1. Before the men went out to fight Absalom, what did the king command concerning Absalom? Do you agree with this command? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. What does it mean in 2 Samuel 18:8 that “the forest swallowed up more men that day than the sword”? Who was helping King David? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. How did Joab kill Absalom? Do you agree with Joab or the man who refused to kill Absalom? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. How should we handle a situation where we disagree with someone in authority who has given us instructions? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. Do you think God used Joab to kill Absalom? Why was Joab the perfect person to kill him under these circumstances? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6. Do you think King David should have handled his son’s death differently? Why or why not? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7. Do you think Absalom expected to survive his rebellion against his father? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
8. Do you agree with what Joab said to the king when he found him crying over the loss of Absalom? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
9. God held a mirror up to King David when Joab scolded him. What did David see in the mirror? How did David react? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
10. King David’s son, Solomon, wrote about this subject in Proverbs 19:18-20. According to this scripture, how should we respond when God is disciplining us? How should we discipline our children? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________