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1 Samuel 11-14 – Saul’s Victories and Failures

17 May

1 Samuel 11-14

Dear God, it is time to compile everything I’ve been praying through this week with 1 Samuel and see what you will bubble to the top for me to share in the Methodist Sunday school class in the morning as well as the Christian Men’s Life Skills class on Monday evening.

Here is what I have been praying through today:

Recap last week:

  • Israel was new to the whole idea of having a king, but they wanted one regardless of the warnings Samuel gave them — They will trade freedom for security.
  • Saul was the stereotypical choice for a leader in that he was tall and good-looking.
  • Saul had no leadership experience and was scared, hiding at his own coronation service.
  • God would give Saul his Spirit and gifts some as prophesying.
  • God raised up men who would go with him to support him.
  • There were detractors who didn’t believe in him as a leader.
  • After the coronation, Saul went home and the men God gave him went with him.

God Helps Saul Lead

  • Nahash the Ammonite threatens Jabesh Gilead (in Benjamin). They ask for 7 days before they each get one eye gouged out–backstory with Benjamin and other tribes from end of Judges

11 About a month later, King Nahash of Ammon led his army against the Israelite town of Jabesh-gilead. But all the citizens of Jabesh asked for peace. “Make a treaty with us, and we will be your servants,” they pleaded.

2 “All right,” Nahash said, “but only on one condition. I will gouge out the right eye of every one of you as a disgrace to all Israel!”

3 “Give us seven days to send messengers throughout Israel!” replied the elders of Jabesh. “If no one comes to save us, we will agree to your terms.”

  • God inspires Saul to lead

6 Then the Spirit of God came powerfully upon Saul, and he became very angry. 7 He took two oxen and cut them into pieces and sent the messengers to carry them throughout Israel with this message: “This is what will happen to the oxen of anyone who refuses to follow Saul and Samuel into battle!” And the Lord made the people afraid of Saul’s anger, and all of them came out together as one. 8 When Saul mobilized them at Bezek, he found that there were 300,000 men from Israel and 30,000[b] men from Judah.

  • Summarize the battle
  • Saul gets popular support and saves the men who ridiculed him
    • Saul is in the sweet spot of being devoted to God. So much so that he spares the men’s lives who ridiculed him.
  • Saul is confirmed as king. Samuel might have named him king, but now they are all in.

Samuel’s Farewell Speech

  • They now have what they want
  • They don’t have anything against Samuel personally
    • Was he trying to absolve himself of any guilt?
  • Recounts God’s faithfulness to them and their faithlessness to God
  • Now that God worked through Saul to defeat Nahash they are all-in again
  • But Samuel warns them that God is still not pleased they asked for a king:

16 “Now stand here and see the great thing the Lord is about to do. 17 You know that it does not rain at this time of the year during the wheat harvest. I will ask the Lord to send thunder and rain today. Then you will realize how wicked you have been in asking the Lord for a king!”

18 So Samuel called to the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day. And all the people were terrified of the Lord and of Samuel. 19 “Pray to the Lord your God for us, or we will die!” they all said to Samuel. “For now we have added to our sins by asking for a king.”

20 “Don’t be afraid,” Samuel reassured them. “You have certainly done wrong, but make sure now that you worship the Lord with all your heart, and don’t turn your back on him. 21 Don’t go back to worshiping worthless idols that cannot help or rescue you—they are totally useless! 22 The Lord will not abandon his people, because that would dishonor his great name. For it has pleased the Lord to make you his very own people.

  • Imagine if this were to happen to you. Mobs are fickle, even today. The phrase “mob mentality.”

Saul starts fighting the Philistines

  • Jonathan starts feeling himself a little. The Philistines were occupying Israel at the time. Jonathan attacks the Philistines at a town in Benjamin and starts the war/revolution against them.
  • The Philistines are ticked and come to attack. Saul calls on the men capable of fighting to join him.
  • The Philistines are ready to fight, but apparently Samuel and Saul had an arrangement where Saul would wait for Samuel to burn the offerings before battle so he is waiting.
  • The army starts deserting, so Saul finally decides he needs to move ahead with the offering and get to fighting:

8 Saul waited there seven days for Samuel, as Samuel had instructed him earlier, but Samuel still didn’t come. Saul realized that his troops were rapidly slipping away. 9 So he demanded, “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings!” And Saul sacrificed the burnt offering himself.

10 Just as Saul was finishing with the burnt offering, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to meet and welcome him, 11 but Samuel said, “What is this you have done?”

Saul replied, “I saw my men scattering from me, and you didn’t arrive when you said you would, and the Philistines are at Micmash ready for battle. 12 So I said, ‘The Philistines are ready to march against us at Gilgal, and I haven’t even asked for the Lord’s help!’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering myself before you came.”

13 “How foolish!” Samuel exclaimed. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. Had you kept it, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 But now your kingdom must end, for the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart. The Lord has already appointed him to be the leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”

  • This story has always bothered me. Saul didn’t know where Samuel was. At least he tried to worship before going into battle.
  • The Philistines were raiding the Israelite towns and there was nothing they could do to fight back because they had no weapons:

19 There were no blacksmiths in the land of Israel in those days. The Philistines wouldn’t allow them for fear they would make swords and spears for the Hebrews…

22 So on the day of the battle none of the people of Israel had a sword or spear, except for Saul and Jonathan.

  • These were not ideal battle conditions for Saul and his army.
  • Jonathan decides to go on the offensive with just him and his armor-bearer

6 “Let’s go across to the outpost of those pagans,” Jonathan said to his armor bearer. “Perhaps the Lord will help us, for nothing can hinder the Lord. He can win a battle whether he has many warriors or only a few!”

