Bible in a Year Blog

1 Samuel 20:1-21:15 + John 9:1-41 + Psalm 113:1-114:8 + Proverbs 15:15-17
~ Click here to read today’s Scripture on Bible Gateway ~
~ Listen to today’s Scripture with Tom Dooley’s terrific NLT 1996 readings at this link or The ESV Bible: OT + NT + Psalms + Proverbs ~

Old Testament – Great readings about Jonathan & David today!  1 Samuel 20 verse 13 today seems to indicate that Jonathan realizes that David will be the king after his father Saul: “May the LORD be with you as he used to be with my father.”  Verse 17 is beautiful – “For Jonathan loved David as much as he loved himself.”  Who are people in your life that you love as much as you love yourself?  Do you think that there should be people in your life that you love as much as you love yourself?  Do you love Jesus as much as you love yourself?  Do you think that God loves you as much as He loves Himself?

Below is the artist Rembrandt’s take on Jonathan & David from possibly verse 41:  “Both of them were in tears as they embraced each other and said good-bye, especially David.”

In First Samuel 21 as David is fleeing from Saul, we read verse 6 which Jesus refers to in the New Testament – “So, since there was no other food available, the priest gave David the holy bread–the Bread of the Presence that was placed before the LORD in the Tabernacle. It had just been replaced that day with fresh bread.”  Jesus uses this incident to illustrate the principle that the ceremonial law was not to be viewed in a legalistic manner in Matthew chapter 12 verses 3 & 4 – “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests.”  I love verse 13!  David is definitely a good actor – “So he pretended to be insane, scratching on doors and drooling down his beard.”

Bible.org’s commentary on our First Samuel readings today titled “When Saul Slings His Spear, Jonathan Gets the Point” is at this link and “A Man Without a Country” is at this link.

New Testament – Jesus’ teaching in John chapter 9 verse 3 is powerful – “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “He was born blind so the power of God could be seen in him.”  Wow.  He was born blind so that God’s power could be seen in him.  I wonder about this in our lives today.  When we have challenges or struggles, is it possible that they are happening so that the power of God can been seen?  I know this can be tough to fathom when you are in the midst of a challenge or struggle – or, if you are blind for example, like this man in John 9.  But…  no matter what life throws our way, do you think that God’s power can be seen in any circumstance?  Below is Cretan-born painter El Greco’s “Christ Healing the Blind Man” from the year 1567:

Verse 27 is great when the healed man says – “”Look!” the man exclaimed. “I told you once. Didn’t you listen? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?””   Hmmm…. Verses 39 through 40 are a dialogue that each one of us should reflect upon – “Then Jesus told him, “I have come to judge the world. I have come to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.”  The Pharisees who were standing there heard him and asked, “Are you saying we are blind?” “If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,” Jesus replied. “But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.”  How are we behaving today?  Are we allowing Jesus to give us spiritual sight?  Or do we think we can see well enough spiritually without Jesus?  Without Jesus, can we see or are we blind…?  Will we allow Jesus to heal us of our spiritual blindness right now?

Bible.org’s commentary on today’s John readings titled “The Light of the World” is at this link.

Psalms – Psalm 113 & 114 today are very interesting and important Psalms!  These are 2 of 6 Psalms, 113 to 118, that form the “Egyptian Hallel.”  These Psalms were used in Jewish liturgy at the great religious festivals of Passover, Tabernacles, Dedication, Weeks, New Moon.  At Passover Psalm 113 & 114 were sung before the meal and Psalms 115 – 118 were sung after the meal.  As you read these two Psalms today, do you sense joy in the Lord’s work?  Justice?  Glory?  Power?  Does reading these two Psalms make you want to celebrate and give thanks for the Lord and all he has done throughout history and in your life?

Proverbs – Proverbs 15 verses 16 & 17 today are so powerfully true – “It is better to have little with fear for the LORD than to have great treasure with turmoil. A bowl of soup with someone you love is better than steak with someone you hate.”  However, what then do we do about a steak soup combo??  (sorry, couldn’t resist a bad attempt at humor…  thanks to this image below… 🙂 

Worship Video: Today’s reading in John about Jesus healing a man born blind reminded me of Phil Wickham’s song “Safe:”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzhuirT74VU

Are you safe in His arms? Click here for Safety!

Please join us in memorizing and meditating on two verses of Scripture today: “Better a little with the fear of the LORD than great wealth with turmoil. Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened calf with hatred.” Proverbs 15:16-17 NIV

Prayer Point: Pray that you will be content with little in your life, as long as you have the wealth of a relationship with the LORD. Pray that your meals are filled with more love than with fancy foods.

Comments from You & Questions of the Day:  Do you agree with today’s Proverb that it is better to have just a little and fear the Lord versus having much and much turmoil?  Also, what verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings?  Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!

God bless,
Mike

p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Bible readings at this link.

p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.

p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!

BLOG READERS HISTORICAL COMMUNITY COMMENTS:
(our Group Bible Study is below! : )

======= Anka:

This is a pretty long post..

David,a man after God’s own heart was painfully human.He lied and is about to get the priest into trouble(I’m sure Saul’s shepherd wasn’t eavedropping just out of curiosity)then David acts like a lunatic to save his life.I couldn’t help wondering,was this idea of acting inspired by God?David his annointed was really not behaving like a king.At the same time,I can’t help wondering how Jesus’s disciples felt seeing their master beaten,spat on then hung naked to die on a cross.Where was all the power that Jesus displayed and spoke about?It may be easy for us to believe without having seen Jesus humiliated.Even though there’s a controversy surrounding the movie The passion of Christ,I think every Christian should see it because it shows a vivid picture of how Christ truly suffered and was humiliated.The amazing thing is God was watching and even through this suffering and rejction,He still was working.David may have been discouraged yet when his life was saved,he attributed it all to God(psalms 34,56).I pray for the strength to look up to God when in trouble.David ran from Samuel in Ramath to Jonathan who was near Saul.In times of pain and confusion we sometimes even loose our ability to think clearly.Running to our enemy(negative thoughts,alcohol,drugs…the enemies arms)rather than remain on our knees in prayer.

The Jews seemed to want the blind man to doubt his testimony.He didn’t know Jesus but believed the devil couldn’t have set him free.The blind man didn’t think Jesus used his own powers,he replied to them “he is a prophet”and when they tried to get him to think Jesus was a sinner,he hung to his miracle…he may have thought”well I don’t know how Jesus stands before God,but I know God worked through him to give me a miracle and I know God doesn’t answer sinners”.

This man couldn’t care less if he was thrown out of the synagoge,there was an element of defiance in his reply”I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?”He wasn’t going to change his testiomny nor was he going to accept to smear the character of the man he received his miracle from.When asked by Jesus if he knew the son of man,this former begger didn’t say no,he wanted to know who Jesus really was then worshipped Him when Jesus revealed himself.

We may falter in our faith due to discouragement but we should never let go of our convictions.At the end of the day what satan tries to do is attack our knowledge of who God really is.When we go through humilitaion,doubt,despair,satan comes to attack our relationship with a “well if God is love,how can he let this happen to you,if God takes care of your needs then why do you have to count pennies,if God is a father then how could he let your child die,if you’re created in God’s image,then why do you have a disability?”etc.The trick is I guess keep walking,crawl if you have to but never let go of your convictions…if you feel those convictions slip away,then stick to God’s word.I humbly believe it is for times like these that God had put the desire in Mike’s heart to start this blog so you can see wounded soliers cling to their swords(the word) and you can see that God is still present in our days.He still is in the business of getting us out of the enemies arms if we cry out.

God bless you all!
Anka

======== Ramona:

1 Samuel 20-21:15

Anka—Thank you for your wonderful words. Words that not only cause us to think but words that inspire and encourage.

In thinking about what you wrote, Anka, the question comes up, “What and whom did David fear? We lie and operate out of deception because we fear for our lives, our reputation or falling out of favor with man, and maybe God. We fear that our true selves with be revealed if we tell the truth. Truth is confrontational, especially the truth about ourselves. The question what information and from whom are we believing. Back in the Garden Adam and Eve hid after they sinned because their eyes were opened. When God asked them, “Where are you,” He wasn’t asking them logistical information He knew where they were. He was asking them because He knew where they where but did they truly know their standing and how far they had fallen God’s response to them when they said they were naked so they hid was, “Who told you?” What and whose information was David believing about himself, about Saul and about His God?

David thought Saul would kill him despite the Word of the Lord he had heard from Samuel, despite the acknowledgement and confirmation of the Word from his friend Jonathan. Was there something going on in David’s life that made him forget that Promise or did he, like many of us, negate the promise because of a feeling of inferiority, of some false guilt, of a sense that God is not able to bring what He has promised to pass?

When “running for our lives,” do we run to our enemies, as Anka has noted, or do we run to the Rock that is higher than ourselves.

Thank God for his mercy and grace when we miss it by more than a mile or kilometer.

Grace and peace,
Ramona

====== Shelley:

Really enjoying reading this blog and all the food for thought. I haven’t much new to add to what already has been said. I also enjoyed Ps 113:6 where is says that God humbleth Himself to behold the things in heaven! I have no idea of the greatness of God. WOW! or should I say “Selah” Thanks for sharing your thoughts with the rest of us.

Shelley

====== Jan:

======= Jim:

On the run, David asks a priest for a weapon and temple food and then act as if mad (which was assumed at the time to signify demonic possession) to escape after foolishly taking Goliath’s sword with him to hide in Goliath’s home town. Jesus will later commend the priest’s actions as an illustration of the principle underlying His own healing on the Sabbath (Matt 12:3-4, Mark 2:23-28) that the moral obligation to preserve and enrich human life supersedes ceremonial obligations. David lied to Ahimelech about being on a secret mission for the king (and perhaps about his men not having been with women for 3 days) – this lie (and the foolishness in thinking that Deog would not tell the king) will precipitate a great tragedy for all the priest of Nob (22:6-19). The Talmud explains away the apparent breach of the law of eating the holy bread, however, on the basis that the preservation of life takes precedent over nearly all other commandments in the Law (see Leviticus 24:9). We have seen many negative consequences of Saul’s poor behavior. Today he tries to get his own son to help in killing David and ends up being violent towards Jonathan himself.
We can always see spiritual truth if we are strong enough to accept it. Jesus heals a blind man that the Pharisees badger while refusing Christ as a messenger of God. The ex-blind man asks them directly what the Pharisees are trying to hide, how could Jesus do such miracles if He were not from God? Jesus summarizes that only the blind are innocent – but the Pharisees are not blind. The miracle and attitude is replicated in every spiritual birth: “though I was blind, now I see.” The Pharisees’ sin was not ignorance of what Christ was saying or of whom He was, but that of seeing and knowing Christ and still hating Him. Their rejection of Jesus was deliberate, so they were guilty of the most terrible of all sins.
Sodom and Gomorrah were not even Jewish towns and Christ said in Matthew 10:15, “it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.” Not only does this suggest that the punishment for unbelievers (such as those who didn’t believe Noah that Christ visited in death) might be tolerable but that there is a worse sin with a less tolerable punishment than theirs. “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.” And since the only people that can know the Holy Spirit to speak blasphemy against Him are Judo-Christians, are they the only ones who can fail to be forgiven with a guaranteed trip to Hell (and not simple God-blasphemying atheists or Jesus-blasphemying cultists)? The greatest punishment “in this world and the next” is for the greatest sin of having eyes but refusing to see. As Spiderman’s dad tells him, with greater power comes greater responsibility (and greater consequences).
Popular wisdom of the time was that sickness was always a punishment for sin, perhaps for those one will commit or even ancestral sins, but Jesus says that the blind man’s disability was so that the works of God could be known (see Romans 8:28). This is something to remember the next time we’re asking, “Why is this happening to me?” Christ’s disciples, though, seemed more moved by theological curiosity that by concern over the man’s condition. Christ answers that we should use every opportunity to help others. We should not just come to Christ to see reality but to experience it as well (just as the “happy mother of children” in Psalm 113:9 knows both the value of fruitfulness as well as the simple joy of having children). Schnarch (the most respected marriage counselor of the past few decades) has shown that failed communications, missing empathy, and even sexual perversions are not the causes of relationship gridlocks. Everyone most certainly knows what everyone else wants (for one thing, because we all essentially want the same things). The problem is that we simply refuse to accommodate win-win outcomes because of a fear of being powerless and the need to use others as validation. The root of failing spiritual maturity is never about seeing better but in unhealthy behavior and insufficient remorse.
Celebrants of the Passover today normally read or sing Psalms 113-114 before the meal as part of the retelling of the story of God’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt. Psalm 113 focuses the worshiper on the grace of the merciful redeemer who bends down from heaven to meet the needs of his people and Psalm 114 recalls the reason for the Passover celebration – Israel’s deliverance from Egypt in specific and the earth trembling before the almighty Lord in general. They are a wonderful companion to the songs of Moses and Miriam in Exodus 15. After the Passover meal, Psalms 115-118, and 136 are sung.
Jim

======= Vance:

I Samuel 20 (The Message)
13
And GOD be with you as he’s been with my father!
14
If I make it through this alive, continue to be my covenant friend. And if I die,
15-16
keep the covenant friendship with my family–forever. And when GOD finally rids the earth of David’s enemies, stay loyal to Jonathan!”
17
Jonathan repeated his pledge of love and friendship for David. He loved David more than his own soul!
42
Jonathan said, “Go in peace! The two of us have vowed friendship in GOD’s name, saying, “GOD will be the bond between me and you, and between my children and your children forever!’”
NOTE:
Covenant is such wonderful and permanently binding, partly because in today’s society. It is such an amazing thing today it is so rare. It is easy to “cut and run” when the going gets tough.
But remember: “Tough times never last, but tough people do”. I am not talking about “positive thinking” or merely what was called “intestinal fortitude” when I was in basic training for the U.S. Army.
Yes… those are important attitudes and qualities to have. May we be “strong in the covenant of the Lord and in the power of His might.” And His power is made perfect in the very weakness that my humanity despises so much. (See 2 Corinthians 4:7-11 and 12:9)
~~~
Jesus has likened spiritual life and the Kingdom of God to like being a seed. One of my most favorite verses is John 12 (NKJV)
24
Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.
25
He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
26
If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.
~~~
As Christians, we are in the process of dying to the residue of the sinful man and sinful humanity in order to completely put on Christ—the fullness of righteousness, life and peace.
Our spirits are made righteous by God’s grace. Our souls and bodies are redeemed, and in the process of being completely saved.
Yet, to understand this takes wisdom. It is ironic that modern society is so caught up in the current craze of the “Gnostic Jesus” and the “Gnostic gospels”.
Why?
For today’s society builds up the flesh, the body—and worships the flesh and the body—at the expense of the spiritual because of “science” and “existentialism”.
Yet, the Gnostics taught that the body was evil. That is why in the so-called “gospel of Judas”, the so-called “Gnostic Jesus” needed Judas’ help to get to the cross—after all that Jesus supposedly saw his body as evil and as a barrier to purity.
No… our bodies are not evil, and neither is matter. Rather, all aspects of our personalities are tainted by sin as is all of creation.
THE REAL QUESTION REGARDING EVIL IS… where is it? It is not localized in our bodies. Rather, it is in our hearts.
In this regard, I really like what the Lord Jesus said in the following verse in John chapter 9 in the Message:
39
Jesus then said, “I came into the world to bring everything into the clear light of day, making all the distinctions clear, so that those who have never seen will see, and those who have made a great pretense of seeing will be exposed as blind.”
The true, historical, living Lord Jesus was sinless, and was able to die for our sins in our place because of that.
The true, historical, living Lord Jesus offered Himself in our place so all of us—spirit, soul, and body—could be fully redeemed as we allow Him to remove from us the impurity and uncleanness of sin and its effects.
I Thessalonians 5 (NKJV)
23
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24
He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.
Vance

======= John:

New Moon Festival
We first hear about the New Moon Festival in the book of Shemot (Exodus) 40:1-2: “And the L-rd spake unto Moshe, saying, On the first day of the first month thou shalt set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.” In the Hebrew calendar the new moon begins a new month. It was on this particular day that the L-rd wanted Moshe to erect the Tabernacle.
After the Tabernacle was erected, on that very same day, the Glory of G-d filled it. Shemot 40:33-34: “And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moshe finished the work. Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the L-rd filled the tabernacle.” It was on the new moon that the glory of the L-rd filled the Tabernacle. The New Moon Festival was also a day of sacrifice. Bamidbar (Numbers) 28:11: “And in the beginnings of your months ye shall offer a burnt offering unto the L-rd; two young bullocks, and one ram, seven lambs of the first year without spot;” Not only that, it was also to be a day of the blowing of the shofar. Bamidbar 10:10: “Also in the day of your gladness, and in your solemn days and in the beginnings of your months, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; that they may be to you for a memorial before your G-d: I Am the L-rd your G-d.”
Besides many other Biblical events which occurred on the new moon, it was also the day when Moshe spoke to the children of Israel giving them the L-rd’s commandments.
Re-reading it seems the Festival was only on the First month of the year. Besides the biblical commands, something akin to our New Year’s Day celebration.
Bowing three times
A custom in the ancient world to bow three times to royalty. No mention of why three (3)?. Jonathan was a prince. David at this time – still a servant of the king. Everything after the bowing was as “good friends”
Doeg the Edomite
“doeg” means fearing, anxious.
Who knows? Saul did what he wanted. Perhaps Doeg had some physical traits that Saul desired in his chief herdsmen. (Stature, strength, etc.) Perhaps he had proven his loyalty over time being promoted from a regular shepherd. Remember shepherds were the lowliest form of occupation in Israel, so being the head shepherd was not a place of great distinction. Perhaps doeg had converted to Judaism (doubtful).
In the end he was an extension of Saul’s evil wishes (and perhaps Saul himself)and slays the priests when no other of Saul’s servants will do the deed.
Saul was evil at this point and had no hesitation of hurting people of Israel (priests), Edomites hated Israel and coveted their land. Seems like a match made by “satan”?????
John

========= John:

Greater Miracle than the Last
This man the Lord chose (nowhere does it say the man came to the Lord for healing)
No one had ever been healed of Blindness from birth.
The opening of eyes to the light: to me Jesus first covered the eyes with spittle and earth (the world) and then told man to wash the mixture off in the Pool of Siloam. Water ingested represents the Holy Spirit, Water used in exteranl cleansing represents the Word. By belief and the use of the Word, the filth and blocking of vision by the world will be taken away. You will see the light.
This man stood up for Jesus in front of scrutiny. He was banned from synagouge.
He was not only given physical sight, but spiritual sight.
He chose a man who was blind from birth, just as man is spiritually blind from birth, and he healed him.
John

======= John:

John 9
Pool of Siloam
Scoffers of the Bible used to point to this “pool” named in the Bible, and claim it did not exist. Just another error in the Bible.
OOPS!
In 2004, the pool was discovered in an archaeological dig.
======================================================
John 9:25b
“…One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” NIV
My favorite line in John – it applies exactly as to how I was before Salvation, and how I became after Salvation.
======================================================
Greater Miracle than the Last
This man the Lord chose (nowhere does it say the man came to the Lord for healing)
No one had ever been healed of Blindness from birth.
The opening of eyes to the light: to me Jesus first covered the eyes with spittle and earth (the world) and then told man to wash the mixture off in the Pool of Siloam. Water ingested represents the Holy Spirit, Water used in exteranl cleansing represents the Word. By belief and the use of the Word, the filth and blocking of vision by the world will be taken away. You will see the light.
This man stood up for Jesus in front of scrutiny. He was banned from synagouge.
He was not only given physical sight, but spiritual sight.
He chose a man who was blind from birth, just as man is spiritually blind from birth, and he healed him.
John

======= John:

Telling lies
1Sam20:29
“He said, ‘Let me go, because our family is observing a sacrifice in the town and my brother has ordered me to be there. If I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away to see my brothers.’ That is why he has not come to the king’s table.” NIV
There was a discussion last year on the blog about whether it is ever right to lie.
Study note from faithtacoma church:
Here is another case of a godly man telling a manifest untruth in a context in which it is not clear at all that the Bible condemns him for doing so (cf. the Hebrew midwives; Rahab; etc.). There are circumstances in which telling an untruth does not amount to “bearing false witness against one’s neighbor.” Interestingly, in the biblical examples, the untruth is told virtually always on behalf of someone else, not oneself. Here David. So, by and large, count on it. The lies you feel tempted to tell will very rarely be justified by such examples as these.
More on telling lies
David fabricates a story and tells it to Ahimelech the priest at Nob.
More from faithtacoma:
Fact is, we don’t get anywhere in this material the sense that the narrator necessarily disproves of these deceits. The ethics of war are not the same as the ethics of peace. No one disproves of an army concealing its intentions, even attempting to convince its enemy that its intentions are otherwise than they are (Joshua sending the spies ahead of his army into Canaan; the allies regarding the invasion landing sites in Normandy). What we have here, of course, is the early stages of the war between the house of Saul and the house of David.
John

======= John:

Regarding Jesus’ Deity
John 9:37-38
“Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”
Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.”
AND HE WORSHIPPED HIM.
Another verse to show those who do not believe in the Deity of Christ. In the Scripture only God is to be worshipped. If something or someone ever contradicts scripture – Jesus, in the past, has always corrected the situation.
Jesus does not object to the worship – so even though not verbally declaring His deity – the lack of objection by Jesus confirms His Deity.
John

======= Jill:

God allows pain and struggles in this world which is a result of Adam and Eves sin.
But he draws us close to him through our afflictions!
And we can let others know where our hope comes From!
Having been diagnosed with a medical condition has made me look at life differently. I need to be intentional about every day! It’s not easy but I give God glory anyway!
Thanks Mike for this blog!
Jill

1 Samuel 18:5-19:24 + John 8:31-59 + Psalm 112:1-10 + Proverbs 15:12-14
~ Click here to read today’s Scripture on Bible Gateway ~
~ Listen to today’s Scripture with Tom Dooley’s terrific NLT 1996 readings at this link or The ESV Bible: OT + NT + Psalms + Proverbs ~

Old Testament – This is a powerful verse in First Samuel 18:14 today: “David continued to succeed in everything he did, for the LORD was with him.” I think that is so important to know – David succeeded in all he did because God was with him.  And I believe this applies to us today as well.  We will succeed in all we do if God is with us.  Now – don’t get me wrong – when I say succeed, I do not mean “succeed” as the world might define this word.  I mean we will succeed spiritually in all we do if we are in a loving and growing and obedient relationship with God the Father through Jesus the Son (who is God).  This success might mean that we actually become “poor” in the world’s eyes and serve overseas or in our own town in a ministry that won’t make us a million.  But – if we are living in right relationship with God than we have truly succeeded in life.  Nothing else matters.  Below’s an image of a young David succeeding in saving a lamb from the jaws of a lion and offering up praise to God for the success!

It is great to see Jonathan asking his father Saul to not murder David in First Samuel chapter 19.  I read a commentary that said Jonathan had really been won over by David after David killed Goliath.  It is thought that perhaps David shared with Saul and Jonathan his faith in God and why he was fearless of Goliath early in chapter 18 or late in chapter 17 (in yesterday’s readings), and that Jonathan believed David’s faith was true.  In any case, we do see in chapter 18 verses 3 & 4 these words: “And Jonathan made a special vow to be David’s friend, and he sealed the pact by giving him his robe, tunic, sword, bow, and belt.”  Jonathan is obviously living up to this pact here in chapter 19. (the images above and below are really from yesterday’s readings, but I thought they were both quite good pictures of David – and Jonathan below. Oh, and Goliath too… 🙂

An image by Gustave Dore is below for First Samuel 18 verses 10 & 11: “The very next day, in fact, a tormenting spirit from God overwhelmed Saul, and he began to rave like a madman. David began to play the harp, as he did whenever this happened. But Saul, who had a spear in his hand, suddenly hurled it at David, intending to pin him to the wall. But David jumped aside and escaped.”

Bible.org’s commentary on our First Samuel readings today titled “David Joins Saul’s Family” is at this link and commentary titled “David’s Divine Deliverance” is at this link.

New Testament – John chapter 8 verses 34 through 36 are such powerful teachings for each of us to recognize – “Jesus replied, “I assure you that everyone who sins is a slave of sin. A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will indeed be free.”  Do you believe it is possible to be a slave of sin?  Do you believe Jesus can set us free from the slavery of sin?  Are you free?

I believe verse 58 is one of the most powerful statements Jesus makes in the Gospels – “Jesus answered, “The truth is, I existed before Abraham was even born!””  Or the NIV of this verse is –  “”I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”  Jesus is quoting Exodus 3:14 here when Moses asks God who he should say sent him to free the Israelites from Egypt and God says – “I AM.  Tell them I AM sent you.”  Jesus here knows what he is doing when he says that even before Abraham was born, I AM.  Jesus is saying he is God.  And He is.  But, to the religious leaders at this time, this was blasphemy to their ears.  And hence, they attempted to stone Jesus in the very next verse.  Do you believe Jesus when he says, “before Abraham was born, I AM”?

Bible.org’s commentary on our John chapter 8 readings today titled “Like Father, Like Son” is at this link.

Psalms – Psalm 112 is a great look at a godly person’s life.   Today in verse 1 we read: “Blessed is the person who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands.” Is fear of the Lord healthy? Why or why not? Is fear of the Lord the beginning of wisdom? Are you blessed if you fear the Lord? Do you find great delight in God’s commands? What are God’s commands?

Verse 4 stands out – “When darkness overtakes the godly, light will come bursting in.” This is encouraging.  When darkness overtakes us, if we stay true to God and Christ and faith, light will come “bursting in”!  I like that…  Know that the light is coming…  Below is a fresco from 1517 by Raphael of God separating the light from the darkness –

And verse 9 is a great reminder – “They give generously to those in need.”  Are you doing something in your life to serve the poorest of the poor?   There are 1.2 billion people living in our world today on less than $1 per day.  Is there something you can do to give generously to those in need?  Below is an oil on canvas painting from 1611 by Bartolomeo Schedoni titled “The Charity” –

Proverbs – Proverbs 15 verse 14 is so powerful – “A wise person is hungry for truth, while the fool feeds on trash.” I will humbly submit that since YOU are going through the One Year Bible, you are a wise person who is hungry for truth!  🙂  Well, really, I mean it.  The Bible is the best place to find Truth.  And trash?  Well, interestingly I was having a conversation with 3 friends recently – 2 of whom participated in this One Year Bible with us last year – and we were discussing how each of us don’t watch TV.  We didn’t quite use the word “trash” when discussing TV, but I think the term can fit… 

Worship Video: Today’s Psalm & Proverb reminded me of Casting Crowns’ song “American Dream:”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DumlIIHSrsQ

Are you chasing the American Dream? Click here and surrender to Jesus!

Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today: “Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.” John 8:34 NIV

Prayer Point: Pray that you are not a slave to sin. Pray that Jesus has set you free from slavery to sin, and that you are free indeed! Pray for your friends and family that are enslaved to sin that they will be freed through faith in Jesus and repentance of their sins.

Comments from You & Questions of the Day:  Can you imagine living your life feeding only on TV?  Yikes…   So, really, when you look at how you invest your time are you hungry and feeding on truth or perhaps are you feeding on some trash?  Will you throw that trash away?  Also, what verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings?  Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!

God bless,
Mike

p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Bible readings at this link.

p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.

p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!

BLOG READERS HISTORICAL COMMUNITY COMMENTS:
(our Group Bible Study is below! : )

======= Ramona:

1 Samuel 18:5-19:24
We have already been given the clues and keys to success when we read the Book of Joshua [This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. (1:8)] So it should not be a surprise to anyone when the young man David, who will come to be know as the Sweet Psalmist of Israel, is a success everywhere he goes.

Sin has crouched at the door of Saul’s heart and Saul has let him in just like Cain before him (Genesis 4:7). If Saul had done what was right, even with sin hanging around outside, God would have accepted him. Knowing that God had taken the Kingdome away from him (1 Sam 13:14), Saul makes no effort to “clean” up the condition of his heart, but spends time and energy trying to “take-out” a person of more noble character than he. This futile exercise is done daily all around us and some of it is committed by Christians. We slander and assassinate the character of others so we will look good, or so we think.

As we pursue what we falsely perceive as the enemy we sink deeper into a life of madness just like Saul. Declaring that the “other” is really our problem when the true culprit is that man or woman in the mirror.

I am intrigued by Saul’s run in with the Spirit of God that causes him to prophesy, even take off his clothes while he is doing what may appear on the outside to be some religious acts. I’m intrigued because Saul has no relationship with God, yet God’s Spirit comes upon him to keep him from killing David. This same thing happened to the troops he had sent previously to take David out. So a “religious” experience may not be a sign of a changed heart, in reality we are told to look for spiritual fruit not religious fervor, because it may just be a means of stopping a killer from pursuing his or her intended victim. This is a possibility I must give further thought too.
John 8:31-59

Verse thirty-two, 32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free,” is quoted and misquoted by believers and non-believers alike. The truth that sets one free, according to Jesus, is the truth that comes when one obeys Jesus’ teachings. Since Jesus is Truth, our freedom can only come in conjunction with our relationship with Him.

