Summary #16

Weekly Summary
1 Samuel 25 - Psalm 21

David keeps sparing Saul's life, and other people keep killing Saul and his family, trying to please David. Things in Israel are NOT going well. We pick up the story this week as Samuel dies.

All of Israel mourns for him, gathered at Ramah. David heads for Paran, where he sends some of his men to the spread of a man named Nabal (which means foolish or boorish... somebody's mother wasn't having a very good day when she named him...), asking that his men be included in the shearing celebration. David possibly wanted to establish a relationship with this man, and he had also, according to one of Nabal's servants, been quite helpful in keeping Nabal's flocks safe. Nabal, however, lives up to his name, and is impossibly rude to the men that David sent. When they report back to David, he is ticked, and has everyone strap on a sword, ready to finish Nabal off. Nabal's wife, Abigail, however, hears about what her husband has done, and rushes a huge shipment of festive food out to David and his men, with many apologies for the behavior of her husband. She begs David to accept the gift, and not attack Nabal. David does, and is grateful to the beautiful and graceful Abigail for preventing him from bloodguilt. When Nabal wakes up from his drinking binge the next day, and hears about what Abigail did, he shuts down and dies 10 days later.

Very grateful that God has avenged the man that insulted him, David calls for the lovely Abigail to come with him and be his wife. He has also taken another wife, Ahinoam, which brings his count to 3 (including Saul's daughter Michal), but in David's absence from Israel, Saul has given Michal to someone else in marriage, so David's back down to 2. Or so. Not sure how to count Michal. Anyway, David is traveling with two wives at this point, when the Ziphites tattle to Saul about David's whereabouts, and Saul comes after David again. This time, David waits until the camp is asleep (a very deep, God-induced sleep) and creeps right up to where Saul is sleeping. The man with David is ready to drive a spear right through Saul, but David stops him, and instead takes Saul's spear and water jar, and leaves everyone unharmed. The next day, though, David curses those who have been given the responsibility of protecting Saul, and points out that he had another chance to kill Saul, but didn't do it, and begs Saul to stop pursuing him. Saul relents, and swears that all is well between David and him. They part ways.

Instead of going to Israel, though, David heads to Philistia, where he becomes a fighter for Achish, the son of the king of Gath. David negotiates his own little city for him and his men, and gathers a large amount of booty from his raids on the enemies of the Philistines. Saul, meanwhile, is readying for a fight against the Philistines, and asks for the Lord's blessing. Only the Lord doesn't respond to his request. Impatiently, Saul decides to consult a medium, even though he himself has banned them from the land. Despite her misgivings, the medium agrees to summon the spirit of Samuel for Saul, but is terrified when Samuel actually appears. Samuel gives Saul the same message that God had given him earlier: God has abandoned him and will remove the kingdom from his line. Now Saul was as terrified as the medium had been. He returns to his army.

David, meanwhile, has been joining up with the Philistines to march on Israel, but the lords of Philistia are not convinced that he won't turn on them in the heat of battle. They demand that David and his men be sent away. So David returns to his little town, only to find that Amalekites have raided it while he and his men were gone. The entire group of them immediately take off after them, despite having ridden for three days just to get home. At the river, many of the men have to stop from exhaustion, but the rest ride right out to where the Amalekites are camped, along with all of the families and wealth of David and his men. Even with the smaller group of men, David fights the Amalekites and defeats them, killing all but 400 of them and taking back all of the women, children and flocks, none of which had been harmed. When the men who had fought resisted returning the flocks and other stuff to the men who had been too tired to fight, David established a rule that all would partake in the loot of a battle -- even those who "watched the baggage". David also shared the spoils with the town in northern Judah for their support.

While David was fighting the Amalekites, Philistia and Israel were also fighting. And the Philistines were winning handily. Saul's sons were killed, and Saul was struck by an arrow. When he asked his armor-bearer to kill him so that the uncircumcised Philistines wouldn't be able to capture him, his armor-bearer refused, and Saul had to resort to falling on his own sword. The Philistines found the bodies of Saul and his sons the next day, and they hung Saul up on the city wall as a warning to other kings. The people of Jabesh-gilead rescued his body, burned it and buried the bones. A messenger ran to David to tell him the news, expecting that David would rejoice that the man who had been trying to kill him was dead. In fact, he embellished the story a bit, and claimed that he had been the one to finish Saul off after he had been wounded. Instead of the reward he expected, though, David had him executed for harming the Lord's anointed. David mourns Saul and Jonathan, writing a song about "How the MIghty have Fallen", and had it taught to the people of Judah.

Inquiring of the Lord what he should do next, David is told to go into Judah. When he gets there, the people of Judah anoint him their king, while Ish-bosheth, Saul's youngest son, is anointed king of Israel. They struggled against each other for years, with Abner leading Ish-bosheth's army and Joab leading David's. As the struggle wears on, David grows stronger and stronger, and Ish-bosheth grows weaker. Eventually, Ish-bosheth turned on Abner, accusing him of taking as a wife one of the concubines of Saul. (You begin to wonder whether there was a shortage of women in the land, with all of the "taking" of someone else's wives or concubines...) This made Abner mad, and he threw his lot in with David instead of Ish-bosheth. He went to David, and committed his allegiance to him, which David accepted. He also asked Abner to send Michal to him in Judah, reclaiming his first wife. After Abner left, Joab returned from a raid, and found out about the defection. This did not sit well with Joab, though, because Abner had killed Joab's brother in a battle. So Joab and his men went after Abner, pretending that they had a message from David. When Joab got Abner alone, he stabbed him. David heard about this and was outraged, and made sure that he whole nation knew that he did not condone this murder. He didn't execute Joab, however, as he had done with the man who had claimed to kill Saul.

Now Ish-boshethe wasn't doing well over in Israel, and he is eventually killed in his bed by associates of his. Again, messengers run to David thinking that they will be lauded for bringing the good news of the death of one of David's enemies. Instead, David again mourns, and has the men executed.

So -- no one is left that opposes David's claim on the throne of Israel. Is the nation ready to unite under one king? How will the Philistines feel about the whole enterprise? On the romance side, will David be reunited with Michal? What will wives #2 and #3 think? Tune in next week...

