Month: July 2020

1 Samuel 17:36 “Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God.”
Yesterday I talked about David’s lowly position within his own family. Today, God shows how He was preparing David all along, even though it looked like David was doing menial work. David didn’t realize at the time that God was preparing him when he was tending the sheep, but God is steadfast and faithful. He knew what He was doing. As I look at my own life, I wonder if I am being diligent enough with the tasks He places before me that I will be ready when God is ready to use me.
1 Samuel 17:38-39a Then Saul dressed David in [Saul’s] own tunic…. David fastened on his sword over his tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. 
When God was ready to use David to defeat Goliath, Saul wanted to dress him in the best armor, his own. But David couldn’t be as effective in Saul’s armor because it wasn’t what he was used to. David knew that for him to be most effective, he needed to be most authentic. He had to be himself to do what God needed him to do.
1 Samuel 17:39b …“I cannot go in these…because I am not used to them.” So he took them off.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for Your timing. Thank You for placing me where You need me, even if I don’t quite understand. Help me to be faithful where You’ve placed me. Help me to be prepared when You call me. Help me to shine Your light. Always. Draw me closer. Amen.
1 Samuel 17:40 Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with sling in hand, approached the Philistine.
Have a blessed day.

1 Samuel 17:28a When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked….
David was not thought of very highly in his family. In chapter 16, the only reason his father mentioned his existence is because Samuel asked if there were any more sons when God rejected all the sons present. Even then, Jesse didn’t call him by name. And the fact that he was tending the sheep, a servant’s job in most families of the time, is quite telling about where David stood in his family.
1 Samuel 17:28b … “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness?…”
Even after Samuel anointed him, even after Saul chose him to play the lyre to soothe Saul when the evil spirit tormented him, he returned to the fields when he wasn’t needed. And here he is, running an errand for his dad, asking questions about the battle, and his brother is tearing him down. Again. This could have been a turning point. David could have lit into Eliab, unleashing years of anger at the way he was treated, but he was a man after God’s own heart, which means he put aside his personal anger and focused on God’s will. 
1 Samuel 17:28c “…I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came only to watch the battle.”
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. It is so easy for me to get caught up in my own emotions—anger, bitterness, fear, jealousy. But when I do, I make life about me. I want to be a woman after Your own heart, Lord. Help me to stay focused on You—Your will, Your way, Your love. Help me to put You first, always. Amen.
1 Samuel 17:29 “Now what have I done?” said David. “Can’t I even speak?”
Have a blessed day.

1 Samuel 15:9 But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs—everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely….
Saul was given very specific directions from God through Samuel about what he was to do—utterly destroy the Amalekites, wipe out everyone and everything, but he was unwilling. He even went so far as to try to justify his disobedience as obedience, saying that what he spared was to sacrifice to the LORD.
1 Samuel 15:12 Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor….”
God knows our hearts. And Saul showed his true heart when he set up a monument in his own honor, when he tried to justify his disobedience, and when he tried to blame his disobedience on others when his justification failed. I stop short in my judgement of Saul when I realize I’ve done similar things myself to try and justify my own disobedience. Jesus, help me.
1 Samuel 15:13 When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The LORD bless you! I have carried out the LORD’s instructions.”
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for showing me not only my similarity to Saul (deliberate disobedience, justification and blame, building up my own honor) but also my differences (I see my disobedience. I want to turn away from my pride and realign myself fully with You). Help me, Lord. Draw me closer. Amen.
1 Samuel 15:20 “But I did obey the LORD,” Saul said. “I went on the mission the LORD assigned me….”
Have a blessed day.

1 Samuel 14:6 Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised men. Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf.  Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few.”
I am impressed here by Jonathan’s faith and willingness to be used by God. His father and all his men are seemingly lounging under the trees, while Jonathan is willing to move to see if God wants to use him. That’s the kind of bold faith in action that I want. Jonathan wasn’t seeking fame. He wasn’t even sure God would use him at that time, but he wanted to see if God would, and He did.
1 Samuel 14:10 “But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ we will climb up, because that will be our sign that the LORD has given them into our hands.”
So what does that kind of faith look like in my life? How can I go beyond just prayer to see if the LORD wants to use me in a particular place or situation? Goodness knows there’s plenty of unrest, plenty of strife in this world. How do I go from praying His will to actively seeking to be His hands and feet without trying to make things happen under my own power and not His?
1 Samuel 14:12 …So Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, “Climb up after me; the LORD has given them into the hand of Israel.”
Lord, Thank You for this day and for this scripture. Thank You for Jonathan’s powerful example of showing up so that You could use him if it were Your will. Help me to do this in my own life, Lord—praying Your will but also actively seeking to be Your hands and feet while allowing You to work through me instead of me imposing my own will for my purposes. Help me to keep my eyes on You always. Help me to seek You always. Not my will but Yours. Not my glory but Yours. Always. Amen.
1 Samuel 14:15 Then panic struck the whole army—those in the camp and field, and those in the outposts and raiding parties—the ground shook. It was a panic sent by God.
Have a blessed day