7 “Do what you think is best,” the armor bearer replied. “I’m with you completely, whatever you decide.”

8 “All right, then,” Jonathan told him. “We will cross over and let them see us. 9 If they say to us, ‘Stay where you are or we’ll kill you,’ then we will stop and not go up to them. 10 But if they say, ‘Come on up and fight,’ then we will go up. That will be the Lord’s sign that he will help us defeat them.”

11 When the Philistines saw them coming, they shouted, “Look! The Hebrews are crawling out of their holes!” 12 Then the men from the outpost shouted to Jonathan, “Come on up here, and we’ll teach you a lesson!”

“Come on, climb right behind me,” Jonathan said to his armor bearer, “for the Lord will help us defeat them!”

13 So they climbed up using both hands and feet, and the Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor bearer killed those who came behind them. 14 They killed some twenty men in all, and their bodies were scattered over about half an acre.[b]

15 Suddenly, panic broke out in the Philistine army, both in the camp and in the field, including even the outposts and raiding parties. And just then an earthquake struck, and everyone was terrified.

Saul’s Foolish Ego

  • This Israelite army takes advantage and starts attacking the Philistines. For some reason, Saul makes a stupid, ego-driven vow. It’s kind of a weird flex:

24 Now the men of Israel were pressed to exhaustion that day, because Saul had placed them under an oath, saying, “Let a curse fall on anyone who eats before evening—before I have full revenge on my enemies.” So no one ate anything all day, 25 even though they had all found honeycomb on the ground in the forest. 26 They didn’t dare touch the honey because they all feared the oath they had taken.

  • Jonathan didn’t know about the command and ate some honey
  • A soldier tells Jonathan afterward and Jonathan is openly critical of his father:

29 “My father has made trouble for us all!” Jonathan exclaimed. “A command like that only hurts us. See how refreshed I am now that I have eaten this little bit of honey. 30 If the men had been allowed to eat freely from the food they found among our enemies, think how many more Philistines we could have killed!”

  • Then after the sun goes down, the men are so hungry they start eating the Philistines livestock without properly preparing it, so Saul makes them stop and has meat properly prepared.

Saul Seeks God, and God is Silent

  • Saul, who has been given the gift of prophecy, stop to ask God if they should keep chasing the Philistines, but God is silent.
    • To Saul’s credit, he discerns God’s silence and doesn’t layer his own thoughts. His gift of prophecy seems to be legit and he recognizes when it’s not happening.
  • They finally figure out God is silent because of Saul’s vow and Jonathan’s violation of it.
  • Saul decides to fulfill his vow and kill Jonathan.
  • The men step in to save Jonathan.

45 But the people broke in and said to Saul, “Jonathan has won this great victory for Israel. Should he die? Far from it! As surely as the Lord lives, not one hair on his head will be touched, for God helped him do a great deed today.” So the people rescued Jonathan, and he was not put to death.

  • I used to think God was silent because he was mad Saul’s vow had been violated. After studying this story, I think God was exasperated that Saul made the vow in the first place.
  • Saul stops pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines head back to their own territory.

Summary of Saul’s Reign

  • Saul was a successful king in warring against the neighboring nations:
    • Moab
    • Ammon
    • Edom
    • Zobah
    • The Philistines
    • Amelekites
  • Saul’s reign saw constant war with the Philistines and he lived up to Samuel’s prediction that he would take the best young men and put them in his army.

52 The Israelites fought constantly with the Philistines throughout Saul’s lifetime. So whenever Saul observed a young man who was brave and strong, he drafted him into his army.

Final Takeaways

  • I think to some extent, Samuel felt like he failed. The last of the Judges.
  • My personal assessment of Saul is that he respected and feared God, but he didn’t seek God.
    • When we pray to God or worship him, are we doing it for him or doing it for us.
      • University of Chicago’s General Social Survey spanning 50 years shows married people are generally 30 points happier on a happiness scale than unmarried people. But I don’t get married to I’ll be happier. I get married because I love the woman I married.
  • He wanted to know what hoops he had to jump through to get God’s favor.
  • His insecurity drove an ego that pushed him into foolish behavior

Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, please be with me tomorrow morning and Monday night. Open my heart and soul to speaking your words to the people you are putting in front of me. Increase and let me decrease. And correct me wherever I have it wrong. Give me a humble heart before you and before men.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 17, 2025 in 1 Samuel

 

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1 Samuel 14

16 May

14 One day Jonathan said to his armor bearer, “Come on, let’s go over to where the Philistines have their outpost.” But Jonathan did not tell his father what he was doing.

2 Meanwhile, Saul and his 600 men were camped on the outskirts of Gibeah, around the pomegranate tree at Migron. 3 Among Saul’s men was Ahijah the priest, who was wearing the ephod, the priestly vest. Ahijah was the son of Ichabod’s brother Ahitub, son of Phinehas, son of Eli, the priest of the Lord who had served at Shiloh.

No one realized that Jonathan had left the Israelite camp. 4 To reach the Philistine outpost, Jonathan had to go down between two rocky cliffs that were called Bozez and Seneh. 5 The cliff on the north was in front of Micmash, and the one on the south was in front of Geba. 6 “Let’s go across to the outpost of those pagans,” Jonathan said to his armor bearer. “Perhaps the Lord will help us, for nothing can hinder the Lord. He can win a battle whether he has many warriors or only a few!”

7 “Do what you think is best,” the armor bearer replied. “I’m with you completely, whatever you decide.”

8 “All right, then,” Jonathan told him. “We will cross over and let them see us. 9 If they say to us, ‘Stay where you are or we’ll kill you,’ then we will stop and not go up to them. 10 But if they say, ‘Come on up and fight,’ then we will go up. That will be the Lord’s sign that he will help us defeat them.”