Day #109

Sermon - Audio
1 Samuel 28-31
1 Sameul 28-31

Daily Insights - Please Comment

I Samuel 28: Saul and the Medium

v. 2 – As he was in Saul’s service, David is now appointed as the head of the bodyguard for Achish. This puts him in a difficult situation, since it almost guarantees that he will battle against Saul.

v. 5-7 – With the armies facing off in the Jezreel Valley, Saul is rightly concerned about the upcoming battle. He first turns to his usual methods of consulting God, but God did not answer because He had rejected Saul from being king. In his despair, he resorts to consulting a spiritual medium. Contact with the dead was forbidden by God, but Saul goes ahead and does it anyways.

v. 12-14 – Is this the real Samuel or a mere apparition? The former is the more likely option for the following reasons: (1) The consternation of the medium upon seeing Samuel indicates that his appearance had nothing to do with her magical arts (which may not even have commenced) nor with such “familiar spirits” as were within her experience: (2) the narrator himself referred to the figure simply as “Samuel” and (3) the subsequent words of Samuel were fully in keeping with his pronouncements while alive. It seems very likely, therefore, that the real Samuel appeared, although his return could not in any sense be credited to the medium, but could only be the result of the Lord’s sovereign action. (paraphrased Reformation Study Bible)

1 Samuel 29: Philistines Reject David

v. 4 - Although Achish trusts David, the other Philistine commanders think back to the painful memories of David in an earlier war with Israel (chapter 14:21). Little did they know that they became God’s instrument for delivering David from a “lose-lose” situation.

v. 5 – This is the third time this chant has been quoted in the text (chapter 18:7 and 21:12). Originally it served as a mark of distinction for David and a source of Saul’s jealousy and hatred toward him. In the episodes involving the Philistines, the chant is used as a reminder and a warning that David cannot be trusted to serve Achish loyally. In this instance it provides David with a plausible excuse not to participate in the final battle against the “Lord’s anointed.” (IVP)

1 Samuel 30: David Destroys the Amalekites

v. 6 – David chooses to turn to God in prayer and worship to gain comfort and strength rather than wallowing in his own pity. As Christians today we establish patterns of seeking advice and help. Lots of times we find answers outside our faith or from sources other than God himself, who has revealed His truth in scripture. Does it depend on the gravity of the situation? Do you tend to seek God only when all else fails?

v.11-15 – The text points out David’s care for an Egyptian slave left to die in the desert. How ready are you to stop, for example, for someone stranded on the side of the road? Our culture tends to overlook the vulnerable and even blame them for their circumstances. Passionate followers of Jesus have the opportunity to be like him by demonstrating care for those who need our help spiritually, emotionally, and physically.

v. 21 – Their exhaustion was not surprising after a march of over 60 miles from Aphek (chapter 29) to Besor brook.

v. 22-25 – David adhered to the sacred code that auxiliary troops, left to guard a fortress or the baggage train, should also share equally in the spoil. The two hundred men who were too exhausted to continue still served as a rear guard in case David was forced to flee and thus deserved their share.

1 Samuel 31: Saul Dies

v. 4-5 – In this period it was common for captured kings to be mutilated and subjected to a life of humiliation; begging and fighting for scraps under the triumphant king’s table or displayed in public places for whatever abuse passersby might invent.

v. 6 – Samuel’s foretelling that God would give Israel into the hands of the Philistines and that Saul and his sons would die has come true. (chapter 28:19)

v. 11-13 – Saul had saved Jabesh-gilead at the beginning of his reign (chapter 11), a fact that the men of the city remembered. The burning of bodies was usually considered desecration, but here the purpose may have been to keep them from further dishonor. (ESV)

Day #107

Sermon - Audio
1 Samuel 25-27 - Audio
1 Sameul 25-27 - Reading

Daily Insights - Please Comment

1 Samuel 25

Abigail means "The father's joy", Nabal means fool or senseless. How the father's joy became married to the fool is something we can't figure out. It could be that having his daughter be part of a wealthy family was more important to him than having her marry a man of wisdom.

25.4: Sheep sheering time was a time of joy, fun, eating and paying out what was owed to different people. David's protection of the flock of Nabal should have been seen as reason to give him reasonable compensation.

25.10-11: The reply of Nabal goes beyond polite refusal and hits on contempt.

25.13: David's response shows that he reflects his time. To be treated with contempt or dishonor meant that retaliation had to be taken. However, his desire for revenge would set him up for being seen as just another bully and ruffian i.e. he would be acting just like King Saul.

25.26,33: Bloodguilt is guilt that comes from wrongly killing another person. While the insult to David was strong, it was reasonable to kill Nabal on account of it. The killing of Nabal would have gone beyond "an eye for an eye" code that God had established. Saul and his family are later charged with bloodguilt in 2 Samuel 21.1, Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year. And David zsought the face of the LORD. And the LORD said, “There is bloodguilt on Saul and on his house, because he put the Gibeonites to death.”

25.39-44: king’s marriages as alliances. Diplomatic texts from throughout the ancient Near East contain marriage contracts that function as political alliances between countries. Zimri-Lim, the king of Mari during the eighteenth century B.C., successfully placed his daughters in the harems of nearby kingdoms and married several foreign wives himself to increase his power and the stability of his realm. In David’s case, prior to becoming king of Israel, he made a series of marriages that strengthened his political and economic position. Thus the marriage to Saul’s daughter Michal gave him connection to the royal family. His marriage to Abigail provided him with ties to the area around Hebron, and his marriage to Ahinoam of Jezreel established connections with households in the vicinity of Megiddo and Beth Shan. This kinship network insured that David would have friendly voices in the council of elders from all over the country. IVP OT Background Commentary

1 Samuel 26:

David refuses an easy opportunity to kill Saul and take over the kingdom. David again shows that he will not take part in an unjustified killing. Perhaps the death of Nabal prepared him for this moment causing him to trust God to deal with his enemies.

26.14ff: This is a fun dialogue where David takes Abner to task for messing up on the job.

26.17ff: David pleads his case to the king. Everything he has done shows that he is a faithful servant.

26.21ff: The promise sounds good, but Saul is not trustworthy.

1 Samuel 27:

David decides to hide behind the curtain of Saul's enemies. No one is going to go into Philista to get to him.

25.8-12: These verses have to be understood as following God's command to conquer and inhabit the land. Generations had failed to do this, but David, a man after God's own heart, takes up God's call.

Summary #15

Weekly Summary
1 Samuel 4-Psalm 52

So back before the story of Ruth, we left the Israelites in a mess. Again. Samson was dead, although so were a lot of Philistines as the book of Judges ended. We start I Samuel today with the story of Hannah, who desperately wants a child but has to watch her husband's other wife have child after child while her prayers go unanswered. Finally she goes to the house of the Lord and promises that if he gives her a child, she will dedicate him to the Lord's service. God sends her a son, Samuel, and she does as she promises, and brings Samuel to Eli, the priest, as soon as Samuel is weaned.

