July 21, 2026 – A Study of Matthew – Overcoming Evil

Overcoming Evil

1 Samuel 24:1-13 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the Desert of En Gedi.” ² So Saul took three thousand able young men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats.

³ He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave. ⁴ The men said, “This is the day the Lord spoke of when he said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.’” Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.

⁵ Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe. ⁶ He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.” ⁷ With these words David sharply rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way.

⁸ Then David went out of the cave and called out to Saul, “My lord the king!” When Saul looked behind him, David bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground. ⁹ He said to Saul, “Why do you listen when men say, ‘David is bent on harming you’? ¹⁰ This day you have seen with your own eyes how the Lord delivered you into my hands in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, ‘I will not lay my hand on my lord, because he is the Lord’s anointed.’ ¹¹ See, my father, look at this piece of your robe in my hand! I cut off the corner of your robe but did not kill you. See that there is nothing in my hand to indicate that I am guilty of wrongdoing or rebellion. I have not wronged you, but you are hunting me down to take my life. ¹² May the Lord judge between you and me. And may the Lord avenge the wrongs you have done to me, but my hand will not touch you. ¹³ As the old saying goes, ‘From evildoers come evil deeds,’ so my hand will not touch you.

Where was Saul told that David was (verse 1)?

How many “able young men” did Saul take (verse 2)?

Where were David and his men (verse 3)?

What did David cut off (verse 4)?

Why was David “conscience-stricken” (verse 5)?

How did David describe Saul (verse 6)?

What did David not allow his men to do (verse 7)?

What did David call out to Saul (verse 8)?

What were the men Saul was listening to saying (verse 9)?

Where had the Lord delivered Saul (verse 10)?

How did David demonstrate that he did not want to harm Saul (verse 11)?

Who does David want to judge between he and Saul (verse 12)?

Where do evil deeds come from (verse 13)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about responding to evil?

Matthew 18:21-35 - New International Version (NIV)

²¹ Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”

²² Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

²³ “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴ As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. ²⁵ Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

²⁶ “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ ²⁷ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

²⁸ “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.

²⁹ “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’

³⁰ “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. ³¹ When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.

³² “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. ³³ Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ ³⁴ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

³⁵ “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

What did Jesus tell Peter he needed to do seventy-seven times (verses 21-22)?

What is the “kingdom of heaven” like (verse 23)?

How much did the man who was brought in owe the king (verse 24)?

Why did the master order the man and his wife and children sold (verse 25)?

In your opinion, would the man have been able to repay what he owed (verse 26)?

What did the master do (verse 27)?

Who did the servant find when he “went out” (verse 28)?

How did that person respond to the servant who had been forgiven (verse 29)?

What did the servant who had been forgiven do (verse 30)?

How did the other servants react (verse 31)?

How did the master address the servant who had been forgiven (verse 32)?

How did the master say the servant should have responded to the other servant (verse 33)?

How long was the servant handed over to the jailers (verse 34)?

How does our Heavenly father expect us to forgive our brothers and sisters (verse 35)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about responding to evil?

In your opinion, how are the David’s actions in 1 Samuel 24:1-13 contrary to the actions of the man who owed ten thousand bags of gold in Matthew 18:21-35?

Romans 12:17-21 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁷ Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. ¹⁸ If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. ¹⁹ Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. ²⁰ On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
    if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

How should we not repay anyone (verse 17)?

What should we be careful “to do” (verse 17)?

If it depends on us, how should we live (verse 18)?

What should we leave room for (verse 19)?

Who should we feed if they are hungry (verse 20)?

How should we overcome evil (verse 21)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about responding to evil?

In your opinion, how does 1 Samuel 24:1-13 illustrate the instructions in dealing with others that Romans 12:17-21 gives us?

In your opinion, how could the instructions in Romans 12:17-21 have benefited the servant who owed the ten thousand bags of gold in Matthew 18:21-35?

Colossians 1:9-14 - New International Version (NIV)

⁹ For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, ¹⁰ so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹ being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, ¹² and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. ¹³ For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

What does Paul pray that God fills them with (verse 9)?

Who does Paul pray for them to “live a life worthy of” (verse 10)?

What is the outcome of “being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might” (verse 11)?

Who has qualified Christians to “share in the inheritance of his holy people” (verse 12)?

What have Christians been rescued from (verse 13)?

Where does God bring Christians (verse 13)?

What is “redemption” (verse 14)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about responding to evil?

In your opinion, how might David’s restraint in 1 Samuel 24:1-13 be a product of the same kind of filling with God’s will that Paul prays the Colossian Christians will have in Colossians 12:17-21?

In your opinion, how is the forgiveness that Paul describes in Colossians 1:9-14 greater than the forgiveness described in Matthew 18:21-35?

In your opinion, how does Colossians 1:9-14 show the change that must happen in Christians to allow them to obey the instruction to “overcome evil with good” in Romans 12:17-21?

In your opinion, what do these passages from 1 Samuel, Matthew, Romans, and Colossians teach us about God’s forgiveness?

In your opinion, how can we overcome evil in the world today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)