Jesus’ exchange with the religious leaders in this passage proves the above point. Although confronted with the truth about themselves, they failed to hear it because their alliance was not with Jesus but with their father the Devil, the father of all lies.

It is in this eighth chapter that Jesus begins to frequently use the words, truth, truly and true however those He speaks to cannot handle the truth.

In the Book of Job there is a passage that quotes Job as saying, “Does not the ear test words as the tongue tastes food?” Job 12:11). This says to me we know truth when we hear it, but sadly we reject it because it does not fit our agendas. Yet, the sin we so love to chase after, binds us with cords entangling us so that we drown in our own sin. The sin we so love doesn’t love us back; in truth it mocks and then kills us.

Psalm 112:1-10

9 They give generously to those in need.
Their good deeds will never be forgotten.
They will have influence and honor.

10 The wicked will be infuriated when they see this.
They will grind their teeth in anger;
they will slink away, their hopes thwarted.

These two verses seem to describe Saul. No matter what he tried to do to get David killed, he was “thwarted.”

The continuity of God’s message to us seamlessly threads its way through time and writers from different backgrounds and education never losing the gravity of its Words or significance. Wow, Only God can do that.

Proverbs 15:12-14

If a wise person is hungry for truth, and Jesus is
Truth then the wise person can only be satisfied by Jesus.

Grace and peace,
Ramona

======= Anka:

Jonathan is a good example of one who put the kingdom of God before any earthly kingdom.He should have been next in line to Saul yet he knew David would be the next king.He saw David as a brother in faith and loved him,nothing else mattered…he supported David to his own hurt.
A messianic Jew once told me that the word “I am”is not used at all in hebrew out of respect for God.For example if one had to say “I am going somewhere”they’d say “I going somewhere”just so they wouldn’t pronounce the same words God used to introduce himself.Jesus must have really made some jews mad when he didn’t hesitate to use I am…here he makes it so clear that he really meant “I AM”.Even today few people acknowledge Jesus as deity.I pray we who know can always be a light that beckons to those who don’t know Jesus as “I AM”.

Household gods….I just couldn’t help noticing the issue of household gods.When Michal was Saul’s house maybe Saul wasn’t a godly enough man(nor a good father)to make sure there was no other god except God in his home…Wonder if David ever knew there was a household god..or if he cared what his wife was doing.It does say Michal was in love with David,never says David returned her affection…Anyway,it seems Israel would sing praises to God for victory in battles but still kept their household gods…and to them that was ok.I pray God reveals our own security blankets(household gods)to us and gives us faith to look only to Him.

God bless you all
Anka

====== Sue:

======= Jim:

Don’t be surprised when insecure people are fearful and jealous of your successes, if not downright hostile. David’s successes brought popular approval when many must have already begun to lose confidence in the erratic rule of Saul. Twice Saul hurls scepters at David in fits of anger after hearing the songs of praise for David, and then he gives David a dangerous military command and further asks for a hundred tokens of dead Philistines (with David bringing twice that many) that only makes things worse. Saul finally starts to openly try to kill David even though Jonathan affects a brief reconciliation until David’s next victory in battle and God has to twice intervene. In David’s times of troubles, it was vital to have a real and tested friend in Jonathon. Likewise after three years in ministry and even after his resurrection, Christ speaks to only 500 during his sermon from the mount – during which He tells them to wait for the Holy Spirit. Then only a few weeks later at Pentecost, only 120 remained. In friendship it is better to go for quality rather than quantity.
Note: do not think that a dowry suggested that women were sold as property. The dowry was part of an elaborate pre-nuptial agreement where the husband generally agreed to continue support in the case of divorce (besides the woman keeping the dowry). Thus, the exchange of gifts showed that both the parents and groom valued the woman and that marriage was not to be taken lightly. Saul’s daughter loved David (and lied to help him escape), but her sinful father violated her trust and never considered her feelings in giving her to David. Years later, David will demand the return of his wife, but only for political reasons (2 Sam 3:13-16) and so will likewise violate her trust. She will show her bitterness at such repeated unfair treatment when she sees David praising God ecstatically (2 Sam 6), demonstrating that she had likewise failed to seek comfort in God. Let me repeat that if you ever read a biblical story and consider anyone other than God to be the hero, you should immediately reread the story.
The true test of Christian character is if you continue to obey Christ’s commandments (see John 14:21 and 2 John 1:6). A new Christian just converted by a single sermon should not have too much confidence in their feelings. Do not repress your love and joy for the Lord, but your faith has not been tried yet. I find the two biggest hurdles for Christians are at 2 months (where 50% are lost – for a total of 10 million Americans who have made a commitment to Christ but were without a relationship with any church within 2 months) and at two years when we our early overly high expectations in fellow Christians meets head on with reality (in much the same way a child must face deficiencies in parents). But, the service of God (not Christians) will free you from the slavery of evil passions, corrupt propensities, degrading vices, and groveling views.
“We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man!” This is a most obvious lie – the descendants of Abraham, or their fathers, had been slaves in Egypt. In addition, their nation had been enslaved in Babylon, repeatedly been subject to the Assyrians, was enslaved by Herod the Great, and was at that very moment under the grievous bondage of the Romans. The condition of a sinner, however, being captive to sin, is to avoid and oppose the truth, be subject to irrational passions, and have little regard for what is said. Jesus was right when he said in John 8:44, “You are of your father the devil; he is a liar, and the father of it.
Jesus emphasizes earlier that He did not mean political bondage but slavery to evil desires and rebellion, but every slave knows that a disobedient slave is quickly sold or discarded. A harsh reminder that they could lose the special privileges and status of being the people of God – that they could be cast off like an unfaithful slave without accepting the Gospel (and a warning for every Christian: Hebrews 6:4-8 – “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame”). Pretending as if not to understand Him, they boasted again that Abraham was their father and made into an offense his suggestion they were the offspring of anyone else.
They sought to kill the Messiah because there was no room for Him, being so filled with pride, prejudice, and false notions. He tells them such was not an act of Abraham and repeats the charge that their deeds are of their father (at this time had still not yet named Satan, preferring that they should infer whom He meant). They still profess to not understand Him and suggest that He was calling them of mixed blood and thusly outside the covenant (“we are not born of fornication”). And He tells them again, “If God was your father, you would love me hear God’s words.” Sinners cannot tolerate (as back in v 6:60) true biblical doctrines and form an obstinate purpose that it shall not be applied to them. The Samaritans were deemed as schismatic (and they had long debated which worshiped God correctly) and so why they call Christ one and then they say He had a devil since He called them of Satan (sort of like, “we know you are, but what are we”).
If we have examined ourselves and are left in good conscience, we should not consider it dishonorable to be under reproach, believing that God will in due time avenge us and bring forth “our righteousness as the light and our judgment as the noonday” (Psalm 37:6). Where ever the disciples went, people spoke against them. Christ says, however, “If I honor myself, my honor is nothing.” They had enough, though, when He claimed that He had come before Abraham and picked up stones to kill Him, but he was able to quickly hide himself (was he miraculously invisible and just so common looking that He could get lost in the multitude?). Today’s Psalm provides a vivid contrast of a good man in verse 5 in strong black and white terms against the wicked described in Psalm 109. The desire of the righteous will prevail while the desire of the wicked will perish. The horn is a symbol of power that speaks of prominence and a lasting sense of worth. This is again one of the nine acrostic (where each subsequent line begins with successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet) verses: 9, 10, 25, 34, 37, 111, 112, 119, and 145.
Jim

======= Vance:

I like the verses that Mike quoted from yesterday’s reading:
I Samuel 18 (NKJV)
3
Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.
4
And Jonathan took off the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, even to his sword and his bow and his belt.
COVENANT is a very powerful thing. If we give up God and lose the idea of the sacrifice of Jesus for us, we will lose the idea of covenant. If there is no God, there is no absolute truth—simply one person’s opinion and the power to enforce that opinion.
God is a God of covenant, and He always keeps His covenant.
Note how Jonathan made covenant with David: When he gave David his robe, armor, sword, bow, and belt. In effect, Jonathan was saying, “I will always honor you and—if necessary—I will give my life to protect yours.” David also made a reciprocal covenant with Jonathan.
Similarly, if there is no covenant, there is nothing binding a person to keep his or her word. Again, if there is no God, there is no binding agreements—only fickle human emotions.
John 8 (NKJV)
31
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.
32
And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
Again, Jesus’ Word is His covenant. Jesus’ very life, death, and resurrection were part of a living covenant with God and man. When Jesus died on the Cross, He died as our substitute—in our place—taking our punishment for sins in our place.
However, there is something more to this: When Jesus died on the Cross, He died as our REPRESENTATIVE. Thus, when Jesus died to sin—WE DIED TO SIN. When Jesus rose from the dead—WE ROSE VICTORIOUS OVER SIN. When Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father—JESUS TOOK US WITH HIM, and IN CHRIST WE ALSO ASCENDED NEXT TO THE FATHER.
May I—may we—truly abide in the Living Word—the Lord Jesus—by abiding in the Written Word in order that the Spirit of God may manifest through us the Life of the Word of God in and through us.
This is where meditation comes in. Meditation on the word—continually thinking, praying, pondering, speaking, believing, receiving—is very important.
Psalm 111 (NKJV)
1
Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2
But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.
3
He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.
Psalm 86 (NKJV)
11
Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name.
12
I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And I will glorify Your name forevermore.
Vance

======= Ramona:

1 Samuel 18:5-19:24
The relationship Saul had with David can be seen in thousands and thousands of homes, workplaces, and sadly families and churches. Insecure people trying to “puff” themselves up in mainly their own eyes; insecure people who are afraid that the façade they have placed around themselves is showing, which it either will eventually and will give them away. There is always a love/hate relationship at the core, but that love is based on the desire to benefit themselves as the expense of others, which is a lust.
Either thinking that God is ineffective and senile or either God is bypassing them because of their shortcomings, they need the people they despise to make them look good, but hate them because they fear they will be shown up by success that is not theirs to call their own. .
I think that tormenting spirit from God is because of the absence of a godly spirit within Saul. If a space is empty, in this case Saul’s heart, then what is “no good” will fill it. There is a law in Physics that states, two things cannot occupy the same space, it has to be one or the other. For me reading this brings back that Proverb I have mentioned that has spoken so powerfully to me and continues to speak.
He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls. (Proverbs 25:28 KJVR)
Self-discipline is a fruit of the Sprit and without that Spirit, any and all controls are external not internal. Once the external controls fall or fail, which they will, then anything can come in and everything is going out.
But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge]. (Galatians 5:22-23 AMP)
The question is begged again, What is in control me? Is it the Holy Spirit or is it some external rules and regulations, is it peer pressure to behave? The Ten Commandments are great but if they are only external restraints’ and not written upon my heart, my controls will be lost.
Grace and peace,
Ramona

======= John:

John 8:31-59
Random notes:
In Chapter 6 Jesus in the “Bread of Life discourse showed himself to be greater than Moses. Now here in Chapter 8 Jesus shows himself greater than Abraham.
vs 31-32 (Young’s Literal Translation) “Jesus, therefore, said unto the Jews who believed in him, `If ye may remain in my word, truly my disciples ye are, and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’”
There are disciples and there are “true” disciples. Seems these Jews believed, but they had not yet received Christ into their lives. If you stay in his word (logos), you are in Him and He is in you – that is the mark of a true disciple – ‘believing AND receiving’. When you do both you will know the truth (Jesus) and you will be free from the bondage of sin and the sting of death.
THE SAD THING: There are a lot of people who believe in Christ, but have never received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. They acnowledge Jesus is who He says He is in the Bible. They believe in what he says regarding salvation. But in the end they do not know Jesus (Matt 7:23), and that lack of the extra step – trusting Jesus to abide in you and run your life – well, it is an eternal mistake.
======================================================
vs 33. Two views
1)Never been slaves of anyone? Egypt, Babylon, Assyria, not to mention slaves of sin. The disagreement is getting heated and words are being thrown out without thought of their veracity.
2)Jews knew exactly what Jesus was talking about and as far as religion went they felt they had never not practiced Judaism. Although it is conveniant to forget that as a nation they often practiced idolatry along with worshipping the True God.
v. 44 Here personal pronouns are used, a time frame is given, a personal attribute (liar) is applied to the devil (Gk. Diablos) – seems apparent to me the Devil is a real entity.
Vs.56 Whether Abraham actually saw the day, or saw it in a dream, or metaphorically saw it when through his faith he was justified – I don’t believe is as important as ‘Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing this day’. These physical descendants of Abraham did not rejoice when it was actually happening before their eyes.
v. 58 Once again even if one does not want to admit what the declaration of “I AM” means (see Anka’s comment) just LOOK at the reaction it causes amongst the people.
John

====== John:

Sauls’ Insecurity
I now wonder about Saul’s supposed humility and hiding behind the baggage before his anointing as king. Perhaps this was not humility as much as Saul did not really want or think he should be king. He was so insecure and had no relationship with God – he probably thought he was in over his head.
======================================================
God’s spirit came upon Saul at different times to accomplish tasks – but he never had or has a relationship with God. We never see him throw himself down and trust in, depend on, rely on God. God, on the other hand, will use Saul as a vehicle in His Divine Plan, but God will not force a relationship with Saul.
Nor will God force a relationship with us today – we must come to Him. God will not force us to love and adore Him – that is not love (when it is co-erced).
======================================================
Fits of anger, lying, using others (even third parties – Philistines) to try and rid himself of David, jealousy over David’s relationship and favor with God —–
All point to his insecurity. Saul is not secure because he is not whole. Saul is not whole because he never believed in and trusted in the Lord. When you are in that condition you have no roots, no backbone, no ultimate moral authority to conduct your life – and it is easy pickings for Satan to lead you down the path of anger, jealousy, lying, doubt, etc.
John

====== Edward:

This is my second go with OYB, and I really enjoy it. Today you talk about Truth and Trash. Very appropriate in today’s political climate where politicians lie like a rug. You mention that you do not watch TV, and that may be good so as to not waste time; however, one still needs to be aware of what is going on around us. While some of the media is totally TRASH, a couple do make an attempt to have some semblance of TRUTH and to provide some semblance of clarity to issues that affect all of us daily. Knowing that helps me direct my prayer to a specific target vs throw prayer at the wall to see what sticks. Don’t waste time on the daytime talk shows. Those are all babbling heads talking over each other. Cheers.
Edward

1 Samuel 17:1-18:4 + John 8:21-30 + Psalm 111:1-10 + Proverbs 15:11
~ Click here to read today’s Scripture on Bible Gateway ~
~ Listen to today’s Scripture with Tom Dooley’s terrific NLT 1996 readings at this link or The ESV Bible: OT + NT + Psalms + Proverbs ~

Old Testament – We are beginning the story of David, which is always a blessing to read. As you know, David wrote many of the Psalms, so we’ve been reading some of David’s writings already this year. Now we begin his story! Hang on! This is a wonderful part of the Bible – reading about David and reading the Gospel of John at the same time. . . great stuff!  Bob Deffinbaugh with Bible.org has a terrific overview of David becoming Israel’s King at this link.

Today in 1 Samuel chapter 17 read about David & Goliath. In verse 45 we read – “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 LORD Almighty.” How often in our lives today are we like Goliath, where we try to make things work or do things with our own strength or our latest technology? Goliath relied on his strength and sword and spear and javelin – and perhaps we today rely on our intellectual pride and Blackberry and career and money. David simply relied on God. David moved in the name of God. How often do you move in the name of God today? How often do you completely rely on only God today? Can you move beyond relying solely on your “strengths” and “technologies” and instead move and breathe and rely on God in every circumstance in your life?  Below is “David Slaying Goliath” by Peter Paul Rubens from the year 1620:

Bible.org’s commentary on today’s readings titled “David and Goliath” is at this link.

Recommendation: I highly recommend the TV series “House of David” on Amazon Prime!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrGfIHBIVL4

New Testament – I love John 8 verse 29 where Jesus says – “And the one who sent me is with me–he has not deserted me. For I always do those things that are pleasing to him.”  If Jesus always did those things that are pleasing to God, do you think that you and I should do those things that are pleasing to Jesus and to God?   Meaning, it seems to me that Jesus was clearly very intentional with how he spent his time.  He only did those things that are pleasing to God.  How intentional are you and I in how we spend our time?  Do we make sure we are only doing those things that are pleasing to Jesus (who is God) and God the Father?  I know I don’t.  I wish I did.  I pray that I will spend more and more of my time doing those things that are pleasing to God.  Let us pray that Jesus’ personality permeates our personality and all that we do!

Psalms – Psalm 111 is a wonderful Psalm of praise!  I love the way it ends in verse 10: “Reverence for the LORD is the foundation of true wisdom.  The rewards of wisdom come to all who obey him. Praise his name forever!” Do you believe that reverence for God is the foundation of true wisdom?  Do you believe that there are rewards of wisdom if you obey God?  Will you praise his name forever?

Proverbs – Proverbs 15:11 today teaches us: “Even the depths of Death and Destruction are known by the LORD. How much more does he know the human heart!”

Worship God: Today’s readings remind me of Phil Wickham’s fantastic song “This is our God:”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNts1BTMhJQ

Do you believe God can defeat “Goliaths” in your life? Click here for Victory!

Please join us in memorizing and meditating on two verses of Scripture today: “David said to the Philistine (Goliath), “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied… 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.”” 1 Samuel 17:45,47 NIV

Prayer Point: Pray that you will not attempt battles against “Goliaths” in your life on your own, but that you will realize the battle is always the LORD’s. Pray that you will never trust your technologies over the LORD.

Comments from You & Questions of the Day:  Today’s Proverb is a wonderful reminder that God not only knows us, he knows our very hearts!  How is the state of your heart today?  Does your heart belong to God?  Also, what verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings?  Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!

God bless,
Mike

p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Bible readings at this link.

p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.

p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!

BLOG READERS HISTORICAL COMMUNITY COMMENTS:
(our Group Bible Study is below! : )

======= Ramona:

1 Samuel 17:1-18:4
Goliath was one big guy and a very boisterous one. But because God was no longer with Saul, this one man’s braggadocio sent the entire Israeli army to flight. They had forgotten the Words of God given to Moses, which Moses then placed in a song (Deut 31:30-32:43),

30 How could one man chase a thousand, or two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, unless the LORD had given them up?

The Lord had “given them up” because they failed to follow Him.

I love the story of David and Goliath because it takes an ordinary boy and pits him against an extraordinary man, Goliath. David knew Goliath could be defeated, and defeated by him because he had other experiences to draw from, the taking out of the lion and the bear. David knew how to rely on God because he gained practice while hanging out with the sheep, alone in the sheep fields. Today at church my pastor warned about substituting the joy and power of corporate worship for the intimacy that only private worship and devotion will bring. Corporate worship is needed; however, corporate worship with out private intimacy defeats the purpose of private prayer time. Our intimacy with God can only be built one on one and not inside the church with a crowd. It is only in that one on one relationship with God where we learn to recognize His voice when we hear it, and learn to trust Him as well as discerning His will for our lives.

David’s exchange with his brother, or should I say Eliab’s rebuke of David gives us another clue into David’s place in his family.

28 But when David’s oldest brother, Eliab, heard David talking to the men, he was angry. “What are you doing around here anyway?” he demanded. “What about those few sheep you’re supposed to be taking care of? I know about your pride and dishonesty. You just want to see the battle!”

David’s response to his oldest brother, the one Samuel thought looked like a king before God told him, “No,” should resound in the hearts of all siblings who were picked on by the older brother or sister, “What have I done now?” God uses the scrawny ones, the ones people think, family members especially, have no future, or a limited one at best. That fact should set a lot of people who come to this site heart’s soaring.

David killed Goliath with what he was familiar with he didn’t use the weapons of the experts; in fact he couldn’t handle those weapons. Folks we need to use the “weapons” that God has equipped up to use and not the weapons of the world’s system. When Moses complained to God that he neither had the aptitude nor the speech to convince a nation that God would use him to deliver then from bondage, God asked, “What’s that in your hand?” Moses’ rod, a shepherd’s rod was the simple instrument God worked through to bring his people out of Egypt. What is that in your hands? Be it a slingshot, or shepherd’s rod God can use it to not only deliver you but also deliver your family. Hallelujah! But be forewarned, self-confident people in God will always intimidate those who don’t know their God. Daniel 11:32 “ …but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.”

John 8:21-30

Jesus lays out two Kingdoms separated by the word “not.” Unbelievers will die in their sins, believers will “not.” The location of theses two Kingdoms are diametrically opposed, one is above and the other below, one is of this world the other is not.

For the unbelievers the “other” Kingdom where the “not” dying in “their sins” will occur in difficult and impossible to understand. Believers have access not only to a coded book, but a voice, the voice of the Father, and the only way to break that code is by way of the Father though Jesus Christ.

Psalm 111:1-10
This Psalm proclaims the wonderful and amazing ways of the Lord, and for me verses 7-8 hooks into one of the reasons why I love the Book of John and that is Jesus’ numerous use of the word true, truth, and truly, at least in the King James Version.

7 All he does is just and good,
and all his commandments are trustworthy.

8 They are forever true,
to be obeyed faithfully and with integrity.

Jesus uses those three words over 90 times in the Book of John, and most he is using it about his own character, words and the essence of His being. Apart from Jesus there is no truth.

Proverbs 15:11
Death and Destruction are capitalized to indicate they are a person, place or thing, hmmm, something to think about.

Grace and peace,
Ramona

====== Anka:

David’s brother’s had a grudge:he was annointed before them and they like Joseph’s brothers hated him for it.When David set out to get Goliath,his brothers must have hoped that would be the end of him,they didn’t try to talk him out of it.
Saul it seems has a bit of trouble with his memory.When he had a demon disturb him he was told about David and who’s son he was.David sang for him on his harp,could it be that Saul didn’t even care to look at the face of the one whom with the help of the Holy Spirit chased his demons away.He really was conceited if so.
Jonathan and David had the same beliefs:God was the one who gave victory to Israel…not the number of fighting men,not the sophisticated weapons.He saw in David,a brother who shared his faith and loved him like he loved himself.If all the church of Christ was drawn together by the common faith and love….the kingdom of darkness would never prevail..David kept the two most important commandments:He loved God so much that he was ready to lay all aside and do his will(inspite of “encouragement”from his brothers)and he did have love for others(he didn’t mind that Saul didn’t remember who he was or that his brothers hated him cos I’m sure they showed him their “appreciation”whenever they could yet even in the heat of battle,David went to the front lines to greet his brothers).
I have to admit that I’m really not that sure I love God with all my heart and my mind….I certainly don’t love my brothers and sisters in Christ like I do myself…I’m not sure I’d jump up with joy if I had to go preach in Iran,neither do I love my brethren when I see them try to put me down.
I’m asking God to show me my heart and put true repentance where all the dirt is…I pray we all truly learn to love God and each other.
God bless you all

Anka

======== Jenny:

I love young David’s faith: “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty”.
Found it kinda funny that David seemed to be walking around all day with Goliath’s head in his hand. haha.
I love the friendship between David n Jonathan, he “became as one spirit with him and he loved him as himself.”

In our John readings, v 29 “for I always do what pleases Him.” I wish I could say the same, but I dont. I strive to, but I will never be there until I put on incorruption and am finally completed in Him when i leave this earth.

I would love to say my heart is right with God, but we dont even know our own hearts. My pastor once said if God fully revealed our heart to us, we wouldnt be able to handle it! so He reveals things little by little if we ask Him to. The Bible doesnt teach us our heart is pure.
“The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately wicked; who can understand it?”(Jer.17:9)
“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.” Mark 7:21-23

Here we see it is not things from outside sources that defiles us, but what is within us already! very sobering!
Thank God for His endless patience, mercy, compassion, and love!

Jenny

====== Mae:

Isn’t Davids faith wonderful? That’s what it’s all about: walk in faith! 17:45 “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied”. When Jaden had his first day of school I bought him a little book from David & Goliath … I thought of Jaden as my own brave David! He seemed so small and big at the same time …

John had some great verses, as usual.
verse 24 “That is why I said that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I Am who I claim to be, you will die in your sins.”
verse 29 “And the One who sent Mis with me—He has not deserted me. For I always do what pleases Him.”

Psalm 111:5 “He gives food to those who fear him;
he always remembers his covenant”. ~ I think this sais it all: if we fear Him, if we love and obey Him, turn to Him, live how He wants it (through His Word). He’ll make sure we’ll be allright. I do believe that, I have faith … I walk in faith!

Mae

======= Anna:

From the reading: “And the one who sent me is with me–he has not deserted me. For I always do those things that are pleasing to him.”

We can also deduct the opposite. If we ALWAYS do those things that please the Father, he will ALWAYS be with us and not desert us”

I pray that Jesus/God shows us how to do the things that please him. Is funny the “Our Father” prayer says “Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” 🙂

Anna

====== Art:

The Holy Spirit highlighted a great connection for me this morning in today’s readings between Psalm 111:7 – “…all his precepts are trustworthy” and John 8:26 – “…he who sent me is reliable”. Bottom line: God *always* keeps his promises. His truth is the truth that trumps all other things that masquerade as ‘truth’.

How humble was David! Once serving in the court of his king, he returned home to graciously tend his father’s sheep. Not many men who at one time have been exalted can return to a humble existance!

“Before honor is humility”. A lesson from David in this chapter of Holy Scripture.

Art

======= Jen:

Silly question.

Why did Saul not know who David’s father was after David killed Goliath? Hadn’t David been playing the harp for Saul? Didn’t Saul send to his father and request that David stay with him? I know this is an off the wall questions, but I remember the servant who went to fetch David telling Saul about David’s lineage. Why would they write that Saul did not know who David’s father was? Did David stop playing the harp for Saul and return to his sheep in the interim? The older brothers went to fight and so David had to go back to his family? Therefore Saul did not connect the boy who played the harp with this young man.

I don’t know.

Jen

====== Frederick:

Re: Jen

My guess is that the events described in 1 Samuel might not be in chronological order. This is not uncommon, e.g. in Judges 17 onward, the descriptions of the Israeli situation might not strictly after Samson. Another example, in 2 Samauel 21 and 22 might not strictly followed 2 Samuel 20. Also, in the New Testament, the Book of Matthew and Mark are also not chronological, but Luke is.

Frederick

====== Bob:

1Samuel 17:26-45. In line with Scazzero’s book “Emotionally Healthy Spirituality”, the Goliath story prompts us to examine our ability to be true to ourselves in the midst of great trials. This is called DIFFERENTIATION. It is related to our relationship to God. Augustine (500 AD) prayed, “Grant Lord that I may know myself that I may know thee.” John Calvin (1530) wrote, “Our wisdom…consists almost entirely of two parts: the knowledge of God and ourselves. But as these are connected together by many ties, it is not easy to determine which of the two precedes and gives birth to the other.” J. I. Packer (today) says, “Knowing God is more than knowing about Him; it is a matter of dealing with Him as He opens up to you, and being dealt with by Him as He takes knowledge of you. Knowing about Him is a necessary precondition of trusting in Him, but the width of our knowledge about Him is no gauge of our knowledge of Him.” David knew God. As we read more of David’s stories, I like to put my perspective on watching his “lifestyle evangelism” and reflecting on my own life. After all he did spend a lot of time search for the heart of God.

Bob

====== Robert:

1Samuel 17:40
David and Goliath.

Why 5 smooth stones? If David was so sure of God being with him would he not have just needed one stone? Scholars have dug into the past and it looks like Goliath had 4 brothers who may have come after David as well, so it is only reasonable that David prepare for their attack. (2 Samuel 21: 22). I guess what this makes me ask myself is if I am about to go into a battle or a situation I should think about it a bit. Prepare my rocks so to speak. I know David trusted the Lord and I have to make that my first priority. David had confidence in God and I believe we receive that confidence with our relationship with God.
A book I liked by Eugene H. Peterson called, “Five Smooth stones for Pastoral Work”. (1980). It doesn’t speak directly to this story but relates 5 Biblical stories from Ruth to Ester to give us tools ready to do the job. Eugene quotes the Norwegian poet Gunnar Thorkildsson: (Discipleship)
Odd shaped pebbles roll
And tumble round the Rock which
Smooths them into five smooth
Stones
One of which will kill a giant.

Robert

====== Sue:

Don’t you just love David’s courage and humility? No. I don’t think those are opposite traits, but they certainly require a close walk with the Lord.

