READINGS FOR MARCH 27 - APRIL 2

1 Samuel 3: The Call of Samuel

What does this chapter teach about listening to God?

 1 Samuel 4–7: The Ark and Israel’s Defeat

How did Samuel lead Israel to repentance in 1 Samuel 7?

What can we learn about trusting in God rather than religious symbols

 1 Samuel 8–10: Israel Demands a King

What warning did Samuel give about having a king?

1 Samuel 11–15: Saul’s Rise and Fall

What mistake did Saul make in 1 Samuel 13, and how did Samuel rebuke him?

Why was Saul’s failure to completely destroy the Amalekites in 1 Samuel 15 so serious?

What does this chapter reveal about obedience vs. sacrifice?

 1 Samuel 16–17: David’s Anointing & Goliath

What does 1 Samuel 16:7 teach about how God judges people?

How did David demonstrate faith in God when facing Goliath?

What lessons can we learn from David’s victory over Goliath?

MARCH 27

Hannah's little boy Samuel grew up under the watchful eye of the priest Eli.

In those days the word of the Lord was rare. Was that because the people were so evil?  It seems as if there was no spiritual connection with the Lord because there was nothing for the Lord to "plug in to".

One night Samuel was sleeping in the tabernacle when the Lord spoke to him.

“Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord. The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.”
Is this because Eli had not prepared Samuel?  God was speaking. Samuel was listening. Samuel was more than willing to respond to Eli’s voice, and just as willing to respond to the voice of God.

“The Lord came and stood there…”
The word of the Lord (the pre-incarnate Son of God) had just been revealed to Samuel. (see John 1:1-14)

“The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.”
The Lord appeared to Samuel in bodily form, another encounter with the Son of God.

Israel's age-old enemy the Philistines appear once more on the scene and soundly defeat the Israelites in battle. Then the elders of Israel make a very bad judgment call! They take the Ark of the Covenant out of the Holy Place and into battle with the Philistines. They put their trust in the ark of the Lord, instead of the Lord of the Ark. The result? The Israelite army was defeated and the ark was captured. But read 1 Samuel 5 and see what happened to the Philistines. The ark brought nothing but trouble with a capital T.

The Ark of the Covenant was supposed to stay in the Holy of Holies and not be visited but once a year on the Day of Atonement and then only by the high priest.

The Philistines were descendants from Noah's son Ham.  Dagon, god of grain and harvest, was the most worshiped god of the Philistines. The god Dagon kept falling down while in the presence of the Ark of the Covenant and so the Philistines kept sending the Ark to other places.  Disaster always followed.

After crying out to the Lord, Israel then defeats the Philistines, but not in their own power, only through the power of God. Good reminder for us Believers today.

Obviously God honored Samuel's sacrifice even though Samuel was not a priest. God bypassed the authority of the priesthood through Eli because Eli's descendants were cursed. (see 1 Samuel 2:27-36).  By the way, who was this man of God who came and pronounced this judgment on Eli?  An angel? God the Son?

Samuel called for re-dedication for the whole house of Israel.  It is a classic "if  -then" proclamation!
If...
1. you return to the Lord with all your hearts
2. you rid yourselves of the foreign gods and Ashtoreths (any ungodly influence)
3. you commit yourselves to the Lord
4. you serve Him only

Then...the Lord will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines (or any of our spiritual enemies).  Reminds us of 2 Chronicles 7:14.  The only problem then was that the people put away the pagan gods but didn't destroy them.  They were to destroy any tiny bit of paganism.  But they didn't and there was still a lingering influence.  So true for us today.  We have been told if we humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, repent....then He will...

MARCH 28

Samuel's position in that day can be compared to the position of our spiritual leaders today.

A sad commentary concerning Samuel’s two sons, “They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.” Sounds a bit like some of our leaders today, both political and spiritual, doesn’t it?

In Samuel's day, the people wanted a king. Now, at first this request sounded like a good thing. They said they didn't want Samuel's ungodly sons leading them. God warned them that they wouldn’t like having a king. But did they listen? Of course not! They wanted to be like the other nations. They wanted to be like the world. They wanted to be like everyone else.  Connections to today?  We as Believers in Jesus are called to be different.  The people then were rejecting any spiritual leader. They wanted God out of their lives. God let them exercise their free will just as He does us now. He warned them just as He warns us.

Isn't it interesting that the people were warned about asking for a king way back in Moses' day? Moses warned them that having a king over them would result in the people following false gods. (Deuteronomy 17:14, Deuteronomy 28:36)

The connections with ancient Israel and current events are numerous.  If you read about all the warnings spelled out in 1 Samuel 8:10-18, you will see just how many comparisons there are to be made to today's governments.  Sounds a bit like communism.

Here's their reasoning as to why they wanted a king:
“Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”
What a stupid statement! Why do they need a king to fight their battles? THEY HAD THE LORD!!!  Did they think a man could be more powerful than God?

