Today's readings are 1 Sam 21-24.David has his own struggles. He lies to Ahimelech, saying he is on an errand for the king and manages to acquire food and Goliath's sword (1 Sam 21:1-9). Ahimelech has no idea David is a fugitive. David flees to Gath, [ ... ][ abbreviated | read original blog ]
Today's readings are 1 Sam 15-17.Saul's independent nature begins to rise up again when God tells Saul to go up against the Amalekites with precise instructions to execute everyone in Amalek. The first thing Saul does is to number his army, a task... [ ... ][ abbreviated | read original blog ]
Today's readings are 1 Sam 13-14.Through his son Jonathan, Saul wins a decisive military victory against the Philistines at Geba, leading Israel to sing the praises of Saul (1 Sam 13:1-4). This causes the Philistines to muster a huge force and... [ ... ][ abbreviated | read original blog ]
Today's readings are 1 Sam 9-12.God chooses Saul to be king over Israel in response to their request to have a leader like other nations. Saul's primary qualifications seem to be that He is tall, good-looking, and has a wealthy father (1 Sam 9:2). He [ ... ][ abbreviated | read original blog ]
Today's readings are 1 Sam 4-8.Samuel grows in knowledge and stature. The Philistines invade! Remember them? The ones Samson struck a blow against (Jdg 16:30)? They're back, more aggressive than ever and more powerful, too. Israel is losing the... [ ... ][ abbreviated | read original blog ]
Today's readings are 1 Sam 1-3.In the Hebrew Bible, the Books of 1 & 2 Samuel are the first two books of a four-book volume that includes 1 & 2 Kings. The Greek translation, the Septuagint, calls them the four “Books of the Kingdoms.”We've se [ ... ][ abbreviated | read original blog ]
Today's readings are Rut 1-4.In the Bible, the Book of Ruth follows the Book of Judges, but the events in Ruth occur during the "time of the judges." Ruth is a ray of hope in a dark time. Even as we watch Israel slide into godlessness, we see that th [ ... ][ abbreviated | read original blog ]
Today's readings are Jdg 19-21.Jdg19 begins with the story of the Levite and his concubine. In Jdg 19:3-9, we see incredible hospitality and respect in the way the Levite and his father-in-law deal with each other. The Levite travels later in the... [ ... ][ abbreviated | read original blog ]
Today's readings are Jdg 16-18.Samson, with all his flaws and failings, manages to serve Israel. As the temple falls, crushing some significant Philistines but not all, Samson brings about his own demise as well. Ironically, more Philistines die in... [ ... ][ abbreviated | read original blog ]
Today's readings are Jdg 13-15.Ah, yes. Samson. If you read his story carefully, it runs through Jdg 16, you get an overview of how Israel is in total disarray and confusion. Samson is a snapshot of what Israel looks like in his day.Far from the... [ ... ][ abbreviated | read original blog ]