11 When the Philistines saw them coming, they shouted, “Look! The Hebrews are crawling out of their holes!” 12 Then the men from the outpost shouted to Jonathan, “Come on up here, and we’ll teach you a lesson!”

“Come on, climb right behind me,” Jonathan said to his armor bearer, “for the Lord will help us defeat them!”

13 So they climbed up using both hands and feet, and the Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor bearer killed those who came behind them. 14 They killed some twenty men in all, and their bodies were scattered over about half an acre.

15 Suddenly, panic broke out in the Philistine army, both in the camp and in the field, including even the outposts and raiding parties. And just then an earthquake struck, and everyone was terrified.

16 Saul’s lookouts in Gibeah of Benjamin saw a strange sight—the vast army of Philistines began to melt away in every direction. 17 “Call the roll and find out who’s missing,” Saul ordered. And when they checked, they found that Jonathan and his armor bearer were gone.

18 Then Saul shouted to Ahijah, “Bring the ephod here!” For at that time Ahijah was wearing the ephod in front of the Israelites. 19 But while Saul was talking to the priest, the confusion in the Philistine camp grew louder and louder. So Saul said to the priest, “Never mind; let’s get going!”

20 Then Saul and all his men rushed out to the battle and found the Philistines killing each other. There was terrible confusion everywhere. 21 Even the Hebrews who had previously gone over to the Philistine army revolted and joined in with Saul, Jonathan, and the rest of the Israelites. 22 Likewise, the men of Israel who were hiding in the hill country of Ephraim joined the chase when they saw the Philistines running away. 23 So the Lord saved Israel that day, and the battle continued to rage even beyond Beth-aven.

24 Now the men of Israel were pressed to exhaustion that day, because Saul had placed them under an oath, saying, “Let a curse fall on anyone who eats before evening—before I have full revenge on my enemies.” So no one ate anything all day, 25 even though they had all found honeycomb on the ground in the forest. 26 They didn’t dare touch the honey because they all feared the oath they had taken.

27 But Jonathan had not heard his father’s command, and he dipped the end of his stick into a piece of honeycomb and ate the honey. After he had eaten it, he felt refreshed. 28 But one of the men saw him and said, “Your father made the army take a strict oath that anyone who eats food today will be cursed. That is why everyone is weary and faint.”

29 “My father has made trouble for us all!” Jonathan exclaimed. “A command like that only hurts us. See how refreshed I am now that I have eaten this little bit of honey. 30 If the men had been allowed to eat freely from the food they found among our enemies, think how many more Philistines we could have killed!”

31 They chased and killed the Philistines all day from Micmash to Aijalon, growing more and more faint. 32 That evening they rushed for the battle plunder and butchered the sheep, goats, cattle, and calves, but they ate them without draining the blood. 33 Someone reported to Saul, “Look, the men are sinning against the Lord by eating meat that still has blood in it.”

“That is very wrong,” Saul said. “Find a large stone and roll it over here. 34 Then go out among the troops and tell them, ‘Bring the cattle, sheep, and goats here to me. Kill them here, and drain the blood before you eat them. Do not sin against the Lord by eating meat with the blood still in it.’”

So that night all the troops brought their animals and slaughtered them there. 35 Then Saul built an altar to the Lord; it was the first of the altars he built to the Lord.

36 Then Saul said, “Let’s chase the Philistines all night and plunder them until sunrise. Let’s destroy every last one of them.”

His men replied, “We’ll do whatever you think is best.”

But the priest said, “Let’s ask God first.”

37 So Saul asked God, “Should we go after the Philistines? Will you help us defeat them?” But God made no reply that day.

38 Then Saul said to the leaders, “Something’s wrong! I want all my army commanders to come here. We must find out what sin was committed today. 39 I vow by the name of the Lord who rescued Israel that the sinner will surely die, even if it is my own son Jonathan!” But no one would tell him what the trouble was.

40 Then Saul said, “Jonathan and I will stand over here, and all of you stand over there.”

And the people responded to Saul, “Whatever you think is best.”

41 Then Saul prayed, “O Lord, God of Israel, please show us who is guilty and who is innocent.” Then they cast sacred lots, and Jonathan and Saul were chosen as the guilty ones, and the people were declared innocent.

42 Then Saul said, “Now cast lots again and choose between me and Jonathan.” And Jonathan was shown to be the guilty one.

43 “Tell me what you have done,” Saul demanded of Jonathan.

“I tasted a little honey,” Jonathan admitted. “It was only a little bit on the end of my stick. Does that deserve death?”

44 “Yes, Jonathan,” Saul said, “you must die! May God strike me and even kill me if you do not die for this.”

45 But the people broke in and said to Saul, “Jonathan has won this great victory for Israel. Should he die? Far from it! As surely as the Lord lives, not one hair on his head will be touched, for God helped him do a great deed today.” So the people rescued Jonathan, and he was not put to death.

46 Then Saul called back the army from chasing the Philistines, and the Philistines returned home.

47 Now when Saul had secured his grasp on Israel’s throne, he fought against his enemies in every direction—against Moab, Ammon, Edom, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines. And wherever he turned, he was victorious. 48 He performed great deeds and conquered the Amalekites, saving Israel from all those who had plundered them.

49 Saul’s sons included Jonathan, Ishbosheth, and Malkishua. He also had two daughters: Merab, who was older, and Michal. 50 Saul’s wife was Ahinoam, the daughter of Ahimaaz. The commander of Saul’s army was Abner, the son of Saul’s uncle Ner. 51 Saul’s father, Kish, and Abner’s father, Ner, were both sons of Abiel.