Saul dresses David up with all this armor, but David’s doesn’t even seem to realize what an honor it is to be wearing the “KING’s” very own protection!

Is that because David has on the whole armor of God described in Ephesians?

Are his loins gird about with TRUTH–

Does he have on the breastplate of RIGHTEOUSNESS–

Are his feet shod with the GOSPEL OF PEACE–

The helmet of SALVATION–

And above all, has he taken the shield of FAITH–(wherewith he can quench all the fiery darts of the wicked?)

And is he wearing the helmet of SALVATION–

Armed with the SWORD OF THE SPIRIT (which is the word of God).

You know, we all are giant slayers! What a privilege to be part of the Army of God.

Sue

====== Ramona:

I Samuel 17:1-18:4

Interesting reading today indeed. It is fun and invigorating to see things in the text that I haven’t seen before. I had already observed in previous readings that David was not well liked by his family much less esteemed. After all, when Samuel came to his family’s home to anoint someone as king, David wasn’t even considered. He was only an afterthought after Samuel went through all the sons that were present only to discover that none were appointed by God. The rebuke to David by his older bother, Eliab, the one Samuel thought was the king because of his appearance, more than suggests that David was an embarrassment to them and bullied. “What have I done now?” is a response from someone who has been accused all of their life of doing something wrong. David was the butt of their “blame games.”

All of David’s time with his sheep shaped his character. His concern for the sheep would come to translate into concern for God’s people. His protection of those sheep would build him up to be a great warrior. No, there was not boot camp training in the building up of his body to handle the armor and all the weapons of war. He had no training in tactical warfare, no marching drills, no long hikes to build up stamina by carrying all his gear on his back. David had been trained by God and thus trusted God. David above all the men on that battlefield who were interestingly enough not in battle, though they carried the accoutrements of battle, had a relationship with God. God had his back.

Though Saul had David in his employ, he knew nothing about this young man. Yes, he may have known in his head David’s parentage and David by sight, but he didn’t know in his knowing who David was nor what David was about. I don’t think his family knew either. David’s defeat of Goliath shattered everyone’s perception of who David was. Like Jesus, David’s hometown reputation undercut his true value. Bad reputation, bad location etc, can cause us to be boxed into a role that everyone expects us to play; however, a relationship and fellowship with God will blow you out of that box. And let’s face it most will not like it. When our expectations of others are changed, we must do some things: change our perceptions and possibly apologize or keep trying to put that person back in the box we have created. “Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Can anything good come out of Brooklyn? Can anything good come out of Detroit, or South Central LA (California), or any place man has stated is useless, corrupted and defiled. Absolutely, YES! Our challenge is too see past our mental hang-ups and prejudgments and get to the true heart of the matter. Is God in the midst?

The story of David should empower everyone who was ever looked upon with contempt and called a failure. With God you can do anything, despised and rejected, yet Jesus was the light of the World. Will we close our eyes to that light either by rejecting to acknowledge there is light or look for another?

Grace and peace,
Ramona

====== Dee:

I love the story of David and Goliath! The redemption of the Lord on the spirit of David and the Israelites. Goliath was no match for the Lord.

Johns verses was short and sweet today..Jesus being an obedient son and whatever God the Father said He obeyed..David was a representation of that in 1 Samuel..

Psalm 111 Reverence to the Lord is true wisdom. That is the sweet spot..revering him and nothing else.

Proverbs 15..I often wonder..what does the Lord know of my heart? I often wonder if I dwell on things I need not..and need to just let it happen when it happens..no biggee to not get offended. Big deal. Things will come when it is time

Dee

======= Jim:

Goliath is over nine feet tall (with a brother Lahmi that’s just as big) with armor alone weights over 125 pounds. David bringing supplies (this is not normal – suggesting the army has been held at bay with fear for over a month) and is disgusted by the giant’s taunts. Saul was the logical man to face Goliah (not only as leader but also as the largest man in the Israelite forces) where David is young, untrained, and too small to even walk in Saul’s oversized armor. “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who doe not need to be ashamed” (2 Tim 2:15). The real difference, however, was David’s total confidence in God as Lord of the armies an advanced fearlessly for the honor of God’s name. “Your hands made me and formed me; give me understanding to learn your commands” (Psalm 119:73). Was David’s courage less than 100% by the fact that he took 5 rocks instead of only the one he carried? An archer or slinger normally carried 5 arrows or rocks and this is the number by Jewish tradition that represents God in that 10 represent a total and God is half of a godly Jew (this is why an aravah, or willow branch. is beaten 5 times against the floor on the holiday of Hosha’anah Raba, last day of the Sukkot). David didn’t start out a godly man, it took a lot of work and he made quite a few mistakes along the way. Since Goliah had cursed one of God’s people, God was bound by His covenant to curse Goliah. The returning David was met with singing and dancing – “Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing” (Psalm 30: 11). How can Baptists be against dancing (many Baptist halls are built slanted with fixed pews to lessen the chance they would ever be used for dancing)? Saul likely asked about genealogy in order to help determine if David might be a contender for the throne. In identifying his father as “your servant,” David was likely trying to politically emphasize that Jesse was no threat to the king. David quickly forms one of greatest male friendships in the Bible with Jonathan, Saul’s oldest son. The gifting of treasured items by Jonathan was a symbolic transfer of royal power from Saul’s family to David.
There is no salvation except by Christ (see Acts 4:12 and 7:25), who came “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). In Acts 26:22-23, Paul says that he taught nothing more that what was delivered by Moses and the prophets. He does not mean to suggest that God is not able to save but that the salvation of the human race was entrusted to the hands of Jesus the Messiah. Many must have thought or even wished Jesus mad, “Will he kill himself?” Christ replies that He is not of this world suggesting that their reference to self-destruction showed that they were governed by mad passions. They directly ask, “who art thou?” He said, “I have many things to say” to reprove (“to judge you”) and expose your pride and hypocrisy. Let it not be thought, therefore, that this judgment is rash or harsh as such is commanded by God. In the end, many still did not understand (while at the same time, many others believed – mostly only the commoners). But when you have crucified the Son of man, then they will have all the proof they need – that Jesus did nothing for himself but in those things that please God as the Messiah.
Each line of today’s psalm in Hebrew begins with a subsequent letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The “fear” in this psalm is not about a shrinking effort to flee but an awesome sense of God (including His power, truth, and justice) as viewed in the humbling context of man’s finiteness and moral degeneracy expressed through submission to His will. I’ve used this verse on one of my many “Know Fear” T-shirts. The beginning of wisdom is found in temper of reverence and awe.
Jim

======= John:

Two more “I AM” statements
From Young’s literal translation of the Bible.
24I said, therefore, to you, that ye shall die in your sins, for if ye may not believe that I am [he], ye shall die in your sins.’
28Jesus, therefore, said to them, `When ye may lift up the Son of Man then ye will know that I am [he]; and of myself I do nothing, but according as my Father did teach me, these things I speak;
Every time Jesus says “I AM” – I picture any of the priests and scribes around just wincing and contorting their facial expressions.
Verse 26
“I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is reliable, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.” NIV
I interpret this verse different than Bob. Jesus COULD say plenty more about them and judge them, but He does not? Why? Because the Father is faithful.
This trip (Jesus’ first coming)is not about judgment, it is about salvation. The Father is faithful to the purpose of that trip. Jesus only speaks what the Father allows – that is the message of Salvation. Personal comments and judgments of individuals are not on the agenda. In a way, it seems like Jesus is curbing His tongue in this instance in submission to the Will of the Father.
======================================================
Bob had some comments in his conclusion that are pertinent to my proverbs post yesterday about Worship and Prayer. On this, I am 100% in agreement.
(3) Jesus is the only way to know and to worship God. There is no salvation apart from Christ, and there is no true worship of the Father which rejects, denies, diminishes the Son.
Ignorance of Christ is the root of not knowing God. People today say, ‘Well, I believe in God, but I don’t believe in Christ.’ They’re talking in a riddle. You can’t know God without Christ. And when you come to know Christ, you come to know God. These are inseparable.102
A man can know the Father only as He knows Jesus. It is a key doctrine of this Gospel that it is in the Son and in the Son alone that the Father is revealed. No one has ever seen God. It is the Son who has ‘declared’ Him (18). This is fundamental. If a man really comes to know Jesus then he will know the Father also, and acknowledge the Father’s testimony to the Son. The two go together (cf. Weymouth: ‘You know my Father as little as you know me’). But to reject Jesus is to place oneself out of reach of the divine testimony.103
http://www.bible.org/page.asp?page_id=2366
John

======= John:

Scoffer talking about David
Scoffer: Some God. According to YOUR Bible, David took five stones out to fight Goliath.
Christian: So?
Scoffer: If Your God is so great and David beleived and was anointed – Why did he not take only one stone as a sign of his faith. Afterall, David only needed one stone, right?
Christian: Correct.
Scoffer: So?
Christian: Later on in the Bible it says Goliath had four brothers – all these men were also large warriors. (2 Sam 21:15-22)
David took five stones out to Goliath in case his Brothers wanted to avenge Goliath’s death. One stone for each brother : )
John

======= Vance:

I Samuel 17 (NKJV)
26
Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
36
Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.”
John 8 (NKJV)
28
Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.
29
And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.”
30
As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.
Psalm 111 (NKJV)
9
He has sent redemption to His people; He has commanded His covenant forever: Holy and awesome is His name.
10
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments.
His praise endures forever.
~~~
NOTE: Goliath was an uncircumcised Philistine. David was circumcised. In other words, David had yielded Himself to the Lord by blood covenant and was protected by God’s covenant. David’s obedience in love and worship—and David’s ability move in the Spirit of God—was a relationship born and developed out of covenant.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
Do we, as Christians, really practice the Presence of God on a regular basis? Do we wait before the Lord and allow His Presence—and the fullness of His redemption and His covenant—to be fully manifest in our lives?
As much as I love the Holy Bible, I realize that studying the Word of God and early waiting in His Presence for the fulfillment of His Promises—His Anointing—are two entirely different things.
I am exciting we can quote Scripture—and we should know Scripture well. For, just like Jesus—God the Son—we use Scripture against the schemes of the devil (Matthew 4).
However, we then need to also be like to Jesus—God the Son—regarding the Holy Spirit. Jesus, though fully God, was completely and fully man. As a man, He was righteous man, in right relationship with His Father. Yet, He needed the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
It is the same for us. I praise God that we are made the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21) because Jesus because Lord died, rose from the dead, and ascended as our sinless substitute and representative.
Yet, we need the anointing of the Holy Spirit. All of God’s Word says we are already blessed in the heavenly places with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1). We are called to be like Jesus and spend time surrendering and yielding to the Father in the Holy Spirit. We are called to be like Jesus: “The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.”
May we walk in the fear and anointing of the Lord. May we not be “half-baked” Christians simply knowing the Scriptures. May we walk in the fullness of what God promises in His Word, as in Ephesians 1 (Amplified):
17
[For I always pray to] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, THAT HE MAY GRANT YOU A SPIRIT OF WISDOM AND REVELATION [OF INSIGHT INTO MYSTERIES AND SECRETS] IN THE [DEEP AND INTIMATE] KNOWLEDGE OF HIM,
18
BY HAVING THE EYES OF YOUR HEART FLOODED WITH LIGHT, SO THAT YOU CAN KNOW AND UNDERSTAND THE HOPE TO WHICH HE HAS CALLED YOU, AND HOW RICH IS HIS GLORIOUS INHERITANCE IN THE SAINTS (HIS SET-APART ONES),
19
AND [SO THAT YOU CAN KNOW AND UNDERSTAND] WHAT IS THE IMMEASURABLE AND UNLIMITED AND SURPASSING GREATNESS OF HIS POWER IN AND FOR US WHO BELIEVE, AS DEMONSTRATED IN THE WORKING OF HIS MIGHTY STRENGTH,
20
Which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His [own] right hand in the heavenly [places]
Vance

====== John:

Light of the World
[late post from yesterday]
On the evening of the first night of the Feast of Tabernacles, there was a ceremony called the “Illumination of the Temple,” which involved the ritual lighting of four golden candelabra in the Court of Women. For additional reflection, each person lit four candlesticks and set them in a floating bowl, producing such a spectacle of light that it is said that all Jerusalem basked in its glow. All night long the light shone. In celebration and anticipation, the greatest, wisest, and holiest of Israel’s men danced before the Lord and sang psalms of joy and praise, while the people watched and waited.
They watched and waited, hoped and prayed, because this festival reminded the citizens of Israel that God had promised to send a light, the Light, to a sin-darkened world. God promised to send a Redeemer, the Anointed One, the Messiah, the Son of God. God promised to send Someone Who would renew Israel’s glory, release them from bondage, and restore their joy.
Whether the light was to represent the Shekinah Glory once present in the Temple or the pillar of Fire that led the nation in the wilderness is not as important as that in the Old Testament “light” was promised (that it would be sent) to Israel .
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path (Psalm 119:105).
In John 1:1 Jesus is the Word so it is no surprise that He claims to be the light. In fact it is mentioned often in John 1.
Oh, send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me (Psalm 43:3).
Jesus is the light and the truth.
“Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. (Is 60:1)
The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned. (Is 9:2)
With the backdrop of recent Feast of Tabernacles and the promises in Scripture, Jesus says:
John 8:12
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
“I AM” (ego eimi)
“the light of the world” – not just Israel. The light of the world , but there is responsibility on our part –
“Whoever follows me” – Greek present participle – means “continuos following” – which is the difference between a disciple and a true disciple. See John 15:8
“will never walk in darkness” – THE PROMISE: if you walk in the light and abide in me (follow me) you will know God and the things of God. They will be illuminated to you.
“but will have the light of life.” – see above – you will have the life-giving light – by knowing these things from receiving, believing, and following Christ you will walk in the light of God and be a reflection of His Glory.
John

======= Luch:

Thanks for the ‘love your neighbhour’ section today that highlighted the Navigators. I came to Christ through the Navigators’ campus ministry in Ontario, Canada, 34 years ago. They initially taught me how to read the Bible through in a year.
They developed a concept using the Word Hand illustration. It shows 5 ways to get the scriptures into our lives–hearing the word, reading the word, studying the word, memorizing the Word and meditating on the Word.
You can see this illustration on the section called “Tools” at http://www.navigators.org
Thanks for having love for the WHOLE body of Christ Mike.
Luch

======= Alice:

I read an article regarding weight loss. It was very appropriate for our study. It emphasized the faith in God as the basis for a 40lb loss. I was so encouraged by this because we rely on our own efforts so much of the time for living in this world. I would like to encourage everyone to put God 1st and then all things are possible. Thanks so much for your commitment to this study. I’m blessed every day with the knowledge that there are so many interested in doing God’s will.
Alice

======== Lily:

All the readings today point out to one truth that God loves us all, no matter who we are, the young, the poor, the lowly. If we trust in God, He will be with us and help us overcome obstacles. No wealth, technology advances will help us if God is not with us. A simple sheperd boy, David, defeated the giant Goliath with simple sling and river stone because He called & trusted God. Lord help us to be meek and faithful to your teachings.
Lily

1 Samuel 15:1-16:23 + John 8:1-20 + Psalm 110:1-7 + Proverbs 15:8-10
~ Click here to read today’s Scripture on Bible Gateway ~
~ Listen to today’s Scripture with Tom Dooley’s terrific NLT 1996 readings at this link or The ESV Bible: OT + NT + Psalms + Proverbs ~

Old Testament – Wow.  Big reading day today! David is anointed by Samuel. Saul meets David for the first time! The story of David begins!  I am excited!  In First Samuel 15 we read about Saul destroying most – but not all… – of the Amalekite nation.  God’s commands were clear to destroy all.  Saul, simply put, disobeyed.  Verses 22 and 23 sum up this chapter powerfully when Samuel says this to Saul: “What is more pleasing to the LORD: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Obedience is far better than sacrifice. Listening to him is much better than offering the fat of rams. Rebellion is as bad as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as bad as worshiping idols. So because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you from being king.””  Obedience is far better than sacrifice…  think this is still true today?  Are you more of an obedient person or a sacrificial person before God?  Do you believe that rebellion is as bad as witchcraft and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols?  Below is a powerful painting of Samuel reproving Saul from today’s readings by the Boston-born colonial artist John Singleton Copley from the year 1798:

The One Year Bible Companion has a great answer to this question about today’s readings, “Why did David not become king after he was anointed?” as follows:  “David was anointed king, but it was done in secret; he was not publicly anointed until much later in Second Samuel 2:4 and 5:3.  Saul was still legally the king, but God was preparing David for his future responsibilities.  The anointing oil poured on David’s head stood for holiness.  It was used to set people or objects apart for God’s service.  Each king and high priest in Israel was anointed with oil.  This commissioned him as God’s representative to the nation.”  First Samuel 16 verse 13 is the first mention of David’s name in the Bible, and it is a great verse to begin the story of David’s life in relationship with God: “So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the olive oil he had brought and poured it on David’s head. And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him from that day on.”  Below “Samuel Anoints David” by the Renaissance artist Raphael from the early 16th century:

At the end of First Samuel chapter 16 today we read about David being summoned by Saul to play the harp to relieve Saul from the evil spirit that tormented him.  The current and future (and now anointed) Kings of Israel meet!  Below is “David Playing the Harp for Saul” by the French painter James Tissot from the year 1858:

Bible.org’s commentary on our First Samuel readings today titled “Saul and the Amalekites” is at this link and commentary titled “The Designation of David as King” is at this link.

New Testament – I love John chapter 8 verse 12 today: “Jesus said to the people, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t be stumbling through the darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.””  Do you believe that Jesus is the light of the world?  Why would we want or need a light in this world?  Do you believe there is darkness in this world?  Do you need the light that leads to life?

Bible.org’s commentary on today’s readings in John titled “The Light of the World” is at this link.

Psalms – Psalm 110 is a powerful Psalm today!  It is considered Messianic and some say the most prophetic of all the Psalms.  Verses 1 & 4 are the 2 verses that are believed to be most prophetic of Jesus and both verses are referenced in the New Testament, most often verse 1. 

Verse 1 –
“The LORD said to my Lord,
        “Sit in honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies,
        making them a footstool under your feet.””

Verse 4 stands today, with very similar teachings to what we’ve just been reading about this in Hebrews this past week or so!
“The LORD has taken an oath and will not break his vow:
       “You are a priest forever in the line of Melchizedek.””

Bible.org’s commentary on Psalm 110 titled “David’s Lord” is at this link.

Proverbs – Proverbs chapter 15 verses 8 & 9 today teach us: “The LORD hates the sacrifice of the wicked, but he delights in the prayers of the upright. The LORD despises the way of the wicked, but he loves those who pursue godliness.”  I’m a bit late on this image below that is perfect for Mother’s Day regarding the prayers of the upright:

Worship Video: Today’s readings remind me of the Colton Dixon song “Build a Boat:”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3Fl8ngQzWk

Do you need a boat? Click here for your boat!

Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today: “When they kept on questioning him, he (Jesus) straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” John 8:7 NIV

Prayer Point: Pray that you recognize your own sinfulness. Pray that you have repented of your sin and placed your faith in Jesus’ work on the Cross to redeem you from your sin. Pray that you will not “throw stones” at other sinners, like yourself.

Comments from You & Questions of the Day:  Today’s Proverb is a great opportunity to ask yourself – 1. How’s your prayer life? and 2. Are you pursuing godliness in your life each and every day?  Also, what verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings?  Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!

God bless,
Mike

p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Bible readings at this link.

p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.

p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!

BLOG READERS HISTORICAL COMMUNITY COMMENTS:
(our Group Bible Study is below! : )

======= Ramona:

======= Lora:

I see an interesting connection because the Old and New Testament scriptures today. In the O.T. the focus is on complete obedience rather than sacrifice. Then the John scripture contains the story of the woman caught in adultery. When Jesus moves in, not to condone the woman’s action but to protect her, he does so by reminding the accusers that they too have sins that need to be confronted. In other words, Jesus is teaching us once more that God is more interested in our own heart’s obedience than He is in our sacrifices or even our despair over the sins of others. Though we have concern for the sin in our world, God is more interested in the attention I give to MY own obedience to Him. True purity will not come by ridding the world around me of its sin but by dropping my rebellion and obeying God no matter what the cost.
Lora

======= Jim:

The end-times are when there is no one left who can be saved and the return on God’s investment has gone to zero. The Amalekites came to their end-times over 3,000 years ago when God commanded Saul to wipe them from existence. They had sinned, God gave them a couple centuries to repent, no one did, and God ended His investment in them. But things didn’t go as God commanded. Saul did not kill their king and kept their best livestock (with the excuse that he kept them to give sacrifices to God – but how can something you stole be a “sacrifice” for you?). This is the first of many biblical references that it is better to obey than to sacrifice (see also Ps 40:6-8; 51:16-17; Prov 21:3; Isa 1:11-17; Jer 7:21-23; Hos 6:6; Mic 6:6-8; Matt 12:7; Mark 12:33; and, Heb 10:8-9). A sacrifice was supposed to be about a relationship with God, but one who chose to sin and just say sorry couldn’t really claim much of a relationship. I often hear people (including pastors) say that they dislike religion, but if you look up the word you’ll find it’s definition is very close to culture. Thus, hating religion is like hating culture. Religious (or cultural) ceremonies or rituals are simplified ways to pay respect (such as shaking someone’s hand when you first meet). They are without merit only when they are done without an attitude of love and humility.
The phrase, “God was grieved” seems as if God had recognized that He had made a mistake. In verse 15:11 God says, “I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments.” And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to the LORD all night. This is similar to 15:35 in which Samuel morns for Saul and “the Lord repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.” While repent can mean to regret or feel remorse, it can also imply to make a change for the better for one’s sins (as in penitence or atone). Nevertheless, God can’t sin or change His mind about sin – thus, God’s statement, “I greatly regret” was only meant to mean, “I appear to outside observers to greatly regret.” In other words, that both Samuel and God were grieved by Saul’s actions. Likewise, the flood was not because God regretted making Man, but because Man made God grieve. To those that were outside God, like the Biblical authors, this looked like God was repenting and regretting. The Hebrew word niham can only mean emotional anguish over a situation affecting others (as well as a change in mind as per Samuel in verse 29 asserts that God does not “change His mind”). The fact that Saul flaw’s endangered the nation made God sad (as Christ cried in John 11:35 for our pain) but was no indication that God had made a mistake. The Mormon Bible translators worry about this seeming conflict (blaming weak Jews and Christians for getting it wrong) and “correct” it to Samuel doing the regretting (as well as that Noah and not God that regrets making man), but this is a mistake.
Samuel feared that Saul would kill him if he heard Samuel anoint another king and God instructs Samuel to say he has come to sacrifice. Now God is outright telling someone to lie suggesting that we are not obligated to reveal everything we intend when it all were known another might be moved to sin. We read that the Holy Spirit left Saul when an evil one took up residence that was immediately noticed by Saul’s servants later in verse 18:10 (just as the Holy Spirit was empowering David for the work of ruling God’s people). Whatever Saul’s problem was (demon possession, attack, messenger, discontent), empowered by the Spirit of God, David was able to temporarily drive it away with music. The story of David and Goliath, however, should be taught to every school child if only for the biblical literacy to be able to read a newspaper in our society. “To apply the word ‘censorship’ to it is probably too strong,” said Tom Adams, California’s education official defending guidelines a couple of years back which resulted in stripping material from a wide variety of classics in an attempt to comply with “social guidelines.” As the breadth of the changes has become public, writers have been appalled at finding the Jewish content from Isaac Bashevis Singer’s work completely deleted, making the Little Engine that Could female, changing Paul Bunyan from a lumberjack to a wood cutter, and rewriting a famous Chicano activist’s memoirs with the word “American” instead of “gringo.” For decades textbooks have not been allowed to show elderly with a cane or men in dangerous jobs or women at home. Without a foundation of Bible knowledge (or of how the world really is), we are leaving our children void of basic literacy. With rewriting our literature for “social guidelines” we are ripe for firemen (who aren’t generally needed to put out fires anymore with so much fire retardant materials) to start burning books (AKA Fahrenheit 451). Moreover, “To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society” – Theodore Roosevelt (“What then of an entire generation” – Steve Farrell).
God sent Samuel to the house of Jesse in Bethlehem and he was immediately taken with the strapping eldest boy and assumed he was a man of God, but God informed him otherwise, “I have rejected him.” It is said that we usually decide about a person within the first 30 seconds even though it is insane to think there could be enough information to make any kind of rational decision in that time (and we argue away hints of foolishness with beliefs in our intuition – which means either transferring repressed childhood memories or by using an unconscious mind, either of which being pretty bad). What does Jesus look like? What would you think of him just by his appearance? What does Satan look and sound like? Which would you more likely be more drawn to as a friend, mate, or Lord? Some years back, the BBC did a program on the life and times of Jesus and they received a mountain of letters from very angry viewers complaining about the fact that the actor who played Jesus was short and portly (and not about the character that he portrayed). We often hear that we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover but then we ALL do it ALL the time. A heart for God, though, is displayed in one’s actions.
For example, Satan is the most handsome of the angels with the sweetest voice and of great wisdom. While I can tell you about the appearance of most biblical characters (Paul was a short, overweight man of poor health with an unpleasant voice whom the Roman Centurions would criticize for talking incessantly) as well as other religious leaders before and after Christ, there are no directly descriptions of Christ Himself. We might guess that he was nothing out of the ordinary by the fact that Judas had to point him out to the Romans. While Jews were to maintain short hair, I talked on May 1st how Jesus and his disciples likely took Nazirite vows and so would never cut their hair (Jesus could have done this from birth like John the Baptist and had waist-long hair, the length where the weight will cause the hair to break off and fail to get longer, or Jesus could have taken the vow and shaved his head shortly before meeting Matthew in which case it would have been no longer than about 18” long at His crucifixion since hair grows about 6 inches a year). Christ is likely not handsome, either plain as per Isaiah 53:2 if not very ugly as per Isaiah 52:14-15 (which could have only meant after He received a beating that would have killed anyone else). Does Christ’s appearance matter to you? Well, appearance foolishly mattered even to a Godly man like Samuel.
People have always been surprised by God’s choices because God doesn’t see things as we do – God looks at the heart. How might we best predict which kid from High School will be the one most successful: the highest grades, the top test scores, the most attractive, the most athletic, the most popular, or the most frightening? Actually, it is the one most ignored. Jesus was also not the kind of person everyone noticed. In fact, He called them hypocrites whom prayed in public or who displayed their sacrifices and fasting. Are people not behaving the same way, though, when they say, “I couldn’t be a great disciple, just look at me!” Too often, argues political scientist Benjamin Barber (the graduation speaker at Berkley this week where students had hoped for a greater celebrity), how we think is only a product of the media and a fair shake is only for the local power elite. The only hope for true citizenship with real self-determination, Barber concludes, is to resuscitate the non-governmental and non-business civic spaces of voluntary groups and churches. Barber writes, “”Democratic politics has become something we watch rather than something we do.” In the same way, religion is increasingly less often something in which we truly invest ourselves.
David was the great-grandson of Ruth and Boaz and son of Jesse in Bethlehem. David ruled for four decades (like Saul) but was appointed and anointed by God for many years before taking the thrown. David is considered the greatest Israelite king and Jesus was a descendent by both Mary and Joseph. Christ made it clear that at the same time He was son and Lord to David (Matt 22:41-46). David’s confidence came from the belief that he was on God’s side, not that God was on his.
The Jewish leaders in today reading from John had already disregarded the law by arresting the woman without the man (laws, like cultural rites, also only have value when executed with love and humility). The leaders were likely only using the woman to as a theological trap for Jesus – they could report Him to the Romans if he urged them to execute her or claim He violated Moses’ Law if he did not (even though the death penalty was almost never imposed). He avoids their trap with the very famous line calling on “anyone of you who is without sin to cast the first stone.” It was tradition that the witness to the crime would also be the executioner. One by one they leave after Christ writes in the sand. My favorite conjecture for what Christ may have written in the sand that day was the names of all the men that had visited this prostitute chronologically by age. Jesus tells the woman that He does not condemn her but that she should sin no more. He shortly states directly that He judges no one even though He could (and later suggests that are many things in us which He would condemn). When Jesus next preaches and calls Himself the “Light of the world,” the Pharisees demand proof and Jesus points out again that the Father has testified through the miracles He has performed (using the Jewish tradition of two witnesses, in this case both His own and his Father’s). This was additionally confirmed at His death by the earthquake and darkness. When the Pharisees press the point, Jesus frankly warns them that they will “die in their sins” unless they believe in Him. Not to accept Jesus on His own terms is to reject Him. “Below and above” refers not only to the more accurate perception from God’s lofty position but also to man’s distorted view corrupted by sin.
The Psalms include many messianic prophesies: chapter 2 tells of His coming reign, chapter 22 speaks of his crucifixion, and chapter 16 refers to His resurrection. Finally, chapter 110 today (the most referenced chapter) describes Him at the right hand of the Father in heaven as a priest. Christ identified David as the author of this Psalm and asserts in Matthew 22:41-45, Mark 12:35-37, and Luke 20:14-44 (compare with Peter’s account in Acts 2:34-36) that “my Lord” in verse 1 is speaking of someone greater than himself or to God’s son and that the Psalm describes a conversation between Father and Son in which the Father ordains the Son to sit at His right hand, rule in the midst of His enemies, be a priest forever, and wage a war to win His kingdom. “In the day of thy power” refers to the power (the Key of David) given to the Messiah to accomplish his mission: to convert people and to save the world, and implies that this power will only be for a fixed time (and thus, not used before time). This power is not inconsistent with free will, just the opposite – it is the power to allow choice (unavailable to animals). Every person is given the opportunity to understand on some level their sins and provided the ability to chose to blame others or oneself and to chose pride and prejudice or humility and to be penitent.
Melchizedek was a godly leader who lived 4,000 years ago in the time of Abraham in the ancient city of Salem (the city of God’s Peace, later to be known at Jerusalem. Melchizedek took tithes from Abram, blessed Abram, and used bread and wine as priest (Genesis 14). Verse 4 says “a priest” (not priests) as a reference to only one who is comparable to the priest-king. Hebrews 5-7 explains in detail that Jesus is this one and only. Many groups have tried to suggest that there will be many priests following in these footsteps (like all Mormons and small groups named after Melchizedek), but Jesus was the only High Priest: greater than Abraham, King of righteousness and peace, made perfect (Heb 7:28), and lives forever (Heb 7:24). Early Christians believed the Aaronic priesthood had been made obsolete and that all the rights and privileges of that position had been conferred upon all believers. Irenaeus wrote in the second century, “For all the righteous possess the sacerdotal rank (i.e.: the priestly rank or rank of an elder). Origen, a third century father asked, “Are you ignorant that the priesthood as given to all the Church of God and to the people of believers?”
Jim

====== Ramona:

Jim, wow, you have given us a lot to chew on. May I ask that you reconsider this statement?
>>Now God is outright telling someone to lie suggesting that we are not obligated to reveal everything we intend when it all were known another might be moved to sin>>
If the above is true than God is telling us to do something that scripture tell us not to do and something that is outside of His Character (God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? Num 23:19; See also John 3:33). We don’t have to reveal everything to everyone because Jesus did tell us not to Cast our pearls before swine and God’s Words are definitely the Pearl of Great Price.
If God allows us to “lie” to manipulate folks to do right, then it hasn’t worked. Manipulation is the attempt to control someone else’s will, like stubbornness, so I consider it a form of “Witchcraft,” because when it is all said and done the so called “Art” of witchcraft is a form of manipulation.
I believe, and I will search the scriptures, that when God told Israel that they would desire a king he gave them a pattern of anointing that king which would include sacrifices.
Regarding your reference to Mormon’s and their interpretation of the Bible. I believe that Mormon’s do not consider the Bible as the final written Word of God, their Book of the Mormons is the final text, am I correct?
Grace and peace,
Ramona

======= John:

1 SAM 15:22
But Samuel replied:
“Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD ?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
I think next year I am going to concentrate on Proverbs. It is pretty interesting whn one does a little research and finds corresponding verses in the Psalms and Proverbs. It helps to get a more complete picture of the passage. Keil & Delitzsch’s Old Testament commentary is a great help in this area.
Prov 15:8
The LORD detests the sacrifice of the wicked,
but the prayer of the upright pleases him.
Prov 15:29
The LORD is far from the wicked
but he hears the prayer of the righteous.
Prov 21:27
The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable—
how much more so when brought with evil intent!
Interesting that nowhere does it say, ‘the sacrifice of the righteous is pleasing to God’. Perhaps it is a given?, or perhaps the emphasis is on prayer of the righteous. Who are the wicked?
Prov 4:19
But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they do not know what makes them stumble.
The wicked are the lost. Whether by choice or by ignorance the wicked have no clue. Oh, they might in a spiritual moment or at some time in their life embrace something they think is spiritual – sacrifices, worship, prayer – but the wicked do NOT know God, nor are they sincerely seeking Him.
The sacrifices of the wicked are NOT pleasing to God. They are not sacrificing with the right heart. Maybe they sacrifice because it is prescribed by the religion, maybe it is a social custom, maybe they are just appeasing or trying to please family, wife, or a girlfriend, maybe it is to be perceived as one who is coming to the Lord – but they do NOT know God.
It is even worse when done with evil intent. ‘I will make this sacrifice, this confession, this act of pennance before God – because – heh, I can have a license to keep on acting in an evil (sinful) way as long as I periodically make the obligatory motions toward God to make everything all right.’
God HATES that even more! Regardless, God hates it and distances himself from such actions and people. But God is close to and hears the righteous. Not that anyone can be righteous, but in Old Testament that they Believe in God, his promises, and is seeking God with a right heart and striving to act in an upright manner.
Prov 28:9
If anyone turns a deaf ear to the law,
even his prayers are detestable.
Psalm 145:18
The LORD is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
Not just the sacrifices, but back in Old Testament those that hear the Law and reject it or completely ignore it – their prayers are even detestable.
The Lord is near to those that call on him in truth. Back then the truth was those that sincerely sought the Lord. Today, the “truth” is Jesus.
“I am the way and the TRUTH and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (emphasis mine)
Applications today: Don’t get caught up in perfunctory ritual. Don’t worship God because it is the way you were brought up, to please someone else, because it is the thing to do to get more local business. There is only one way the Lord, our God, will Hear you and that is to seek Him with an open heart, and come to Him through His son – Jesus Christ.
John

======= John:

Light of the World
(As a recap from yesterday)
On the evening of the first night of the Feast of Tabernacles, there was a ceremony called the “Illumination of the Temple,” which involved the ritual lighting of four golden candelabra in the Court of Women. For additional reflection, each person lit four candlesticks and set them in a floating bowl, producing such a spectacle of light that it is said that all Jerusalem basked in its glow. All night long the light shone. In celebration and anticipation, the greatest, wisest, and holiest of Israel’s men danced before the Lord and sang psalms of joy and praise, while the people watched and waited.
They watched and waited, hoped and prayed, because this festival reminded the citizens of Israel that God had promised to send a light, the Light, to a sin-darkened world. God promised to send a Redeemer, the Anointed One, the Messiah, the Son of God. God promised to send Someone Who would renew Israel’s glory, release them from bondage, and restore their joy.
Whether the light was to represent the Shekinah Glory once present in the Temple or the pillar of Fire that led the nation in the wilderness is not as important as that in the Old Testament “light” was promised (that it would be sent) to Israel .
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path (Psalm 119:105).
In John 1:1 Jesus is the Word so it is no surprise that He claims to be the light. In fact it is mentioned often in John 1.
Oh, send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me (Psalm 43:3).
Jesus is the light and the truth.
“Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. (Is 60:1)
The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned. (Is 9:2)
With the backdrop of recent Feast of Tabernacles and the promises in Scripture, Jesus says:
John 8:12
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
“I AM” (ego eimi)
“the light of the world” – not just Israel. The light of the world , but there is responsibility on our part –
“Whoever follows me” – Greek present participle – means “continuos following” – which is the difference between a disciple and a true disciple. See John 15:8
“will never walk in darkness” – THE PROMISE: if you walk in the light and abide in me (follow me) you will know God and the things of God. They will be illuminated to you.
“but will have the light of life.” – see above – you will have the life-giving light – by knowing these things from receiving, believing, and following Christ you will walk in the light of God and be a reflection of His Glory.
John

====== Vance:

I Samuel 15 (NKJV)
2
Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt.
3
Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”
9
BUT SAUL AND THE PEOPLE SPARED AGAG AND THE BEST OF THE SHEEP, THE OXEN, THE FATLINGS, THE LAMBS, AND ALL THAT WAS GOOD, AND WERE UNWILLING TO UTTERLY DESTROY THEM. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.
10
Now the word of the LORD came to Samuel, saying,
11
“I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments.” And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to the LORD all night.
17
So Samuel said…
18
Now the LORD sent you on a mission, and said, ‘Go, and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’
19
Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? WHY DID YOU SWOOP DOWN ON THE SPOIL, and do evil in the sight of the LORD?”
29
And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor relent. For He is not a man, that He should relent.”
I Samuel 16
7
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees [ SEE NOTE ]; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
[NOTE ]
Septuagint reads For God does not see as man sees
Targum reads It is not by the appearance of a man
Vulgate reads Nor do I judge according to the looks of a man.
John 8 (NKJV)
10
When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her,[i] “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”
11
She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
Psalm 110 (NKJV)
1
The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”
Proverbs 15 (NKJV)
8
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, But the prayer of the upright is His delight.
~~~
NOTE:
I am very glad that God is a covenant-making and covenant-keeping God, Who is not fickle and change like humans do (I Samuel 15:29).
I am sure that it is impossible for us, as humans, to really have any idea how God sees people—or even how God sees us.
In fact, I have spoken with those who do not believe in the God of the Holy Bible—the covenant God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—often make this very point. They indicate that it is impossible to know with certainty who God is as He is so far above us.
That would be true, except that God has chosen to reveal Himself clearly and definitely in His Word, and through His covenant people over thousands of years. Most clearly, the Father has revealed Himself through the Lord Jesus Christ Who is the glory of God, according to Hebrews 1:1-3.
~~~
Having said that, we who have a relationship with the Lord know that our human wisdom can never understand who our God is. Yes, we must study to show ourselves approved, as in 2 Timothy 2:15.
Yes, we need to love God with all of our mind and reasoning faculties (as in the Great Commandment of our Father quoted by Jesus the Son).
è Yet, in the final analysis, our minds and beings will only know God fully by revelation through prayer and in that personal relationship with the Lord.
And this has everything to do with our hearts. It is so easy for me, as a human, to deceive myself based on my understanding of my own heart—just like King Saul.
~~~
To human understanding, there seems to be a huge difference between the Father God of the OT and the love of the Jesus the Son in the NT. At least, that is in limited human understanding.
Note the wrath and justice of God when He remembered the persistent sin of the Amalekites, and told King Saul to destroy them. Also note when God when He rejected Saul for not doing so.
Yet, Jesus called the God of the OT by the name of “Father”. This shows that He is a compassionate God, more than willing to be a Father and to love and forgive.
Also, note the verse in Proverbs: “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD…”
People can say that there is a contradiction between the “God” of the OT and Jesus the Son in the NT. After all, note the exchange of words with the woman caught in adultery: “And Jesus said to her, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.’ ”
~~~
The so-called “opposite sides” are reconciled by letting God’s Word—the Bible—interpret itself, and letting God speak for Himself.
1. FIRST, NOTE THAT JESUS CALLED THE GOD OF THE OT BY THE TERM, “FATHER”.
This reveals that God has always been a compassionate God, always ready to forgive and love. The OT is rich and overflowing with God’s compassion and mercy, more than willing to heal and forgive.
It is just hard for human understanding to get past the holiness and justice of God to see it. Again, it is not right for us to “judge” God by our limited view. He is God, and we are not.
2. Second, note the first verse Psalm 110, truly one of the most powerful Messianic Psalms: “The LORD said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.’ ”
In Matthew 22 (NKJV), Jesus clearly references this verse as speaking about Himself:
41
While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,
42
saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” They said to Him, “ The Son of David.”
43
He said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying:
44
‘ The LORD said to my Lord, “ Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool ” ’?
45
If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his Son?”
46
And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.
~~~
It seems clear to me that Jesus and the Father are One—in unity and in essence. There are NOT three gods—rather three Persons in the Godhead. Though that might not satisfy some, it is the answer to the so-called contradiction between the “Father” and the “Son”.
Jesus clearly reveals His self awareness as God when quoting Psalm 110 about Himself. Also, Psalm 110 clearly shows that those who refuse to repent—whether the Amalekites, or me or you—can never be forgiven.
But that is not because of any kind of shortage of God’s mercy, or of the unwillingness of God to forgive. That is because our hearts—if they are not right—keep us from entering into the fantastically amazing mercy of God to forgive.
May we heed God’s will in Philippians 2 (NKJV):
12
Therefore, my beloved…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;
13
for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
Vance