1 Samuel 13:12 “I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the LORD’s favor.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.”
Here we see Saul’s impatience, his desire to be seen in a certain light by the people, his going through the motions when it comes to God. But God doesn’t destroy him utterly. He doesn’t even remove Saul from the throne on which He placed him. Saul reigns for 20 more years, and in that time, had Saul become a man after God’s own heart, I feel certain God would have blessed him.
1 Samuel 13:13a “You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you…”
One thing that I am learning in my journey through the Bible is that God isn’t looking for human perfection. He knows that’s impossible. God’s looking for people who pursue Him, who praise Him, who seek Him, who repent and realign when they mess up. That’s doable and brings me great hope.
1 Samuel 13:13b “…if you had, He would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time.”
Lord, Thank You for this day and for this scripture. Thank You for showing me that You aren’t looking for the strongest, mightiest, most intelligent, or attractive. You are looking for us to seek You first and always, to put You above ourselves, to serve and not be served, to love and not judge. You aren’t asking us to be perfect. You are asking us to be imperfectly Yours, even when we stumble, even when we fail. Thank You, Lord. Amen.
1 Samuel 13:14 “But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought out a man after His own heart and appointed him ruler of His people because you have not kept the LORD’s command.”
Have a blessed day.

1 Samuel 12:20 “Do not be afraid,” Samuel replied. “You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart.”
I am immediately struck by the hope in Samuel’s words. The Israelites have sinned and turned from God time and time again. But Samuel tells them not to be afraid, not to turn from the LORD, not to dwell on all their bad choices, but right now, right this moment (and the next and the next and the next), choose God, serve God, and God will bless them.
1 Samuel 12:22 “For the sake of His great name the LORD will not reject His people, because the LORD was pleased to make you His own.”
Commentary contained a very interesting thought: “We can’t do anything about yesterday, and at the present moment we can’t serve God tomorrow.” God has been working on me about this. I am the world’s worst about beating myself up for my mistakes. But Samuel’s words for the Israelites apply to me, too: in every moment, no matter what I have done, I can still choose to love and serve the LORD. The devil doesn’t want me to realize that. He wants me mired in my mistakes. God wants me free in Him.
1 Samuel 12:24 “But be sure to fear the LORD and serve Him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things He has done for you.”
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You that You don’t want me chained to my mistakes and foolishness. Thank You for the reminder to choose You, to focus on You, to serve You moment by moment. Give me strength. Draw me closer. Amen.
1 Samuel 12:25 “Yet if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will perish.”
Have a blessed day.

1 Samuel 11:6 When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he burned with anger.
Again I find myself reading this chapter with a healthy dose of “Wait. What?” This Saul is humble. He is powerfully filled with the Spirit of God. He is decisive and skillful both in galvanizing Israel and in battle. From the looks of it, he could be a good king, a Godly king. So what happens to him?
1 Samuel 11:7 He took a pair of oxen, cut them into pieces, and sent the pieces by messengers throughout Israel, proclaiming, “This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone who does not follow Saul and Samuel.” Then the terror of the LORD fell on the people, and they came out together as one.
Again commentary gives me insight. “…inwardly Saul defeated the strong and subtle temptations to pride, insecurity, and revenge. But he must continue to fight and win the inward battle….” Saul’s downfall will end up being an inward-fall. He will eventually take his eyes off of God, move his heart away from the One who placed him on the throne. And things will go very, very badly.
1 Samuel 11:12 The people then said to Samuel, “Who was it that asked, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Turn these men over to us so that we may put them to death.”
Lord, Thank You for this day and for this scripture. Thank You for Your ability to make Saul a good king, as long as he keeps You at his center. Help me not to lose sight of the lesson here—You can redeem any situation, as long as we keep our eyes and hearts focused on You. Help me to focus, Lord. Draw me closer. Amen.
1 Samuel 11:13 But Saul said, “No one will be put to death today, for this day the LORD has rescued Israel.”
Have a blessed day.

1 Samuel 10:6 The Spirit of the LORD will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person.
I must admit that I read this chapter with just a bit of confusion. If chapters 9 and 10 were all I knew of the situation and Saul, I wouldn’t be very skeptical about his abilities and call as king. He seems kind and respectful. He’s physically tall and handsome. In this chapter Saul is anointed by God and the power of God’s Spirit comes upon him. He is a changed man. All that sounds great, so what’s the catch?
1 Samuel 10:7 Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you.
The catch is that God’s will isn’t a king for Israel (yet). The events unfolding here represent the will of the people. And even though Saul is a changed man, anointed by God, he is still a man—human, fleshly, fallible. As commentary puts it, Saul has to “choose to walk in the advantages God gave him and choose not to go his own way.” There is hope, even now, IF Saul will put God first.
1 Samuel 10:9 As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day.
Lord, Thank You for this day and for this scripture. Thank You for Your willingness to bring hope from our pigheadedness. If we choose Your way and not our own, You can use us powerfully. Help me to put You first always. Draw me closer. Amen.
1 Samuel 10:24 Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the man the LORD has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.” Then the people shouted, “Long live the king!”
Have a blessed day.