Eli's sons, unlike Eli, are not much in the leadership department. They took the offerings that should have been given to the Lord, and sleeping with the women who served at the tent of meeting. Eli rebuked them, but to no avail -- because "it was the will of the Lord to put them to death." (A sort of sobering thought..) God told Eli that because of the sins of his sons, his household would no longer serve as priests, but he would raise up another line to serve him. Samuel, meanwhile is growing strong and true in the presence of Eli and the Lord. He responds to God's midnight call and finds out that he will be the one to take over the priestly office from Eli. Eli accepts this decision, and he serves God faithfully into his old age.

Camping at Ebenezer, the Israelites take on the Philistines and loses, and the Philistines kill about 4000 Israelites. Devestated, the Israelites try to figure out why the Lord didn't give them the victory, and decide that the next time, they will take the Ark of the Covenant with them into battle. Surely, they think, they will be victorious next time! Hophni and Phineas, the wicked sons of Eli, are more than happy to escort the Ark from Shilo down to the front. This battle was even worse: 30,000 soldiers captured, Hophni and Phineas killed, and the ark captured. As soon as Eli was told about the horrible outcome, he fell over and died.

Rigging a place for the ark in the temple of Dagon, the Philistines enjoy the idea that the God of the Israelites is now subject to their god. Until they come in the next day and find Dagon face down in front of the ark. After setting their god back up the right way, the next day they find him headless and handless. That's enough for the Philistines, and they send the ark on the grand tour of Philistia, but everywhere the ark goes, there is affliction: tumors, panic, and death. Getting wise to this, the Philistines eventually send the ark back to Israel, hoping that sending along some very interesting peace offerings (golden tumors and golden mice) will smooth things over.

Eli's death, meanwhile, meant that Samuel was now judging Israel. He called on them to put away all the false gods, and follow the one true God by assembling them at Mizpah. When the Philistines heard about this assembly, they saw their chance to attack -- and the terrified Israelites begged Samuel to petition God for protection. They offered sacrifices, and fasted, and God threw the Philistines into great confusion, and God kept the Philistines at bay for the whole time that Samuel judged Israel. As he grew old, Samuel appointed his sons judges, but they didn't do much better than Eli's sons had done: they took bribes and perverted justice. Fed up with this, the elders of Israel demanded that Samuel annoint a king. Samuel was insulted by this... but God reminded him that it was not Samuel that the people of Israel were rejecting, it was God himself. God told him to warn the people just what a king would do to them, but when they said they were fine with that, to go ahead and give them what they had asked for.

The choice for this first king was tall, good-looking, and rich, from the small, little-regarded tribe of Benjamin who was looking for some donkeys. Samuel anointed Saul prince over Israel, as God had directed him, and after calling together the Israelites, God confirmed through the casting of lots that Saul, indeed, was his choice. Saul goes back to his home, taking with him men of valor that the Lord had inspired to accompany him. Soon, the Ammonites attack Jabesh-Gilead, and when Saul hears of it, he sends word via parts of oxen that the whole of Israel needs to come to the defense of this city. When they muster, there are 300,000 plus 30,000 from Judah, and they decisively beat back the Ammonites and save the city. After seeing this leadership, Israel truly takes Saul as their king.

Samuel, meanwhile, calls the people together for his farewell address, and reminds them of all the amazing things that God had done for them, and how their response has been to try very hard to be just like the people around them that they were supposed to stand against. He reminds them that asking for a king to rule over them had been a mistake that they will pay for, and they repent some, asking Samuel to continue to pray for the country. Samuel does, and again pleads with them to follow the Lord's commands.

Once Saul is anointed, it takes him no time at all to fall short of God's expectations: As he prepares for battle against the Philistines, Saul sees his men slipping away in fear, and instead of waiting for Samuel to arrive to offer the sacrifice, he does it on his own, and as the offering is being burned, Samuel arrives. And boy, is he ticked. He tells Saul that if he had waited, as instructed, the throne would have stayed in his family forever, but as it stood, God was already looking for a new man for the position.

Unlike his father Saul, Jonathan listens intently for God's voice. He takes his armor-bearer on a little scouting trip, and with prayer and obedience, the two of them walk into the Philistine camp and immediately kill about 20 men, throwing the Philistines into a panic. When the hiding Israelites see the confusion, they pour in from the hills and Israel routes the Philistines, as Saul looks on. Although Jonathan has defied his father's decree to eat nothing, and his father finds out, the people of Israel rally around Jonathan and keep Saul from killing him. Nice family dynamics, again.

The king continues to fight Israel's enemies, but does not comply with the order to completely destroy Agag and Amalek. God sends Samuel to chastise Saul, and Saul argues with him, but finally repents from his stubbornness, but it is too late. The Lord has rejected Saul, and Samuel, a priest and not a warrior, ends up having to kill the captured king. God has promised to take the country away from Saul. Meanwhile, he sent Samuel to seek out David, the youngest of a large family, and anoint him as the next king of Israel. It turns out that David is quite the lyre player - he has a reputation that extends to the king's court. Saul summons David to play for him, and he is such a help that David is promoted to be his armor-bearer. So here we have the man from whom God has promised to take away the kingship, and the boy that he has decided will be king in the same room.

Now we get to one of the most familiar stories in the Bible: Goliath is bedeviling and taunting the Israelites, and scaring the pants off them. Only David, sent to bring food to his brothers, dares stand up for the name of the Lord, and the Lord gives him the victory over Goliath, leading to a routing of the Philistines. Both Saul and Jonathan come firmly into the camp of the David admirers... along with a great many of the Israelites. This proves to be a problem, as Saul is not happy that the people like David more than they like him. After hearing songs sung in David's praise, "Saul eyed David from that day on." ( I love how the ESV puts that!) He tries to kill David, but David evades him, and eventually Saul sends him out as a commander, where he had great success. This did not improve his standing with Saul as much as it improved his standing with the people.

Outwardly, though, Saul attempts to claim David's loyalty by giving him his oldest daughter as a wife. Somewhat obliquely, it says that when the time came, though, she was given to someone else. That's okay, though, because the youngest daughter, Michal, loved David. Saul came up with a great plan: send him on a mission that would likely kill him! So he told David that the only bride-price he would have to pay was 100 Philistine foreskins. Inspired, David killed 200 Philistines and took his bride-price back to Saul, and married Michal. This did not make Saul love David any more, though, and they were enemies from that day on.