Saul enters the scene. Many people were introduced to Saul as he searched around looking for his father's donkeys (the "pick-up truck" of the day).  Were they impressed by him?  Scripture says that Saul was impressive, without equal - a head taller than any of the others.

Saul's lack of knowledge about Samuel seems to display his ignorance of spiritual matters.

Interesting that Saul used the same lame excuse that Gideon used, that he was of the least of all the clans of the tiny tribe of Benjamin. Also interesting that Saul/Paul of the New Testament was from the tribe of Benjamin. They both had a “change of heart”.

Samuel told Saul that the Spirit of the Lord would come upon him in power and he would prophesy and be changed into a different person.  When we become Believers in Jesus we too are changed into different people through the power of the Holy Spirit.

When Saul hid among the baggage was he displaying his fear of the great responsibility that Samuel had given him and was worried about his inadequacies?

And then after that Saul went back to working in the field.  Was he again displaying his fear of the great responsibility of being king?  Or had the Holy Spirit left him?

“Now then, stand still and see this great thing the Lord is about to do before your eyes!”
Another great lesson for us today. We just need to stand still, trust Him, and watch what He does.

In Samuel's farewell address he reminds the people of their sins, including the sin of asking for a king.  Then the people acknowledge that particular sin but even though they knew it was wrong to ask for a king they still wanted a king.  They should have rejected Saul and placed the Lord in His rightful place!  Or rather should never have left the Lord in the first place. We as Believers in Jesus may know it's wrong to do certain things and yet we do them anyway.  It's hard to break away from the traditions of men especially when everyone around us hangs on to traditions.  When it comes to the false doctrine "traditions of men" we should be as Teflon - let them slide right off.  When it comes to the "commandments of God" we should be as Velcro - and stick to them. (Mark 7:7-8)

Can we sin against the Lord by failing to pray for people? Samuel thought so.

1 Samuel 12:23
As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right.

“…consider what great things he has done for you.”
What a great verse to contemplate!

MARCH 29

Saul's pride begins to rear its ugly head. His son Jonathan attacks a Philistine outpost. Saul claims the victory as his own.

Then, to his credit, Saul prepares burnt offerings to the Lord - a good thing, right? Sure, it was a good thing, but... Saul gets impatient waiting on Samuel to arrive to offer up the burnt offering to God and he does it himself - not a good thing. What Saul did was in a good way, but not God's way...big difference! Many times we as a church and as individual Believers, do good things, but not always Godly things. Again, there's a big difference!  When Samuel says that Saul has acted foolishly, he was in effect saying that Saul acted as a unbeliever.

After this act God removed the kingdom from the hand of Saul and gave it to "a man after his own heart."  It has been made clear that God has already chosen Saul's replacement.  This appears to be rather early on in Saul's 42-year reign.

Saul's son Jonathan again comes forward, stepping out in faith to attack the Philistines. God gave the Philistines into the Israelites' hand.  Here is an interesting modern day connection to this biblical story.

"During World War I, British forces under the command of General Allenby were to face the Turks at the same location. Major Vivian Gilbert of the British army relates the story of an unnamed brigade major who was reading his bible while contemplating the situation against the Ottoman forces. The brigade major remembered a town by the name of Michmash mentioned somewhere in the Bible. He found the verses, and discovered that there was supposedly a secret path around the town. He woke the brigadier general, and they found that the path still existed and was very lightly guarded. The British forces used this path to outmaneuver the Ottomans, and so took the town."
Jonathan stepped out on faith. So, how is it with us as Believers, do we step out in faith, and do God's will even if it seems as if we are going against impossible circumstances?

MARCH 30

1 Samuel 14:52a
"All the days of Saul there was bitter war with the Philistines..."

Saul was never completely at peace or completely victorious over his enemies.

The eastern tribes of Israel wage war against the Hagrites. These people, the Hagrites  are generally regarded as descendants of Hagar (mother of Abraham's son Ishmael), and a branch of the Ishmaelites.  They appear to have been fairly wealthy because of the number of camels they owned. (1 Chronicles 5:21).

1Chronicles 5:20
And when they prevailed over them, the Hagrites and all who were with them were given into their hands, for they cried out to God in the battle, and he granted their urgent plea because they trusted in him.

What an amazing little verse that is! Can we claim that verse today? Can we cry out to God in the middle of our "battles" because we trust in Him?

As we read the story of his life, it is simply amazing how often King Saul compromised, transferred blame, and rationalized....Oops…guess we do that too don’t we?  Another connection we can make from Saul to us today is that his obedience was somewhat "selective" at times. Selective obedience is another form of disobedience.

1Samuel 15:22
And 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!

How very true for us today.  God doesn't want us to give him "lip-service" only or just "go through the motions" of worshiping or serving Him.  He wants our obedience daily!

