Author: Beth Duncan

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.

1 Samuel 9:2 Kish had a son named Saul, as handsome a young man as could be found anywhere in Israel, and he was a head taller than anyone else.
Chapter 9 gives us a good look at Saul, tall and handsome, from a respected family with at least some wealth. He seems to be respectful of his father. (He goes after the missing donkeys and doesn’t want to be gone so long his father starts to worry about his safety.) He understands the function of the man of God, also called a seer, and the custom of bringing something to the seer when seeking information. On the surface, he seems a wonderful candidate for king.
1 Samuel 9:3 Now the donkeys belonging to Saul’s father Kish were lost, and Kish said to his son Saul, “Take one of the servants with you and go look for the donkeys.”
But nowhere in this chapter is there any mention of Saul’s heart or his relationship with God. He seems as far away from God as the Israelites who continue to cry out for their will instead of God’s. And as much as I want to stand in judgement of the easily mislead Israelites who have gotten caught up in appearances instead of God, I realize how easily it happens, I recognize how often I have been similarly sidetracked in my own life.
1 Samuel 9:7 Saul said to his servant, “If we go, what can we give the man? The food in our sacks is gone. We have no gift to take to the man of God. What do we have?”
Lord, Thank You for this day and for this scripture. Thank You for reminding me that the world places importance on appearance but that You are concerned about the heart. Help me to avoid worldly snares by drawing closer to You. Always. Amen.
1 Samuel 9:17 When Samuel caught sight of Saul, the LORD said to him, “This is the man I spoke to you about; he will govern my people.”
Have a blessed day.

1 Samuel 8:5 “…now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.”
Chapter 8 of 1 Samuel seems to be the epitome of: Either we say to God, “Thy will be done,” or God says to us, “Thy will be done.” The Israelites wanted an earthly king just like everyone else. They were so focused on all the benefits they thought would come from what they wanted that even when Samuel told them specifically what it would cost them, their desire to have their way, to be like everyone else, eclipsed everything—Even reason. Even God. So God gave them what they wanted, to their own detriment.
1 Samuel 8:9 “Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.”
It is shockingly easy for me to sit in judgement of the Israelites and their ridiculous choices, but if I’m honest, I’ve done the same thing myself, more than once. And in the same breath that I think, “God, how could you put up with their continued disobedience?” I also think, “Thank You for not writing me off when I make bad choices.” Humans haven’t changed much. Thankfully, God hasn’t either.
1 Samuel 8:19-20 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No! … We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for Your steadfast love and compassion. Thank You for showing us the right way and using our bullheadedness to bring us closer to You, even through the pain of our bad choices. Thank You for Your love, grace, and mercy. Draw us closer. Amen.
1 Samuel 8:22 The LORD answered, “Listen to them and give them what they want.”
Have a blessed day.

1 Samuel 7:2b …Than all the people of Israel turned back to the LORD.
It must have been difficult for the Israelites to humble themselves before the Lord. To say, especially to the Creator of the Universe, “I got too big for my britches and I’m so sorry” isn’t easy, but it’s necessary. The Israelites had tried just going through the motions by taking the ark of the covenant into battle. It failed miserably. They were beginning to understand they need God Himself, not just His trappings.
1 Samuel 7:6 When they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the LORD….
So they humbled themselves before the Lord. They poured out water before Him to show the depth of their sorrow. But they still needed to get back into their rhythm with God, seeking Him, trusting Him, obeying Him, believing Him. It’s so much easier to stay in relationship than to reestablish the rhythm.
1 Samuel 7:7 When the Philistines heard that Israel had assembled at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines came up to attack them. When the Israelites heard of it, they were afraid because of the Philistines.
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for Your unfathomable love and mercy. Thank You that even when we get too big for our britches, You allow us to humble ourselves before You, to return to You and reestablish the rhythm of a loving relationship with You. Help us to check ourselves before we ever turn away, Lord. Help us to seek You, to draw closer to You, to root ourselves in You. Draw us closer. Amen.
1 Samuel 7:8 They said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying out to the LORD our God for us….”
Have a blessed day.