======= Romayne:

Just a small note to add to Vance’s statement about the Trinity being 3 persons in 1 God. I recently just had the concept that it’s not that hard to connect with the concept – we also are 3 in 1 so to speak – body, soul and spirit – each a separate entity but all joined together.
I’m SO enjoying having joined in at this particular point in the readings, as each is consolidating what the Lord has already been teaching me – i.e. I had just started watching a film on the life of David (similar to the Jesus films) and had also just watched the Gospel of John before starting into these readings, so He’s totally confirming many points to me once more. I think one thing that hit me on Saul’s disobedient episode was how easy it is for us to assume we know better than God. Or where we feel we can change His Will in some way and still please Him. I thought it was tough on Saul in some respects that although he repented, and no doubt was perhaps even forgiven, he wasn’t restored, which for him was so important. And I praise God that He provides us even restoration through Jesus when we truly repent. I think too that we sometimes don’t truly appreciate just how fortunate we are that God provided his new Covenant for us to avail of – dread to think where the human race would be now if He hadn’t. Blessings, Romayne

======== Ramona:

1 Samuel 15:1-16:23
Don’t second guess God and don’t think because God is the Ancient of Days, that He is senile and just doesn’t know anything. Don’t cry out, “God, you just don’t know …” Yes He does.
I am intrigued by Samuel’s directive to Saul, “And Samuel said unto Saul: ‘The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over His people, over Israel; now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD.” (1 Samuel 15:1 JPS)
Saul, I (Samuel) about to give you some instructions, but they are not from me I’m passing them on from God so, “Listen Up!!” We read the Bible to get a “Word” from God. But, are we practicing witchcraft and idolatry by ignoring or fighting against the Word we have read and heard? Do we try to “pretty it up” by rationalizing and reasoning away the Word. Do we try to say God’s Word is complicated and open to interpretation in the face of someone telling us, “No, we are dead wrong and haven’t listened?” Samuel gave Saul a clear Word, leaving nothing to interpretation. However, what Saul heard with his ears was filtered by what was going on in his heart. He changed the message to fit himself.
Saul was a man with a big ego born out of his insecurity. Samuel said, When you were small in your own sight, were you not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed you king over Israel? (1 Samuel 15:17 AMP) People usually have big egos to cover-up their perceived insignificance. Saul saw himself and judged himself through his own eyes and not Gods. He is like those animals and fish that have a built in mechanism that causes them to “puff-up” to appear bigger than what they really are.
God how much have I “Puffed” myself up?
Grace and peace,
Ramona

1 Samuel 14:1-52 + John 7:31-53 + Psalm 109:1-31 + Proverbs 15:5-7
~ Click here to read today’s Scripture on Bible Gateway ~
~ Listen to today’s Scripture with Tom Dooley’s terrific NLT 1996 readings at this link or The ESV Bible: OT + NT + Psalms + Proverbs ~

Old Testament – Interesting First Samuel readings today!  Jonathan was quite brave going to the Philistine camp like he did.  Verse 6 was impressive: “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!””  Fortunately God helped him with an earthquake and what looked to be some unique strength in verse 13: “So they climbed up using both hands and feet, and the Philistines fell back as Jonathan and his armor bearer killed them right and left.”

Then, Saul seems to be having some power & ego & oath issues in today’s readings…  First he makes and oath that the men cannot eat until evening – not so wise when in the midst of battle.  Then he says in verse 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!””  Well… it was Jonathan.  Fortunately the people were smarter than Saul and saved Jonathan.  Below is a painting by the artist C.F. Vos of Saul on this day of battle in today’s readings:

Bible.org’s commentary on our First Samuel readings today titled “Saul Fights the Philistines” is at this link.

New Testament – John chapter 7 verses 37 & 38 are powerful verses for each of us to meditate upon – ““Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. For the Scriptures declare that rivers of living water will flow from the heart of those who believe in me.”  Wow… these are powerful words from Jesus.  And so true.  I know that I have been very spiritually thirsty in my life in the past and Jesus has most certainly quenched that thirst in my life.  And I do believe that rivers of living water flow from the heart of those that believe in Jesus.  This is the Holy Spirit, which indwells within us when we are in relationship with God the Father through Jesus the Son.  This living water flowing from our hearts – the Holy Spirit – is an intriguing topic.  I know different folks experience the Holy Spirit in different ways.  I do hope that each of us do tangibly experience the Holy Spirit in our hearts and lives each and every day.  I do know there are some days where I really sense and experience the Holy Spirit in my heart and life.  And there are some days where I may not – but I don’t believe the Holy Spirit has departed.  It’s more likely that I’m just caught up in the hustle / bustle of this life and focused on the flesh / world and not the Spirit.  Do you believe that rivers of living water will flow from the heart of those that believe in Jesus?   Are you thirsty?

 

Interesting to see Nicodemus come up in today’s readings in verses 50 & 51 – “Nicodemus, the leader who had met with Jesus earlier, then spoke up. “Is it legal to convict a man before he is given a hearing?” he asked.”  Think Jesus’ conversations with Nicodemus in John chapter 3 changed Nicodemus’ life forever?  Remember that John 3:16 is in that chapter – imagine being the person actually hearing that from Jesus himself!  Oh my goodness… hard to imagine.   I gotta believe that Nicodemus – a Pharisee – was now a Believer…  Not surprising that he’s defending Jesus in these verses today.  Below is a beautiful painting by artist John La Farge from the year 1880 recalling recalling the “Visit of Nicodemus to Christ” from John 3:

Bible.org’s commentary on today’s (and yesterday’s) John chapter 7 readings titled “Jesus in Jerusalem at the Feast of Tabernacles” is at this link.

Psalms – Today in Psalm 109 verse 4 in the NIV we read these words of David – “I am a man of prayer.”  Wow. I like that. And I’m not sure I can honestly say that about myself right now. Sure, I will roll out of bed and offer up some prayers. Yeah, I’ll try to say a prayer before meals. And yes, I’ll pray briefly before going to sleep. Oh yeah, maybe in church once a week too I’ll offer up some prayers. But, for me to say “I am a person of prayer” would probably not be truthful. Ouch. Don’t worry – I’m not beating myself up too badly over it. But – if I really want to realize that God is holy and a Rock and if I really want to love God and other people, then I have a hunch that being a person of prayer is a critical part of the equation. I don’t think that prayer is so much talking to God as it is really slowing down and listening to God. Sure, it’s a conversation, but I think in our fast pace world today we would do well to really slow down in prayer and listen to God. Listen for that still small voice within our hearts leading us to God’s kingdom and glory and peace. It’s there. I think it takes prayer to really hear it oftentimes. How about you? Are you a person of prayer? Do you want to be a person of prayer? When you pray, do you talk more or listen more to God? Do you want to live your life as a person of prayer?

Bible.org’s commentary on Psalm 109 titled “A Prayer for the Punishment of the Wicked” is at this link.

Proverbs – Proverbs chapter 15 verse 5 today makes me think about the godly discipline our Heavenly Father gives us… – “Only a fool despises a parent’s discipline; whoever learns from correction is wise.” 

Worship Video: Today’s readings remind me of Needtobreathe’s song “Who Am I:”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iooys8xC3QA

Who are you? Click here to be loved by Jesus!

Please join us in memorizing and meditating on two verses of Scripture today: “Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” John 7:37-38 TNIV

Prayer Point: Pray that your spiritual thirst has been quenched by your faith in Jesus. Pray that streams of living water – the Holy Spirit – is flowing within you today and forevermore.

Comments from You & Questions of the Day:  Are you learning from God’s discipline of you?  Or, do you despise God’s discipline at times?  Which is the better road to go?  Also, what verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings?  Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!

God bless,
Mike

p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Bible readings at this link.

p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.

p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!

BLOG READERS HISTORICAL COMMUNITY COMMENTS:
(our Group Bible Study is below! : )

======= Ramona:

1 Samuel 14:1-52
I think I’m about to make a BIG leap by connecting Saul’s treatment of his son Jonathan to how we treat the Son of man, Jesus. When I sat down at my computer to type out my response to this reading I had plans to take this reading and my subsequent response in another direction. .

In my minds eye I saw Saul as a type of the world mistreating, rebuking, and persecuting the one God chose to deliver natural and spiritual Israel, Jesus. Saul is a type of Pharisee or religious leader of the day. Having no personal relationship with God (he was unaware that Samuel was a prophet let alone recognizing who he was), Saul put on the “cloak” of someone who did. This is a case of the mouse falling into the cookie jar then assuming it had become a cookie. All the mouse will do is eat up the cookies. All Saul could do was consume his own men for his own purposes and self-interest. In fact the warning Samuel gave to Israel about what a king would require of them was coming into fruition.

Saul made up a curse and then held it over his men’s head, including his son’s. Jesus accused the Pharisees of making up rules and placing them above God’s law. In the Book of Numbers we read that no one can curse what God has blessed when Balak hired Balaam to curse Israel (Numbers 23). The writer of Proverbs stats this, “Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest. (26:2). Saul wanted to kill his son because he had violated his command, stupid as it was, but because of pride, he didn’t want to appear weak before his men. Ever notice how nasty we can become when we are in public and we are proven wrong about a comment we have made or something we thought was on sale, but isn’t? We attack the person bringing us the truth. So it was with Saul. Instead of repenting for the dumb command he made, he became obstinate and stuck to his ill-conceived words. However, unlike the crowds at Jesus’ crucifixion, the fighting men interceded for Jonathan.

John 7:31-53
Fast forward to Jesus. Here we have the accusers, the religious leaders, and we have a crowd that is caught between two, no three opinions, Messiah, Prophet or just some crazy man. Unlike Jonathan’s supporters, this crowd is not speaking in one accord. Here we have someone who walked in Righteousness being called a “sinner” by those walking in unrighteousness. Saul walked playing the part of a quasi-religious leader, called to lead but failing to pick up the mantel. In reality Saul and the religious establishment of Jesus’ day were weak leaders because they were afraid of the people they were called to lead. You can’t lead people you are afraid of.

Psalm 109:1-31
David in this Psalm picks up the theme of false persecution and accusation. I love how unrelated books and authors come together in the Bible picking up the same motif, that’s God! But what I like about this Psalm is the reminder in verse twenty-eight to carry oneself with dignity while waiting on God,
28 Then let them curse me if they like,
but you will bless me! When they attack me, they will be disgraced!
But I, your servant, will go right on rejoicing!

The Lord always comes to our rescue even when it seems to us that He isn’t.

Proverbs 15:5-7

Discipline (The word disciple is in discipline) is the only way we can establish any kind of self-control and according to Proverb 12:2, knowledge can only be acquired if one loves discipline. A disciplined person has knowledge and a person of knowledge has discipline

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but he who hates correction is stupid.

Grace and peace,
Ramona

====== Robert:

1 Samuel 14

Ramona: Interesting your comparison of Saul and Jesus. I like it. You weave a unique thread throughout the readings today. Certainly much of the human behavior was the same in both time periods of Saul and Jesus, as it is today. Reading Psalm 109 made me think of David and how a lot of his deep soulful feelings in his writings come from his relationship and persecution by Saul. This of course is a direct foreshadowing of Jesus life and suffering.

I do wonder if the effects of Alzheimers weren’t starting to show because Saul’s actions just become worse as time goes on. It certainly brings up the question of how to relate to people that do illogical things. I had to deal with my mother in this way. Not easy. Do you think the irrational behavior of leaders isn’t sometimes the result of some physical/mental malady? Do we just accept it or like Jonathan question: “I merely tasted a little honey with the end of my staff and now must I die?” (Verse 14:43). I think of President Reagan, a world leader when he was showing signs of mental problems. Luckily he had Nancy’s support but I don’t see any Nancy in Saul’s life. (chuckle).

Robert

====== Luch:

======= Jim:

Saul’s son Jonathan shows the faith his father lacks (waiting for a sign of God) when he attacks the Philistines (without trusting his father enough to tell him his plans) and confidence returns to those in hiding (as well as previous Hebrew traitors from v 20) as word from Saul’s spies spreads (isn’t it nice to finally read about a good son?). Saul tries to take Samuel’s place as priest again and foolishly forbids his men to eat (but Jonathan who hasn’t heard the order eats some honey). The Hebrew text has Saul asking for the ark to be moved while the ancient Greek reads “ephod.” Verse 7:2 confirms that the ark was not moved, until David brings it to Jerusalem, and “withdraw your hand” mostly likely refers to using the Urim and Thummim (which would be stored in the ephod, that I described in more detail on May 3). In essence saying Saul thinks there is no time to inquire of God (never a good idea). Saul concludes God’s silence when he gets around to considering God must be due to his son (forgetting his own sins and those of his men who ate the captured meat without first draining the blood in violation of Law) and commands Jonathan’s execution (but the people intervene – besides, there is no OT Law that demands death for an unintentional sin). Saul’s humble nature is corrupted by the power of office and he continues to willfully sin (which brings more discipline – “A fool spurns his father’s discipline”) and his failures drives him not to repentance but to insanity. He fights continuously with the Philistines for the next four decades drafting all the strong and brave into his army. The Amalekites were one of several descendants of Esau – these were nomads (no lands after Jacob stole the inheritance by lying to his father), the Edomites lived in the rocky lands of the mountains (same reason for no land). Both were jealous of Israel’s wealth.
The Isaiah 44:3 description of a future outpouring of God’s Spirit as pouring “water on the thirsty land” was clearly of the thirst and water that Christ discusses in verses 37-39. Moreover, the festival included a priest pouring a golden pitcher filled with water from the Pool of Siloam on the temple altar as a memorial for the water that flowed from the rock the Israelites traveled with through the wilderness, as the people march seven times around the altar in memory of the walls of Jericho. The people are impressed by Christ’s miracles for Isaiah 35:5-6 foretold that the Messiah would do so (punctuated by four to five centuries without miracles), but their admiration was not enough (also see verse Matt 23:39) because they sought a fictitious Messiah. The real living one had offered them protection and deliverance but instead they refuse and crucify Him. In failing in their community penitence, Jesus foretold that Israel would see their temple destroyed and a long and dreadful suffering before redemption would be offered again (while Jesus would wait in Heaven where the Jewish leaders could not follow). This is not about individual salvation, but national salvation – the Pharisees accused the people of believing too easily because they were ignorant, yet it was the Pharisees who were blinded by prideful ignorance. Nicodemus tried to speak up, but the Pharisees sarcastically belittling him (“are you also of Galilee”) and tried to prove Jesus could not be a prophet by claiming no prophet had ever come from Galilee (when actually Jonah, Hosea, Nahum, and perhaps even Elijah, Elisha, Malachi, and Amos were from Galilee or nearby).
Most Jew believed (and still do) that the prophet or teacher spoken of by Moses was one of the ancient OT heroes raised from the dead (most likely David). John 7:42 and 1 Samuel 16:1, 4 (which we will read tomorrow) refers to Bethlehem as the birth place of David (and Christ). We read today of the first formal attempt to take down Jesus (perhaps this is when the sinful apostles bought the two swords of Luke 22.38), but there will be another six months before the Sanhedrin is successful. Perhaps, they fail due to the restraint of those who believed (in v 7:43) as in Psalm 76:10. In addition, the officers found Jesus to be wholly different from the seditious false prophet they had been sent to arrest. Moreover, when they return to tell the Sanhedrin of their mistake, the officers are simply ridiculed with reminders that very few of the wealthy rulers had followed Jesus. The common Jews that did not follow all of the rabbinic interpretations were usually treated by the Pharisees with the most sovereign contempt (even unworthy of resurrection), much like how many are treated by today’s Christian leaders (I have often heard pastors suggest that people that don’t agree with their interpretations are not saved if at least without the Holy Spirit – including even Mother Teresa). Christ’s enemies are always opposed to reason. Psalm 109 is a harsh lament against the author’s enemies (who are lying, hateful, argumentative, and return hatred for love) for judgment and intervention (being in desperate circumstances and needing protection). Acts 1:20 says that Psalm 109:8 is what happened to Judas.
Speaking of prayers: becoming a Christian, getting baptized, going to church, and reading the Bible will not in any measurable way reduce your chance of divorce, while sharing a life-long habit of praying before bed with your spouse will reduce the likelihood by 1000%.
Jim

======= Vance:

I really liked the study of the Feast of Tabernacles, and that this is the feast where Jesus spoke about living water.
I see how each part of the festival points to Jesus:
Note actions of this feast that the Jews observed in the Temple. Each action has a spiritual lesson.
There was the ceremony of the outpouring of water, drawn from Siloam, in commemoration of the refreshing stream which had come forth miraculously out of the rock at Meribah (Ex. 17:1-7), and in anticipation of blessings both for Israel and for the world.
** Keep in mind that in John 7, Jesus was speaking at the Feast of Tabernacles.
Note again what Jesus said in John 7 (NKJV):
37
ON THE LAST DAY, THAT GREAT DAY OF THE FEAST, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.
38
He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
39
But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Note the other actions in the Temple at the Feast of Tabernacles:
There was the illumination of the inner court of the temple, where the light of the grand candelabra reminded one of the pillar of fire by night which had served as a guide through the desert (Num. 14:14).
** JESUS IS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD
There was a torch-parade.
** WE ARE TO BE COMMUNITY, BEING FULL OF LIGHT, HOLINESS, AND LOVE
And above all, everywhere in and around Jerusalem, in the street, the square, and even on the roofs of the houses booths were erected. These leafy dwellings provided shelter for the pilgrims who came from every direction to attend this feast. But most of all they too were reminders of the wilderness-life of the ancestors (Lev. 23:43).
** EVEN AFTER SIN AND REBELLION, GOD STILL FORGAVE HIS PEOPLE. God is faithful—even in the hard places.
Many of us are going through a wilderness experience. There are at least two (2) reasons for the wilderness:
The wilderness can be from God’s will—a hard time that God allows to allow in order pull away distractions from sin and the world—so we can draw close to God and be stronger.
The wilderness can be caused from our own sins or the sins of others that affect us. All of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Each of us have been hurt and affected by family members or others who have sinned against us.
** EVEN IN THE WORST OF CIRCUMSTANCES, Jesus is our Life. We need to let Him be Who He is.
I also like the truth that each member of the Trinity–Father, Son, and Spirit–has its own role in fulfilling God’s will in our lives.
A. God leads to Jesus
John 6:44 — No one can come to Jesus without Father drawing him or her
B. Jesus leads to Spirit and the Word
Matthew 3:11 — Jesus baptizes us in the Spirit
Jesus leads me to the Spirit to be fully set apart and filled.
John 17:17 and 19 — Jesus brings me to His Word, so I can be set apart to God
C.
Holy Spirit glorifies and honors Jesus and Word
John 14:26, John 15:26, John 16:13 and 14
The Word of God is the “sword of the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:17)
Vance

======== John:

Feast of Tabernacles
One of three Feasts that all male Jews were required to attend to tithe and make offerings – along with Passover and Pentecost. The City of Jerusalem would swell from 500,000+ people to between two and three million people during these feasts.
The Feast of Tabernacles also is referred to as Feast of the Ingathering (final collection of the Fall Harvest).
This is the only Feast of the Jews that is one of Great JOY. Thankful for the Provisions of God during the Exodus and for the Crops harvested.
For the eight days of the Feast people have built leafy booths (tents) to live in with the tops to leave space to see God’s work in the heavens. Placed intermittently on the booths were samples from the Harvest as a reminder of God’s faithfulness regarding Crops.
John 1:14
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. (or translated “tabernacled among us”).
Rev 21:3
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.” NIV (or literally “the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will tabernacle with them…) – the Final Ingathering of the Harvest?????
For the Jews the booths were to be a reminder of the desert experiance, and that despite all the hardship of the Wilderness to remember: ‘GOD will ALWAYS Provide, and it is from Him alone our needs are met.’
There were candles everywhere – placed outside, carried, and four 75 foot candlelabras with four branches that were lit in the outer court of the Temple. The resulting Bright Light was to remind the people of how God’s Shekinah glory had once filled His Temple.
The Temple Priests were divided into three groups: one to sacrifice the bulls, another to go outside the city and cut down 25 foot willow branches that they would intricately wave in the procession back to the city, and lastly the High Priest would go with others to retrieve water from the pool of Siloam to carry back to the altar.
Sacrifices of Bulls – also called the Feast of Nations. For seven days 13,12,10…7 bulls were sacrificed at the altar.
“During Sukkot, many rabbis assert, the 70 bulls represented the 70 nations that descended from Noah, the ancestors of all the Gentiles of the world. These bulls, according to Hebrew scholars, were sacrificed for the peace and well-being of the Gentiles, that they might one day acknowledge the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
[Note: Seems those sacrifices and prayers were answered in a way more than they could imagine.]
And on the eighth day of Completion of the Feast (the greatest day) one Bull was sacrificed.
The Talmud teaches that this reduction of the sacrifice from 70 bulls to one represents God’s turning from concern with the 70 nations — the whole world — to a quiet tete-a-tete alone with the people of Israel.
[or perhaps in a way for God to say: in the end only one sacrifice was needed – Jesus. (just an idle thought)]
======================================================
Willow Branch Procession
The priests would take their willow branches and wave them back and forth in procession back to the City. The would stand at the gate to the city and wave them furiously providing a rustling sound of wind – perhaps symbolizing the spirit of God about to enter the city.
The shofar (trumpet)would be blown and the priests would enter through the opened gates. They would march to the altar and beat the willows on the side of the altar – (representing the ‘beating back of sin’???) and then provide a canopy as the sacrificial offerings were made.
======================================================
Water Procession
The High Priest and his group would carry two gold pitchers to the Pool of Siloam. One already had win in it, the other was filled with water from the Holy Place.
The Priest would time his entry from the Water Gate (name given to gate from the Feast), and enter the city after three blasts from the shofar (trumpet). From there he would proceed to the Temple and the altar.
At the altar the Priest would pour the wine into one opening as a drink offering to God. Inanother opening he would pour the water. The Water symbolized: Prayer for rain for next harvest, reminder of God’s provision of Water in the wilderness (from the ROCK), and an outpouring of the Spirit of God (Joel 2:28).
The wine and water combined beneath the altar to flow out as one. (foreshadowing the blood and water flowing from Christ at the Cross?????).
As soon as the wine and the water were being poured out, the Temple music began, and the ‘Hallel’ (Psa 113-118) was sung. When the choir came to these words (Psa 118:1), ‘O give thanks to the Lord,’ and again when they sang (Psa 118:25), ‘O work then now salvation, Jehovah’; and once more at the close (Psa 118:29), ‘O give thanks unto the Lord,’ all the worshippers shook their branches towards the altar.
[NOTE: No wonder the priests got mad during the “triumphal entry” as the people were taking a part of the feast to call upon Jesus to “Save them” (Hosannah).]
Then:
On every one of the seven days the priests formed in procession, and made the circuit of the altar, singing: ‘O then, now work salvation, Jehovah! O Jehovah, give prosperity’! (Psa 118:25). But on the seventh, ‘that great day of the feast,’ they made the circuit of the altar seven times, remembering how the walls of Jericho had fallen in similar circumstances, and anticipating how, by the direct interposition of God, the walls of heathenism would fall before Jehovah, and the land lie open for His people to go in and possess it.
Whew! with all that backdrop, we are ready to look at Jesus’s words.
During this feast of GREAT JOY, where men symbolized tabernacling with the Lord – The Real Lord was amongst them.
With all the sacrifices to God, the symbolic entry of God’s Spirit entering the City, and the double portion outpouring of water on the last great day of the Feast – partly representing the flow of the Spirit – God was in their midst watching it all.
With all the worship, singing of Psalms, the beating of the branches during the frenzied seven circuits of the altar – and then DEAD silence as the ceremnies ended.
Then:
Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”
The Psalms asking for the Lord to Come, the Hosannahs – saying God save us, and….
Jesus stood and basically told them – ‘I AM Here.’ Receive me, Believe IN me, and you will have the Spirit of God flowing from within you.
I would like to have a bunch of snapshots of the faces in the crowd that day/night. Some would believe, most would not. But let none say ‘Jesus never declared himself’.
John

======= Roslyn:

John,
Thanks to the thorough explanation of the Feast of the Tabernacles ending with Jesus’ climactic proclamation that whoever believes in Him “rivers of living water” will flow from within.
Roslyn

======= Ramona:

I Samuel 14:1-52
I must be in a humorous mood because Saul is reminding me of the Wizard of Oz. Ya know, BEFORE the dog Toto pulls back the curtain to reveal the man that he is, we see a BIG HEAD surrounded by flames and lots of green. Saul is a man with a big head with no brains and definitely no heart, at lest a heart for God. He is exactly what the people “desired.” In fact, he is a reflection of what is in the hearts of the people who demanded a king so that they could be just like the nations around them, wickedly sinful.
The difference between King Jesus and the kings desired and appointed by men, and Saul was appointed by the men who desired a king, God just gave them what they asked for, is righteousness and integrity. Jesus is righteous and integrity is part of His character. Jesus requires man to turn their hearts toward Him, not the other way around. Earthly kings play to the crowd, or at least the crowd that will keep him in power.
Grace and peace,
Ramona

======= Pat:

Mike, it is odd that you talk about prayer life today in your commentary because for the past two days I can’t get Psalms 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God” out of my mind. I am faithful in my prayers to God but I think God is telling me that I need to slow down and let Him minister to me. I’m beginning to feel that my prayers are a one-way conversation in which I talk to Him but don’t give Him the opportunity to say what He has to say! It seems my eye is always on the clock and my mind is racing about reviewing what I have planned for the day. I never just sit quietly doing nothing and I think many of us in today’s hectic world are the same way. Matter of fact, I think it has come to the point where we are jittery when we just sit quietly because we are not use to doing so or we feel guilty about just sitting quietly because we feel we are wasting time.
Today is the Lord’s Day! Maybe today is when we should start making a point to just sit still and know that Jesus Christ is Lord of lords and King of kings!
God Bless!
Pat

======= Jenny:

Could someone please keep me in prayer. I’m having a hard time with this whole mothers day business, i miss my mom so bad n i hurt so bad. i just want this day to be over. My mom died n i am normally ok, but this weekend i cant escape “mothers day” and i am angry, sad, feeling sorry for myself. Plus 2 other loved ones, their anniversaries of their deaths just passed 2 days ago. Its just to much. I just hurt n i want my mom so bad. She is with Jesus, so i am grateful, i just wish i could be there too. thanks for prayers. sorry for being selfish…its just too much. God bless.
Jenny

======= Susanne:

oh Jenny… if only you knew… well you’ll know now.
I had no “reason” on God’s green earth to think of you this morning.
(Lord knows there’s sooo much else going on!)
Praise the Lord- HE REIGNS!
Anyway- it could only have been the Holy Spirit
AND
you have been lifted in prayer- just as if I KNEW
what you wrote above w/out speaking to you.
GIRL!!!!!
GOD LOVES YOU and has this merciful compassion for you.
Lean not on our own understanding (some coming from feelings & emotions)
TRUST HIM WITH ALL OUR HEART …..
HE understands our grief and we are to step out in FAITH
and leave it with HIM at the cross- & pick up our “cross”. I wish I had a “formula” and experience
but I don’t. All’s I can say is i’m going with the Spirit and will
do whatever to be His “cheerleader” for you. (couldn’t be one when i “thought” it mattered!)
May the Lord pour out that extra measure His Word speaks of, all upon you today and every day hereafter, HE is doing a work HE said HE began and
YOU ARE HIS MASTERPIECE HE will see to completion.
I’m priviledge to have run into you
and serve the Lord in His plan.
Thanks Lord Your Spirit comforts & intercedes where we don’t know how!
I’m TRUSTING in YOU, amen.
Sincerely, susanne
p.s. well maybe one experience to share- focus on what you are GRATEFUL for.
Good overcomes evil. And I pray this spirit to kill steal & destroy be removed from
you, in the Name of Jesus, amen.
Susanne

1 Samuel 12:1-13:23 + John 7:1-30 + Psalm 108:1-13 + Proverbs 15:4
~ Click here to read today’s Scripture on Bible Gateway ~
~ Listen to today’s Scripture with Tom Dooley’s terrific NLT 1996 readings at this link or The ESV Bible: OT + NT + Psalms + Proverbs ~

Old Testament – I like First Samuel 12 verse 7 today when Samuel says this to the Israelites: “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”  Just like the Israelites needed reminding all the great things God has done, we need reminding today as well.  We are a forgetful people.  I honestly believe reading God’s Word, the Bible, each day is a great way to “remember” all that God has done for each of us and our spiritual ancestors.  I know that I need this daily reminder…  How about you?

Verse 23 is intriguing when Samuel says – “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.” It sounds like if Samuel stopped his prayers for the Israelites, he would be sinning.  Interesting.  What about us today?  Does God call us at times to pray for others?  And if we do not respond to this call and do not pray for others, are we sinning?   Interesting food for thought.  I guess it’s just a safer bet to continue praying for others!  🙂

In 1 Samuel 13 we see Saul’s disobedience toward God, through his impatience.  I wonder again about us today – are we patient people?  Or are we impatient?  Do we wait on God when things are not moving as quickly as we would like them to…?  Should we be waiting on God or trying to hurry things up like Saul did…?  Below is a painting by artist Guye Rowe of Samuel rebuking Saul from today’s readings:

Bible.org’s commentary on our First Samuel readings today titled “Renewing the Kingdom” is at this link and commentary titled “Saul Sacrifices His Kingdom” is at this link.

New Testament – Hmmm… I found John chapter 7 verse 12 intriguing today as it said this about Jesus – “There was a lot of discussion about him among the crowds. Some said, “He’s a wonderful man,” while others said, “He’s nothing but a fraud, deceiving the people.””  Does this verse sound familiar to you at all?  Maybe like something we would hear about Jesus or Christianity in our modern world today?  “Jesus & Christianity is wonderful.  Jesus & Christianity is nothing but a fraud, deceiving people.”  Times really have not changed much have they?

Jesus’ words in verse 17 are powerful – “Anyone who wants to do the will of God will know whether my teaching is from God or is merely my own.”  I like that – if we want to do the will of God, we will know whether Jesus’ teaching is from God or is his own.  Do you want to do the will of God?  When you read Jesus’ teachings in John, do you know that his teaching is from God?

I will say this – I am so transformed when I read Jesus’ words in the Gospel of John.  I don’t know what it is about this Gospel…. but for some reason the words speak to me at a deep spiritual level.  Certainly when I read the words of Jesus in the other Gospels, or when I read any other words in the Bible, I know they are true words and I know they are feeding me spiritually. But… there’s something about the Gospel of John.  It is such a blessing to me.  It makes me want to cry with joy!   Really…

Bible.org’s commentary on John chapter 7 readings today titled “Jesus in Jerusalem at the Feast of Tabernacles” is at this link.

Psalms – I love Psalm 108 verse 1 today: “My heart is confident in you, O God; no wonder I can sing your praises! Wake up, my soul!”   Is your heart confident in God?  Do you sing God’s praises?  Is your soul awake?  Or does your soul need a wake up call?  Where do you suppose you can find that wake up call for your soul?  The Bible?  Jesus?  The Holy Spirit?  God?  Will you answer the call today?  Will your soul wake up?

Proverbs – I also love Proverbs 15 verse 4 today – “Gentle words bring life and health.”

Worship Video: Today’s readings reminded me of the classic worship song “Open the Eyes of My Heart” by Paul Baloche:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emkUsoER740

Is your heart open? Click here and open the eyes of your heart!

Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today: “Gentle words are a tree of life; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.” Proverbs 15:4 NIV

Prayer Point: Pray that your tongue produces gentle word to others in your life – words that are a tree of life. Pray that you would never speak with a deceitful tongue, which crushes the spirit of others.

Comments from You & Questions of the Day:  Based on our Proverb today, do you bring life and health to those around you each day with gentle words?  Also, what verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings?  Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!

God bless,
Mike

p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Bible readings at this link.

p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.

p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!

BLOG READERS HISTORICAL COMMUNITY COMMENTS:
(our Group Bible Study is below! : )

======= Ramona:

1 Samuel 12:1-13:23

It appears to me that Samuel is asking Israel to examine his character so that they can judge the integrity of his ministry to them and the truth of his words. Since a false witness breathes out lies, if Israel finds anything amiss in his dealings with them, then what he is about to tell them has no weight as truth.

Samuel rehearses in all of Israel’s hearing how God has dealt with them and delivered them even when they are unfaithful to God. Even in their unfaithfulness, God gives them their hearts’ desire, Saul. In translations other than the NLT you can clearly see the play-on-words God uses to describe their newly appointed king and Israel’s relationship with him, the one that God picked. Remember that in Hebrew Saul means “Desired.”

13 “Now therefore, here is the king whom you have chosen and whom you have desired. And take note, the LORD has set a king over you. (NKJ)

God has set Saul over them as king, but Israel picked him! So remember as we read on about Saul, what they wanted they got. Saul’s character reflects the desire of Israel’s heart. The Apostle Paul states this very thing in the first chapter of the Book of Romans (24).

Some have debated and searched for understanding of the first verse of chapter 13, what is that number and what does it mean. In my English translation of the Jewish Bible, The Tanakh, it says two years. In a conversation I had with a Jewish scholar about this uncertainty we kind of came to an interesting possibility about this verse. There are two types of leadership, spiritual, one appointed by God, and political, one appointed by man. Saul’s reign as king of Israel in the eyes of God was two years; however his political leadership over Israel was 42 years.

When we come to the thirteenth verse of this chapter, we find this,

13 “How foolish!” Samuel exclaimed. “You have disobeyed the command of the LORD your God. Had you obeyed, the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 But now your dynasty must end, for the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart. The LORD has already chosen him to be king over his people, for you have not obeyed the LORD’s command.”

Note that this Word doesn’t say that the Lord will choose a king but that he has already chosen one!

There is a political agenda then there is God’s. Which one will we as Christians pursue, God’s or ours?

John 7:1-30
There are a lot of things to chew on in this section of John, but I am drawn to three things near the end of our reading.

1) The Religious Leaders, and we do too; use an unequal form of “judging.” They and we judge ourselves by our intentions but we judge others by their behavior. Jesus brings to them their objections about Him healing on the Sabbath when they “work” on that same day to adhere to the Law of Moses (note Jesus didn’t say God’s law) to do circumcision. If they consider what Jesus did, heal, work then what they do is also work. (21-24)
2) They question whether or not Jesus could be the Messiah because no one is bothering him even though they are aware a “hit” has been placed on his life. Has leadership accepted Him? If they have maybe He is. Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?”
3) In the beginning of the chapter we read that Jesus stayed in Galilee, going from village to village staying out of Judea because leadership was looking to kill Him, yet in the thirtieth verse it states:
30 …but no one laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come.

God’s will is always played out in the fullness of time.

Psalm 108:1-13
Saul needed the 411 of this chapter of Psalms. He could have used that 13th verse,

With God’s help we will do mighty things, for he will trample down our foes.

Proverbs 15:4

Life and death is in our tongues.

Grace and peace,
Ramona

====== Andrew:

Andrew

====== Anka:

Saul when faced with his sin,gave excuses….didn’t see him try to repent of what he did.Samuel said “I will teach you the way that is good and right”…did Saul ever go to class?Are we too busy in our lives to learn the ways of God,too much in a race against time to wait to hear from God before we go on….just say some quick prayers(the God bless my day kind)then rush off…I’m already feeling guilty.I thank God for His mercy and His grace..
God bless you all

Anka

====== Luch:

Reading about Samuel’s commitment to pray and teach the people reminds me of the words in Acts 6:4 where the spiritual leaders of the community were devote themselves to the ministry of prayer and the Word. This passage in 1 Samuel 12:23 was brought home to me in 1976 when someone gave me a book by Andrew Murray on The Prayer Life. In that book Murray had a chapter based on this one verse “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you.” The chapter was simply called “Prayerlessness is a sin.” I guess today that emphasis wouldn’t go over very well but back then it inspired me to make intercessory prayer a daily practice for my personal life, my family and my ministry. It’s as we pray that we are then able to ‘teach you the way that is good and right.” I also like the way Samuel defines what a fully devoted follower of God looks like “They ‘fear the LORD’ and serve him faithfully and wholeheartedly, and they live with a deep sense of gratitude. Not a bad definition to measure ourselves against. Thank you Lord for loving us as we are, but thank you too, for not leaving us there.

Luch

====== Kristie:

====== Ramona:

Been Think’in (This is loooooong)

Yesterday I mentioned that there were clues within the text of I Samuel about Saul’s character that led him down the road to end his life with a whimper. When I stated that I wasn’t sure where to find it and what to look for, or even what within the text led me to come to that conclusion, I was spouting off something I just knew within me, I had no concrete evidence. Today I believed I received what I think was a revelation, or at lest the light bulb went on.

There are two scriptures that stand out to me that explain all, in my opinion. They are:

See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up and causes you trouble, or many of you will become defiled. (Heb 12:15)

And,

But God wasn’t pleased with most of them, and so they were struck down in the wilderness. Now these things became examples for us so that we won’t set our hearts on evil as they did. (1Co 10:5-6),
As well as:
You must stop complaining, as some of them were doing, and were destroyed by the destroying angel. These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down as a warning for us in whom the climax of the ages has been realized. (1Co 10:10-11)

OK, ok, there are more than two.

I know that some are having a hard time getting into the Old Testament, thinking what is it’s relevance ‘cause we have the New. Well, the New is based on the Old and if you are a good lawyer or contract reader, to verify that the New is better than the Old, well you gotta read the Old. [However, Jesus has now obtained a ministry that is as superior to theirs as the covenant he mediates is founded on better promises. (Heb 8:6)]

I’m into analogies so I will use the study of Botany or agriculture to lay out my case that within the Old Testament narratives, one can find the character flaws of the men and women we are reading about and that is a good thing. (See. 1 Corinthians 10: 5-6, 10-11)

Throughout the Bible the realm of the heart has been compared to Soil, the Parable of the Sower as one example, and the seed is comparable to the Word of God. I put forth that there are other types of seed and the condition of the soil of our hearts will determine what will and want grow to maturity and produce fruit. Unless one has studied agriculture or botany, planted a couple of different types of seed and watched what come up, we really have a hard time identifying what each seed will produce and even recognizing the root of a plant. Before we ever see signs of the plant, the seed in the soil or the root (and who among us can identify a plant by its roots) have already taken hold.

Now, getting back to the Old Testament: within its pages we find more narratives about people, their beginnings, and their endings then in the New. To correctly identify the sum total of anyone’s life, we must look at them in their entirety: the good the bad and the ugly. Like a plant that has matured and gone to “seed,” we can then look at the seed and determine what that seed has produced, our lives kind of parallel a plant. Was the fruit good for us, or was it poison and destructive; how did that fruit effect the environment and the other plants around it? There are probably many more questions. Taking the Old Testament characters and Saints and juxtaposing them against the Character of Jesus Christ in the New, we now have a standard by which to measure not only our lives, but the lives of those who in looking back, walked amongst us in the Old.

In an Academic sense, the Old Testament can be studied as a Grad School Level class that operates entirely as Case Studies: we know the perfect model, Jesus Christ, now we look at the others to find out where they went wrong and what they did right so we won’t make the same mistakes. In a Case Study, you begin at the end, or if the concern is still in existence, at some fixed point in the present, then you travel back toward the beginning, studying each move. Since we live in a cause and effect world, nothing just happens by itself. We don’t just roll out of bed in the morning and suddenly jump up and rob a bank, rape and murder. Working out our salvation, at least for me, is identifying, uncovering, and uprooting everything that is not of God by identifying the seed, the roots that we find in the Old.

Sorry this is so long, but I hope it is helpful . Also note: I have not set this in stone this view will probably change as I continue to walk upon the earth. I probably will revisit today or tomorrow to post my impressions of today’s Old Testament reading.

Grace and peace,
Ramona

======= Ramona:

1 Samuel 12:1-13:23
Since I left a very long post this morning, I am going to focus on two passages that really got my attention.
1) 1 Samuel 12:19–Then all the people begged Samuel, “Pray to your GOD for us, your servants. Pray that we won’t die! On top of all our other sins, we’ve piled on one more–asking for a king!”
a. O.K. God picked Israel out of all the nations to be His People, yet Israel declares to Samuel that God is “your GOD” instead of their very own God. Israel was unwilling to do the work to keep them in right relationship, but they wanted to maintain the rights of that relationship under someone else’s bond. They were name droppers and hanger-on’s.
b. We do the same thing when we run from piller-to-post asking everybody to pray for us when we are unwilling to stand in right relationship with God but call a “prayer meeting” to manipulate others to pray for our concerns because we know, deep in our hearts, that we are not in fellowship with God.
2) 1 Samuel 12:11-12—11 Saul answered, “When I saw I was losing my army from under me, and that you hadn’t come when you said you would, and that the Philistines were poised at Micmash, 12I said, “The Philistines are about to come down on me in Gilgal, and I haven’t yet come before GOD asking for his help.’ So I took things into my own hands, and sacrificed the burnt offering.”
a. Saul didn’t know his history. Had he bothered to read? Did he never hear of how Gideon and three hundred men defeated 100 plus thousand men? Like us, Saul relied on his strength and the strength of the army he did not have. Since his strength was week and he and his men were full of fear, his fear led to wrong choices and decisions. Saul had stink’n think’n.
When we are in fear we are lacking perfect love, which casts out all fear. (1 John 4:18). So I ask a rhetorical question, something to think about, what exactly is perfect love? Since fear gives birth to shame, and shame is used by us to manipulate folks, keep folks in line, keep ‘em down on the farm and in their place. Is shame a good or bad thing? Again, rhetorical. It was shame that drove Adam and Eve into hiding while covering themselves with a bunch of leaves. What sets off fear, which leads to shame?
A GREAT BIG HMMMM!!!
Grace and peace,
Ramona

======= Arielle:

Thanks Ramona for your points in 1a&b. I never noticed Israelite’s said ‘your GOD’to samuel . wow what were they thinking about what GOD was doing for them all this while? Well I guess we can’t judge them either for their flaw because we tend to forget HIM as well when responsibilities mount on us and we rely on our own understanding and strength.
I agree with Mike we need someone or something to constantly remind us, because Yes! we are forgetful people.
I think we need to surround ourselves with HIS word, prayers, good christian community of friends that can constantly remind us that GOD is there for us every time!
Arielle

====== Dee:

======= Jim:

Here we read about a country that talks big about their God and has a just and righteous spiritual leader who has recently blessed their new king and yet walks in fear and rejection of that same faith. Samuel gets the people to verify his motives and reminds them of God’s great gifts of release from Egypt and conquest of Canaan so that they will listen to warnings concerning their gradual loss of faith. For a period, Israel repents for worshipinig idols of Ball and Ashtoreth and calls upon the Lord for deliverance. Until recently, the only possession of value was a person’s good name and Samuel refers to God’s good name. Samuel warns that God will bless them, however, only if they serve and obey and a severe winter storm as called by Samuel underlines this warning.
Acts 13: 21 informs us that Saul ruled for over 40 years, but there is some confusion about what is meant by v 13:1 (the New Living Translation just steals from Acts as per note f and somehow concludes the number 42). Some believe some number is missing, but it likely just means that Saul had reigned for two years. When the Philistines mobilize a major military offensive at this time, Israel runs from their homes to hide. After more and more of Saul’s army deserts and getting rebuked by Samuel for violating God’s commands to follow Samuel, Saul retreats leaving the Philistines to raid at will. Saul’s army had dwindled to 600 men, twice the number had by Gideon, except that they did not have Gideon’s faith. Uncertain times test our trust in God, not our strength of character.
Jesus attributes His material directly to God rather than to any rabbinical training and maintains that anyone who chooses to do God’s will would recognize it. He likely angered the Jewish leaders by outright claiming that they had not been keeping the OT Law and the refusal of their own guards to arrest Him surely only made the Jewish leaders angrier (more on this tomorrow). He also confounded them by possessing an advanced grasp of their religion without ever being apprenticed to any of them (the same bewilderment is later expressed regarding Peter and John in Acts 4:13). The Message Bible translates Romans 10:17 as “The point is, Before you trust, you have to listen. But unless Christ’s Word is preached, there’s nothing to listen to.” As we covered yesterday, without Christ, where else is there to go. It often, however, takes time to find every other path dead ends. It took time even for Jesus’ brothers, James and Jude, to believe and become church leaders. Here they sarcastically (explained in v 5) suggest that if Jesus could really do miracles that he should do them in front of the largest audience in Jerusalem at the time of a feast. So, don’t write off those who at first don’t respond to the Gospel. It rightly takes time. Jesus also tells His brothers that the world could not hate them (because they were a part of it), thusly wholly responding to the Gospel also takes courage (“But no one had the courage to speak favorably about him in public, for they were afraid of getting in trouble with the Jewish leaders”).
It is a vital principle that to develop a spiritual understanding a person must make a conscious and determined choice to do God’s will (v 17). If we make that choice, God will show us what His will is. John 6:45 clearly defined “appointment” as being taught by God to those that can “hear and learn” implying both knowledge and reason as the basis for belief. This means that it is current comprehensible instructions of the Holy Spirit that “ordains” and not some pre-time predestinational lottery or spiritual caste system of saved and reprobate. The strength of the eleven disciples that stayed true to Christ came by hearing the Word (Romans 10:17). To say that God works both good and evil in us (say, saved and reprobate) and that we are subject to God’s workings only by some passive necessity (where free will operates only at some higher level – see Martin Luther’s “The Bondage of the Will”), creates mankind as good with only a evil work wrought by God that makes God the author of sin (as well as the author of salvation) who punishes (or rewards) a person for doing only what God by the sole exercise of His own power irresistibly coerces man to do. It is one thing if God only knew the lost (or saved) and their choices before time and quite another if God determined their nature and fate before time just as there is a difference between God knowing, say, when you would be born leaving no doubt on which day it would occur and that He foreordained your birth.
The etymological origins of the Greek word tasso sometimes translated to ordained (although more likely to appointed) comes from “to place” as to place in a certain rank or order as in specifically disposing a body of soldiers in regular military order (see Barnes Concordance). Tasso is uses in eight places in the Bible denoting a command or designate (Matt 28:16, Acts 22:10, Acts 28:23), to institute, constitute, or appoint (Rom 21:1), determine, to take counsel, to resolve (Acts 15:2), to subject to authority of another (Luke 7:8), and to devote to (1 Cor 16:15). The word is never used to denote an internal disposition or inclination and does not properly refer to an external decree or to the doctrine of election. In the Greek translation of the OT, the word is used in Ezekiel 9:1 “And he cried in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, draw near, ye that have appointment of the city, and every man with his destroying weapon in his hand.” It is used only to refer to a forgone conclusion of the facts. Thus, we must be always careful to check the facts and our interpretation of them. The Jews, for example, wrongly assumed that Jesus had been born in Galilee because He lived in Nazareth, but if they had checked the records they would have learned that He was, in fact, born in Bethlehem and a descendent of David. Jesus tells them that even if they knew where he came from, their problem was still that they did not know God.
Psalm 108 is actually a medley of two other of David’s psalms (v 1-5 are from 57:7-11 and v 6-13 are from 60:5-12) about the assurance a person can have when God is his or her Lord. The remarkable fact about the words “I will rejoice” (v 7 KJV – “in triumph” in some translations) is that they are spoken by God. The Lord celebrates in delivering His people.
Jim