With that, Saul begins trying to kill David in earnest. David has to rely on two of Saul's children, Michal and Jonathan to help him escape the predations of the king, but even as he runs, his reputation grows throughout Israel. He and his men are given food by a priest that was meant for the table of the Presence, and also Goliath's sword, and then David flees to Gath, where he feigns madness to keep out of THAT king's way. He sets up in a cave at Adullam, where his family and many other dissatisfied Israelites gather around him. He becomes captain over about 400 men. This sets Saul off in earnest, and he starts tracking David. He starts by killing the priest who had given David and his men food, and keeps hunting him after David and his men save the city of Keilah from the Philistines. Finally, David has a chance to kill Saul when he steps into the cave where he's hiding to relieve himself. Instead of killing him, though, David merely slices off a corner of his robe, the presents it to Saul later as proof that he is not trying to kill him. Saul accepts this, and asks David to swear that he will not kill any of his children in order to gain the throne. David agrees.

So there's a continuing war with Philistia, Saul is losing his grip on both himself and Israel, and David is trying to follow God's orders. Come back next week as the gripping saga continues...

Day #104

Sermon - Audio
1 Samuel 21-24 - Audio
1 Sameul 21-24 - Reading

Daily Insights - Please Comment

21

I found this map of David's "journeys" from Saul - Click Here to see it.

v1 - Ahimelech was rightly afraid. David was a prominent man who was wandering around. It doesn't seem like Ahimelech knows what is happening at this time.

v2 - "The king has charged me:" David deceived Ahimelech the priest by implying that he (David) was on official business for the king. David’s deception, however, resulted in the deaths of Ahimelech and the priests at Nob (22:9–19; cf. 22:22). Though David normally acted as an upright man, the Bible does not hesitate to record honestly his instances of wrongdoing. ESVSB

v4 - "holy bread" or "showbread" means "bread of faces."

v4-6 - David takes and will eat the showbread. Jesus uses David and Ahimelech as an example in Matthew 12:1-8.

v8 - the "king's business" is killing David. David is not about doing this business.

v8-9 - David acquires the sword he used to cut off Goliath's head...just in case. I can't help but notice that David hasn't really turned to God for help at this point. Is he relying upon his own strength, power, and provisioning at this point? Where's his faith?

v10 - I'm not sure why David thought he would find refuge among the Philistines...seems kind of stupid to me, plus you have the sword with you that killed Goliath!

v11 -16 - "David flees to the Philistine city of Gath, believing that there he will be out of danger, but he barely succeeds in saving his life." JSB

v11-12 - David realizes his fame, and also realizes that this is a problem. They recognize him as the king of Israel, not Saul.

Thought - Some believe that this is when Psalm 56 was written. In this Psalm we see that David understands that "he deserves to be where he is, but now he desires that God turn his face toward him."

v12-15 - Note on Achish from the ASB = "The narrative of 1 Sm presents two differing pictures of Achish’s relationship with David (cp. 29:6–9). Here David is afraid of Achish, who considers him a madman. In the later passage, David is Achish’s trusted ally and bodyguard (27:12; 28:2; 29:6–9). These accounts are not at odds with one another; evidently Achish changed his opinion of David over time. During David’s earlier career, Achish knew him only as a dangerous enemy of the Philistines and loyal servant of Saul. Later he learned that David had become Saul’s most feared enemy, which made him potentially a valued partner with the Philistines. Achish gladly modified his stance toward David, and accepted him as a comrade-in-arms."

v13-15 - David acts crazy enough for the plan to work.

Thought - Psalm 34 was written upon his escape. It speaks of blessing and joy. "I sought the LORD, and he heard me."


22


v1 - David is now in a cave. He really had nowhere to go. The Cave of Adullam, meaning "refuge," was right by where David killed Goliath. He'd come a long way, or a short way.

Thought - Psalm 57 discusses how God strengthened David in the cave.

v2 - God gathers another hodgepodge group up. This time in a cave. You can't make this stuff up, love it. Don't you feel like this is a perfect picture of Jesus and His followers? Not only are they called, but they are equipped, trained, and ready to go. Later they are called "mighty men of valor" (1 Chron 12:8). They needed a leader, and David was called to that responsibility. David is gathering a people, equipping them for a mission, and is preparing them...hmmmm, sounds familiar.

v5 - Thank goodness for God working through Gad to tell David the next step to take. Even better is that David obeys and trusts God. Saul didn't listen to God's words, David does.

v6-8 - Saul starts justifying his hatred toward David and the 400 people gathered. He has to believe that they have conspired against him, and not the other way. Saul can not accept the fact that David is "chosen."

v9-15 - Doeg points to the priests as the problem in this conspiracy against Saul. Ahimelech comes before Saul and tells him the truth. He even goes as far as praising David before Saul! Big mistake...The servants of Saul wouldn't kill the priests, but Doeg (eager to please) does so. This is pretty much rock bottom for Saul.

Thought - Psalm 52 was written after David found out about Doeg, themes of "hatred" and "judgment" run deep.

v20-23 - David ends by doing the only thing he could do. Admitting some guilt in the matter, and protecting Abiathar.



23


v1-v5 - Technically this should have been Saul's battle to fight, but since Saul didn't seemingly care, David asked the LORD if he should go. He did, and the Philistines were delivered to him.

Thought - Too many times we quickly jump into things or become involved without stopping to ask God if it is His will for us to be doing something...we need to slow down, stop and ask, thus seeking His will in all areas of life.

v7 - Saul has gone nuts. He believes that God is still with him.

Questions/Reflections:

How many of us are following after our own desires right now, while thinking that God is with us in them?
Have you stopped and had a conversation with God about this lately?
Is it your desires that are being lived out, or his?
Are we that much different than Saul?

v12-13 - Will the men of Keilah surrender me? Saul had destroyed Nob on a lesser pretext, so he was certainly willing and presumably able to destroy Keilah. From the standpoint of the men of Keilah, David had brought more trouble than relief for them. The Philistines, after all, had gone after only grain. See the similar situation in 2 Sam. 20:14–22. They will surrender you. Accepting the answer from God, David acted accordingly. Arose and departed suggests immediate action. They went wherever they could go, trusting in divine guidance each step of the way. -ESVSB-

v13 - The number of people in the "band" had grown to 600 by now.

v18 - David and Jonathan confirm their covenant again from 1 Sam 18:3, 20:16.

v21 - Saul still believes the LORD is on his side.

Thought - David writes Psalm 54

Ending of Chap 23 - David is being encircled by Saul and his army, but God sends the Philistines over to invade the land. Saul has to return to fight them, while David and his people can escape. It's not time to fight yet.


24


v3 - attending to his needs means "going to the bathroom."

v4-7 - It was not the appointed time for David to take over. He was well aware of this. He knew God didn't want him to touch Saul, but he did in a way. Still, this is AMAZING restraint in not killing his adversary.

