An Unceremonious Ending

King Saul was the first human King of Israel. He made several decisions against what God would have him do. Ultimately, his death was unceremonious. 

As I read this chapter, I thought about the life of Saul. I thought about his reluctance to take the throne and the arrogance he displayed once he got it. 

I thought, “Have I behaved like that?” I pray that I have not, but if I have, I pray that God would reveal this sin and lead me to repentance. I encourage you to pray this prayer as well. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

1 Samuel 31:2-4

2 The Philistines were in hot pursuit of Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malki-Shua. 3 The fighting grew fierce around Saul, and when the archers overtook him, they wounded him critically.

4 Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through, or these uncircumcised fellows will come and run me through and abuse me.”
But his armor-bearer was terrified and would not do it; so Saul took his own sword and fell on it.

Today’s Reading:

1 Samuel 31

Generosity Matters

The last five verses of 1 Samuel 30 highlight the generous nature of David. Not only was he willing to share their plunder with the two hundred men who were too exhausted to continue in the fight, he also gave some to those people who had helped him in the past. This is uncommon generosity. 

When we understand that every good and perfect gift comes from the Lord, we, too, can be generous like David. 

Maybe you’re like me and your generosity has “limits.” Join me in seeking God. Ask Him to help you become generous in the way He is generous to everyone, even the ones who will never accept His free gift of salvation. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

1 Samuel 30:27-31

​27 David sent it to those who were in Bethel, Ramoth Negev and Jattir; 28 to those in Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa 29 and Rakal; to those in the towns of the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites; 30 to those in Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athak 31 and Hebron; and to those in all the other places where he and his men had roamed.

Today’s Reading:

1 Samuel 30

Rejection Is Protection

This passage had me thinking about television shows when the show ends and you know something good is going to happen in the next episode. TBH, I feel that way because I already know what happens in 1 Samuel 30. If this were my first time reading this book of the Bible, I would not feel this way. 

My point? The more you read the Bible, the better you get to know God, and the better you understand that rejection is protection. 

You may not realize it in the moment you are rejected, but as time passes, God will reveal why you did not get that job, enter a relationship with that person, get into that college, or countless other “missed” opportunities. 

In life, trust God. He knows what’s best for you. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

1 Samuel 29:11

11 So David and his men got up early in the morning to go back to the land of the Philistines, and the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

Today’s Reading:

1 Samuel 29

When God Says No

“Dad, please, please, please may I go?!” “No, you may not.” Please, Dad, I’ll do anything if you let me go!” “Okay, you can go.”

If you are a parent, this conversation may sound familiar. I did this plenty of times. Why? Because I could not justify my “No.” What I should have done was taken a breath before I answered. Once you change your mind once, for good reason, you are subject to change your mind over and over again. 

God does not have this issue. Why? Because He is all knowing. He does not need to take a breath to make a right decision. He knows the outcome of every decision He makes before He makes it. Thus, when Saul consults a medium in this chapter of 1 Samuel, the response He receives comes as no surprise. 

God does not tell you “No” on a whim. His “No’s” are always measured and in our best interest. Learn to hear the voice of God, then heed it every time the first time. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

1 Samuel 28:17-18

17 “The Lord has done what he predicted through me. The Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors—to David. 18 Because you did not obey the Lord or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the Lord has done this to you today.”

Today’s Reading:

1 Samuel 28

The Importance of Prayer

From time to time I like to remind us of this passage in 2 Chronicles 7. God is letting His people know that when He allows troubles to come their way, prayer and repentance will change their circumstances. 

What troubles do you have in your life? Humble yourself, pray, seek God’s face, and turn from your wicked ways. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

2 Chronicles 7:13-14

13 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

Today’s Reading:

1 Samuel 27

God Prevails

This encounter with David and Saul is a reminder that when we obey God, He will prevail in our lives. David had two clear opportunities to get rid of his enemy but he chose to allow God to do what He desired. History tells us that David rose to the throne of Israel. 

Is there an area of your life to which God is calling you to be patient and trust Him? Allow David’s example to guide you. Disobeying God never ends well. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

1 Samuel 26:22-24

22 “Here is the king’s spear,” David answered. “Let one of your young men come over and get it. 23 The Lord rewards everyone for their righteousness and faithfulness. The Lorddelivered you into my hands today, but I would not lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed. 24 As surely as I valued your life today, so may the Lord value my life and deliver me from all trouble.”

Today’s Reading:

1 Samuel 26

Receive Godly Counsel

David is the anointed King of Israel. In time he will take his place on the throne. Notice his response to Abigail’s words. Do you humbly receive Godly counsel?

Take time to ponder this question. How do you respond to advice that goes against your plans? Do you need to adjust your response to a humble one? Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

1 Samuel 25:32-34

32 David said to Abigail, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me. 33 May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshedthis day and from avenging myself with my own hands. 34 Otherwise, as surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, who has kept me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, not one male belonging to Nabalwould have been left alive by daybreak.”

