Misguided Promises
Read: 1 Samuel 14:36-46 Then the people said to Saul, “Shall Jonathan die, who has worked this great salvation in Israel?” (v. 45) Finish your broccoli, or you can’t go to the sleepover,” says the irritated parent. It’s an empty threat, a rash promise that the child knows cannot be true. King Saul made a rash […]
It Doesn’t Take Long
Read: 1 Samuel 13:1-15 But now your kingdom shall not continue. (v. 14) It’s funny how quickly we can tell whether a leader will be successful or not. We carefully observe their first moves and evaluate the decisions they make. We notice if they fall asleep in meetings or make people cry when they’ve done something […]
Incline Your Heart to Serve
Read: 1 Samuel 12:13-25 Samuel said to the people, “Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart.” (v. 20) When I was young, my friend and I hid from our mothers behind a slide at the city […]
Big, Beautiful Saul
Read: 1 Samuel 10:17-27 Do you see him whom the LORD has chosen? There is none like him among all the people. (v. 24) We tend to expect that the president of the United States will have a certain stature and build. This may actually be most obvious when we see the actors (and actresses) selected to portray the […]
A Changed Heart
Read: 1 Samuel 10:1-13 When [Saul] turned his back to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart. (v. 9) After seminary, I was called to serve in my dream job as a college chaplain. Soon, I began looking for signs that I was successful in ministry and right for the job. I listened for it in […]
We Want What We Want
Read: 1 Samuel 8:7-22 The LORD said to Samuel, “Obey their voice and make them a king.” (v. 22) An exasperated parent can be known for giving in. I’ve seen it as a weary mom tosses cookies into the grocery cart while her children whine at her. I’ve seen it at the zoo, a frazzled dad […]
Ebenezer
Read: 1 Samuel 7:3-17 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, “Till now the LORD has helped us.” (v. 12) My parent’s 50th wedding anniversary happened during the Covid shutdowns. We postponed our big family trip to the shores of the Salish […]
Waiting and Wondering
Read: 1 Samuel 6:10-7:2 From the day that the ark was lodged at Kiriath-jearim, a long time passed, some twenty years, and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD. (v. 2) Sometimes we find ourselves in a long season of waiting and wondering. Some of my own most difficult waiting has happened during the […]
The Ark Properly Understood
Read: 1 Samuel 5:1-12 The men who did not die were struck with tumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven. (v. 12) My family recently enjoyed a special night out at the movie theater. Seated in the second row of a small theater, we were frustrated when the front row was rushed […]