52 The Israelites fought constantly with the Philistines throughout Saul’s lifetime. So whenever Saul observed a young man who was brave and strong, he drafted him into his army.

1 Samuel 14

Dear God, there area few things in this chapter. Several things, really. First, my wife pointed out to me once that Saul only had one wife (that we know of). How many Israelite kings only had one wife. It fascinates me how a woman would notice that, but I’ve never heard a man point that out. It’s so important to remember that we see the world through different lenses, and my wife and women in general have a wholly different life experience than I have. Help me to be more sensitive to my wife.

Of course, the big theme of this chapter is Saul’s fluctuation between faithfulness to you and vanity. He went to you in prayer. He wanted the Ephod there. He wanted to ask you to know if you would bless their pursuit of the Philistines and was apparently sensitive enough to your Spirit to know the difference between you speaking and your silence. He didn’t try to fill in your silence with his own voice.

But then he also arrogantly referred to the Philistines as his own enemy instead of your enemy or the enemy of his people: 24 Now the men of Israel were pressed to exhaustion that day, because Saul had placed them under an oath, saying, “Let a curse fall on anyone who eats before evening—before I have full revenge on my enemies.”

Part of his flex was this stupid statement about not eating while the sun was up. Why? Maybe because he didn’t want a wasted or distracted moment, but it was obviously foolish. And then the thread of death was obviously foolish. And then, and I don’t quite understand this, you honored the curse. If he had killed Jonathan, would it have pleased you? This part of the story is weird to me.

But here is Jonathan, one of my favorite Bible characters, being awesome, and then here he is being embarrassed by his dad. He was frustrated with his dad. He was openly insulting his dad and questioning his dad to the men. That part bothers me a bit, but haven’t I done the same thing in the past?

Father, for me, Saul is a man who really wanted to do the right thing but had these slip-ups where he would fall back into his sin patterns. My personal opinion, and that’s all it is–an opinion, is that he was insecure as a leader so he would try to make himself look like what he thought a leader should look like and then it would backfire on him. From deciding to lead the worship before the battle in 1 Samuel 13 or making proclamations about the army carrying out the revenge on his enemies, I think he thought that’s what leaders do. And I can see that from my own perspective in my job. There are times when I will hear about a conflict or a problem to solve, and I have found myself trying to act like a bad a** in solving it. And every time, almost without exception, it’s gone poorly. But if I lead with humility, grace, and mercy, I almost never regret it. So help me to lead with grace and mercy, Oh, Lord.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 16, 2025 in 1 Samuel

 

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1 Samuel 13

15 May

13 Saul was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned for forty-two years.

2 Saul selected 3,000 special troops from the army of Israel and sent the rest of the men home. He took 2,000 of the chosen men with him to Micmash and the hill country of Bethel. The other 1,000 went with Saul’s son Jonathan to Gibeah in the land of Benjamin.

3 Soon after this, Jonathan attacked and defeated the garrison of Philistines at Geba. The news spread quickly among the Philistines. So Saul blew the ram’s horn throughout the land, saying, “Hebrews, hear this! Rise up in revolt!” 4 All Israel heard the news that Saul had destroyed the Philistine garrison at Geba and that the Philistines now hated the Israelites more than ever. So the entire Israelite army was summoned to join Saul at Gilgal.

5 The Philistines mustered a mighty army of 3,000 chariots, 6,000 charioteers, and as many warriors as the grains of sand on the seashore! They camped at Micmash east of Beth-aven. 6 The men of Israel saw what a tight spot they were in; and because they were hard pressed by the enemy, they tried to hide in caves, thickets, rocks, holes, and cisterns. 7 Some of them crossed the Jordan River and escaped into the land of Gad and Gilead.

Meanwhile, Saul stayed at Gilgal, and his men were trembling with fear. 8 Saul waited there seven days for Samuel, as Samuel had instructed him earlier, but Samuel still didn’t come. Saul realized that his troops were rapidly slipping away. 9 So he demanded, “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings!” And Saul sacrificed the burnt offering himself.

10 Just as Saul was finishing with the burnt offering, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to meet and welcome him, 11 but Samuel said, “What is this you have done?”

Saul replied, “I saw my men scattering from me, and you didn’t arrive when you said you would, and the Philistines are at Micmash ready for battle. 12 So I said, ‘The Philistines are ready to march against us at Gilgal, and I haven’t even asked for the Lord’s help!’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering myself before you came.”

13 “How foolish!” Samuel exclaimed. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. Had you kept it, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 But now your kingdom must end, for the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart. The Lord has already appointed him to be the leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”

15 Samuel then left Gilgal and went on his way, but the rest of the troops went with Saul to meet the army. They went up from Gilgal to Gibeah in the land of Benjamin. When Saul counted the men who were still with him, he found only 600 were left! 16 Saul and Jonathan and the troops with them were staying at Geba in the land of Benjamin. The Philistines set up their camp at Micmash. 17 Three raiding parties soon left the camp of the Philistines. One went north toward Ophrah in the land of Shual, 18 another went west to Beth-horon, and the third moved toward the border above the valley of Zeboim near the wilderness.

19 There were no blacksmiths in the land of Israel in those days. The Philistines wouldn’t allow them for fear they would make swords and spears for the Hebrews. 20 So whenever the Israelites needed to sharpen their plowshares, picks, axes, or sickles, they had to take them to a Philistine blacksmith. 21 The charges were as follows: a quarter of an ounce of silver for sharpening a plowshare or a pick, and an eighth of an ounce for sharpening an ax or making the point of an ox goad. 22 So on the day of the battle none of the people of Israel had a sword or spear, except for Saul and Jonathan.