Today’s Reading:

1 Samuel 25

Spare Your Enemy

Recently I wrote about the danger of harming God’s anointed ones. This passage shows us that David understood this. His actions towards Saul must have seemed “crazy” to his men, but Saul’s reaction to learning that David spared his life is all the proof we need to know that we must allow God to fight our battles. Our job is to pray for our enemies not harm them. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

1 Samuel 24:5-7

5 Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe. 6 He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.” 7 With these words David sharply rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way.

Today’s Reading:

1 Samuel 24

Ask God, Then Listen

How often do you seek God before you make a decision? Notice how David seeks God twice for the same decision. God loves us and is happy to guide our decision making. 

Who knows more than God? I encourage you to seek God in all your decision making. If your thought is, “sometimes I cannot recognize God’s voice,” then you must increase the time you spend alone with Him in your Bible. 

You have no problem recognizing the voice of a friend, a spouse, a parent, or your child. Why? Because you spend time with them. Now do the same with God. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

1 Samuel 23:1-4

When David was told, “Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are looting the threshing floors,” 2 he inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?”
The Lord answered him, “Go, attack the Philistines and save Keilah.”

3 But David’s men said to him, “Here in Judah we are afraid. How much more, then, if we go to Keilah against the Philistine forces!”

4 Once again David inquired of the Lord, and the Lord answered him, “Go down to Keilah, for I am going to give the Philistines into your hand.”

Today’s Reading:

1 Samuel 23

God’s Anointed One’s

Psalm 105:15 says, “Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm.” Unfortunately, for Saul, David had not written this Psalm to warn of the dangers of hurting the people of God. 

However, his officials knew better. That is why none of them agreed to kill the priests of Nob. 

When Doeg (from yesterday’s post) agrees to carry out the order, Saul’s fate is sealed. God will not leave unpunished those who defy His word. Let that sink in.

Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

1 Samuel 22:17

17 Then the king ordered the guards at his side: “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because they too have sided with David. They knew he was fleeing, yet they did not tell me.”

But the king’s officials were unwilling to raise a hand to strike the priests of the Lord.

Today’s Reading:

1 Samuel 22

Someone Is Watching

This chapter of 1 Samuel sees David going on the run from King Saul. Notice this passage tells us that one of Saul’s men sees David. We will learn what that means for David in a coming chapter. 

The lesson for us? Someone is watching. In your walk with Jesus Christ understand that people are watching you. Some want to learn how they can walk with Jesus Christ. Others want you to fall so they can speak against Jesus Christ. 

Be aware of this reality and walk well with Christ. We are all prone to mess up. The key is to not knowingly mess up (read sin). You will face enough hardships in your life as you live for Christ. Don’t add to those by willfully sinning. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

1 Samuel 21:7

7 Now one of Saul’s servants was there that day, detained before the Lord; he was Doeg the Edomite, Saul’s chief shepherd.

Today’s Reading:

1 Samuel 21

A True Friend

There are few friendships like the one shared between David and Jonathan. In our time it is difficult to understand the sacrificial love Jonathan had for David. He was aware that David remaining alive meant Jonathan would not become king after Saul’s death. Jonathan did not care. 

This passage is a precursor to what happens in 2 Samuel 9 (we will not read 2 Samuel this year). In that chapter we see David make good on his promise to take care of Jonathan’s family. 

Do you have a friend with whom you’ve entered a covenant? How are you holding up your end? Ask God to give you the wisdom and strength to be a friend like Jonathan and David were to each other. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

1 Samuel 20:14-15

14 “But show me unfailing kindness like the Lord’s kindness as long as I live, so that I may not be killed, 15 and do not ever cut off your kindness from my family—not even when the Lord has cut off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth.”

Today’s Reading:

1 Samuel 20

An Evil Spirit From God?

If you don’t know God, then a verse like 1 Samuel 18:10 can cause you confusion. The Hebrew word “ra” is used here. It means, evil, bad, troublesome, etc. 

What can confuse you is wondering why would God “send” an evil spirit to anyone. Remember, God had departed from Saul. This meant God’s Hand of protection was no longer covering Saul. Any evil thought Saul had, he would act upon because he did not have the “conscience” of God, which is the Spirit of God. 

God did not send a demonic spirit/evil spirit to torment Saul; He simply left Saul to his own self without God’s protection. It is the same thing that happens to everyone who does not have the blood of Christ covering your life. Subsequently, that person does not have the Holy Spirit to guide their thoughts. Therefore, they act upon every evil thought they may have. 

Take a moment and think about your life before you accepted Christ. Shucks, think about the mental battles you have had since you accepted Christ’s sacrifice for the forgiveness of your sin. Imagine fighting those battles without the Holy Spirit. You would lose every one of them. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

1 Samuel 18:10-12

10 The next day an evil spirit from God came forcefully on Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the lyre, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand 11 and he hurled it, saying to himself, “I’ll pin David to the wall.” But David eluded him twice.

