [is] in thy heart; for the LORD [is] with you. 8 Now therefore so shalt thou say to my servant David, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took you from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel: 9 And I was with you wherever thou went, and have cut off all thy enemies out of thy sight, and have made you a great name, like the name of the great [men] that [are] in the earth.

9. Accept Discipline 13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. 14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he shall commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: 15 But my mercy shall not depart from him, as I took [it] from Saul, whom I put away before you. 16 And thy house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before you: thy throne shall be established for ever.

10. Grab for the Goodness of God 28 O Lord GOD, you are that God, and thy words are true, and thou have promised this goodness to thy servant: 29 Therefore now let it please you to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before you: for thou, O Lord GOD, have spoken [it]: and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever.

11. Know your sin will find you out 11:1...time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab...2 And it came to pass in an evening, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman [was] very beautiful to look upon...12:8...and if [that had been] too little, I would moreover have given to you such and such things. 9 Why have thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife [to be] thy wife, and have slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. 10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thy house; because thou have despised me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. 12 For thou did [it] secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun. 13 And David said I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said The LORD also has put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. 

12. Mourn within Reason 12:22 And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell [whether] GOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live? 23 But now he is dead, why should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me. 24 And David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in to her, and lay with her: and she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon: and the LORD loved him. 25 And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet; and he called his name Jedidiah, because of the LORD.

13. Execute family justice 13:12 And Tamar answered him, Nay, my brother, do not force me; for no such thing ought to be done in Israel: do not thou this folly. 13 And I, where shall I cause my shame to go? and as for you, thou shalt be as one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, I pray you, speak to the king; for he will not withhold me from you. 14 However he would not hearken to her voice: but, being stronger than she, forced her, and lay with her. 15 Then Amnon hated her exceedingly; so that the hatred with which he hated her [was] greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, Arise, be gone. 21 But when king David heard of all these things, he was very angry.

14. Look for the blessing 16:12 It may be that the LORD will look on my affliction, and that the LORD will repay me good

15. Follow wise counsel 16:23 And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counselled in those days, [was] as if a man had enquired at the oracle of God: so [was] all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom.

16. See the higher purpose 17:14 For the LORD had appointed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring evil upon Absalom. 23 And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled [his] donkey, and arose, and went home to his house,  and put his household in order, and hanged himself, and died, and was buried

17. Don't let feelings cloud what is right 19:1 And it was told to Joab, Behold, the king weeps and mourns for Absalom. 2 And the victory that day was [turned] into mourning to all the people: for the people heard it said that day how the king was grieved for his son. 5 And Joab came into the house to the king, and said, Thou have shamed this day the faces of all thy servants, who this day have saved thy life, and the lives of thy sons and of thy daughters, and the lives of thy wives, and the lives of thy concubines; 6 In that thou love thy enemies, and hate thy friends. For thou have declared this day, that thou regard neither princes nor servants: for this day I perceive, that if Absalom had lived, and all we had died this day, then it had pleased you well.

18. Always keep your promises 21:1 Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David enquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, [It is] for Saul, and for [his] bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites. 7 But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of the LORD'S oath that [was] between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.

19. Know when to take it easy 21:15 Moreover the Philistines had yet war again with Israel; and David went down, and his servants with him, and fought against the Philistines: and David became faint. 16 And Ishbibenob, who [was] of the sons of the giant...thought of slaying David. 17 But Abishai the son of Zeruiah helped him, and smote the Philistine, and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, Thou shalt go out no more with us to battle, that thou may not put out the light of Israel.

20. Surround yourself with good people 21:18 And it came to pass after this, that there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob: then Sibbechai the Hushathite slew Saph, who [was] of the sons of the giant. 19 And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim, a Bethlehemite, slew [the brother of] Goliath the Gittite 20 And there was yet a battle in Gath, where was a man of [great] stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant. 21 And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea the brother of David slew him. cf. mighty men

21. Call on the Lord (cf Ps 18) 22:1 And David spoke to the LORD the words of this song in the day [that] the LORD had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul: 2 And he said, The LORD [is] my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; 3 The God of my rock; in him will I trust: [he is] my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my preserver; thou saves me from violence. 4 I will call on the LORD, [who is] worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from my enemies. 7 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried to my God: and he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry [entered] into his ears. 18 He delivered me from my strong enemy, from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me. 19 They fell upon me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my support.

22. Keep your hands clean to receive cookies 22:20 He brought me forth also into a large place: he delivered me, because he delighted in me. 21 The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness: according to the cleanness of my hands has he recompensed me. 22 For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God. 23 For all his judgments [were] before me: and [as for] his statutes, I did not depart from them. 28 And the afflicted people thou wilt save: but thy eyes [are] upon the haughty, [that] thou may bring [them] down.

23. Praise when helped 22:48 It [is] God that avenges me, and that brings down the people under me. 50  Therefore I will give thanks to you, O LORD, among the heathen, and I will sing praises to thy name. 51 [He is] the tower of salvation for his king: and he shows mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore.

24. Remember where you came from, why you're here, and where you're going 23:1 Now these [are] the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said, 2 The Spirit of the LORD spoke by me, and his word [was] on my tongue. 3 The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me, He that rules over men [must be] just, ruling in the fear of God. 4 And [he shall be] as the light of the morning, [when] the sun rises, [even] a morning without clouds; [as] the tender grass [springing] out of the earth by clear shining after rain. 5 Is not my house right with God? Has He not made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: Will He not bring to fruition my salvation and grant me my every desire? 6 But the worthless [shall be] all of them as thorns thrust away, because they cannot be taken with hands: 7 But the man [that] shall touch them must be fenced with iron and the staff of a spear; and they shall be utterly burned with fire in the [same] place.

25. Carefully count your blessings & Cast yourself on God 24:1  the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah. 4 But the king's word prevailed against Joab...Israel 800,000...Judah 500,000 men. 10 And David's heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said to the LORD, I have sinned greatly in what I have done: and now, I beseech you, O LORD, take away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly. 13...seven years of famine...flee three months...three days' pestilence 14 I am in deep distress: let us fall now into the hand of the LORD; for his mercies [are] great: and let me not fall into the hand of man. 15...seventy thousand men.

26. Worship is worth what it costs you 24:18...Go up, rear an altar to the LORD at Araunah's 24...neither will I offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God of that which did cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen

Questions for Reflection/Discussion/Response:

1. Which of the principles illustrated in David's life go against the grain of our society? our Christian culture? our personalities?

2. Why wasn't God finished with David after the incident with Bathsheba? Is the Davidic Covenant still in effect? (2 Sam 7)

3. Why are people so reluctant to ask God to reward them according to what they deserve?

4. Why is it important to remember where we came from? Why we're here? Where we're going? (Swan Song 23:1)

5. What's your worship worth? What does it cost you? How much does God value it? Have you done anything nice for God?