23 The pass at Micmash had meanwhile been secured by a contingent of the Philistine army.

1 Samuel 13

Dear God, I don’t think we normally appreciate the disadvantage Saul was at when he was made king. Israel wasn’t a real nation with national defense at that point. They were tribes of people living under Philistine rule. As much as we appreciate David and everything he accomplished later, to a large extent, he stood on the shoulders of what you had done through Saul when he took over. Of course, David took over after Saul and Jonathan died in a terrible battle defeat so things weren’t all rosy when David became king, but that’s a story for another day.

Of course, the big moment in this chapter is when Saul jumps the gun and offers the sacrifice himself. You know that I’ve always had a problem with this story. Mainly because I can see myself doing the same thing. I can see myself feeling like if I am king and I have also had the experience of your Spirit falling on me and prophesying and such, then when Samuel was late in coming to the battle and things were looking down going ahead with the worship and sacrifice without him. It’s not like he blew you off and just attacked. It’s not like he can ring up Samuel on his cell phone and ask him what his updated ETA was. Why was Samuel so harsh with him. Did you tell Samuel this, or did Samuel come up with it himself? The story really bothers me, and it’s still hard for me to resolve.

Maybe the problem is Saul’s ego. We’re about to see in the next chapter how his ego can get him into trouble. In this story, it feels like he is trying to figure out how to be one of those “get behind me boys” leaders who takes the reins and inspires confidence. But he didn’t have the patience and humility to wait on you and to be seen waiting on you.

That can be one of my problems. I can get impatient and not wait on you. I can want people to be inspired by me and not defer to you.

Father, give me eyes to see. Give me ears to hear. Give me your love for others, especially those I consider to be against me. Help me to be willing to sacrifice everything for them. My life is yours. If you are for me, who can be against me? Be glorified in their eyes through me. And I’m thinking about some friends right now who are struggling with marital issues and just life issues. Some who are gravely ill. Some who are just lost. Some who are bound with anger and pain. Some who don’t even know what the pain they are experiencing is. Father, be with each one. Holy Spirit, move and heal. Comfort and guide. Teach. Jesus, teach, love, and forgive. Forgive me, Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit. I am yours.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 15, 2025 in 1 Samuel

 

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1 Samuel 12

14 May

12 Then Samuel addressed all Israel: “I have done as you asked and given you a king. 2 Your king is now your leader. I stand here before you—an old, gray-haired man—and my sons serve you. I have served as your leader from the time I was a boy to this very day. 3 Now testify against me in the presence of the Lord and before his anointed one. Whose ox or donkey have I stolen? Have I ever cheated any of you? Have I ever oppressed you? Have I ever taken a bribe and perverted justice? Tell me and I will make right whatever I have done wrong.”

4 “No,” they replied, “you have never cheated or oppressed us, and you have never taken even a single bribe.”

5 “The Lord and his anointed one are my witnesses today,” Samuel declared, “that my hands are clean.”

“Yes, he is a witness,” they replied.

6 “It was the Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron,” Samuel continued. “He brought your ancestors out of the land of Egypt. 7 Now stand here quietly before the Lord as I remind you of all the great things the Lord has done for you and your ancestors.

8 “When the Israelites were in Egypt and cried out to the Lord, he sent Moses and Aaron to rescue them from Egypt and to bring them into this land. 9 But the people soon forgot about the Lord their God, so he handed them over to Sisera, the commander of Hazor’s army, and also to the Philistines and to the king of Moab, who fought against them.

10 “Then they cried to the Lord again and confessed, ‘We have sinned by turning away from the Lord and worshiping the images of Baal and Ashtoreth. But we will worship you and you alone if you will rescue us from our enemies.’ 11 Then the Lord sent Gideon, Bedan, Jephthah, and Samuel to save you, and you lived in safety.

12 “But when you were afraid of Nahash, the king of Ammon, you came to me and said that you wanted a king to reign over you, even though the Lord your God was already your king. 13 All right, here is the king you have chosen. You asked for him, and the Lord has granted your request.

14 “Now if you fear and worship the Lord and listen to his voice, and if you do not rebel against the Lord’s commands, then both you and your king will show that you recognize the Lord as your God. 15 But if you rebel against the Lord’s commands and refuse to listen to him, then his hand will be as heavy upon you as it was upon your ancestors.

16 “Now stand here and see the great thing the Lord is about to do. 17 You know that it does not rain at this time of the year during the wheat harvest. I will ask the Lord to send thunder and rain today. Then you will realize how wicked you have been in asking the Lord for a king!”

18 So Samuel called to the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day. And all the people were terrified of the Lord and of Samuel. 19 “Pray to the Lord your God for us, or we will die!” they all said to Samuel. “For now we have added to our sins by asking for a king.”

20 “Don’t be afraid,” Samuel reassured them. “You have certainly done wrong, but make sure now that you worship the Lord with all your heart, and don’t turn your back on him. 21 Don’t go back to worshiping worthless idols that cannot help or rescue you—they are totally useless! 22 The Lord will not abandon his people, because that would dishonor his great name. For it has pleased the Lord to make you his very own people.

23 “As for me, I will certainly not sin against the Lord by ending my prayers for you. And I will continue to teach you what is good and right. 24 But be sure to fear the Lord and faithfully serve him. Think of all the wonderful things he has done for you. 25 But if you continue to sin, you and your king will be swept away.”

1 Samuel 12

Dear God, there is pain in Samuel’s voice in this passage. I think he feels like he failed to some extent. He was the last of the judges. A 400-year tradition came to an end on his watch.