12 Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with David but had departed from Saul.

Today’s Reading:

1 Samuel 18

You Must Not Know!

When I was growing up I often heard and used the phrase, “You must not know!” It was usually preceded by someone making a statement that showed they had never experienced something. 

I translate this passage as David saying to Goliath, “You must not know!” Goliath truly believed that his sword, javelin, and spear were more than enough to defeat David. The problem was, Goliath didn’t know he was not fighting David. He was fighting God. 

Notice, David evokes the name of God by faith. He gives God all the glory for his impending victory. At no point does David’s faith falter. 

As you develop the spiritual habits of reading your Bible daily, praying daily, and surrounding yourself with mature Christians, your faith will grow. And when someone thinks that there’s something God can’t do, you will have the faith to look them in the eyes and say, “You must not know!” Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

1 Samuel 17:45-47

45 David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LordAlmighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole worldwill know that there is a God in Israel. 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

Today’s Reading:

1 Samuel 17

Who Are You To Them (people who know you)?

There are several passages in this chapter that I wanted to discuss with you, but this one jumped off the page for me. Notice how specific the description of David is. 

We will learn later that his “warrior” characteristic will serve the Lord well as we read more about his life.

This passage also had me think about why God rejected David’s older brothers. Perhaps they were not warriors like David. Tomorrow we will read about them not taking up Goliath’s challenge to fight an Israelite to decide the battle. We learn that David did!

So, who are you to them? Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

1 Samuel 16:18

18 One of the servants answered, “I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the lyre. He is a brave man and a warrior.He speaks well and is a fine-looking man. And the Lord is with him.”

Today’s Reading:

1 Samuel 16

Rationalizing God’s Instructions!

King Saul was a reluctant king who turned into an arrogant king. His lack of humility cost him his kingship. 

Samuel gave Saul clear instructions, but Saul “rationalized” his way out of his kingship. 

When God tells you what to do, act on it obediently. Far too often Christians place their culture into scripture. We say, “It’s okay for me to do “this” or “that” because God wants me to be happy.”

NEWSFLASH!! No where in the Bible does it say, “God wants you to be happy, so do what makes you happy.” What the Bible says is “Blessed (happy) is the one who does…” (you fill in the blank with scripture)

Your “happiness” stems from your obedience. Look at Saul’s rationalized obedience and learn from his mistake. If it cost Saul that much, it will cost you the equivalent. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

1 Samuel 15:3; 13-15

3 Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’”

13 When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.”

14 But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?”

15 Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.”

Today’s Reading:

1 Samuel 15

A Godly Person

As you read this passage, I pray God opens your eyes to His faithfulness. Jonathan was a man who loved the Lord. It is clear that he sought the Lord before he moved to attack the Philistine outpost. His love for the Lord leads his armor bearer to place his life in the hands of Jonathan. Notice the armor bearers response to Jonathan’s plan to attack the Philistines. 

May our relationship with God be such that people our drawn to God through our witness and actions. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

1 Samuel 14:6-7

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.”
7 “Do all that you have in mind,” his armor-bearer said. “Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.”

Today’s Reading:

1 Samuel 14

Patience Is Required!

How patient are you? Living a God-honoring life requires patience. God will always move at the right time. However, there will be times when we think He’s not moving fast enough. This is what happened to King Saul.

This is my thought on the matter. “Wait on the Lord until He moves like He said He would. And when you believe you’ve waited long enough, wait some more.” Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

1 Samuel 13:7b-10

Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear. 8 He waited sevendays, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul’s men began to scatter. 9 So he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” And Saul offered up the burnt offering. 10 Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him.

Today’s Reading:

1 Samuel 13

Righteous Living!

As I read this passage I thought about the life of Samuel. His life is an example for us. When we seek the Kingdom and its righteousness, Samuel’s life can be a reminder that it’s possible to live a life pleasing to God. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

1 Samuel 12:1-3

Samuel said to all Israel, “I have listened to everything you said to me and have set a kingover you. 2 Now you have a king as your leader.As for me, I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have been your leader from my youth until this day. 3 Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the Lord and his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes? If I have done any of these things, I will make it right.”

Today’s Reading:

1 Samuel 12

Shakeable Faith!

As you read this passage you may get the idea that Saul is a man of unshakeable faith. History tells us that we would be wrong with that line of thinking. 

In light of this great victory and Saul’s understanding that the battle belonged to the Lord, why do you think he ultimately allowed his faith to waver? 

Think of a time in your life in which your faith wavered and you made decisions contrary to what God would have you do? How did you respond to that revelation? Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 

1 Samuel 11:12-13

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.”

13 But Saul said, “No one will be put to death today, for this day the Lord has rescued Israel.”

Today’s Reading:

1 Samuel 11