How are we to look upon failure in light of Saul’s kingship over Israel? What is God rejecting in Saul? Can we ever fail completely before God? Since God chose Saul as king over Israel didn’t he already know that Saul wouldn’t be a faithful king? Is Saul’s kingship an illustration of how apart from Jesus Christ we are unable to follow God? What traits did Saul exhibit that led to his turning aside from God? What does Saul’s failure mean for me today? How do I reject God as Saul did by choosing my own way over the way that God desires for me? How can I guard my heart from turning aside from God? The reading of 1 Samuel chapter 15 caused me to ask a lot of questions about who God is and His sovereignty. It is easy to look at the story of Saul’s kingship and think that he was cheated out of ruling Israel. The choice I make on a daily basis to either follow God’s commands or seek my own glory and way was the same choice that was faced by Saul when he was king over Israel. Saul chose to seek out his own way apart from God. I believe that God is sovereign and whatever He chooses to do is wholly right so when I see that the kingdom was taken away from Saul I can trust that God did it for His purpose and glory. Continue Reading…
Many questions answered by God’s sovereignty: 1 Samuel 15 and 16
Trust and dependance develop by following God: 1 Samuel 13 and 14
There is a distinct change that has takes place between 1 Samuel chapters 12 and 13. The story that concluded in chapter 12 was the start of Saul’s reign where Samuel was telling the Israelites of their disobedience against God by seeking a king to rule over them and at the beginning of chapter 13 we are told Saul was thirty years old when he became king, he reigned for thirty two years, and a war with the Philistines has been ongoing. How much time passed between the events of chapter 12 and 13? Why do we jump to this point in the reign of Saul? What happens in Saul’s reign that makes this time noteworthy? Continue Reading…
One person devoted to God will make a difference: 1 Samuel 11 and 12
How long will the people of Israel stray away from God and not turn to Him for their needs? How often do I stray from God’s desire for my life? This journey that the Israelites have taken mirrors my journey as a christian because I have moments when I am fully focused on God where I have gleaned great truths from Scripture, there are other moments when the flesh within me is raging, seeking to make me succumb to wickedness, and there are moments where I feel lost wondering when I will be delivered. Continue Reading…
God’s sovereignty displayed in the refinement of life: 1 Samuel 9 and 10
What would you do if you were walking down the street and someone came up to you and said that you were now the president? Would you take them seriously? I would think the person was crazy. In 1 Samuel 9 and 10 we are introduced to a Benjamite named Saul who is from the smallest tribe of Israel, and his family was the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin. Saul will be transformed from a man of no renown to a man lifted up and blessed by God to lead the Israelites as their king. Continue Reading…
Jesus Christ is the only hope for today and forever: 1 Samuel 7 and 8
“If you return to the Lord with all your heart, remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your hearts to the Lord and serve Him alone; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” 1 Samuel 7:3 NASB Look at the language that Samuel uses to speak to the Israelites. Is the deliverance from God something conditional that needs the positive response of the Israelites before it will come to pass? Continue Reading…
Lack of regard for God leads to the demise of many: 1 Samuel 5 and 6
When the Israelites brought the Ark into battle with the Philistines they were expecting to have victory just as in the stories of Joshua but instead they were met with defeat at the hands of the Philistines resulting in the Ark of the Lord being captured. The Israelites replaced their devotion to God with idolatry where they valued the things around them, such as the Ark, in greater standing than God. In 1 Samuel chapters 5 and 6 we are given the details of what happened to the Ark during the 7 months that it was in the possessions of the Philistines and how it was brought back to the Israelites. Continue Reading…
Ichabod – The glory has departed from Israel: 1 Samuel 3 and 4
I have found it important while reading 1 Samuel to remember the overall picture that this book fits into. The book of 1 Samuel is tied to both the books of Judges and Ruth because they are telling the story of the time when God raises up judges over the people of Israel. The people of Israel are doing what they find to be best in their own eyes instead of seeking after God. Upon this scene the young boy Samuel is born and dedicated to God by his mother Hannah. Continue Reading…
The source of true self worth imparted in 1 Samuel 1 and 2
How do you determine your personal value? Do you determine your value based upon your needs, your wants, your haves, your have nots, or on what other people say about you? This is the dilemma that faces Hannah in 1 Samuel chapter 1. She built and defined her own worth based upon the fact that she was barren and without child while Peninnah, Elkanah’s other wife, was blessed with children. The love that Elkanah has for Hannah was not the foremost thought in her mind because she had become poisoned by the lie that her value was found in what she did not upon who God was. Continue Reading…