I’m also curious about his insistence early in this speech that he did nothing wrong and his sons serve the people. Given that it was back in chapter 8 when we learn his sons were corrupt and that’s what drove the people to want a king, this seems like a bold thing to say. Then he changes the story in verse 12 and says they wanted a king to fight Ammon. Okay, fine. Maybe that was their real reason. Maybe they justified the idea of wanting a king by accusing Samuel’s sons, but the reality was they were afraid of Ammon and were willing to give up some freedom for some security. I don’t know.

One thing that’s weird about 1 Samuel (and I suppose 2 Samuel too since they were originally one book) is that the author(s) doesn’t seem to let details get in the way of a good story. It is inconsistent on why the Israelites asked for a king. It is inconsistent on when Saul met David (was it as a harp player or at the Goliath encounter?). It tells two different times Saul sinned and Samuel told him he had lost the kingdom. I was talking to my wife about it yesterday. One thing I learned about the difference in storytelling in poverty culture vs. more middle class storytelling is that middle class tends to be more focused around the chronology of events and the details, while poverty culture focuses on the most important parts of the story and the emotions involved, allowing the details to fall where they may. It feels like these stories were written by someone who was more about telling the emotional story than the chronological one. As opposed to Genesis, which tends to be very meticulous about timeline (except for 1 and 2 with two accounts of creation).

There is a line from Samuel that is interesting that I want to highlight:

20 “Don’t be afraid,” Samuel reassured them. “You have certainly done wrong, but make sure now that you worship the Lord with all your heart, and don’t turn your back on him. 21 Don’t go back to worshiping worthless idols that cannot help or rescue you—they are totally useless! 22 The Lord will not abandon his people, because that would dishonor his great name. For it has pleased the Lord to make you his very own people.“

After the people have repented in verse 19 for their sin of asking for a king, he assures them that you are still for them. You are still their God as long as they will have you. And for at least that day, you are theirs, and they are yours. Well, they always will be yours.

Father, I love you. I call on you to please be with me and help me. Help me to share your love with others. Help me to be your ambassador. Whether it is to these men who are in this Christian Men’s Life Skills class or people I encounter throughout my day. And also teach and bless me through them. Raise up people in my life who can speak to me with your voice. People I will hear. You are my God. I worship you.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 14, 2025 in 1 Samuel

 

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Samuel, Saul, Jonathan, and David

09 May

1 Samuel – 2 Samuel 7

Dear God, I want to map out what I’m planning for the 10 weeks of Bible study for the Christian Men’s Life Skills class I’m helping with. I’m 90% sure I want to do a cohesive arc of Samuel, Saul, Jonathan, and David, although I think Samuel will only be there as the thread between the the other three, so we will really start with him recruiting Saul. First, however, I want to look at the themes for each of the 10 weeks as determined by the overall class leader for Monday nights:

  • Self-Esteem
  • Values
  • Vision
  • Ego
  • Motivation
  • Leadership Attributes
  • Work Place Survey
  • There is No More Time
  • Work Ethic
  • Work Ethic

With out there, I want to see how I would break up 10 weeks of 1 Samuel and see if there is a way the Venn Diagram matches up when I lay them over each other:

  • Samuel Recruits and Coronates Saul
  • Saul and Jonathan (Jonathan’s curse)
  • Saul’s Failure
  • David and Goliath
  • Saul’s Jealousy of David Part 1, Jonathan’s (humility and friendship)
  • Saul’s Jealousy of David Part 2, David’s Response (Mercy)
  • David in Exile
  • Saul’s and Jonathan’s Deaths and David’s Ascent
  • David Consolidates the Kingdom
  • David Brings the Ark to Jerusalem & God’s Promise to David

This might actually work. Here they are laid over each other:

  • Self-Esteem: Samuel Recruits and Coronates Saul
  • Values: Saul and Jonathan (Jonathan’s curse)
  • Vision: Saul’s Failure
  • Ego: David and Goliath
  • Motivation: Saul’s Jealousy of David Part 1, Jonathan’s (humility and friendship)
  • Leadership Attributes: Saul’s Jealousy of David Part 2, David’s Response (Mercy)
  • Workplace Survey: David in Exile
  • There is no more Time: Saul’s and Jonathan’s Deaths and David’s Ascent
  • Work Ethic: David Consolidates the Kingdom
  • Work Ethic: David Brings the Ark to Jerusalem & God’s Promise to David

Father, thank you for walking me through this over the last 24 hours. I’m feeling better. I still have a lot of work to do for each lesson, but at least now I feel like I have an idea of where I’m going. Now be with me as I prayerfully visit with the teaching leader today. Help me to hear him and his counsel. He has done this a lot more than me, and he might have legitimate problems with what I’ve done here. Help me to not be stubborn or defensive, but to be teachable. This isn’t about my ego. This is about blessing these men…being your blessing to these men. Being your hands and feet. Being your voice. Oh, Lord, be glorified in all of this so that your kingdom will come and your will will be done on earth as it is in heaven through this work and these men.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 9, 2025 in 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel

 

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1 Samuel 9 & 10

08 May

1 Samuel 9

1 Samuel 10

Dear God, I am starting a Bible study for men in a “Christian Men’s Life Skills” class on Monday. I’ll be doing 10 of them for the next ten Mondays. A lot of these men are there because they are court-mandated to accumulate community service hours and taking this class can count towards those hours. I’ve never tried to teach the Bible to a group like this before, and I don’t know how much I can assume they know about any of these stories. I’m thinking, especially with the Old Testament, there won’t be much they know. So I’m thinking about doing a 10-week series on 1 Samuel. Saul will be my main character, but I have to give some background.