======= Vance:

I Samuel 12 (NKJV)
20
Then Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You have done all this wickedness; yet do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart.
21
And do not turn aside; for then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing. 22
For the LORD will not forsake His people, for His great name’s sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you His people.
23
Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you the good and the right way.
24
Only fear the LORD, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you. 25
But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king.”
I Samuel 13 (NKJV)
12
then I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the LORD.’ Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering.”
13
And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you. For now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.
John 7 (NKJV)
24
Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”
Psalm 108 (NKJV)
1
O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.
~~~
NOTE:
The people had asked for a king. I could be wrong, but I do not think their sin was wanting a king, but insisting for a king on their own timetable. God had already promised them that He would provide a king from the tribe of Judah before the people asked.
This brings me to the verses Psalm 108 and John 7. Our hearts really have to be steadfast in abiding in praise, prayer, worship to the Lord. This is the only way we will walk in step with the Spirit and His perfect timing. When we try to do God’s will—even though we may have the Holy Spirit within us—on our own and in our way, we will always suffer for it.
Note the independent streak in King Saul, first expressed in I Samuel 13. This is a challenge. Am I willing to wait in the Presence of the Lord to allow Him to show me how to accomplish His will? Again, acting in the flesh—trusting in my ability and my understanding—to do the will of God will ALWAYS lead to unnecessary pain.
May we yield every part of ourselves to the Lord.
“Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. Acknowledge Him in all your ways [as Lord], and He will direct [make straight] your paths.” Proverbs 3:5 and 6.
Vance

======= John:

Feast of Tabernacles (sukkoth)
With deference to Bob, I think a closer look at the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles will reveal much more than is disclosed in Bob’s commentaries about the symbolism of Jesus’ words and the Messiah in general.
I would encourage people to google, yahoo, whatever the Feast and do some quick reading. It will help you to understand my post tomorrow and perhaps provide you with some insights that you may post.
John

1 Samuel 10:1-11:15 + John 6:43-71 + Psalm 107:1-43 + Proverbs 15:1-3
~ Click here to read today’s Scripture on Bible Gateway ~
~ Listen to today’s Scripture with Tom Dooley’s terrific NLT 1996 readings at this link or The ESV Bible: OT + NT + Psalms + Proverbs ~

Old Testament – Okay – I have a temporary new favorite verse in the Bible!  Today in First Samuel chapter 10 verse 22 when they were about to name Saul king, but they couldn’t find him: “So they asked the LORD, “Where is he?” And the LORD replied, “He is hiding among the baggage.””  That is awesome!  I really appreciate the fact that Saul was hiding among the baggage.  🙂  I think that’s where I would be too.  I hope I would be in any case.  I think it’s a bit scary when someone is too lustful for power.  Better to have your future king hiding in the baggage…  🙂

   

(sorry, couldn’t resist this photo… 🙂  I suppose this image below would be more appropriate for Saul being named king as we read in verse 24: “Then Samuel said to all the people, “This is the man the LORD has chosen as your king. No one in all Israel is his equal!” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”

In First Samuel chapter 11 we see Saul really step into his role as king by defending the city of Jabesh-gilead from the Ammonites attack.  Verse 2 was sad to consider when the Ammonite king said this to the citizens of Jabesh-gilead – “”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!””  Gouging out the right eye would be done for humiliation purposes – but also to destroy the military ability of the archers.  After this point, Saul gets word back in his hometown that Jabesh-gilead is under attack.  Below is a powerful painting by the artist James Tissot from the year 1896 of verses 6 & 7: “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!””

I was impressed with Saul’s graciousness in verses 12 & 13 of this chapter: “Then the people exclaimed to Samuel, “Now where are those men who said Saul shouldn’t rule over us? Bring them here, and we will kill them!” But Saul replied, “No one will be executed today, for today the LORD has rescued Israel!”  Impressive.  You could see where after defeating the Ammonites, Israel’s adrenaline might be running high to go after dissenters.  Saul put a stop to it, which was impressive.  What about us today?  When we are riding high on a victory of some sort and the group around us says we should forge ahead on something that does not seem right, can we stand up and say “No” to the group as Saul did on this day?

Bible.org’s commentary on today’s readings in 1 Samuel titled “The Making of Israel’s First King” is at this link.

New Testament – Okay, so John chapter 6 verses 53 through 58 are some verses that get interpreted several different ways – some saying these verses speak of the Lord’s Supper and some saying they speak only of faith in Jesus because the Lord’s Supper had not yet been instituted by Jesus at this time.  I think the key for us to focus on is that Jesus is our nourishment – our literal spiritual food if we have faith in him. It is interesting to note that many disciples turned away from Jesus after this teaching.  I love Peter’s reply to Jesus in verses 68 & 69 after Jesus asks if the Twelve will leave too – “Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You alone have the words that give eternal life. We believe them, and we know you are the Holy One of God.””  True words indeed Peter.  True words indeed.  If not Jesus, to whom would you go?  Does anyone else have the words that give eternal life?

Bible.org’s commentary on John chapter 6 today titled “The Bread of Life” is at this link.

Psalms – Psalm 107 today is a wonderful Psalm of thanksgiving!  Okay, be honest, who started busting out singing the Michael W. Smith/Chris Tomlin worship tune “Forever” when you read verse 1? – “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.”  I did!  That’s a great tune… based on a great verse in a great Psalm. 

Psalm 107 repeats a verse four times – starting with verse 6 here – “”LORD, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he rescued them from their distress.”  (then see verse 13, verse 19, and verse 28 – same verse) This is a great reminder to pray – and yes, it’s great to pray during times of distress of course.  But, how about praying during times of happiness & joy?  Or even times of just regular blahs?  I recently read much of the book “The Life You’ve Always Wanted” by John Ortberg (great book!), and it has a great chapter on prayer.  It is so true that one of the best ways to truly know and love God is through prayer.  Simple prayer.   5 minutes a day.  Do you pray to God 5 minutes a day?  When the storms of life come, do you cry out for help to Jesus?  Do you know that he will always be there for you in the midst of the storm?

Proverbs – Proverbs chapter 15 verse 1 is so so so very true… we would all do well to practice this every day – “A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.”  How beautifully true & wise this is?  Let us be gentle people…

Worship Video: Today’s Psalm and Proverb reminds me of Michael W. Smith’s classic song “Friends:”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAeD2UEYaAk

Do you believe friends are friends forever? Click here for Forever!

Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today: “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.”  Psalm 107:1 NIV

Prayer Point: Pray thanksgiving to God for His goodness today! Pray thanksgiving that God’s love endures forever!

Comments from You & Questions of the Day:  If someone were to describe you, would they describe you as a “gentle” person?  Would you want to be described as a gentle person?  Should we be gentle all of the time?  Was Jesus gentle all of the time?  Was Jesus gentle most of the time?  To whom or in what circumstances was Jesus not gentle?  Should we follow Jesus in this regard?  Also, what verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings?  Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!

God bless,
Mike

p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Bible readings at this link.

p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.

p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!

BLOG READERS HISTORICAL COMMUNITY COMMENTS:
(our Group Bible Study is below! : )

======= Ramona:

======= Jim:

God directed Samuel to anoint Saul, which he did reluctantly. Samuel poured a special mixture of olive oil, myrrh, and other expensive spices to symbolize the presence and power of the Holy Spirit of God in Saul’s life and to remind the new king of his great responsibility to lead by God’s wisdom and not his own. Samuel said, “I am doing this because the Lord has appointed you to be the leader of his people.” The book of Samuel is all about what it means to be the “Lords anointed” or chosen by God for some special service, blessed, and endowed by Him with the power and authority to carry out that task. Later, David will also be anointed by God as Israel’s second king and “the Spirit of the Lord came upon Him in power” (v 16:13). Paul will start his ministry to the Gentiles by reminding the Jews of Isaiah 49:6, “I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.” The Redeemer had been appointed, “before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee … and I ordained you a prophet” (Jeremiah 1:5). Luke 7:8, “For I also am a man set under authority; appointed, or designated as a soldier, to be under the authority of another” and Acts 22:10, “It shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do” refers to an announcement or commission for those with prejudice and prepossession to accept (the greatest of which is the Great Commission to go and to convert and baptize in order to make disciples of all peoples of the world. What is God’s will for you? What is your appointment?
Samuel gave Saul specific instruction for an unspecified future time when Saul would find himself at Gilgal involving a peace offering. The OT includes Burnt, Grain, Peace, Sin, Guilt/Trespass, and Wave Offerings to teach the Israelites reverence, submission, and commitment to God. The Peace offering was to show gratitude and that one was in peace and fellowship with God by slaying and cooking an animal without defect much the same as the Burnt offering with the exception that the person presenting the offer to could partake in eating a portion with the priest. The Sin offering mentioned in yesterday’s verses included a “certain” animal to be sacrificed for each sin, unintentional in nature, such as dirtiness, neglect, and thoughtlessness. In the Burnt offering, the animal would be slain with the sinner’s hand on the animal’s head to allow the beast to “take” the sin and show a person’s devotion to God and provide payment for sins in general. A Grain offering consisted of either fine flour with oil and frankincense, roasted kernels of corn with oil and frankincense, or baked cakes, and accompanied the Burnt offering to show honor and respect and by burning a portion on the altar that they understood what they have belongs to God. A Guilt Offering was with a ram without defect for God as well as the person offended. And, a Wave offering provided food specifically for the priests and was waved over the alter to show that what they offered, God would return.
Saul publicly shows Saul as God’s choice by use of the Urim and Thummim. Although most are pleased with Saul for his impressive size, those from Belial complain (but Saul hold’s his temper as well as a second time later). It was uncommon for Saul to speak for God and people were surprised when he prophesized (v 10:10-12) and asked, “Is Saul also among the prophets?” They quickly lost respect, however, as Saul’s devotion to God ends up to be something of a national joke. The signs Samuel had given Saul came to pass and Saul accepted God’s heart and disposition of mind and yet Saul was still for Saul. Mike says he likes the idea of finding a future king hiding. Just as it is good to be conscious of our unworthiness, however, it is not good to shrink from the responsibilities and services to which we are called. It is important to remember that while Saul was reborn into a new man, God never removes the endowment of free will and choice and because Saul later did not keep the commandments of God, the Spirit of God left Saul. “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins” (Hebrews 10:26).
Many of Christ’s disciples were offended by the cannibalistic nature of Christ’s request to eat His body and they did not see the symbolism to spiritual eating and drinking of Christ by receiving him through belief and thusly many of his disciples deserted him (interesting that they left in verse 6:66). They also found it difficult to give up the doctrine they had been taught based on Moses, deeds, being special, and simply following some set of rules. Jesus did not deny that these things were difficult to give up and hence said that it was proof of God’s appointment if anyone believed. Just as we have heard that no one approached the Father except by the Son, v 6:44 tells us that no one can come to the son except by teaching (“hearing and learning” implying knowledge and reason as the basis for faith) by the Father. This implies some current comprehensible instructions of the Holy Spirit that ordains (and not some pre-time election). The strength of the 11 disciples that stayed true to Christ came by hearing the Word (Romans 10:17). The twelve disciples stay, convinced there was no where else to go. One the most surprising things I learned when I first read the Bible didn’t really require me to read the Bible except that it didn’t dawn on me until after I had read it: there is no Gospel entitled Jesus. While every other religious leader in history knew we would get their religion wrong without detailed personal instructions, Jesus was the only one who talked about a real relationship with the Father that we could get “right” on our own. Where else could we go, indeed! Disciple simple means to follow or to learn but could include unbelievers, those who go beyond initial belief to baptism and obedience, or to the apostles. While Judas was a disciple, it is never said that he believed. Christ’s words in verse 6:64 were likely partly addressed to Judas. Similarly, Paul suggests that many that joined in communion at Corinth perished because they did not distinguish between it and a common meal without properly considering that sacrifice for sin, or which the sacrament of the Lord’s supper is a type (1 Cor 11:30). This story fits well with the lessons learned today from the book of Samuel. As some accepted God’s appointed, some did not (asking, “How will this man save us?). They were offended in him and should be slain, but how much more to our advantage is an enemy made to be a friend. “Some were fools in their rebellion; they suffered for their sins. Their appetites were gone, and death was near. ‘LORD, help!’ they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.”
Jim

======= Ramona:

1 Samuel 10:1-11:15
I am a person that goes to the core of things, the cause—the effects are just grass to be mowed down and managed, but the core is the key to the problem. No one just rolls out of bed one morning and commits a heinous act. Character flaws are clearly seen if one looks; but the root, the causal seed takes study. For me it is important to do self-study, if I make a misstep, a sin, I need to not just look at the sin but look at why I did what I did. What is it I believe about myself, about God about the problems I face and faced to take the action I took? Those are the types of questions I ask.
Jesus said,
The upright (honorable, intrinsically good) man out of the good treasure [stored] in his heart produces what is upright (honorable and intrinsically good), and the evil man out of the evil storehouse brings forth that which is depraved (wicked and intrinsically evil); for out of the abundance (overflow) of the heart his mouth speaks. (Luke 6:45 AMP)
We speak in three ways, our words, sprit and our gestures (body language) and what I do and what I say, when lined up, make a powerful testimony of what I truly believe about myself, about God and about those around me. What does Saul really believe about himself, what does he believe about God and about the people who he will be serving as king; or is Saul thinking the people should be serving Him.
Maybe because I’m looking at the entire picture of Saul’s life, I am now looking at him in his entirety. He began with a BANG but ended with a whimper. The things that led to that whimper are in his character right now in these verses, in these chapters. I want to study them so I can take heed of what the Apostle Paul wrote in the tenth chapter of I Corinthians,
But God was not pleased with most of them, for they were cut down in the wilderness. These things happened as examples for us, so that we will not crave evil things as they did. (1 Corinthians 10:5-6 NET.)
The Children of Israel are not the only ones who had a wilderness to go through. Everyone who comes to Christ has their own desert to cross, their own tests to take; what can I learn from Saul to help take me to the next level?
Grace and peace,
Ramona

======= Michelle:

What have you noticed so far about Saul’s character, Ramona? I am on the edge of my seat!
Michelle

======= Ramona:

>>What have you noticed so far about Saul’s character, Ramona?>>
Michelle, I’m still taking notes, underlining the text and going, Hmmmm! I have my subway ride back home from work to continue my pondering. I tell you what, if I get something about this, I’ll ask God to remind me to send you an e-mail. Sometimes this kind of stuff takes days.
All my blessings
Ramona

======= Vance:

Proverbs 15 (NKJV)
1
A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.
2
The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.
3
The eyes of the LORD are in every place, Keeping watch on the evil and the good.
~~~
When I think of Proverbs 15:1, I think of the following passages:
What Moses said in Exodus 32 (NKJV):
25
Now when Moses saw that the people were unrestrained (for Aaron had not restrained them, to their shame among their enemies),
26
then Moses stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, “Whoever is on the LORD’s side—come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him.
29
Then Moses said, “Consecrate yourselves today to the LORD, that He may bestow on you a blessing this day, for every man has opposed his son and his brother.”
What Jesus said in Matthew 10 (NKJV):
34
“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.
35
For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’;
36
and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’
37
He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
38
And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
39
He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
~~
Obeying God will cause conflict, even in families. Obviously, obedience and loyalty to God are more important loyalty to family.
What does this look like?
If each member of the family surrenders to the Spirit of Christ and prays together, then each family member will voluntarily surrender to Jesus in the heart first and do His will. Then, together as a group, the glory of God can be demonstrated in a greater way as the whole group agrees and flows with the Lord.
What if members of the family oppose the one family member who is intent on seeking the Lord first and doing His will above all else? Jesus anticipated this. God through Moses and Jesus instructs us that if necessary—our enemies may be of our own household because we obey.
Proverbs 15 verses 1 – 3 are very instructive. We can have a heart to obey God and yet act in the flesh, and give a rash and harsh answer to family members or friends who do not want to do God’s will.
Or… we can trust the Lord to provide wisdom on how to respond. Wait on the Lord, and He will provide the way of wisdom: “The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly…”
God will always support us, as He said, “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, Keeping watch on the evil and the good.”
~~
We see hope of later reconciliation in the Scriptures, even in Jesus’ own human family.
See Jesus’ brothers disbelieving in Him and making fun of Him in John 7 (NKJV):
1
After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.
2
Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.
3
His brothers therefore said to Him, “Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.
4
For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.”
5
For even His brothers did not believe in Him.
Note how Jesus’ brothers later were praying together with others waiting for the Holy Spirit from Jesus in Acts 1 (NKJV):
14
These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
May we seek the Lord and fulfill His Word in our lives and trust the Lord to work in our families.
Vance

======= John:

John 6:48-58
I read the bible in a straightforward manner. And yes, that means I would understand some passages to be literal that others would not. That being said the “Bread of Life” discourse is a “spiritual” discourse. In vs. 63 Jesus says as much.
The progression
vs.29 Work of God is to believe IN the one he has sent.
vs. 35 He who comes and believes will never go hungry or thirsty.
vs. 40 Everyone who Believes IN the Son will have eternal life.
Vs 47 Jesus repeats himself (probably now in the synagouge) – he who believes has everlasting life.
Everlasting life is a spiritual concept. In the very next verse Jesus says, “I am the (or that) bread of Life” (Note the use of ego eimi or the “I AM” statement.) Bread is a metaphor.
The words used for “eat” are “phago” and “trogo”. Phago has an explicit metaphorical meaning of ” consume, take in”. Trogo is a more intense form of eating – implying “gnawing at and getting to the core”. It does not have an explicit metaphorical meaning, but since it is used in a spiritual passage, and is used to elaborate on a metaphor, I feel pretty comfortable that its use is not literal here – given the context of the passage.
vs. 56
“Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.”
Merrill C. Tenney has a very compact statment regarding this metaphor of “Bread of Life”:
“The metaphor of eating and drinking is the best possible figure that can be employed to express the assimilation of one body by another, the method whereby life is transferred from the eaten to the eater. The literal eating of Jesus’ flesh and the drinking of His blood were not demanded” (John, The Gospel Of Belief).
It all goes back to John 1:12-13 with the concept of all those that received him (take him in) and believed IN His Name (Jehovah is salvation) had the authority to become children of God. Co-heirs to Heaven. To know (ginosko) Him in an intimate personal way is to be ensured a place in heaven.
How do you get that intimate with Christ? By taking him in (consuming Him), feeding on Him – His words, His sprit, and metaphorically his body and blood.
This to me – is what the “Bread of Life” discourse is all about. It is a spiritual lesson about eternal life.
Just ran across this:
John 6:56
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.
v. 56 It is “real” food because it gives “real” or eternal life. And, carrying the metaphor a step farther, it does that because it enables us to participate in the life of Jesus Christ himself.
John

======= John:

Below are comments by St. Augustine, Gelasius – bishop of Rome, and a couple from the Believer’s commentary on “Bread of Life” discourse
======================================================
Believe, and you have eaten already.
“Who is the bread of the Kingdom of God, but He who says, “I am the living Bread which came down from heaven?” Do not get your mouth ready, but your heart. On this occasion it was that the parable of this supper was set forth. Lo, we believe in Christ, we receive Him with faith. In receiving Him we know what to think of. We receive but little, and are nourished in the heart. It is not then what is seen, but what is believed, that feeds us. Therefore we too have not sought for that outward sense.
This is then to eat the meat, not that which perishes, but that which endures unto eternal life. To what purpose do you make ready teeth and stomach? Believe, and you have eaten already.” (Augustine, John: Tractate 25:12).
======================================================
“The sacrament of the body and blood of Christ, which we receive, is a divine thing, because by it we are made partakers of the divine-nature. Yet the substance or nature of the bread and wine does not cease. And assuredly the image and the similitude of the body and blood of Christ are celebrated in the performance of the mysteries.” Gelasius, bishop of Rome, in Jacques Paul Migne, Patrologiae Latinae, Tractatus de duabis naturis Adversus Eutychen et Nestorium 14.
======================================================
In verse 47 we read that “He who believes in Me has everlasting life.” In verse 54, we learn that whoever eats His flesh and drinks His blood has eternal life. Now things equal to the same thing are equal to each other. To eat His flesh and to drink His blood is to believe on Him.
MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. 1997, c1995. Believer’s Bible Commentary : Old and New Testaments . Thomas Nelson: Nashville
======================================================
In the bread of life discourse, our Lord began with fairly simple teaching. But as He progressed, it was apparent that the Jews were rejecting His words. The more they closed their hearts and minds to the truth, the more difficult His teaching became. Finally He talked about eating His flesh and drinking His blood. That was too much! They said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it” and they quit following Him. Rejection of the truth results in judicial blindness. Because they would not see, they came to the place where they could not see.
MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. 1997, c1995. Believer’s Bible Commentary : Old and New Testaments . Thomas Nelson: Nashville
======================================================
Amen, Amen
The NIV I think misses a great point of importance by using the phrase “I tell you the Truth”.
The KJV uses “Verily, Verily” the original word in Aramaic is “amen” – meaning so be it, or truth.
Before testimony is given in Jewish courts the witness first says “Amen” (truth) to indicate the veracity of his testimony.
On very important points Jesus does the same thing. Except he repeats it for emphasis. It would be wise to highlight all the “Verily, Verily” statements of our Lord.
John

1 Samuel 8:1-9:27 + John 6:22-42 + Psalm 106:32-48 + Proverbs 14:34-35
~ Click here to read today’s Scripture on Bible Gateway ~
~ Listen to today’s Scripture with Tom Dooley’s terrific NLT 1996 readings at this link or The ESV Bible: OT + NT + Psalms + Proverbs ~

Old Testament – We have some great dramatic reading today in First Samuel!  Tyndale’s One Year Bible Companion today has some good food for thought to the question of Why did Israel want a king? – “1. Samuel’s sons were not fit to lead Israel 2. The 12 tribes of Israel continually had problems working together because each tribe had its own leader and territory.  It was hoped that a king would unite the tribes into one nation and one army. 3. The people wanted to be like the neighboring nations.  This is exactly what God didn’t want.  Having a king would make it easy for them to forget that God was their real leader.”  In First Samuel Chapter 8 we hear Samuel passing on God’s warning to how the king will treat the people…

Can you imagine hearing these words of Samuel if you were Saul in First Samuel 9:20 today: “And I am here to tell you that you and your family are the focus of all Israel’s hopes.”  All you are doing is looking for your dad’s lost donkeys and all of the sudden you hear this from the seer!  Whew…   You know though – I will say this.  Being in relationship with God is always an adventure.  I think oftentimes we will start out on a journey to do one thing and God ends up taking us some place completely different.  Saul is about to embark on an adventure.  You and I have the opportunity to embark on an adventure with God each and every day.  I know that there are many times that God sends me into places & situations I would have never thought imaginable.  That’s the adventure of faith.  It truly is not boring!  I honestly think that life apart from God is truly boring.  The secular life is boring.  The materialistic life is boring.  If you are feeling bored these days, will you break free and wholeheartedly pursue an adventurous relationship with the Lord?

An image is below for 1 Samuel 9:11 today – “As they were climbing a hill toward the town, they met some young women coming out to draw water. So Saul and his servant asked, “Is the seer here today?”

Bible.org’s commentary on 1 Samuel’s readings today titled “Give us a King!” is at this link and commentary titled “The making of Israel’s first king” is at this link.

New Testament – Wow… verses 28 & 29 in John chapter 6 are so beautiful and simple that I think it is easy to miss the strong meaning behind this conversation between the crowd & Jesus – “They replied, “What does God want us to do?” Jesus told them, “This is what God wants you to do: Believe in the one he has sent.””  Check out that very last sentence.  This is what God wants you to do.  Believe.  That’s it.  It’s that simple.  Believe.  Not give away all your money to the poor.  Not do thousands of good deeds.  Not become a perfect person over night.  Just believe.  Believe.  Yeah, okay, maybe God will ask you to give away some money and do good and become better person after you believe…  🙂  But the key is first and foremost to Believe.  Do you Believe in Jesus, the One whom God sent?

And verse 35 is so powerful as well – “Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. No one who comes to me will ever be hungry again. Those who believe in me will never thirst.”  Jesus saying he is the bread of life is similar to him saying he is the Door or the Vine.  Bread is a beautiful metaphor that Jesus supplies divine nourishment to us spiritually.  For me, this verse also reminds me of The Lord’s Supper in our churches today.

Bible.org’s commentary on our John chapter 6 readings today titled “The Bread of Life” is at this link.

Psalms – Psalm 106 verse 39 stood out to me today, speaking about the Israelites: “They defiled themselves by their evil deeds, and their love of idols was adultery in the LORD’s sight.”  I think this Psalm verse stands the test of time with our modern world today.  Do you believe that we still defile ourselves with our evil deeds today?  Do you believe that our love of idols is adultery in God’s sight?  How can we stop defiling ourselves with evil deeds and stop loving idols in our modern world today?  Who can save us from ourselves?

Proverbs – Proverbs chapter 14 verse 34 today teaches us today: “Godliness makes a nation great, but sin is a disgrace to any people.”  This is a great reminder that godliness is not just an individual issue, but a community and even national issue.

Worship Video: The first half of Proverbs 14:34 today reminded me of the great Matt Maher song “Hold us Together:”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SHXQNfib_M

Do you believe love will hold us together? Click here for Love!

Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today: “Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”  John 6:35 TNIV

Prayer Point: Pray that Jesus is your bread of life. Pray that through faith in Jesus you will never be spiritually hungry or thirsty. Pray you will withstand hunger or thirst in this fallen world, knowing that Jesus is your bread of life.

Comments from You & Questions of the Day:  Do you agree with this Proverb that godliness makes a nation great?  In our recent readings in Judges, was Israel a godly nation?   Or was there sin in the nation bringing disgrace?  How about today?  Do you live in a godly nation?  Or is there sin bringing disgrace to the people?  Also, what verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings?  Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!

God bless,
Mike

p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Bible readings at this link.

p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.

p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!