“I am grieved that I have made Saul king…”

God doesn’t make mistakes. He doesn’t regret any actions. And He doesn’t change His mind. “He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind…”

He is simply grieved that Saul is doing what he is doing. Do we grieve the Lord by some of the things we are doing?

Again, that pride in Saul surfaces. He builds a monument in his own honor. And again, Saul does not obey the Lord completely when he says he has saved the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord. He wasn't supposed to save anything. Then Samuel gives Saul a stinging rebuke. Saul rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord rejected Saul.

Even with Saul's repentance, he transfers blame to the people, saying he was afraid of them and so he gave in to their wishes. HA! Reminds us of Aaron and the golden calf incident. Saul asks Samuel to forgive him.  He doesn't ask God to forgive him.

A very interesting word is written in 1 Samuel 15:30.
Saul replied, "I have sinned! Now please honor me in front of the leaders of my people and in front of  Israel. Come back with me, and let me worship the LORD your God."

Saul says "the Lord your God", not the Lord our God. Hmmm...does that mean that Saul has rejected the Lord as the Lord rejected him?

MARCH 31

What a beautiful story, the anointing of David. Anointing of oil was symbolic of setting a person apart for God’s service. “…from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power”.

We too have been anointed.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22
Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

David was anointed king, yet he had to wait to be king, even though he was empowered by the Lord’s Spirit. Think about all the things that David learned while waiting. How often does God choose to have us wait? Do we use our waiting time wisely?

Why did God allow an evil spirit to torment Saul? (see 1 Kings 22:19-23 and Job 1:6-12)  Could it be that God removed His restraint and allowed this to happen?  As we continue reading about the actions of King Saul it seems at times as if Saul is schizophrenic.  At this point in time, Saul did not know that David had been anointed as king.

The armies of the Philistines and Israelites were camped opposite each other with a valley between with steep walls on each side.  Often armies would send their strongest to battle to declare the winner to save the loss of many lives.  This is why Goliath (obviously a mighty warrior) was the champion for the Philistines. There is much evidence in Scripture that Goliath had brothers, four in fact.  (2 Samuel 21:22, 1 Chronicles 20:5, 21:5) Was this why David picked up five stones with which to slay Goliath - just in case the four brothers were there as well?

When David related his success with a bear and a lion, we imagined that David might have struck the animal with his slingshot as the animal was leaving with the sheep in his mouth.  Then when the animal turned after being struck, David struck back and killed the wild animal in order to save the sheep.  Bears have thick skulls and are more difficult to kill, even with modern day rifles, much more difficult with a slingshot.. The stone would need to strike the bear in exactly the right place.  David needed to be very accurate with his slingshot.  Now, this scenario doesn't seem humanly possible.  However, we are told that the spirit of the Lord came upon David in power on the day that he was anointed by Samuel.  Was David given the same physical strength that Samson was given?

What faith David had! He acknowledged that his deliverance from wild animals came from God and he had no doubt that God would deliver him from Goliath.

How is it with our faith? Do we trust God to deliver us from our “Goliaths”?
According to Acts 13:22 David was a man after God's own heart.
He raised up David to them to be their king; to whom He also witnessed and said, I have found David the son of Jesse to be a man after My own heart, who shall fulfill all My will. 

In order to be a man (or woman) after God's own heart, we must do His will.  Just another example of the blessings of complete obedience to Him.

APRIL 1

Soul mates, Jonathan and David. Many people have a difficult time understanding the feelings between these two men. Is it because we are so busy with our lives that we don’t develop those kinds of friendships? Is it because we are connected by trivial pursuits only? Is it because we are so self-centered? Just what is it about the friendship between Jonathan and David that people don’t get?  It certainly was NOT a homosexual relationship. For additional information concerning this misconception, see the book Seeds of Apostasy by Phil and Patti Moore available at Amazon.

Scripture says that “Saul was very angry…” He let pride creep in. What a contrast with Saul's feelings toward David and Jonathan’s feelings toward David.

Interesting that David was asked to bring Saul a gift of 100 foreskins and David brought 200. Sounds as if David really wanted Michal in marriage.  However, Saul had promised his daughter in marriage to the man who defeated Goliath, even without bringing a gift.

Could it be that the evil spirit from the Lord that came upon Saul was so that David would be favored by the people? By the time David became king most of the people were already in David’s “camp”. When the Spirit of God left Saul, he allowed the evil spirit in.

There is mention in today's reading of a New Moon festival. The months of the Israelites were lunar months, and they marked them from new moon to new moon. On these new moons they offered sacrifices, and had a feast. (Numbers 10:10 and 28:11).

Even Saul began prophesying (to speak or sing by inspiration from God) when he went to Ramah for David. He was speaking God’s words. Too bad he wasn’t thinking God’s thoughts.

How goes it with us as Believers? Do we think godly thoughts or are we giving "lip service" only?