Adult Mentor: January- March 2024

By R.H. Boyd Publishing Corp.

The Adult Mentor is a topical Christian quarterly study guide for the adult learner and is designed to increase Christian faith and biblical understanding using a variety of learning methods. It is a practical resource for every day Christian living.

• Language: English
• Publisher: R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation
• Release date: Dec 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9798886351750

Book preview

R.H. Boyd family of companies produces and provides the highest quality of Christian, inspirational, historic, educational, and cultural literature, merchandise, and services by continuing to use high ethical, moral, and biblically-sound standards as it has for five generations.

R. H. BOYD, DD, LLD

Founder (1896–1922)

H. A. BOYD, DD

(1922–1959)

T. B. BOYD, JR., DD

(1959–1979)

T. B. BOYD III, DD

(1979–2017)

LaDonna Boyd, EdD

President/CEO

David Groves, DMin, PhD

Director of Publications

Keaton Bell, BBA

Director of Finance

Steven Puckett, AAS

Director of Operations

EDITORIAL STAFF:

Olivia M. Cloud, MRE

(Associate Editor)

Monique Gooch, BA

Brittany Batson, BA

Carla Davis, BA

Writer: Bernard Williams

Visit rhboyd.com/curriculum-videos to watch the video lessons and to sign up for the newsletter.

Follow us for the latest news and updates!

@rhboydco

Adult Mentor

Theme: Gratitude, Thanksgiving, and Thoughtfulness

The Adult Mentor is designed to enhance the biblical and theological knowledge and understanding of seasoned adult Christians, and to empower them to inspire and encourage members of the community of faith. It is the ideal resource for both personal and group Bible study.

Lesson material is based on guidelines developed at our annual Writer’s Conference. These guidelines are developed with the aim of improving nurturing and training in Christian service. Copyrighted by R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation, Nashville, Tennessee.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Adult Mentor, Adult Quarterly (USPS 10299) (ISSN 2329–9630), copyright © 2023 by R.H. Boyd Company, 6717 Centennial Blvd., Nashville, Tennessee 37209–1017. Adult Mentor is published quarterly by R.H. Boyd Company. Periodicals postage paid at Nashville, Tennessee.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Adult Mentor, R.H. Boyd Company, 6717 Centennial Blvd., Nashville, Tennessee 37209–1017.

For Customer Service, call (615) 350–8000, Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Central, or fax [phone].

The publisher, R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation, bears no responsibility or liability for any claim, demand, action, or proceeding related to its content, including but not limited to claims of plagiarism, copyright infringement, defamation, obscenity, or the violation of the rights of privacy, publicity, or any other right of any person or party, and makes no warranties regarding the content.

Vol. 12 • No. 1

A True Friend Intervenes

Overcoming Self-Interest

Meeting the Needs of Others

The Most Excellent Way

Upside-Down Love

The Love Connection

Loving Others

Sharing Love in Truth

A Community of Equals

Fulfilling One’s Calling

Called to Participate in a Promise

Honor for the King of the World

Get Ready

Sign up for your complimentary online subscription to the Union Review. Use the QR below or visit www.unionreview.org. Sign up for this free quarterly publication and get access to news and information about the issues that are important to you.

Scan the code now for your free subscription!

Get Social

Twitter

@rhboydco #rhboydco

Instagram

@rhboydco #rhboydco

Facebook

@rhboydco #rhboydco

www.rhboyd.com

Lesson 1

A True Friend Intervenes

LEARNING SESSION

Through the pen of the prophet Samuel, we are given a front–row seat to see the handiwork of God manifesting itself through human friendship. We are left to ponder what wonderful and divine blessings God may want to deposit into our lives through our friendships today.

EXPOSITION:

I. A King on the Warpath

Here we find an angry and sorely vexed king fueled by the kind of rage that can come only from jealousy. In the previous chapter, we read a saga of Saul’s growing contempt and jealousy for David that would make even the seediest tabloid television show green with envy. Saul’s was jealous because David had been successful and Saul’s subjects didn’t just know it, they showed it by making up songs about David’s success ((18:7). What was worse was that even Saul’s children took strong likings to David—first Jonathan, whose soul knit with David’s (18:1), and then Michal. Ironically, Michal is the first woman in Scripture recorded as loving a man (18:20), which suggests she was head over hills for the giant–slayer David. That was enough to rev up the jealous wrath of the king.

Saul made several attempts to rid himself of David. Saul threw a spear at him (18:11), put him on the front line of battle (18:13), reneged on a marriage arrangement (18:17–19), and sent him on a suicide mission into enemy territory (18:25). All of these attempts to sabotage and sink the rising star were rendered unsuccessful and, worse yet, made David even more popular. No wonder by the time we meet Saul in this text he was out for blood and wanted David dead. However, what truly made this tragic for Saul was that he realized Yahweh was with David (18:28). Yet Saul, the king of Israel, failed to realize that when the King of eternity has favored an individual, no

KEY VERSE:

And Jonathan spake good of David unto Saul his father, and said unto him, Let not the king sin against his servant, against David; because he hath not sinned against thee, and because his works have been to thee–ward very good. ( Samuel 19:4, KJV)

LESSON SCRIPTURES:

Samuel 19:1–7

DISCUSSION POINTS

I. A King on the Warpath

II. The Responsibilities of a Friend

III. Resolution and Restoration

earthly power can derail what God already has set in motion for this person.

II. The Responsibilities of a Friend

Jonathan’s actions stand as a sterling example of what godly friendship looks like. As soon as he heard about the danger David was facing, he immediately sprang to action. We will examine closely what friendship in action looks like.

Friends warn other friends of imminent and approaching danger. In verse 2, Jonathan warned David of the threat upon his life. As friends, we have the obligation to warn our friends when they are headed toward destruction. Conversely, we also see through the actions of David in our story that