BLOG READERS HISTORICAL COMMUNITY COMMENTS:
(our Group Bible Study is below! : )

======= Ramona:

======= Melanie:

Still on the programme! but doing it quietly as I hadn’t had the time to blog about my reflections. 
Interesting point about the John reading today. But I was wondering, as usual, what did Jesus mean by “Belief in me” … and immediately I thought “Well, if I want to be ‘saved’, just believe.” It made me realise how me-centred my view is, so what does Jesus mean when he said believing in him is enough?
Before Jesus’ answer, the question was: What must we do to perform the works of God”
Is it a convulated (to me, hah) way of saying, “What can we do to please God? help him?”
What jumped out for me in John was Jesus’ response in v26.
“Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you at your fill of the loaves”
Of course, as usual, I’m like one of the crowd: What does he mean?
Could it be that the crowd came searching for Jesus because they knew that he was the one who call bless them with things, a ‘wish man’ of sorts?
Jesus, of course, cut to the chase and said that we shouldn’t “work for food that perishes”
Ironically, many Christians still do that.
Saul seemed like such a perfect candidate when you read this portion of OT. He didn’t seem particularly power hungry or megalomaniacal either! Goes to show appearances deceive!
Melanie

======= Rob:

i was really struck by how saul came across in the passage and what a mess of things he makes later on. i have been thinking a lot recently about people who messed up earlier on and then came good (eve, jacob, joseph) as i am preaching about this on sunday – but here is someone doing the reverse. where did it all start to go wrong and may i ‘beat my body and make it my slave lest i myself be disqualified from the prize’ as paul says in the new testament.
rob

======= John:

John 6
28Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
29Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” NIV
The people ask him what works (plural) they can do.
“Those who questioned Jesus seemed sure that if only Jesus told them what to do, they could please God by their works of God. For these people, as with many people today, salvation is found in the right formula for performing works that will please God.”
Jesus corrects them. Jesus’ name means “Jehovah is salvation”. Salvation is God’s work. In this regard, there are no works (plural) for the people to perform only the work (singular) of God. Believe in the one He sent – believe what He says, believe why He is there, believe IN Him. Have faith!
[Note: Greek in text is erga (works) and ergon (work).]
Having faith does not mean one gets a free ticket to do what one wants – faith leads to a transformation of our lives.
“We become by faith, his brethren, his servants, his soldiers, his subjects, and the children of his Father in heaven. This faith is obviously no merely peripheral interest of one’s life. If you have it, it controls you! Our entire lives, therefore, are redefined, redirected, indeed, recreated, because we believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that he came into the world to save sinners, and that those who trust in him will live forever.”
Once you have faith and are saved, then your life changes, so that we can carry out God’s works.
Eph 2:10
“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
John

======= Roslyn:

“I am the bread of life. No one who comes to me will ever be hungry again. Those who believe in me will never thirst.” AMEN!!!
Yes, Lord, I BELIEVE!!!
Roslyn

======= Ramona:

1 Samuel 8:1-9:27
In e-mailing Anka several days ago, we both have the same philosophy, or belief, that God has a sense of humor and I believe, in these two chapters, God is showing His humor toward us. However, this humor here is not the funny Ha, Ha, humor but the funny ironic kind.
Israel is desiring a king because of there disunity, because they want to be like the other nations, because they want a central government, they want someone to uphold the laws. Funny thing if one is following the Laws of God, one wouldn’t need to have someone enforce the laws. Laws are written for those that break the law not for those who uphold the law in their hearts. If one’s heart is right then one’s actions are right.
Because I have read the Book of Samuel multiple times, I know how the story ends but I want everyone to consider Saul’s name, it’s meaning in Hebrew:
שׁאוּל
shâ’ûl
shaw-ool’
Passive participle of H7592; asked;
And the root word the name Saul was taken from:
shaw-al’, shaw-ale’
A primitive root; to inquire; by implication to request; by extension to demand:
Israel was about to get that what she demanded. Be careful what you ask for you might get it. And when you accept the cost without.
The story of Saul and some other passages in the Bible have led me to conclude, outside of God and His Christ; we get the leadership we deserve.
Grace and peace,
Ramona
P.S. Anka–Great insight!

======== Vance:

John 6 (NKJV)
34
Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.”
35
And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
~~~
NOTE:
This is the key point of all knowledge and learning of the Scriptures. Do we know and have intimacy with the Lord Jesus?
Notice what Jesus said, “…He who comes to Me shall never hunger.”
We always have needs and we always hunger for more. That is why Jesus also said in Matthew 5 (NKJV):
6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
I am to be always and constantly seeking and receiving so all of who I am is truly washed with the water of grace and filled with Christ.
May Christ truly be seen and manifest in and through our lives.
~~
We can only walk in the love of God as Jesus lives His Life through us. When people hear God’s Word in and see the Presence of Jesus in us, then many hearts will come and receive from the Water of Life.
~~~
Psalm 106 (NKJV)
39
Thus they were defiled by their own works, And played the harlot by their own deeds.
NOTE:
Either Christ is our life and sustenance or something or someone else will be. Jesus is Lord and God is the Most High.
Yet
—it still amazes me when I think about it—
my choices can determine whether I have life or death, blessing or curse.
May I enter more and more and drink deeply from the Presence of the Lord. Then I will be protected from being defiled. Then and only then will I have the pure heart that only comes from grace.
Vance

======= Ramona:

More Thoughts on Today’s Readings:
One of the common thread in both of today’s reading, Old and New is seen in I Samuel 9:20 and Jesus’ words to the crowd looking for bread and fish, John 6:26.
Don’t be concerned about the donkeys that you lost three days ago, for they have been found. Whom does all Israel desire? Is it not you, and all your father’s family?”
(1 Samuel 9:20 NET.)
AND
Jesus replied, “I tell you the solemn truth, you are looking for me not because you saw miraculous signs, but because you ate all the loaves of bread you wanted. (John 6:26 NET.)
Saul was the answer to the hope and dreams of Israel, but was Israel operating out of God’s desire? Just because you have a lot of people desiring you, calling for you doesn’t mean that your fulfilling their hopes and desires they way they want you to is your true purpose. Just because you have the crowd carrying you along doesn’t mean the crowd will take you where you want to go, should go. Good isn’t good unless it’s righteous.
Jesus came to this earth to feed those that were spiritually starving and He knew His purpose. He wasn’t waylaid by the desires of the crowd. They wanted to be fed so their stomachs were full; Jesus wanted their spirits feed, that was the assignment his father gave Him and that was what He purposed in His heart to do.
Our God given assignments should never be diverted and perverted by the voices of the crowd.
Grace and peace,
Ramona

======= MItch:

it’s funny the details we find in the bible. for instance, why are we told how handsome saul is, but nothing about why samuels sons are so corrupt or who their mother is.
i’m really enjoying the old testament reading but would really love to have more commentary. i’ve been saturated in the new testament but am lacking in my knowledge and understanding of the old, which effects my grasp of christ and the new test regardless of how much i’ve been exposed to it. if anyone could recommend a good old test commentary for me i’d really appreciate it.
thanks,
Mitch

======= Anka:

Mitch,
Bob Deffinbaugh is a pretty good commentator on the OT…there are many others on http://www.bible.org.
Anka

======== Mitch:

anka,
thanks for the response. i’ve been following all the commentary links (most of them bible.orgs), but i guess i’m commentary greedy and want even more. i get much from bob d. but would love to have a verse by verse analysis with a heavy historical/contextual background.
Mitch

======= Mike:

Mich – the Zondervan NIV Study Bible is incredible. Great verse by verse analysis, and pretty good on the historical context w/ maps, etc. It’s online here – http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0310929555/
I try to review this study Bible before posting up, but don’t always get the chance. It adds a lot to my posts when I actually do. : )
Mike

======== John:

1Samuel 8-9
All the “heroes” of the Old Testament are flawed. Samuel is a Godly man, and we have seen no real sin on his part up to now.
However, here Samuel appoints his sons as judges. God raises up judges – nowhere has it been said that a judge was to pass down leadership to family. Samuel did not consult God on this – he just did it! The results were disastorous.
======================================================
Israel desires a king.
God designed this world as a theocracy. Adam was to be God’s representative on Earth – God was the ultimate authority. Judges were raised up to deliver people from certain situations – but God was still the ultimate authority.
God provided for Israel whenever they were in fellowship with Him. He provided for all their needs. God was their king – but the people wanted a king “like all the other nations”.
This rejection of God as ruler of Israel foreshadows Israel’s rejection of Christ.
God knew that they would have a king one day – but Israel’s early cry for a king brought them Saul. If they had not cried out for a king – I believe that first king would have been David.
======================================================
Saul
Saul was from central casting – tall and good-looking -but nowhere in the verses today does it say what (if any)kind of relationship Saul had with God.
In fact the only mention of even having anything to do with God was to find the donkeys – nothing about Saul’s personal life.
Saul appears humble and modest before Samuel – will that change when Saul is elevated to power??????
John

======= John:

John 6
[IMPORTANT VERSES TO ME. Before I was saved as I was reading through this gospel, and I ran across these verses – they struck me. Never had heard anything about these verses growing up – I began to understand.]
======================================================
28Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
29Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” NIV
The people ask him what works (plural) they can do.
“Those who questioned Jesus seemed sure that if only Jesus told them what to do, they could please God by their works of God. For these people, as with many people today, salvation is found in the right formula for performing works that will please God.”
Jesus corrects them. Jesus’ name means “Jehovah is salvation”. Salvation is God’s work. In this regard, there are no works (plural) for the people to perform only the work (singular) of God. Believe in the one He sent – believe what He says, believe why He is there, believe IN Him. Have faith!
[Note: Greek in text is erga (works) and ergon (work).]
Having faith does not mean one gets a free ticket to do what one wants – faith leads to a transformation of our lives.
“We become by faith, his brethren, his servants, his soldiers, his subjects, and the children of his Father in heaven. This faith is obviously no merely peripheral interest of one’s life. If you have it, it controls you! Our entire lives, therefore, are redefined, redirected, indeed, recreated, because we believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that he came into the world to save sinners, and that those who trust in him will live forever.”
Once you have faith and are saved, then your life changes, so that we can carry out God’s works.
Eph 2:10
“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
John

1 Samuel 5:1-7:17 + John 6:1-21 + Psalm 106:13-31 + Proverbs 14:32-33
~ Click here to read today’s Scripture on Bible Gateway ~
~ Listen to today’s Scripture with Tom Dooley’s terrific NLT 1996 readings at this link or The ESV Bible: OT + NT + Psalms + Proverbs ~

Old Testament – Interesting chapters in First Samuel today!  The idol Dagon was no match for the Ark of the Covenant!  You’ll notice in verse 4 that Dagon ends up in a worship position before the Ark: “And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD.”  Dagon was the “god” of the Philistines, and was thought to have been some sort of man / fish combo.  The idol of Dagon may have looked something like this:

Below is a pretty good map of that will show you where three of the Five Cities of the Philistines (Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, and Gath) that we read about in today’s readings are located in the Philistine territory:

It’s fascinating to see the Philistine’s send back to Israel a “guilt offering” of golden tumors and rats with the Ark.  Not quite what was prescribed for guilt offerings in Leviticus… but, I guess you can give them an E for effort.  🙂  We read in chapter 6 verse 11 – “Then the Ark of the LORD and the chest containing the gold rats and gold tumors were placed on the cart.”

 

Then we arrive at the people of Beth-shemesh who look in the ark and perish – and then the ark is sent off again to another town.  We then arrive at some wonderful words from Samuel in chapter 7 verses 3 & 4: “Then Samuel said to all the people of Israel, “If you are really serious about wanting to return to the LORD, get rid of your foreign gods and your images of Ashtoreth. Determine to obey only the LORD; then he will rescue you from the Philistines.” So the Israelites destroyed their images of Baal and Ashtoreth and worshiped only the LORD.”  And later in verse 10 we read – “Just as Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines arrived for battle. But the LORD spoke with a mighty voice of thunder from heaven, and the Philistines were thrown into such confusion that the Israelites defeated them.”

Bible.org’s commentary on our 1 Samuel readings today titled “The hands of Dagon and the Hand of God” is at this link.

New Testament – It is very interesting to note that Jesus’ miracle of feeding the 5,000 is the only miracle, along with the resurrection, that is described in all 4 gospels!  In John chapter 6 verse 14 we read – “When the people saw this miraculous sign, they exclaimed, “Surely, he is the Prophet we have been expecting!””  The Prophet the crowds are referring to comes from Deuteronomy chapter 18 verses 15 & 18 – “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him…. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.”

Bible.org’s commentary on our John chapter 6 readings today titled “The Messiah: Mightier than Moses” is at this link.

Psalms – Today in Psalm 106:19-21 we read: “At Horeb they made a calf and worshiped an idol cast from metal. They exchanged their Glory for an image of a bull, which eats grass. They forgot the God who saved them, who had done great things in Egypt.” This of course sounds very familiar to Romans chapter 1 verses 22 and 23: “Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.”  Was this wise that the Israelites exchanged their Glory for an image of a bull?  Why did they do this?  What should have been their Glory? What is your Glory today?  Do you, at times, exchange your true Glory for something else?  Is this wise?  Are you forgetting the God who saved you? The God who has done great things for you?  Please don’t ever exchange the true Glory for a false idol!

Verse 13 in this Psalm also stands out: “Yet how quickly they forgot what he had done! They wouldn’t wait for his counsel!”  Is this true of us?  Do we forget or take for granted all of the blessings God has poured out into our lives?  In doing so, do we decide to take matters into our own hands – not waiting on God’s counsel for our direction?  Will we remember?  Will we wait?  Patiently…?

Proverbs – I really like Proverbs 14 verse 33 today – “Wisdom is enshrined in an understanding heart.”  I pray we all develop understanding hearts that are full of godly wisdom!

Worship Video: Today’s readings in John reminded me of Needtobreathe’s song “Testify:”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCKU7kAUrvU

Have you testified? Click here to Testify!

Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today: “They exchanged their Glory for an image of a bull, which eats grass.”  Psalm 106:20 NIV

Prayer Point: Pray that you will never exchange the Glory of God in your life for a useless dying idol.

Comments from You & Questions of the Day:  What do you think this Proverb means when it says “understanding heart”?  What is an “understanding heart”?  How is it different from other hearts?  Maybe hardened hearts or foolish hearts?  Have you ever prayed to God for an understanding heart?  Would this be a good prayer?  Also, what verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings?  Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!

God bless,
Mike

p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Bible readings at this link.

p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.

p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!

BLOG READERS HISTORICAL COMMUNITY COMMENTS:
(our Group Bible Study is below! : )

======= Ramona:

1 Samuel 5-7:17

For me this entire story of the capture of the Ark and its return can be played out today in our dealings with God either individually, as a congregation, a community and a nation. The Ark was captured because Israel used it as a “good luck” charm. It had become a symbol of God, something to carry into battle because they had lost a previous battle and not because they trusted God, they had put God in a box and kept Him there in the reasoning of their minds.

The Philistines now had the God of Israel in a box and took Him to their temple where their god, Dagon, fell before Israel’s God. [(I have sworn by Myself, the word is gone out of My mouth in righteousness and shall not return, that unto Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear [allegiance] Isaiah 45:23); (It is written: ” ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.’ ” 12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. Romans 14:11-12)]

Instead of getting a clue and either being too stupid or stubborn to buy one, the Philistines kept their god and tried to reason and placate the God of Israel. Their means and methods of dealing with Israel’s God, placing it in a chart being pulled by cows that had given just given birth to calves that were not allowed to travel with them and the gold idols, were about “blind” men searching in the dark for God. In the natural new mothers don’t leave their babies. Israel took this as a sign, which it was; however, they misinterpreted the “sign” because they failed to seek God’s direction. They went by how things appeared to them instead of what God said because they failed to have fellowship with God to find out what He required, they failed to adhere to the Laws handed down by Moses so they went by it kinda-sorta-seems-like-to-me.

We still do that today. We try to keep God in a box and only bring Him out in crisis, then only to cry, “Why God, why?” When we don’t have God in our lives, His Presence, when manifested, defeats the gods in our lives and instead of asking questions and examining the reasonableness of the gods we serve, we send the true God back. When the God we say we serve out of tradition shows up in our lives in a powerful way, we then forge a worship method based on what we think we have seen instead of drawing closer to Him in fellowship to find out what He requires. We then begin to forge a worship system formed out of the ignorance of our own minds based on traditions formed from the lifestyles of unbelievers, a deadly formula.

John 6:1-21

This sentence/verse has caught my attention,
2 And a huge crowd kept following him wherever he went, because they saw his miracles as he healed the sick.

Am I following the pattern of the crowd? Am I following Jesus because of His miracles, because he “fed” me? Am I looking for a feeding program? When we read through the Book of Luke we came across the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16: 19-31). At the end of that story there is a punch line which was, 31″But Abraham said, `If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen even if someone rises from the dead.’ ” Signs and Wonders do not bring belief and faith, signs and wonders just make us wonder, “Hmmm” Hopefully our curiosity will send us on a journey to find “Truth.”

What the now well-fed crowd wanted was a king to keep them fed. This desire not only indicted the crowd back then but it indicts us today. We seek the “right” politician or leader not for what is right and moral but for what they can do for us and at the same time not give to the other guys living across the tracks or the other side of the political spectrum. Like us, they wanted a prophet/king to give them “stuff” but they didn’t want the Messiah part because they, like, us, don’t really want to submit to anyone however we do just want the “stuff.”

Psalm 106:13-31
24 The people refused to enter the pleasant land,
for they wouldn’t believe his promise to care for them.

25 Instead, they grumbled in their tents
and refused to obey the LORD.

I am always fascinated by how the readings from different books written at different times parallel and compliment each other. This division of the Book of Psalms, at least to me, clearly shows the fickleness of “us folks.”

Proverbs 14:32-33

32 The wicked are crushed by their sins, but the godly have a refuge when they die.

Our bodies were never created to withstand the weight of sin. For those who are “saved” go get a B.S. (Before Salvation) picture and one now and see the difference on your face. Salvation lifts burdens.

28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Grace and peace,
Ramona

====== Anka:

Mike,
thanks for putting the links “steps to peace with God”cos I found some wonderful passages from “God can make a difference in the unknown” and “where to look in times of need”.God bless you for your labour of love.
Today’s OT reading I feel is loaded with meaning.God can’t be used,put down or mocked.We need to leave all the security blankets and throw ourselves into God’s arms.The Israelites had to be told to leave their gods aside and seek ONLY God.
I really don’t get the “they drew water out and poured it out in front of the Lord”bit but I can see that they in all sincerity turned to God in worship.The enemy chose a really bad time to strike…during a family reunion…God gave them victory because they did their part and God took care of all the rest.Our part is trusting Him and my prayers are “please teach me how to trust you,to love you”..it may sound really silly but I honesty look into my heart and it’s not pretty.
God bless you all
Anka

====== Luch:

Commenting on Psalm 106:19-21 “The people made a calf at Mount Sinai; they bowed before an image made of gold. they traded their glorious God for a statue of a grass eating ox. They forgot God…” Alas, the last three words are the ruin of many people—“they forgot God.” Everytime I read this passage I am reminded of what the famous preacher and scholar Jonathon Edwards said about “goodness”. He said, “The ultimate good in life is to treat something according to its true value.” How true. The ultimate good is to treat God according to His true infinite value, but these people chose not to, and in not treating God according to His true value, they destroyed themselves. When we fail to treat ourselves according to our true value as the ‘imago dei’–image bearers of our great God, we then also turn to lesser gods that end up destroying us over time. Aplly this principle to every relationship in your life–treat your spouse/children/friends/enemies/fellow parishiones/neighbours—according to their true value as image bearers of our Triune God. The Israelites chose as we/I do at times to ‘bow before an image made of gold” and we pay the price for our unwise choice. May God help all OYB readers to practice this discipline of treating people and God according to their true value…..

Luch

====== Michelle:

======= Jim:

The Philistines may have placed the ark in their place of worship to honor the god that had apparently abandoned their enemy, but they were certainly not ready to submit to it (being polytheists). In Canaanite mythology, enemy heads and hands were taken as trophies by the goddess Anat. The imagery here clearly shows that Yahweh and Dagon had fought and that Yahweh had been triumphant. After the return of the ark to Beth Shemesh the people were yet again under judgment for irreverence in worship and approach to a holy, righteous, and almighty God. We should consider our own seriousness when adding black lights and mood music to Sunday’s service when reading stories like these from scripture.
If the events of John chapter 5 occurred at the Feast of Tabernacles and chapter 6 was during Christ’s second Passover of John Gospel, then half a year has passed between these two chapters. Christ feeds 5,000 (only miracle recorded by all four Gospel authors except for the resurrection, although only John describes the bread as barley denoting a poor bread – reminiscent of when Elisha multiplies such loaves in 2 Kings 4:42-44) and later walks on water. The leftover food may suggest that there was also enough spiritual food to satisfy them forever (like the manna previously given in the wilderness) and the specific counting only of men may suggest four times the 5,000 in total. “Man does not live on bread alone” (Matt 4:4) because human beings are more than mere animals. Christ reminds the still spiritually immature and insensitive disciples to “not be afraid” but rather “believe” during the storms on the lake and in life. Jesus is whom sinners persecute and saints adore – nothing could be more alarming or comforting. I am often surprised to hear Jewish and Christian friends say that neither of them think they worship the same God.
During the times of Christ there was a multitude of supposed miracle workers (including those who claimed to be able to walk on water), but only Jesus focused on teaching (rather than on overthrowing the Romans – what the customers wanted). The distinction is made clear: “Jesus answered, I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.” And, Jesus departed when the crowds came to take Him by force and to be their king. In the OT, Moses, Joshua, Elijah and Elisha all parted bodies of water, but only God trod upon the water (Job 9:8). After Jesus walked across the water to join them in the boat, it immediately was beamed to the shore as the Spirit did to Philip from the Gaza road in Acts (also compare with 1 Kings 18:12). Matthew tells us that Peter left the safety of the boat and began to sink when his attention was drawn away from Jesus and onto the wind. This is a great example of how those who respond to Christ’s call are still vulnerable to doubts.
In Matthew 12:43-45, Jesus describes the spiritual condition of the generation of His day after saying how they would be condemned by the Ninevites and the Queen of Sheba in the day of judgment (Matthew 12:41-42). Jesus warned it is not enough just to go through the process of having one’s sins forgiven unless reformation continues and something positive is put in the now-cleaned house (where the end might prove worse than the beginning). We must replace evil with good. In our heart can reside things that produce harm (Matt 15:19) as well as be the source of good (Matt 12:35). Our “house” can be cleaned (like in Hebrews 10:22 and Acts 15:8-9) to serve God (Heb 9:14) but we are expected to “fill” our home with Christ (Ephesians 3:17), God’s peace (Colossians 3:15-16), and the law (Hebrews 8:10). Nature abhors a vacuum, though, and our good home is likely to see evil return with a vengeance! Consider the Corinthians that had been washed, sanctified, and justified (1 Cor 6:11) and yet were later engaged in sinful conduct again (2 Cor 12:20-21) or the false teachers mentioned by Peter who had been bought by the Lord (2 Pet 2:1) but had become entangled again and, “the latter end is worse for them than the beginning” (2 Pet 2:20-22). In the case of he false teachers, they had become worse by forsaking the right way (2 Pet 2:15), adultery and covetousness (2 Pet 2:14), and even denied the Lord who bought them (2 Pet 2:1). In our case, our hearts can become “hardened” (Heb 3:12-13), insult the Spirit (Heb 10:26-29), and eventually reach the point of no return (Heb 6:4-6). How important, then, that we do not let the home of our heart remain empty and thusly invite worldly things to take up residence only to discover, “the last state of that man is worse than the first!” Follow instead the example of David (Psalm 101:3-4), renew your understanding (Romans 12:1-2), study God’s word (1 Pet 2:1-2), allow yourself to be filled with the Spirit (Colossians 3:16), be selective about your environment (Philippians 4:8), and chose friends carefully (1 Cor 15:33, Prov 13:20, 2 Cor 6:14-7:1).
I seemed to provide conflicting opinions yesterday when suggesting that we should focus less on other’s sins and more on our own and then saying that we should also focus less on our own sins as well. This is because I think we should focus on grace (or forgiveness for our sins – not others). Christ did not suggest we first pray, “God stop me” but “God, be merciful to me.” People often assert high grades on unselfishness and pronounce their health and wealth as the just reward (since, “what goes around, comes around”). All of the students in one of my college classes, for example, once even claimed their choices in life were honest and selfless no less than either 90% to 100% of the time. Persons of great spirituality (like Mother Teresa), on the other hand, state that they know their decisions are SELFISH 100% of the time. Apostle Paul even said, “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.” (Romans 7:18) Psalm 106 is specifically about God’s people forgetting His mercies and calls for the praise of God despite these short memories. “Remember me” seems based on the remembrance of Israel’s history in the previous Psalm and is a strong contrast with “they soon forgot.” We read last week the most famous line of the Bible that starts, “For He so loved the world…” How would you finish the sentence, For the world so loved their God … ? “We have sinned with our fathers,” “They soon forgot,” “He gave them their request,” the rebellion of Dathan and Abiram, the story of the golf calf, “they despised the pleasant land,” and so forth is about the great need for community penitence for forgetting. There isa long history of rebellion in the face of God’s love and provision even though He has always remained faithful.https://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=247928091&comment_id=100895&origin=bibleinayearblog.com&obj_id=247928091-100895-69feb564eb250
Jim

======= Chris:

I’m keeping up here with everyone. I must say that I am becoming very educated while I’m on this journey and at the same time, I’m wondering what took me so long to actually read the Bible.
I find it comforting while at the same time seeing many parallels between then and now and human nature. As I continue to read, I ask myself are we so different now? The killing that occurred, take of countries, towns, cities, leaving no one alive…
Then jumping ahead to actually visualize Jesus speaking and trying to connect this.
I have asked myself these questions:
Are we as human beings so different now than they were back then?
And how can I as one person make a difference?
And how can we all as a community make a difference?
It seems we keep making the same mistakes over and over again, taking one step forward and two back.
I’ve never been closer to God than I am today, even though at times I am a bit confused by it all, but I suppose that, too, will become clearer to me.
Judges was a real eye-opener, especially at the end.
I do know that the more I read the more strength I draw and the more determined I am to make right my life and to adhere to God’s teachings and to share that with my family by living that way.
I ask myself questions and I am finding the answers.
Thanks for taking so much of your time to share with us your views and opinilons, and the questions you ask to ask ourselves.
You’ve got me thinking!
Chris

======= Vance:

I Samuel 5 (NKJV)
6
But the hand of the LORD was heavy on the people of Ashdod, and He ravaged them and struck them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory.
7
And when the men of Ashdod saw how it was, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for His hand is harsh toward us and Dagon our god.”
8
Therefore they sent and gathered to themselves all the lords of the Philistines, and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?”
19
Then He struck the men of Beth Shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD. He struck fifty thousand and seventy men of the people, and the people lamented because the LORD had struck the people with a great slaughter.
20
And the men of Beth Shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God? And to whom shall it go up from us?”
21
So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath Jearim, saying, “The Philistines have brought back the ark of the LORD; come down and take it up with you.”
1 Samuel 7 (NKJV)
1
Then the men of Kirjath Jearim came and took the ark of the LORD, and brought it into the house of Abinadab on the hill, and consecrated Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the LORD.
~~~
NOTE:
I really like this very timely, ever real question and challenge by Mike:
“What is your Glory today? Do you, at times, exchange your true Glory for something else? Is this wise? Are you forgetting the God who saved you? The God who has done great things for you? Please don’t ever exchange the true Glory for a false idol.”
An idol is not just something physical, like a statue of the Buddha or one of the thousands of Indian gods and goddesses.
It is so easy to develop an idol inside the heart which no one but the Lord can see. God’s Word can reveal to us what God sees within us as we wait in His Presence.
I am taking more time to wait in God’s Presence, sing and praise Him. God gave me the ability to play guitar and to sing. The guitar helps me sing and pray through my joys and sorrows.
~~~
Note that even when worshiping the true and living God, we must follow His instructions and worship the way that He tells us. Note what may be considered the “severity of God” as the holiness of God’s Presence weighed heavily on the Philistines (I Samuel 6, verses 6 – 8, 19 and 20).
This makes me think of something Charles Spurgeon said when questioned about God’s mercy and judgment. I do not remember the exact quote, but he said they were twin sisters – both glorifying the Lord.
God is holy. We need to be holy. We can only be holy as we wait in the Presence of the Holy One and allow Him to place His Word into our lives. We can, and our spiritual life longs for us to, meditate on His Word as we wait in His holy Presence.
This makes me think of these verses I have been meditating on with guitar and song:
Psalm 101 (NKJV)
1
I will sing of mercy and justice; To You, O LORD, I will sing praises.
2
I will behave wisely in a perfect way. Oh, when will You come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.
Vance

======= John:

John 6
Feeding of five thousand
Greater than the last:
Water into wine for a wedding gathering, healings for individuals – witnessed by household and the other by temple occupants.
This miracle was in front of 5,000 – 20,000 people.
Previous miracles dealt with existing constraints – only a certain number of water jars, and illness in an individual.
This miracle had no constraints the food would go out to as many as would receive it – whether that was 20,000 or a million. And there would still be food (grace) left over.
Allusion to Moses is strong in this chapter, and will be expounded on later by Jesus. Moses prayed and manna came down from heaven. Jesus came down from heaven, prayed, and food was available to the people. The miracle sets up Jesus’ next discourse on the “bread of life”. Remember Bethlehem was translated : “House of Bread”.
Walking on Water
A month ago a professor at F.S.U. just “threw out there” that the region had experianced freezing temperatures and ice may have been formed on top of the water.
Professor Nof said: “We leave to others the question of whether or not our research explains the biblical account.”
And the media ran with it in the usual run-up to Easter that has become so common of late.
Must have been cold on the mount when people were being fed : ) Heck of a cold front that would freeze a stream of fresh water 3 and a half miles out to the boat, so that not only Jesus walked on it, but Peter as well. Pretty neat that the boat just happened to be at the end of the fresh water ice. Course Peter must have hit a thin patch of ice when he sunk.
[SIGH!]
Man, particularly non-believers, can not rest until they find an explanation of things that make sense to them. “That works for them” (How many times do we hear that phrase?)
[referring to media here and not so much the professor]
Random notes on Walking on Water:
They were terrified when they saw Jesus walking on water. Why? Up to now they had been present at other miracles and being comfortable in presence of Jesus had seen them unfold. This miracle came out of the blue and was directed at them.
How many times in Bible did angels suddenly appear and tell people “be not afraid”. The supernatural scares people when suddenly confronted with it with no warning or warm convivial build-up (just my opinion).
Jesus for the second time that I recall in John uses “ego eimi” or the “I am” phrase, and like the angels tells the disciples to not be afraid.
The disciples willingly take him in – the same Greek word as in John 1:12 – Gk. “lambano”: receive him. And immediately the boat reached shore.
Pretty neat capsule picture for “salvation”. Life in sin is a nasty storm, but if you believe in him and “take Him in” you will straightaway reach your destination. Does not mean the storms will subside or life will get all smooth and happy.
Your destination. It is like Andrew posted yesterday from Ephesians 2:6. The Greek verb construct is: we are already there (in heaven) raised up and seated with Christ. That is our destination to which we immediately come to upon salvation.
John

======= Ramona:

1 Samuel 5:1-7:17
What do I do when confronted with the undeniable power of God? Do I place Him amongst all my other gods? Do I scratch my head and ponder when the false gods I have erected bow down to the One True Living God loosing their heads and hands? What do I do when faced with the Truth of who God is? That is the question of the day.
The Philistines, who had no relationship with God, use magic, superstition and magical thinking to try to understand the God of Israel. They may be excused in their handling of the things of God, after all they were not given His commands. However, they cannot be excused for their continual worship of their false gods after seeing the devastation and destruction that came upon the people. They served and worshiped a weak god. What is so troubling to me is this: In the face of the power of God, they chose to get rid of Him instead of finding out who He was. They new He was powerful, yet still didn’t want Him. They desired gods that they could carry around, the desired images that allowed them to project their thoughts, their religious systems upon inanimate objects. How far off from the Philistines are we today?
Now God’s people and their reaction to the return of the Arc is another matter. Here we have a people who have been chosen by God to be His people, yet they utterly treat with contempt and familiarity, the things of God. They gave Him no honor, no respect and no reverence.
In the John passage, we have Jesus feeding more than five thousand people. We know there were more than five thousand because only the men were counted. Not only were the people fed, they had been healed and taught the Word of God, and yet, what was their reaction. They wanted to take Jesus and make Him king. The problem with giving anyone your stamp of approval, including God, is that then we want to tell them or Him how they should operate because after all didn’t we make “Him” king.
There is a common thread in today’s Old and New Testament reading and it is this: what do we doing with the information we have about God? Are we operating out of assumptions (ass-u-me), which is the lowest form of communication when it comes to the things of God and God Himself? Are we making up our own rules and regulations, like the Pharisees, and saying these are the laws of God? When God’s mighty power manifests in our lives, are we pushing it away instead of making a heart felt inquiry. How am I handling God and the things He has created, after all He created me!
Grace and peace,
Ramona

======= John:

1 Samuel 5-7:17
Israel Turns Back to the Lord
In Chapter 7 – as Samuel instructed, Israel threw away their false idols. Like back in judges – people turned to God and acknowledged their sin. they acknowledged God’s chosen one for leadership, Samuel, and sacrifices were conducted.
When their hearts were right towards the Lord – God delivered them from the Philistines and their was a time of peace.
======================================================
Is it any different for a believer today?
When we sin and do not go to God – and keep sinning for a period of time. God seems silent – out of our lives. He is still active in our lives, but we do not feel His prescence.
How is this rectified? Like Israel we are to throw out our false idols (sins) – literally or figuratively. Acknowledge we have sinned, and go to our mediator – Jesus Christ and offer prayers to God for forgiveness and restoration of “fellowship”.
The result: Just as Israel is God’s “chosen people” – we are, as believers, God’s “chosen people”. We will be forgiven (not of sins as that happened on the cross) but of “grieving God” and restored in fellowship.
God will then become closer to us, work in our lives, and we will be at peace for a time (until the next bout of sinning).
The goal – for sinning to occur less and less frequently as we mature as Christinas in the image of Christ.
John

1 Samuel 2:22-4:22 + John 5:24-47 + Psalm 106:1-12 + Proverbs 14:30-31
~ Click here to read today’s Scripture on Bible Gateway ~
~ Listen to today’s Scripture with Tom Dooley’s terrific NLT 1996 readings at this link or The ESV Bible: OT + NT + Psalms + Proverbs ~

Old Testament – First Samuel chapter 2 verse 25 stood out to me today when Eli says to his sons – “If someone sins against another person, God can mediate for the guilty party. But if someone sins against the LORD, who can intercede?”  This is an interesting thing to consider.  When we sin, are we sinning against other people and/or against God?  I think generally speaking the answer is both.  I have heard a pastor teach that “nobody sins in a vacuum.”   Not a literal vacuum of course :), but a “vacuum” meaning that your sin only affects you and you alone.  This pastor went on to say that when we sin – even when we are alone – we end up affecting everyone else around us in our lives in some way.  We may not consciously see how this happens, but our sin affects how we will treat others in the near future.  So, it seems to me that when we sin we pretty much always sin against others, because we’re in one sense letting down the community of people around us and we will behave differently to our community around us because of our sin.  Now, in terms of sinning against God, I always think of Psalm 51 where David writes to God – “against you and you alone have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight.”  I think this is true as well – any sin we commit is a sin against God.  It is interesting that David uses the term “you alone” about his sin.  But, obviously, David’s sin of adultery with Bathsheba affected the community around him in a big way.  So, all this to say – I believe that when we sin we are sinning against God and the community of people in our lives at the same time.  Eli asks in this verse above, “who can intercede for our sins against God?”  Well, at that time, that was a very good question.  However, in our time Jesus can and does intercede for our sins against God – if we’ll ask him.  We simply need to confess our sins to Jesus and ask for forgiveness and repent – in faith that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.  We are so very fortunate that we have someone – Jesus – who can intercede for our sins…  This is why Jesus is called Savior.  Jesus Saves us from our sins.  Has Jesus saved you from your sins?

An awesome image is below for 1 Samuel 3:10 – “And the LORD came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied, “Yes, your servant is listening.”

Bible.org’s commentary on today’s 1 Samuel readings titled “Samuel and the sons of Belial” is at this link.  Commentary titled “The Rise of Samuel and the fall of Eli and Sons” is at this link. 

New Testament – I am intrigued by Jesus’ words in John chapter 5 verse 30 today, particularly in light of the book of Judges that we recently read, which was a dark time in Israel’s history – “But I do nothing without consulting the Father. I judge as I am told. And my judgment is absolutely just, because it is according to the will of God who sent me; it is not merely my own.”  I love that Jesus says his judgment is absolutely just.  And I believe this is true – 1. that Jesus will judge us and that 2. his judgment is just.  I think this is both something to be celebrated – there is no one else I would want to judge me… – and I think this can be sobering – if his judgment is absolutely just, then it is obvious that we cannot “sneak” anything by Jesus.  Everything we have ever done or will do will be judged by Jesus.  I think ultimately it is very healthy to recognize this.  Maybe initially this realization will keep us from sinning because of some fear of judgment – but ideally this realization matures into a love for Jesus that encourages us not to sin because we would not want to disappoint Jesus whom we love with all that we are.  Do you believe that Jesus is your judge?  Do you believe that Jesus will judge you absolutely justly?

Bible.org’s commentary on John chapter 5’s readings today titled “Like Father, Like Son” is at this link.

Psalms – Psalm 106 is a repentant Psalm, likely written by a Levitical priest after returning to Jerusalem after its destruction.  Verse 2 stood out to me today – “Who can list the glorious miracles of the LORD? Who can ever praise him half enough?”  Can you list all of the glorious miracles of God?  Can anyone?  Are you praising God today?  Every day?

Verse 3 is powerful- “Happy are those who deal justly with others and always do what is right.” I think this is such an important thing to know – we will be happy when we deal justly with others and when we do what is right.  This is happiness.  Not money or fame or power or luxuries.  Dealing justly with others and doing what is right is happiness.  So, Biblically, are you happy?

Proverbs – Today in Proverbs chapter 14 verse 31 we read – “He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.” Those of you that have been journeying through the One Year Bible with me this year know that I like to point out verses like these. I believe it is crystal clear in the Bible that God cares about the poor and instructs us to care for the poor. I’m sure we all have differing views on what this might look like logistically, and that’s fine. But, I think it’s really an issue of the heart.

Worship Video: Today’s Proverb 14:31 about being kind to the poor reminded me of the Chasen song and this powerful video for “On and On:”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rqh9sHTXcAI

Do you believe in Miracles? Click here for a Miracle!

Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today: “He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.”  Proverbs 14:31 NIV

Prayer Point: Pray that you are kind to the poor and needy. Pray that you are not showing contempt for God by oppressing the poor. Pray to love your neighbor as yourself.

Comments from You & Questions of the Day:  Based on today’s Proverb, do you care for the poor? Really – “care,” in your heart, for the poor?  What are some ways in your life that you are caring for the poor on a consistent basis?  Do you believe that God cares for the poor?  Do you believe that God instructs us to care for the poor?  Why?  Also, what verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings?  Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!

God bless,
Mike

p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Bible readings at this link.

p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.

p.s. #3 – I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!

BLOG READERS HISTORICAL COMMUNITY COMMENTS:
(our Group Bible Study is below! : )

======= Ramona:

1 Samuel 2:22-4:22

I have heard it stated but I never, until today’s reading, saw it in scripture: God always warns us of impending judgment BEFORE judgment comes. Eli has been warned continually of his son’s behavior and does nothing about it. As High Priest, his responsibility was to teach the nation, yet he failed to even teach his sons. He may have rebuked them verbally but he never disciplined them. . But I believe the worst thing he committed was gorging himself on the fruit of his son’s misbehavior, stealing the sacrifices the people brought to the alter. Eli sent out mixed messages, what he said with his words was drowned out by the decibel level of his actions. He profited from his sons’ behavior and they new it, dulling the impact of his rebukes.

A man of God came to Eli and said to him, Thus has the Lord said: I plainly revealed Myself to the house of your father [forefather Aaron] when they were in Egypt in bondage to Pharaoh’s house. Moreover, I selected him out of all the tribes of Israel to be My priest, to offer on My altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before Me. And I gave [from then on] to the house of your father [forefather] all the offerings of the Israelites made by fire. Why then do you kick [trample upon, treat with contempt] My sacrifice and My offering which I commanded, and honor your sons above Me by fattening yourselves upon the choicest part of every offering of My people Israel? (1 Samuel 2:27-29 AMP)

As we read on, we find this message delivered by the prophet wasn’t the first time Eli heard from God about his sons and him benefiting from his sons’ actions,

The Lord told Samuel, Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which both ears of all who hear it shall tingle. On that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. And I [now] announce to him that I will judge and punish his house forever for the iniquity of which he knew, for his sons were bringing a curse upon themselves [blaspheming God], and he did not restrain them. (1 Samuel 3:11-13 AMP)

I am wondering if I am seeing a pattern of how God operates. His warnings are first personal, maybe told to us in our prayer time or in dreams while we sleep. Then His warning is brought by a man of God, a prophet or other “church” worker. Finally a warning is made public in a public place, or house of worship, by someone who we are mentoring or someone who looks up to us. Then lastly, judgment comes.

My question to myself is this: How many warnings have I “blown off?” What has God been trying to get my attention about? Can I handle the embarrassment of being exposed in a public form? I think not.

Grace and peace,
Ramona

====== Anka:

Where sin increased,grace increased even more:Aaron’s sons were struck dead as soon as they took “strange fire”into the temple yet Eli’s sons sinned again and again without immediate judgement from God.Yet Aaron’s line continued in priesthood while Eli’s didn’t.Really don’t know where I’m going with this but it was the first thing that struck me as I was reading.When i think of judgement,I think we that have so much more knowlege and mercy will be judged according to how many chances to repent we’ve had.
Can leaders lead us astray?Eli and his sons did.They let Israel offer sacrifices that were not acceptable to God,the priests lived in sin.Today as Christians we have to realise that leaders are to be prayed for…and thank God we have the Holy Spirit to lead us out of an unhealthy gathering…
God bless you all

Anka

====== Jim:

Every time I read a verse in dealing with the poor, I feel a pang of conviction. My job brings me into contact with the poor and for the most part their circumstances are the result of life style choices, drugs, alcohol, mental disorders and just plain bad luck. What I’m saying is I have been guilty of dealing harshly with the poor only because it is easy to judge others who are in poorer circumstances then yourself. God has convicted me on this many times and I have been slow to change, but I am thankful that God is patient with me. God knows every poor person’s life from cradle to grave and all of the circumstances surrounding it. Who am I to judge these people? I’m but one back injury away from descending into povery. I keep in mind to treat all the poor with compassion and dignity and try to keep them in my prayers at all times. It certainly is not easy, but where I fail, God is victorious.
Thanks,
Jim

====== Vance:

====== Jim:

Samuel is considered the last of the Judges and the first of the prophets who was chosen by God to succeed Eli because his sons had become corrupt beyond hope and he turned the people away from their gross idolatry and led them to final victory over the Philistines (what Samson should have done). He took the country from loosely associated tribes led by local judges to a unified nation led by kings. When he became old, however, he sons (like those of Eli) were also far short of their father’s integrity and the people demanded a king for powerful armies “such as all the other nations have.” They still could not see the connection between their successes or failures and being faithful to God. God even warned them that death and taxes would become the norm, and yet they still wanted the idol symbols of human power. Here is a prophesy likely of Saul’s massacre of the priests at Nob (with Abiathar a descendant of Eli as the only survivor as per v.33 who as David’s faithful priest was banished by Solomon to permit only Zadok to be the only high priest, as per Ezek 44:15, all the way into the millennial temple, which further fed the 2/10 tribe Israel / Judah divide with differing pastoral loyalties) as well of Christ as the ultimate priest and king. “A heart at peace give life to the body.”
Like the Sanhedrin, the sins of Eli’s sons were intentional as they “made themselves contemptible.” They both acted arrogantly in full knowledge that what they did was wrong with utter contempt for God and His Law. Even the unintentional sin of a priest could be atoned for by a sacrifice as per Leviticus 4:3-12, but there was no sacrifice for any person’s willful violation of the spirit of God’s laws. It is said that Jesus removed all sin, but likewise He does not wash clean the consequences of intentional sin against the Spirit. “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.” (Matthew 31-32) Abraham was not only elderly but a liar, Jacob (meaning deceiver) was anxious and a cheat, Leah was unattractive, Joseph was physically abused, Moses had a speech impediment and was disobedient, Noah got drunk, Gideon was underprivileged, Samson was codependent, Rahab was depraved, David was an adulterous murderer, Elijah was afraid and suicidal, Jeremiah was depressed, Jonah was unwilling, Peter was impulsive (and guilty of denial), Zacchaeus was unpopular, Thomas was doubtful, Timothy was timid, and Paul was overweight and of poor health. The Bible contains quit a collection of misfits and even though they were sometimes chastised, they never lost their intimate relationship with God. God had a use for each of them (without “fixing” them with self-help philosophy or letting their sinful nature get in the way) that justified them. This was not the case for Eli’s sons, “the guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.”
Too often I hear sermons on “raising the bar” of expectations for Christians. The phrase “raising the bar” brings fear into the heart of sailors as it refers to the raising of the sand bar at the mouth of a river that makes the trip to the open ocean all the more dangerous. The phrase likewise brings fear into the heart of any true believer because it only increases the divide between the Shepard and His sheep. Judas “raised the bar” for himself too high to be saved just like religious leaders often hypocritically attack the behavior of others without looking within – too often sermons talk about “them” instead of “us” or “me” when talking about sin. Everything we naturally might do, feel, and think must be given up, so that “none can boast.” Evangelistic focus, IMHO, should thusly be more on lowering the bar. Even though Samuel and Eli’s sons were raised in positions of privilege, their lives strongly contrasted. Only one honored God and was honored by Him. Samuel’s first message of divine judgment was on the very house of Eli (most prophets were not popular in their own time) – how rare it would be to hear a sermon of divine judgment on one’s very own congregation. “But envy rots the bones.”
Christ said in Luke 18:13 that only those who believe they have a poor relationship with Him actually have a right one. Christ suggested we should always pray, “God, be merciful to me, the sinner!” Just as Christ ascended from Bethany in which his sufferings first began, those that would go to heaven must ascend from the house of sufferings and sorrows. Jesus bids that all bear their cross in the way of duty in Luke 14:27. Satan, however, always accepts us the way we are, never asks us to work or grow, and we never have to ask. The only problem is that members of his household end up dead, like a plant or animal without proper care, in much the same way that helping a butterfly past the natural struggle out of its cocoon will only keep it from ever flying (without the blood being pushed out into the wings). “Faith is not what today is so often called a ‘mystical experience,’ something that can apparently be induced by the proper breathing exercises or by prolonged exposure to Bach (not to mention drugs). It can be attained only through despair, through suffering, through a painful and ceaseless struggle.” – Peter F. Drucker
The Israeli army superstitiously assumed that taking the ark would guarantee success, but instead their forces are crushed (but not routed), their priests killed, and the ark lost and placed before the Philistine idol (which later falls to the ground and loses it head and later hands before the ark while the nearby people are stricken with tumors). God’s chosen constantly suffer loses while never being defeated (the Canaanites, for example, no longer exist) because it was always God and not religious relics that counted. Recent excavation suggest that Shiloh was destroyed around 1050 BC, possibly by a Philistine raid after the battle in v. 4:3 (also see Jeremiah 7:12) as punishment for their sins. Eli’s dying daughter-in-law saw the defeat, priestly deaths, and the lose of the ark as total ruin, but these events were in fact only purging judgments that ended a dark era and ushered in a new age of hope. We should remember the battle of Aphek whenever things may look their darkest – God may be preparing a great work in and through us. Also remember, though, that life for the Israelites was made worse by their self-serving worship and prayer. Prayer and worship, when done only to elevate ourselves, can make things worse. It is an awful thing to trifle with God. “We have sinned, even as our fathers did.”
Christ made it clear that it is belief that brings life and sin that condemns and kills. Christ mentions in 5:29 the first and second resurrections of Revelation. Revelation 20:5 says, “The rest of the dead live not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.” Those that experience the FIRST resurrection and live a thousand years with Christ are exempt from the second death (the lake of fire). The numbering of resurrections is because there will be a second one when those from the Pit (whom Jesus will later preach to when gone for three days after His crucifixion), including Satan (locked there for the millennium), will live on Earth again. The OT similarly tells that all will end up in Sheol (which Christ describes with a great divide between two judgments) with a potential salvation in a “world to come” (that some Jews believe will be ruled by David as the King of Kings). There are three kinds of life: 1) the natural life of soul and body, 2) the spiritual life of God and soul, and 3) the eternal life of the communal body and God. Those that hear the voice of the son of God shall wake from the dust, from sin, and receive eternal life in the body of Christ.
Jesus adds to His witness the testimony of John the Baptist because after the Cain / Abel murder investigation, God degreed that only the testimony of two or more should be believed, but Christ had no need of John’s testimony as He already had the greatest testimony of the Father (and His own works). Christ is saying in v 5:41 (and 43) that He acted through neither self-interest nor vanity (as our salvation adds nothing to Him and our destruction takes nothing away), He only spoke through His love for our salvation. On the other hand, Christ adds in v 5:42 (and 44) that the Jews were just the opposite with neither love nor zeal for God but that incorrigible ignorance and malicious jealously filled their hearts – condemned not by Jesus, but by the Law. It appears the Lord shut these Jews up as they went away without replying. The Pharisees were like the Philistines who accepted Yahweh but would not submit to Him. “Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the Lord or fully declare his praise?”
Escaped slave, Frederick Douglass, wrote the following about the nineteenth century American Christian church, “Between the Christianity of this land, and the Christianity of Christ, I recognize the widest, possible difference–so wide, that to receive the one as good, pure, and holy, is of necessity to reject the other as bad, corrupt, and wicked. We have men-stealers for ministers, women-whippers for missionaries, and cradle-plunderers for church members. The man who robs me of my earnings at the end of each week meets me as a class-leader on Sunday morning, to show me the way of life, and the path of salvation. He who sells my sister, for purposes of prostitution, stands forth as the pious advocate of purity. He who proclaims it a religious duty to read the Bible denies me the right of learning to read the name of the God who made me. We see the thief preaching against theft, and the adulterer against adultery.”
Jim

======= Andrew:

Re Mike’s questions on judgement:
Yesterday I read a less-than-ten-word summary of the Christian message: “We’re all bastards but God loves us anyway.”
Sure, we will all come before the judgement throne. But there is nothing we can do out of our own righteousness which will make us appear acceptable there. As reflected in today’s Psalm – we are saved from condemnation and damnation by the grace of God.
Blessings,
Andrew

======= Andrew:

Re Jim and Ramona on people in poverty and choices:
remember that the liberal capitalist economic system we have chosen to run depends on keeping a section of the population in poverty.
Greetings,
Andrew

======= Ramona:

Andrew,
That may be but you don’t have to play their game, or you can become a better player. Besides, Jesus said the poor we will have always, at lest until Jesus returns.
It is one thing to be poor because of social injustice, it is another thing to choose to be poor because of bad choices and not knowing your true value.
Ramona

======= John:

John 5:29
For the last year I have led a Bible study on the Gospel of John. The leadership position came by default – as no one else wanted to lead the weekly discussions. The group is made up of several denominations of Christian faith.
Verse 29 provided some lively discussion as some people staked a claim based on this verse that good works will lead to heaven.
John 5:29
“and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.” NIV
This shows the danger of taking verses in isolation. I found a couple of paragraphs from a sermon that talks about verse 29.
[Our old theologians used to say that you can distinguish justification (the forgiveness of sins) from sanctification (the purification of our lives) but you cannot separate them. They always go together. Anyone whose sins are forgiven will live a godly life because God only forgives the sins of those whose lives he intends to transform. That is why the Bible teaches us that we cannot claim to be forgiven if we are not, at the same time, living a righteous life. In this world, of course, our righteousness is deeply imperfect to be sure, but still, that is the way the Bible always speaks. “This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.” (1 John 3:10)
We want to qualify that statement. We want to hurry on somehow to take the bite and the sting out of that statement made by the same apostle who wrote the Gospel we are reading these Sunday mornings. We do not like to hear such definitive pronouncements about the absolute necessity of obedience if we are to stand in the judgment of God. But such statements are everywhere in the Bible. We meet them at every turn. God’s people will be righteous people, obedient people. They will serve the Lord. People who do not and will not are not God’s people no matter how vigorously they protest their loyalty to him. Which is why those who do good will rise to live and those who do evil will rise to be condemned.]
“God’s people will be righteous people, obedient people. They will serve the Lord. People who do not and will not are not God’s people no matter how vigorously they protest their loyalty to him.” – from end of sermon notes.
Goes hand in hand with Matt 7:21-23
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” NIV
The will of the Father is that we acknowledge Jesus Christ as our Savior/Redeemer. That we Believe in HIM. That we Receive HIM.
Again the “knew” Christ speaks of is Gk. -“ginosko” – an intimate knowledge where Christ and the person are one, with you abiding in Christ and He in you. If you do nto have this intimate relationship with Christ, then nothing you do on your own will be good enough. It will be rooted in your will and what you think is right. Not in the Will of God.
I often lift up a prayer to God that people who desire to walk a righteous path would first realize that they need to Believe IN and Receive Christ. If not – they will go the way of non-believers in verse 23 of Matthew.
Can man sin against man and/or God?
I thought that was a good question. My first inclination was all sin is against God.
My reasoning. Man cannot forgive sin. He can forgive offences, debts, etc. But only God can forgive sin. Therefore Sin can only be against God.
They are his rules, his righteous way of living – when we break HIS rules we sin against HIM.
John

======= John:

John 5:24-47
Quick hits
“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” John 5:24 NIV
What is Jesus’word – that you believe in Him (and receive Him) who was sent. If you do that and acknowledge it is the Father who sent Jesus then…
According to the Greek tenses – present active indicative – you have and will always have “eternal life” – You have crossed over – [Perfect active indicative – completed action because you have eternal life] – from death to life.
======================================================
Another way to look at verse 29 is those who have done good – listened, heeded and accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior.
Those who did evil rejected Christ – may have listened, but did not heed His words and are condemned.
Remember what happened to all the people in the OT who rejected the One True God – the sentence is death. It is the same here – except this is eternal separation from God.
======================================================
Testimonies To Chirst
– John the Baptist
– Jesus’ signs and wonders – the new beliver – the crippled man from the pool of Behthesda may have been standing in their midsts as Jesus spoke.
– The Father through the Holy Spirit. The ones who reject Jesus’ word never get this testimony. But the ones who have come to believe have been moved by the Holy Spirit.
– Scripture. It points to Christ – but they refuse to come to Him. If they do not believe Scripture (God’s Word) that points to Christ – they never will believe wht Christ (the Word) says.
Why?
Jesus points it out at the end of the readings:
PRIDE
It is pride that universally always keeps one from coming to Christ.
‘That is not the way I understand it. That is not the way I was raised. What you say is different than what I believe. That does not make sense to me. My friends agree with me, and we do not believe what you say. The authorities and media do not agree with you (Jesus). That is not what I was taught in school. Smart people do not fall for such a path to God.’
Unless one humbles himself and gets rid of all the “I’s and me’s” concerning Salvation, they will never heed Jesus’ words.
Unless one is humble and comes to God recognizing there is nothing they can bring to the table – heck, they can’t even get to the table – to impress God enough to get into heaven – they are condemned.
Unless one is humble, recognizes man’s sinful nature and repents to God with a right heart – there is no hope of salvation.
One must be in this state to be able to hear and heed Jesus’ words. Only then can one believe in Him and receive Him and have (right now) eternal life.
John

======= John:

1 Samuel 2:22-4:22
Quick hits
The sons of Eli were “wicked” – they appropriated the sacrificial offerings for themselves and had their way with the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of meeting (tabernacle). They did what the Canaanite priests did – they had learned well. They did not listen to their father in his old age – as they had never been restrained from youth and had become wicked.
Meanwhile:
“And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the LORD and with men.”
[Note the similarity to what is said about Jesus in his youth.]
======================================================
Prophecy Against the House of Eli
Eli was “heavy” and so while he may have talked about stopping their activity – it seems implied here that Eli went ahead and ate richly from the food appropriated by his sons.
While an Ok high priest (and judge) – Eli was not able to restrain his sons thereby corrupting the priesthood.
Prophet says and the Lord later affirms to Samuel – the line of priests would be replaced, those not killed immediately would never live past their prime, and Eli’s sons and Eli himself would die on the same day.
The new priestly line would begin with Zadok during David’s reign.
======================================================
The LORD Calls Samuel
God had been silent throughout the end of Judges and has been silent here in opening of 1 Samuel. God has been active and personal like He always is – but His Word (through prophets) has been absent. That is going to change now.
“One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was..”
[Some possible spiritual metaphors here – Eli’s sight may be metaphor for his spiritual strength was waning. Lamp not gone out – may have been foreshadowing the capture of the ark. the glory departing from Israel.]
Eli’s sons had no regard for the Lord. Samuel did not yet know the Lord – but he would. Precedent for Samuel sleeping in the tent was seen before when Joshua slept there with Moses.
“the LORD was with Samuel as he grew up,” and God kept His Word (as He always does.)
God started speaking to Israel again through Samuel and it went out to all Israel. God revealed himself to Samuel through His Word.
======================================================
The Philistines Capture the Ark
-God is never consulted.
-Wicked men (Eli’s sons) accompany the ark.
– Bad theology and bad history by the Philistines regarding ‘”gods” and the plagues in the desert’. this is always the case when people do not know God – they do not get it right.
– Eli and his sons die – prophecy beginning to be fulfilled.
– The “glory” has departed from Israel. The Lamp is now out.
John