1 Samuel

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Dear Abby

May 9, 2021 | 1 Samuel 25 | exposition, mother's day

Where do you get your advice? Is it from a newspaper column or a horoscope? Is it from your parents, your mom or dad? Your grandparents? Many get their advice from peers or from the culture or from a Hollywood star or a sports hero. The truth is though, most of us just follow our own advice. We do what we want to do. But the Bible says: Proverbs 3:7 (ESV) Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.

This is the better way. We can get wisdom from the Lord. We can live by godly wisdom. In the book of 1 Samuel 25, the Lord gave a woman named Abigail godly wisdom to prevent David from killing her foolish husband. We too can live by godly wisdom.

‘Afterward, Samuel took a stone and set it upright between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, explaining, “The Lord has helped us to this point.”’ (1 Samuel 7:12 HCSB).

May 9, 2021

HERE I RAISE MY EBENEZER! Samuel called the Israelites to Mizpah for an assembly of repentance and recommitment, but the Philistines heard about their gathering and attacked. God fought for Israel and they overcame the Philistines for the first time in a generation. There, Samuel set up a large stone to remind them of God’s

“I prayed for this boy, and since the Lord gave me what I asked Him for, I now give the boy to the Lord. For as long as he lives, he is given to the Lord” (1 Samuel 1:27-28 HCSB).

May 7, 2021

HANNAH, A GODLY EXAMPLE OF MOTHERHOOD Hannah was barren. At her family’s annual visit to the Tabernacle at Shiloh to worship and bring offerings, she was so stricken with grief that she could only mouth the words to her prayers. Her lips moved, but no sound came forth. She cried out from her heart that

Trusting God in the Wilderness

May 2, 2021 | 1 Samuel 21 - 23:14 | exposition

How many of you in going through a time of wilderness today? You’ve been asking those same wilderness questions, like, “Where are You, God?” Or maybe you’ve been running so long, trying to find your own way, that you just feel so lost that you don’t know where to turn. Some of you may be feeling like you’re in a great place today, but be certain of this, we will all face times in the wilderness at some time in our lives. That’s where David is in our reading today. He’s on the run and living in the wilderness.

In the book of 1 Samuel, David learned to trust the Lord more than he ever had, while living on the run from King Saul in the wilderness. We can learn to trust God when we feel like we’re living in the wilderness.

Who Loves God’s Anointed?

April 25, 2021 | 1 Samuel 18-20 | exposition

We all want to be loved. God made us that way. We were created to love and be loved. We were created to love God. Yet, we have rebelled and rejected His love. And this has led to the sin and suffering we see in our world today. And God demonstrated His own love for us by giving us His anointed, Jesus, to pay for our rebellion and to reconcile us to God. Why? Because God loves us.

Do you love Him with all your heart, your soul, your mind and your strength? Do you love Him above all others? Above your spouse, your children, your friends? Above your self? Do you love Him enough to surrender the throne of your life to Him and to put Him ahead of yourself and all others? In the book of 1 Samuel, people responded to David in many ways, but a man named Jonathan responded to God’s anointed with steadfast love. We can respond to God’s anointed Jesus with steadfast love.

When You’re Facing a Giant

April 18, 2021 | 1 Samuel 17 | exposition

What giants are you facing today? Something that seems so big and overwhelmingly scary that you’re afraid to face it? A giant can be a problem or a person that you are “all to pieces” about facing. Giants make us want to run away in fear or feel so dismayed that we can’t move. What giant are you facing? Maybe it’s someone you need to confront with a problem or an offense. How do you face them? You’re losing sleep over it. What will you do? How will they react? Maybe it’s an addiction. Every time you try to overcome it, you lose. You’ve almost given up. Maybe it’s a bad medical diagnosis. There was a spot on the X- ray. Your doctor has scheduled tests. You don’t know if you can face it.

There are many kinds of giants. What do you do when you’re facing a giant?
In the book of 1 Samuel, David had faith in God to overcome a Philistine giant named Goliath who threatened Israel. We can have faith in God to overcome the giants we face.

The Heart That Responds to God’s Call

April 11, 2021 | 1 Samuel 16:1-23 | exposition

Do you have a heart for God? A heart that yearns to know Him and to please Him in all things? Or do you have a heart for something or someone else? All of us begin life with a heart for ourselves. We want our own way, not God’s way. And the longer we say “yes” to self and “no” to God, the more our hearts harden towards Him.

The Lord still seeks those who have a heart for Him. Those who will respond to His call and obey His Word. In the book of 1 Samuel, the Lord sent the prophet Samuel to anoint a man after his own heart named David to be the new king that God called to replace Saul. We can learn how to respond to God’s calling as we consider this story.

“David would take a harp and play it with his hand. Then Saul would become refreshed and well, and the distressing spirit would depart from him” (1 Samuel 16:23 NKJV).

May 14, 2020

THE HEALING POWER OF MUSIC After the Lord had rejected Saul as king, His Spirit departed from Saul. And Saul became troubled, going through great bouts of distress. His servants suggested that a musician be found that could play for Saul and calm his nerves. So David, who was skillful on the harp, was brought

“No, but we will have a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” (1 Samuel 8:19-20 NKJV).

May 10, 2020

BEWARE WANTING A GOVERNMENT THAT FIGHTS YOUR BATTLES When Samuel was getting old, the people of Israel came to him, asking for a king. The request displeased Samuel, so he went to the Lord with it. The Lord told him to give them what they want, for they had not rejected Samuel, but they had

“Dagon had fallen face down before the Ark of the LORD again. This time his head and hands had broken off and were lying in the doorway” (1 Samuel 5:4 NKJV).

May 9, 2020

GOD WILL NOT SHARE HIS WORSHIP WITH ANOTHER The Philistines had defeated the Israelites in battle and had captured the Ark of the Lord. They assumed that the Ark would make a nice addition to their temple to Dagon, so they placed it next to the idol of Dagon.   The Philistines were a seafaring