Thought - David submits to God's leading when it doesn't make sense.
Thought - David is troubled over something that seems like a "minor sin," however is there such a thing?

v8 - David takes a huge gamble here by showing himself to Saul. David chooses to submit to Saul as the leader of Israel, since this was God's plan for now.

9-15 - David begins his speech to Saul. He could have killed him, but David states that he will rely on God to judge Saul. He will trust in God.

Saul's Response: A gentle word broke the bone...this time.

v20 - Saul admits what we already know...that David is destined to be king. This is a huge change in heart from Saul.

Thought - Interesting that David doesn't return with Saul. David may have known that Saul would eventually change his mind/feelings toward David. Saul seems to always forget the hard lessons learned. He's a recovering alcoholic on his 4th try.

Day #103

Sermon - Audio
1 Samuel 18-20 & Psalm 11 & 59 - Audio
1 Sameul 18-20 & Psalm 11 & 59- Reading

Daily Insights - Please Comment

Chapter 18

1-4 When David and Jonathan met, they became great friends, their friendship is one of the deepest and closest recorded in the Bible. It is interesting to note that their friendship was based on their commitment to God, not just each other. They also held their friendship in higher regard than family ties. The old saying, "blood is thicker than water," did not apply to them. As they went through difficult experiences they seemed to bond even more.

8 Saul's feelings regarding David seem to vacillate between admiration, love, and jealousy. Saul's appreciation for David turned to jealously as people began to celebrate David's victories. In one moment of fear/anger he attempted to kill David with his spear (18.11, 12) Jealousy may not seem like a big deal at all, but as we see here, can lead to evil actions and deeds. It starts when we resent another person and the success that God has granted them.

11-12 Saul tried to kill David because he was jealous of David's popularity, yet David continued to protect and comfort Saul. David seems to embody the teachings of Jesus regarding forgiveness and giving others the benefit of the doubt.

Chapter 19

1-7 Saul suggests to Jonathan and others that David should be put to death. Jonathan begins to intercede with Saul appealing to his sense of gratitude for what David had accomplished on Saul's behalf. Saul has a brief moment of clarity and remorse.

8-17 This section records more of Saul's attempts to kill David.

10 He struck the spear into the wall. David came close to losing his life, but "the Lord was with him" (see 18.12). David fled and escaped also in 19.12,18. See note on Acts 9.25 (sometimes God does not call his people to stand and lose their lives but rather to escape from the danger that he has revealed to them. Because his disciples took decisive action, Paul's life was preserved for his future ministry, for at this point he had not begun his major missionary journeys or written any of his letters.) RSV Study Bible

20-24 The messengers of Saul began to "Prophesy." This probably means that they began to speak God's word and participate in praise. Their mission to harm David was turned into the praise of God.

23-24 Even Saul's murderous rage is turned into the praise of God.

Chapter 20

5 At the beginning of each month, the Israelites gathered to celebrate the New Moon festival. This may have been a time for each family to dedicate the new month to God. Other nations had celebrations regarding the full moon and worshipped the moon itself. The Israelites celebrated their festival at the time of the new moon, when the moon was not visible in the sky. This was an added precaution against false worship.

13 "The Lord do so to Jonathan and more also," is an oath formula.... "as he has been with my father." The past tense may show that Jonathan recognizes that the Lord has left Saul. ESV Study Bible

15 Jonathan asked David to keep a promise to treat his children kindly in the future. Years later David took great pains to fulfill this promise; he invited Jonathan's son Mephibosheth into his palace to live (2 Samuel 9).

31 Neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. This was true, but Jonathan had already come to terms with it (vv. 14-15). Saul took for granted that kingship was hereditary, though there was no divine justification for his doing so. RSV Study Bible

31-32 Saul was trying to secure his throne for future generations even though he had already been told there would be no more kings from his family. Even worse, he was trying to do this by sinning against the Lord by killing David.

Psalms

I would encourage everyone to read the excellent introduction to the book of Psalms found in the ESV Study Bible. It does a great job of explaining the history, purpose, and theology of the Psalms. Just a few of the highlights are listed below:

The book of Psalms, or Psalter, has supplied to believers some of their best-loved Bible passages. It is a collection of 150 poems that express a wide variety of emotions, including: love and adoration toward God, sorrow over sin, dependence on God in desperate circumstances, the battle of fear and trust, walking with God even when the way seems dark, thankfulness for God's care, devotion to the word of God, and confidence in the eventual triumph of God's purposes for the world. (RSV Study Bible)

The English title comes from the Greek word psalmos, which translates Hebrew mizmor, "song," found in many of the Psalm titles and simply translated as "psalm" (e.g., Psalm 3). This Greek name for the book was established by the time of the NT (Luke 20:42; Acts 1:20). The Hebrew name for the book is Tehillim, "Praises," pointing to the characteristic use of these songs as praises offered to God in public worship. (RSV Study Bible)

For the most part, the psalms were not intended to be precise descriptions of historical events. However, they often parallel events in history, such as David's flight from Saul and his sin with Bathsheba. In doing so, they describe the emotions connected to many of these events.

The Hebrew label for the psalms, "Praises," may have originally reflected the idea, readily found today, that adoration and thanks to God are the primary acts of worship; but it would be better to learn from the title of the entire Psalter that the whole range of the psalms-from adoration and thanks to the needy cry for help (even the desolate moan of Psalm 88)-praises God when offered to him in the gathered worship of his people. (RSV Study Bible)


Psalm 1

Psalm 1 is an introduction to the rest of the Psalms. The Psalm gives a rather stark choice: We can choose to live for the Lord and know the delights of following Him, or we can go after the way of wicked and suffer the consequences. This kind of writing is what we refer to as "wisdom literature," in that it grants the ability to make wise choices and be blessed. We see here that absolute necessity of God's Word for living is wise ways that are blessed. We also see that the Word of the Lord is for "transformation" as well as "information." James 2.14 tells us that, "faith without works is dead."

Psalm 58

God's people should sing this song when they are confronted with injustice among their own rulers (community lament). In the time of David, of course, the focus was on those who ruled Israel, a theocracy (which was thus, at least in name, supposed to be governed by the principles of the Pentateuch); and yet Christians may pray this way since the rulers of God's people, indeed all people, everywhere and at all times, ought to embody the highest human ideals of justice (see notes on Prov. 31:1-9). Singing this in worship helps the faithful to pray more earnestly for godly leadership, and forms in the leaders of the community a true moral compass for their own leadership. It also celebrates the prospect that-one day, sooner or later-God will vindicate his justice in the world, and those who trust him will rejoice exceedingly. (ESV Study Bible)

The Old Testament is filled with references to justice and it is a constant topic in the Psalms. Unfortunately, many judges and rulers in ancient times perverted justice. They had complete authority without accountability and the power to make their own laws. When earth's judges are corrupt there is little hope of justice in this life. But God loves justice, and those who obey him will experience justice in eternity.