Saul came up just this morning when I woke up when I saw that Fred Smith’s blog this week was about Saul. The topic for the first week is self-esteem, and Saul is a great example of low self-esteem. Honestly, I’m still surprised you picked him. Was he just a placeholder until David got old enough? On the surface, it seems like a mistake. Did you put your thumb on the scale, give him the gift of prophecy to give him some credibility and confidence, and then turn him loose in a job that was too big for him? Of course, I have no idea. All I know is what happened. And all I can do now is try to figure out what you have to teach me through Saul’s life. And David’s for that matter. Samuel too. While we are at it, we might as well throw in the elders of Israel who demanded a king.

Father, I’m going to noodle with this more today, but I’m starting to like the idea of helping these men spend some time in 1 Samuel and the characters. Eli. Samuel. Saul. Jonathan. David. It’s really a great read. But there’s a lot here that I need more time than this morning prayer will afford me. So I’m going to just leave this as a starting point and come back to you later to spend some more time with Saul and his imposter syndrome/low self-esteem problem. Reveal to me what you need these men to learn from these stories. Use me to deliver it. I feel more than a little inadequate myself. Be made perfect in my weakness.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 8, 2025 in 1 Samuel

 

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Psalm 119:133

26 Mar

133 Establish my footsteps in Your word,
And do not let any iniquity have dominion over me.

Psalm 119:133

Dear God, the last part of this one verse is so powerful. My iniquities and their influence over my life is a concept that overwhelms and humbles me. How many of the frustrations I’m experiencing now are a result of my iniquities? My sins?

It doesn’t say that David wrote this psalm, but my first thought goes to David and how his dalliance with Bathsheba (rape?) and then murder of Uriah seems to be the touchstone for his family problems later. That iniquity, though repented of in Psalm 51, seemed to have dominion over the rest of his life and even flowed into history. Amnon was the rightful heir to the throne, but Absalom killed him, led a revolt that ultimately led to his death. And Solomon would never have existed if not for David’s relationship with Bathsheba.

So, what can I pray for this morning? Well, somehow, Solomon was the pathway to Jesus through lineage. There was redemption for this somewhere down the line. Can you somehow use the ripples of the sins I’ve committed to do something positive in this world? Can you protect me from my iniquities and keep them from having dominion over me?

Father, I want to be at peace with the sorrows in my life. I can see where I made mistakes that played a role in my current sorrows, but I still don’t know how I ended up in them to the level I’m at. And it hurts. I hurt. So please be in these situations. Don’t let my mistakes and sins (sometimes mistakes aren’t sins) have dominion over me, the ones I love, or the plans you have for us. Help me to know the path forward, which starts with my very next step.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on March 26, 2025 in Psalms, Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation

 

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Psalm 31:1-2

21 Mar

Psalm 31

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

1 In you, Lord, I have taken refuge;
    let me never be put to shame;
    deliver me in your righteousness.
2 Turn your ear to me,
    come quickly to my rescue;
be my rock of refuge,
    a strong fortress to save me.

Dear God, I was talking with a relative yesterday, and she was recounting a conversation she had recently had with a friend. The friend was telling her about a lot of therapy work she’d been doing over the last year and uncovering and dealing with a lot of childhood trauma. Ultimately, she told my relative something to the effect that she didn’t believe in you anymore because she didn’t know why you don’t stop things like that. How can a good God allow so much pain?

It’s an age-old question. Job asked it. His friends errantly told him that his suffering was a result of his sin, and he rejected that explanation. But he fussed at you. He demanded you answer him and explain yourself. Funny, how I keep coming back to the whole thing about people expecting you to explain yourself to them. It’s starting to reveal itself as a theme during these Lenten journals. C.S. Lewis wrote a whole book about it called The Problem of Pain. I think it’s something we all struggle to answer because we want to be a good and loving God would never allow such things.

So what was my answer to my relative? Well, I hope it was okay. I simply said that one question to ask her friend is what she would have you do. How would she like for God to respond to pain in the world? Should you kill bad actors? Should you stop all natural disasters? If this were a Bruce Almighty situation and she had your power for a day, how would she use it? And once you decide to start killing bad actors who do the worst of crimes, where do you draw the line and what are the limits? I guess the ultimate question would be, why did you create any of this at all? Why did you create us just to have us suffer?

Sister Miriam had a nice paragraph today in her book Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation. She said, “As painful as life has been for us in moments, God is not our enemy. God is only good and offers goodness. He understands our pain and sorrow, our anger and rage. He is not afraid of it, disgusted by it, or deterred by it.” I like that.

Father, help me to represent you well today. Help me to show everyone around me how good you are. Help me to offer reconciliation with you to them. It starts with my own heart loving you well, worshipping you, and being wholly yours. So, I offer myself to you today. I am yours. This day is not about me or what I can get out of the day. It’s about what I can give to this day. Help me to offer you as a refuge for those who are scared and hurting. Help me to remind others who worship you of how good you are. Use me, Father. I’m here to offer myself to you as best as I know how.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on March 21, 2025 in Psalms, Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation

 

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Psalm 38

19 Mar

Psalm 38

A Penitent Sufferer’s Plea for Healing

A Psalm of David, for the memorial offering.

1 O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger
    or discipline me in your wrath.
2 For your arrows have sunk into me,
    and your hand has come down on me.

3 There is no soundness in my flesh
    because of your indignation;
there is no health in my bones
    because of my sin.
4 For my iniquities have gone over my head;
    they weigh like a burden too heavy for me.

5 My wounds grow foul and fester
    because of my foolishness;
6 I am utterly bowed down and prostrate;
    all day long I go around mourning.
7 For my loins are filled with burning,
    and there is no soundness in my flesh.
8 I am utterly spent and crushed;
    I groan because of the tumult of my heart.