1 Samuel 6:7 “…get a new cart ready, with two cows that have calved and never been yoked. Hitch the cows to the cart, but take their calves away and pen them up.”
Commentary helped me understand this passage in a way I would never have understood on my own. The Philistines set even this up as a test. The fact that the cows had just calved and the calves were penned means the maternal instinct to care for their young would be very strong in the cows. The fact that they had never been yoked meant that the yoke was not natural for them and they would fight against it. Additionally, there was no driver to direct them nor keep them focused. If they went straight to Beth Shemesh, the Philistines figured, then the God of Israel must be responsible for their curse.
1 Samuel 6:10 So they did this. They took two such cows and hitched them to the cart and penned up their calves.
To recap: The Israelites treat the ark as a good luck charm. The Philistines, who have been facing one trial after another since capturing the ark aren’t convinced the God of Israel is behind their suffering. And the cows are devised as a test. And despite lowing all the way to show their displeasure at being hitched and away from their calves, the cows went straight to Beth Shemesh, without turning to the right or left. That’s God, my friends.
1 Samuel 6:12 Then the cows went straight up toward Beth Shemesh, keeping in the road and lowing all the way; they did not turn to the right or left….
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. We try to complicate things so often, Lord, setting up tests and hoops for You to try to discern Your presence or Your will. Help us to hone in on You, Lord, not our perception of You or our desired outcome from You. Help us to cling to You and praise You always. Amen.
1 Samuel 6:14 The cart came to the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and there it stopped beside a large rock….
Have a blessed day.

1 Samuel 4:4 So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the LORD Almighty….
If asked, some athletes will admit to a lucky charm that they carry with them into games—a lucky pair of socks or a jersey or a piece of jewelry. And while I’m sure the item helps them feel more comfortable and confident as they face opponents, I’m equally sure that they have put in time and effort practicing, honing their skills, and working with their teammates. 
1 Samuel 4:5 When the ark of the LORD’s covenant came into the camp, all Israel raised such a great shout that the ground shook.
The Israelites in this chapter seem to have forgotten a step. They claim the ark if the covenant as their lucky charm against the Philistines, but there seems to be no real relationship at all with their God, whom the ark represents. The Israelites seem to think they will win the battle because the ark is physically present, but the Spirit of the Lord, the most critical part of the equation, is missing. I wish I didn’t understand their thinking, but I’ve been guilty of similar thinking myself before. Jesus, Help me.
1 Samuel 4:6a Hearing the uproar, the Philistines asked, “What’s all this shouting in the Hebrew camp?”
Lord, Thank You for this day and for this scripture. Thank You for the reminder that You are not a lucky charm to be used at our whim. Thank You for being real and present, for wanting a personal relationship with each of us. Thank You for Your grace and mercy for all those times I get it wrong. Help me to seek You always. Draw me closer. Amen.
1 Samuel 4:6b-7 When they learned that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp, the Philistines were afraid….
Have a blessed day.

1 Samuel 3:8a A third time the LORD called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
God doesn’t want automatons who blindly follow. He wants relationships with His children. I love in this chapter that God calls Samuel four different times. Samuel responds each time, but he doesn’t realize God is speaking. It isn’t until Samuel understands who is calling him that God responds beyond calling his name.
1 Samuel 3:8b-9 Then Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if He calls you, say, ‘Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening.’” So Samuel lay down in his place.
The God of the universe wanted to be sure He had Samuel’s attention before speaking. How amazing is that? And He does that with us, too. In a thousand little ways He calls to us, waiting for us to see Him, hear Him, spend time with Him, to listen to what He has to say.
1 Samuel 3:10 The LORD came and stood there, calling as the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.”
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for allowing us to come to You in relationship. Thank You for loving us so much that You continue to call us to You. This world is so loud and so insistent, Lord. Help us to listen for Your voice and respond eagerly when You call. Draw us closer. Amen.
1 Samuel 3:11 And the LORD said to Samuel….
Have a blessed day.