Of all people our national leaders should be just and fair. When they are unjust and unfair, people suffer. The rich get richer, and the poor get poorer. Politicians (Red and Blue) wrest power from people, confiscate money from citizens, and enact legislation to increase their own power. They enact laws they will not live by. They govern and live by the lie. This Psalm assures us that there will be a day of accountability and that God judges fairly. We must be careful not to side with injustice.

Day #102

Sermon - Audio
1 Samuel 15-17 - Audio
1 Sameul 15-17 - Reading

Daily Insights - Please Comment

1 Samuel 15 – 17

I Sam 15 – Another example of weak leadership resulting in God’s rejection of Saul.

v. 1-3 – One purpose of such total destruction was to stop the spread of pagan worship. The destruction of the Amalekites is based on Deut. 25:19.

v. 6 – Moses’ father-in-law Jethro was a Kenite and he and his son had been helpful to the Israelites (Ex. 18). The Kenites had settled among the Amalekites. Saul’s action in this situation is commendable. (ESV Study Bible)

v. 11 – God’s regret of making Saul king does not mean that God feels He has made a mistake by appointing him king, but rather that God feels genuine sorrow when looking at Saul’s sin.

v. 23 – Divination – to seek to discover hidden knowledge usually by aid of supernatural powers. (Websters) Saul may have been attempting to manipulate with gifts in the same way that idol worshippers did.

v. 27 – The high priests garments had an elaborately decorated hem (Ex. 28:33-34), Samuel’s robe probably also had a distinctive fringe or design marking him as a prophet that symbolized power and authority. If a husband was to divorce his wife, he would cut off the hem of her robe. Grasping the hem of someone’s garment is a gesture of supplication and submission. Saul’s grasping of Samuel’s skirt was a final plea for mercy. The tearing of the garment represented the tearing of the kingdom from Saul’s hands.

v. 32-33 – Samuel takes on the task that Saul failed to finish. “Hacked…to pieces” was not the normal means of putting to death. Usually slaying before the Lord involves sacrificing an animal, but in this case Agag himself is the sacrifice, justly put to death for his own sin.

I Sam 16 – David annointed

v. 1-13 – Oil symbolized the gifts of God to the people and the responsibilities now laid on their leaders through this ceremony. In Israelite practice, anointing was a sign of election and often closely related to endowment by the Spirit.

v. 12 – God indicates to Samuel that of all the sons of Jesse, David, the least likely, is his choice. God often uses the uneducated, poor, or lowly. We have no business devaluing our own abilities and gifts for service. We may feel as though we have little to offer. But when God calls, he also empowers. Don’t underestimate His ability to work through you.

v. 13-14 –A transition is seen in v. 13-14. In v. 13 David receives God’s spirit and in v. 14 Saul lost it. Though God himself never does evil, he sometimes sends evil agents to accomplish his purposes: such as sinful people crucifying Christ.

1 Sam 17 – David and Goliath

v. 25-26 – David sees Goliath’s challenge as an attack on God. Therefore, this becomes a spiritual battle in David’s eyes.

v. 37-39 – Because of David’s faith in God, he shows more willingness to fight on behalf of God and His people than Saul.

v. 40 – The Benjaminites were known to be deadly accurate with their slings. (Jud. 20:16) It is estimated that a skilled slinger could hurl the rocks at more than 100 mph. The effective range would probably not exceed 100 yards.

v. 55-58 – Saul asks whose son is this. Even though Saul knew David from before, he did not know the name of David’s father. Saul is asking about David’s background – his family and social status – in order that he may ask his father to keep David permanently.

Day #101

Sermon - Audio
1 Samuel 13-14 - Audio
1 Sameul 13-14 - Reading

Daily Insights - Please Comment

1 Samuel 13-14: The Downfall of Saul

Chapter 21 picks up the story were chapter 11 left off. In the next few chapters, we will hear about Saul's successes and failures as king

1 Samuel 13

The purpose of the monarchy is to fight the Philistines.

13.1-7 These verses tell the first encounter between Israel and the Philistines under Saul's reign. Jonathan mounts an initial attack. The measure of success of that attack is not recorded, but all it seems to have done is provoke the Philistine army. Not inherent in the text, if you look at a map, we see that Israel's forces are immediately pushed back from Mikmash and Gibeah to Gilgal (halfway across the country—so to speak); their backs are now to the Jordan River. The Philistines had superior numbers and technology. Paul is able to gather 3,000 men. The Philistines have as many “tanks” (3,000 chariots). 2 men in each chariot: one to drive and one to attack. The Israelites are understandably intimidated. In verse 7, the literal Hebrew describes the whole camp trembling with fear. Many of them resort to hiding in “caves, thickets, rocks, pits and cisterns.” Their situation is abysmal. Cisterns are essentially the storm sewers of ancient Israel, used to collect flowing water from the streets to be used during the dry season.

13.8-15 Saul's army is more like a volunteer militia than anything. In the face of the overwhelming military power of the philistines, the Israelites start to scatter. We find out that out of Saul's original 3,000 men, only 600 remain by verse 15. In an attempt to rally the troops, Saul grows impatient of Samuel and preforms the offering himself. The specific infringement brings us back to the Levitical code. Only a Priest is allowed to sacrifice a burnt offering. As king, Saul's role is judge and warrior, not priest. By assuming the role of priest to accomplish his own ends, it appears that Saul is invoking YHVH as the Canaanites invoked their gods. He is trying to call YHVH to his side, instead of being obedient to his will. He tries to treat God like a genie. His actions are borderline idolatrous: he treats YHVH as a god-of-my-cause (as we often do today) instead of the true, living God. (This is not the first time in 1 Samuel that Israel has tried to force God's hand in this way. Recall chapter 4 when they bring the Ark with them into battle.) This offense is serious enough that God decides to appoint a new king and a new dynasty under David. Although not mentioned by name here, the reference to David is concrete: “a man after God's own heart. The impeccable timing of Samuel's arrival indicates that this episode was a test of Saul's faith and submission to YHVH all along. YHVH is the true king of Israel, Paul is only subordinate.

Also note that in Samuel's speech to Saul, he tells Saul what might have been if he was obedient. God is not breaking a promise here. Saul had not even been informed of the possibility of the a dynasty until now.

13.16-23 The Philistines attack again in verse 16-18. Verse 19-22 show Philistines have a monopoly on iron. Even to sharpen their tools, Israel had to go to the Philistines for service. Israel was not only at a disadvantage militarily, but also economically.