9 O Lord, all my longing is known to you;
    my sighing is not hidden from you.
10 My heart throbs; my strength fails me;
    as for the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me.
11 My friends and companions stand aloof from my affliction,
    and my neighbors stand far off.

12 Those who seek my life lay their snares;
    those who seek to hurt me speak of ruin
    and meditate on treachery all day long.

13 But I am like the deaf; I do not hear;
    like the mute, who cannot speak.
14 Truly, I am like one who does not hear
    and in whose mouth is no retort.

15 But it is for you, O Lord, that I wait;
    it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.
16 For I pray, “Only do not let them rejoice over me,
    those who boast against me when my foot slips.”

17 For I am ready to fall,
    and my pain is ever with me.
18 I confess my iniquity;
    I am sorry for my sin.
19 Those who are my foes without cause are mighty,
    and many are those who hate me wrongfully.
20 Those who render me evil for good
    are my adversaries because I follow after good.

21 Do not forsake me, O Lord;
    O my God, do not be far from me;
22 make haste to help me,
    O Lord, my salvation.

Dear God, context is so important. Just knowing that this was written by David and then provided to the people to be used for a specific purpose–the memorial offering–sets the stage for the words here. I’d guess David wrote this for others to use to repent, but it also came out of his own heart and experience. Maybe or maybe not the experience of that moment, but a past experience at the very least.

For my purposes today, Sister Miriam, in Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation focused on the last two verses, 21 and 22. Here is part of what she says about pain from our past impacting our present (the one point in time when we have the opportunity to interact with you): “there is a wonderful saying in healing circles that I find to be true: ‘Suffering that is not transformed is transmitted.’ Every experience of suffering we have had that has not yet been redeemed and transformed by the love of Christ is transmitted to those around us. The suffering we have experienced does not just disappear; it is most often buried alive. And that pain buried alive continues to afflict us and those around us.”

Yeah. I can definitely see this. Earlier in today’s meditation, she asks where we have “experienced war being waged against [us].” I can think of a few times in my life that were disastrous. Some were because of my sin. Some were because of sin done to me or to someone I love. What was my response to those things? Did I invite you in to heal me? Did I confess my sin to you?

Father, thank you for not forsaking me. Thank you for not being far from me. Thank you for helping me. Thank you for forgiving me. Thank you for healing me. Thank you for meeting with me here this morning. Thank you for accepting my presence–my very existence–and giving me your Holy Spirit to reside in me and guide me. thank you for protecting me in ways I cannot even see. Thank you for loving my wife and children. For hearing my prayers for them and everyone else I love. I know I have put you into too small of a box in my mind. I know I have limited you and your power in my conceptions of who you are. No matter how big I might think you are, I know you are even bigger. I just cannot imagine it. So give me the imagination you need me to have to pray the way you want me to pray.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on March 19, 2025 in Psalms, Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation

 

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Psalm 13

18 Mar

Psalm 13

Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies

To the leader. A Psalm of David.

1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
    How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I bear pain in my soul
    and have sorrow in my heart all day long?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God!
    Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,
4 and my enemy will say, “I have prevailed”;
    my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.

5 But I trusted in your steadfast love;
    my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord
    because he has dealt bountifully with me.

Psalm 13

Dear God, Sister Miriam, in Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation focused on verse 3b and verse 4a for her meditation today, but what strikes me about this short psalm by David is the last stanza. It seems he’s desperate and everything is going wrong, and yet in that midst he comes to his senses and reminds himself that he is yours no matter what. It’s quite beautiful.

I don’t know that this ties in anywhere, but I want to say it out loud because it struck me this morning and I don’t want to lose it. I was listening to the Voxology Podcast and their interview with Nijay Gupta. They were talking about the fallacy of Old Testament = Law and New Testament = Grace, saying that our modern day Christianity sometimes sets up the Old Testament as the bad guy and the New Testament as the good guy. They didn’t think Jesus would feel that way. But then they said something funny, but there was truth to it. They were joking about people complaining about accepting sin and enabling bad behavior, and they said, “Was God enabling bad behavior by sending Jesus?” It was funny, but it was a good question in some ways. Where does adherence to the law come into my faith walk when it is compared with grace? The first thing I thought of were Jesus’s words, “17Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.” So that’s enough of that little rabbit trail. I just didn’t want to lose that though from this morning: Was God enabling bad behavior by sending Jesus?

Back to this psalm, I want to zero in on Sister Miriam’s focus and the phrase, “Give light to my eyes.” David want a poker face for his enemies to see. He doesn’t want them to feel the emotional victory they are currently getting over him. But that light needs to come from you. It needs to come from hope in you. Faith in you. It’s not a lie he is seeking to give to his enemies. He wants to show them what faith in you looks like no matter what.

Here is what Sister Miriam said as she quoted a priest she knows: “First, our wounds are not arbitrary, they are not random. Satan is like a sniper. He intuits with his angelic intellect the destiny of every human person and he shoots his deadly arrows into the place that will do the most damage in order to thwart the flourishing of the person and God’s plan for their life. Satan succeeds when he can convince us to hate God, hate ourselves, and hate others for the wounds we bear. Second, in God’s mysterious and divine sovereignty, God allows Satan this access only to make the wounded places even more life-giving, beautiful, and glorious than they ever would have been otherwise, if we allow the restoration of these places.”

Father, I want to show those around me what faith in you looks like, no matter what. I love you. I worship you. I want to show them what a faith-filled life looks like so that they might want you as well. So they might be drawn to you, worship you, love you, and then find the fruits of your Holy Spirit growing within them. For all of us who have wounds, and I’m thinking of a couple of people in particular right how, heal their wounds and use them to grow great fruit. Oh, Father, use me to love them and others around me.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on March 18, 2025 in Psalms, Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation

 

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