1 Chronicles 9:35-39; 1 Samuel 13:1-5, 13:19-22, 13:6-18, 13:23-14:1-52 A great struggle in many of our lives is whether we are ultimately trying to please God or people. If we seek to please people, we will end up drifting along with the opinions and actions of our culture. If we are pleasing God, we will walk in obedience to him regardless of what others do. Saul is shown to constantly be moved ...  Read More

1 Samuel 9:1-12:25 Saul would have looked much like a modern-day politician. He was tall and good looking but, as we will see, his physical attributes could not hide his spiritual weaknesses. He was meant to lead the people but lacked the ability to even lead himself. He was placed in a position that only God should fill; thus, was an inferior king. This is the mistake Israel made. They thought th...  Read More

1 Samuel 4:12-8:22Eli discovers his sons are dead and the ark has been taken. As a result of their disobedience the people of God have been defeated and Eli dies heartbroken. His daughter-inlaw gives birth to a child, Ichabod, which means “the glory has departed” (1 Samuel 4:21). Things seem grim, but even during these terrible times there is hope. God has raised up Samuel who is listening and wil...  Read More

1 Samuel 1:9-4:11 One classic TV show was the Beverly Hillbillies. Upon striking it rich, this uncultured family moves among the rich and famous where they do not fit. There is a stark contrast between how they live and the families all around them. Today's reading provides a similar contrast between two families. The family of Eli and the family of Hannah. Despite Eli being a priest over Israel, ...  Read More

Ruth 4:13-22; 1 Chronicles 2:9-55, 4:1-23; 1 Samuel 1:1-8 Have you ever attended a successful surprise birthday party? One where the person walks in, hears surprise, and stands with their mouth agape at all the people surrounding them? The end of the book of Ruth has that kind of surprise. What initially seemed like a story about one Israelite family is a story that includes all of Israel and, ult...  Read More

Ruth 1:1-4:12 The book of Ruth begins with all sorts of seemingly disastrous decisions. A family from the tribe of Judah leaves the Promised Land. The Israelite men from this family marry non-Israelite women—what were they thinking? It seems like God is against them. Naomi voices this opinion as she heads back home leaving three dead men in Moab and apparently with no material possessions. Yet, Go...  Read More

Judges 19:1-21:25 If the Bible had parental advisories on each section, today's reading would get a heavy R rating. We have rape, war, sexual immorality, chopping up of a body, lots of death, civil war, and kidnapping. Throughout the book of Judges, the nation of Israel has slowly drifted spiritually and now finds a vast chasm between them and God. They have stepped right into idolatry and sin in ...  Read More

Judges 16:1-18:31 "In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit." In the book of Judges, Israel has devolved to a point where they have no leadership and no sense of law. God was supposed to be their king, but they had long ago cast him to the side in order to place people, and ultimately themselves, on the throne. In fact, from Judges 17 to the end of the book, we see there are ...  Read More

Judges 11:29-15:20 Unity is a critical virtue in the Bible. Hypothetically it seems easy enough, but it is extremely hard to maintain. Who would have thought the divisions of contemporary America would exist like they do? We learn from a young age to argue over the smallest of things. Despite the divisions around us, God calls the church to be a place marked by unity. But it is difficult to mainta...  Read More

Judges 9:22-11:28 Throughout the book of Judges, we have seen the pattern of Israel rebelling against God, then crying out to God, and God providing a judge/deliverer who saves the people from their oppressors. In today's reading we see two moments where this pattern is not followed. When a pattern is broken in the Bible it is meant to capture our attention. Two leaders who do not follow the patte...  Read More

Judges 7:1-9:21 Gideon is such an interesting figure. He is a courageous leader who obeys God even amid impossible circumstances and at the same time he is filled with doubt, fear, and sin. In many ways he is just like us. One of the things we see through his life is God is the one who ultimately brings about deliverance. God winnows down the size of Gideon's army from 32,000 to 100. We are told G...  Read More

Judges 3:31-6:40 In our “pull yourselves up by your bootstraps” culture we tend to be slow to admit when we need help. This attitude of “I can do it on my own” has been around far before the sprouting of American individualism. We see this same mentality play out in Judges with disastrous consequences. In Judges 4 we see the Israelites under the rule of Jabin king of Canaan for a period of twenty ...  Read More