“The narrative of chapter 13 intends to trace for us the course of the war. It also intends to assert that in, with, and under the war with the Philistines there is this other force at work, making and unmaking kings, dominating the flow of power in hidden but irresistible ways (Brueggemann: Interpretation Series).”

1 Samuel 14

14.1-14 Immediately juxtaposed with Saul's lack of faith is Jonathan's act of faith. Jonathan is unassuming: “Perhaps the Lord will act on our behalf.” Unlike Saul, Jonathan is not concerned with the number of people he needs to be successful; “Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.” It is just Jonathan and his armor bearer (presumably only 1 sword between them. The two of them are able to kill 20 Philistines. That's 10 kills per person (and no causalities). Do the math on the previous chapter. Saul had 600 men (after all the deserters). The Philistines had 6,000 charioteers. 10 men to each one of Saul's. What does it mean? If Saul had waited on the LORD, he would've had exactly what he needed: the fact that the Philistines had more advanced technology is of no consequence compared with the LORD's blessing.

14.15-23 Following up Jonathan's bravery, panic strikes the Philistine camp. There is an earthquake (seemingly sent by God—perhaps even indicating his presence). Meanwhile, Saul is talking to Abijah the priest about bringing the Ark of the Covenant into battle (not unlike the Israelites attempted in chapter 4). But as he looks on, he sees that it is not necessary. God is already on the battlefield with Jonathan. So he aborts the idea (“Withdraw your hand.”) The ensuing scene is actually an exciting battle scene. Saul's men act as a 2^nd wave offensive. Some not Israelite Hebrews switch sides and join Saul. (Hebrew is a less precise designation than Israelite. Hebrew more describes a regional designation). And then other Israelites start emerging from hiding to join the pursuit.

14.24-35 Here we are told of another failure of Saul—he puts the nation under a foolish oath. Because they are not allowed to eat, the men grow weak and immediately begin to eat the captured animals. Now Saul steps in to build an altar to prevent them from “drinking” the blood. Saul is a complex character—not all bad, here he acts out of piety.

14.36-48 FINALLY Saul inquires of the LORD for what he should do. But God is silent. Perhaps another test for Saul? I think Saul acts rightly in this situation. Instead of acting rashly, he considers the fact that somebody might have “sinned.” He does not exclude himself from this process. When it turns out to be Jonathan who had sinned, Jonathan owns up to his guilt and accepts his fate. Saul too is willing to do the “pious” thing to keep his vow despite his own personal loss. However, the men of Israel rally to Jonathan's cause. Important to their defense is “for he did this today with God's help.” God is with Jonathan, and Saul is not so stubborn as to not listen to his men's input (exemplifying good leadership). It seems God will was for Saul not to pursue at this time, and for the time being God is once again with Saul. Though Israel is pressed on every side, it says that “wherever he turned, he [Saul] inflicted punishment...he delivered Israel from those who had plundered them (vs 47-48).”

Day #100

Sermon - Audio
1 Samuel 9-12 - Audio
1 Sameul 9-12 - Reading

Daily Insights - Please Comment

1 Sam 9

• 9.2: Saul’s name means “Asked (of God)”—Saul lives up to his name because the people asked God for a king and received Saul. The problem, of course, is that they got the king they asked for—one like all the other nations had, not the king God wanted for them.
• 9.2: Our introduction to Saul shows us only his external qualities, his good looks etc. (notice that some sages say that the reason that the girls have such a drawn out conversation with Saul in vss. 12-14 is that they want to keep looking at him). This emphasis on the outward is a bad sign since Hannah in 1 Samuel 2.9 “It is not by strength that one prevails…”
  
• 9.3: When we are introduced to Saul his a donkey wrangler. This most likely reflects that he is from a rebellious tribe (Benjamin) and will rule over a rebellious people (Israel).
• 9.9: The mention of a seer now being called a prophet reflects a change in work. A seer did his/her work before the monarchy and did not take on a role as a spiritual leader. With the coming of the monarchy prophets spoke God’s word to the king and the people. In doing so, they acted in a new role as spiritual leaders.
• In 9.16 God says that he will anoint Saul to be leader over his people. To be anointed means to be separated for a task by God and divinely empowered by him to carry out that task.
  
• In 9.17 we are told that Saul will govern or rule over the people of Israel. This word has strong connections with the idea of restraint or control. God is saying that the work of the king is to restrain or control the people. We can imagine that this restraining or controlling was especially in the area of restraining the people from sin. Do you allow people whom God has placed over you in your spiritual life to restrain you or do you rebel against those who God has put in place to help govern your life of faith?
• 9.24 The leg or thigh of a sacrificed animal was usually reserved for the priest, in giving it to Saul, Samuel was anticipating Saul’s anointing.

1 Samuel 10-11

• 10.1: Saul is anointed as king using a flask of oil. A flask is a weak, temporary container. It symbolized the weak and temporary nature of Saul’s reign. In 1 Sam 16.13 we find that David is anointed from a horn—a strong, long lasting vessel.

• 10.1: God anoints Saul as a prince over Israel. It is worth noting that David is anointed king.
• 10.2: Saul reflects judges such as Barak and Gideon in that he needs signs to be assured of God’s word. Samuel, the greatest prophet of the day anoints him as king, but it is clear that Saul needs more so three signs are given him. The need for signs is a sign of weak faith.
  • The significance of the three signs 1. that God has chosen a ruler from the least of the tribes 2. That Saul is worthy of tribute 3. That God’s Spirit will come upon him to empower him for kingship

• 10.7: Samuel tells Saul that after the three signs that he is to do whatever seems fitting to him to declare his kingship (“do whatever your hand sees fit to do, for God is with you”). But in spite of the signs and the instructions Saul does not declare his kingship, even when he has a direct opportunity to do so with his uncle. This forces Samuel to call the people together to declare Saul as king. For Saul, it is another instance of faithlessness. Even the signs don’t propel him forward to take on the task God has given him.
• 10.27: Saul does nothing to those who oppose his kingship. The sages say he should not have put up with this disrespect to his authority. It was a time when strength was called for. It may well have been another instance of his not really believing God that the kingship was his.

• 11.1The king who attacks Jabesh-Gilead is Nahash—his name means “snake”.

• 11.2The demand for the right eye may have referred only to the warriors of the town. To take their right eye would make them ineffective in battle.

• 11.4: Nahash gives 7 days because he is convinced no one will come to rescue Jabesh-Gilead which will humiliate not just the city but all of Israel because they could not stand up against him.
• 11.5: Jabesh–Gilead is closely connected with Saul. He has relatives there. To defeat that town would humiliate Saul and if Saul could not muster a force to defend the town his kingship would be dead before it began.

