Saul has been anointed king. Immediately, a few men follow him, but Saul returns to his farming. Something needs to happen to establish Saul’s reign and pull the people together under it. Nahosh, the Ammonite, obliges and threatens the town of Jabesh Gilead. Nahosh is so confidant of victory that he threatens to gouge out…
Category: Bible Comments
Does God Know What He is Doing? – 1 Samuel 9,10
Pretend for a minute that you are a black woman who grew up in rural Oklahoma. What would it take to convince you that you should run for president of the United States? 1 Samuel 9 and 10 describe an elaborate process that God takes Saul through to confirm his kingship to him and to…
Rejecting the King – 1 Samuel 8
I never have understood the request the Israelites make in this chapter. Samuel has served faithfully as God’s judge for many years, and he is getting old. Unfortunately, just like most of Israel’s leaders he has done a poor job as a father. His sons practice evil and promote injustice. The people could have gone…
Repentance and Deliverance – 1 Samuel 7
The Israelites did not return the ark to the tabernacle at Shiloh. Instead, they placed it in a house and appointed someone to guard it. This may have seemed to be a mistake, but it did not keep them from repenting. Repentance means to turn around, to change direction, or to change your mind. The…
Curiosity Kills – 1 Samuel 6
Curiosity like many things, can be either a very good thing or a very bad thing. God’s creation contains many things with similar characteristics. Money is neutral, it is just a tool, but we use it for both good and evil. Strength is generally regarded as a good thing, but it can lessen our dependence…
God’s Presence – 1 Samuel 5
The Philistines won the battle and captured the ark of God. Recognizing the spiritual significance of the ark they placed it in the temple of their god Dagon. They quickly discovered that these two spiritual objects were different and incompatible. It is easy to see how they viewed the ark as no different from their…
When Things Go Wrong – 1 Samuel 4
What do we do when things go wrong. Something does not turn out the way we expected and naturally we ask questions at this point. The easiest question to ask is, “What did I do wrong?” Maybe you cannot identify anything that you did wrong and as a believer you might ask, “Why did God…
Knowing the LORD – 1 Samuel 3
Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD: The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him. (1 Samuel 3:7 NIV) Have you ever considered what a rare privilege it is to know God and to recognize His voice? Samuel was learning to serve in the tabernacle and had no idea the…
Positive Ending – 2 Corinthians 13:11-14
May 16, 2021 Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. 13 All God’s people here send their greetings. 14 May the grace of the…
Building Up – 2 Corinthians 13:7-10
April 30, 2021 7 Now we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong– not so that people will see that we have stood the test but so that you will do what is right even though we may seem to have failed. 8 For we cannot do anything against the truth, but…