1 Samuel 12

• Samuel gives his farewell address to the people. In the address he makes it clear that what matters is not having a king to protect you, but having God to protect you. A king is worthless if God is not involved.
• Samuel points out that he has never taken anything from the people. How different a king will be!
• Notice that Samuel’s sons are also cleared of wrong doing in these verses. They weren’t as committed to the people as Samuel, but neither were they evil.
• The people ask for a king because they are afraid of attacks from the east and west—and unlike their fathers who cried out to God to rescue them, they want a king to save them. In many ways in getting Saul they get a king just like them, because he doesn’t really trust God either (see notes above).
• The name Bedan, according to the sages, is a shortened form of a name meaning from Dan and so it refers to Samson.
• The prayer for the miracle of rain in the wheat harvest is a prayer for rain during the dry season. Also, the prayer will bring destruction on the crops since they are drying in the fields. Rabbi Arabanel says that this miracle was to answer the unasked question of the people, ‘If a king is evil why did God grant our request?” The answer is that God will sometimes give a person who they ask for even if it is bad for him/her. The proof is sending rain in the summer when it is harmful to the crops and therefore the people.
  
  

Summary #14

Weekly Summary
Judges 8 - 1 Samuel 3

In our last post, we meet Gideon, our reluctant judge. After hiding in a wine press, taking down altars at God's command in the middle of the night, and demanding several signs, he finally ponies up and calls his people to fight the Midianites. God winnows the men down from a reasonable fighting force of 32,000 to a paltry 300 men against a huge army. The battle strategy that God gives them? Make a lot of noise. So they do, and the Midianites are defeated. Another battle follows, but this one does not seem as God-directed, and Gideon has some trouble convincing the rest of the Israelites to come and fight alongside him, but eventually, they won. When the Isrealites tried to make Gideon a king, he declined, but made another ephod (God had decreed there be only one, given to the high priest), and named his son "Son of the King". Hmm.

True to form, after Gideon dies, the Israelites turn to other Gods. His son, Abimelech, goes to his mother's people, the Shechemites, and gets their support for his leadership, and then kills all of his brothers except the youngest, who escapes, but curses Abimelech for his treachery. Abimelech takes his position as ruler of Israel for three years, and then Shechem revolts, and decides that they want a different leader. Turns out they deserve each other, these Shechemites and Abimelech, and in the end they destroy each other: Abimelech traps them all in a tower and burns it, but a woman drops a millstone on him and kills him. The curse of the youngest brother is fulfilled.

So after Abilelech is killed, we see Tola and Jair as the next judges of Israel, and then, of course, Israel "once again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord" and turned to other gods. So they are defeated by the Philistines and the Ammonites. After pleading with God, he raises up the son of a prostitute to lead the Israelites out of bondage: Jephthah, who takes on the Ammonite king first with logic, which is ignored, and then with the sword. On his way to the battle, Jephthah vows that if God is with him, he will make a burnt offering of whatever comes out of his door on his return. Tragically, that turns out to be his only daughter, who greets him after his victory over the Ammonites. He follows his vow, with much sorrow. Ephraim is in a snit again, saying that they weren't asked to help in the battle (they had had the same complaint against Gideon), and they revolt against Jephthah, who takes them down. All this happened in the six years that Jephthah ruled Isreal. He is followed by Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon.

Color me surprised: the Israelites again "did what was evil in the sight of the Lord". This time they are given over to the Philistines for forty years. A special child is born, whose birth is foretold by an angel, and who is raised as a Nazarite - nothing from the vine, no cutting his hair, and he shouldn't touch anything that is dead. Samson chooses a Philistine for a wife, despite his parents' plea that he marry a nice Jewish girl. On the way to the wedding, he kills a lion, then later finds that bees have made honey in the carcass. He eats the honey (defying the ban on touching dead things), and then taunts his wedding guests with a riddle about the whole thing. The guests get his wife to wheedle the riddle out of him, and when they come up with the answer, Samson is so mad that he kills thirty Philistines, and while he is gone, his best man sleeps with his wife. Wedding feast gone wrong....

Outraged that his father-in-law gave his wife permanently to the best man, Samson burns the crops of the Philistines. The Philistines retaliate by burning his wife and her father. Sampson declares that he will avenge this, and at this point, 3,000 men of Judah take on Sampson and tell him to knock it off - in fact, they are going to deliver him to the Philistines to make sure they're not at the bad end of a war. Sampson agrees to go, but only bound, not attacked by the Judeans. When they deliver him bound to the Philistines, the new ropes practically dissolve, and Sampson kills 1,00 Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey. He continues his feats of strength until he is undone by Delilah, who gets the answer to his strength out of him the same way his wife did, and betrays him just the same. God's strength leaves Samson, and after being captured and enslaved by the Philistines, Samson finally turns back to God and asks to do his will. God gives him his strenght back, and he brings the roof down on them in spectacular fashion.

Later, things just fall apart in Israel: people make idols and tribes make war with each other. A Levite takes a concubine, and when he tries to find hospitality in Jerusalem, it turns out things are just as bad as they were in Sodom and Gomorrah. Israel goes to war with the tribe of Benjamin, and since they swear that none of their daughters will marry anyone from that tribe, the Benjamites must find their wives from conquered clans or unsuspecting dancers. Things are truly a mess in Israel.

During the time of the Judges, when things are falling apart all over, we get a wonderful story: the story of Ruth, a Moabite widow of an Israelite, who travels to Bethlehem with her mother-in-law. She claims the Israelite God for her own, and vows to take care of her mother-in-law. This story of a kinsman-redeemer is beautiful, and Boaz, a relative, saves Ruth (and her mother-in-law) from poverty by marrying her. They produce a son, Boaz, who is the grandfather of king David. God truly uses the uncelebrated, the outsider, to bring glory to his name.

Well, it's on to Samuel. Will Israel ever find a way out of this cycle of desperation? Will they ever grasp the importance of following only one God? Of doing what was commanded? Tune in next week...

Day #99

Sermon - Audio
1 Samuel 4-8 - Audio
1 Sameul 4-8 - Reading

Daily Insights - Please Comment

Chapter 4

• Some of the sages say that in 4.1 the words Samuel speaks call the people to go into battle against the Philistines i.e. the reason for the battle is because Samuel said to go.
• Aphek is one of the first cities captured by Joshua it has been lost during the period of the judges. The loss of Aphek is another sign of decline.
• The elders wonder why they have been defeated. Another sign of decline. The reasons they were defeated are clear from the book of Judges, they have broken covenant and now they are experiencing covenant curses. But they don’t get it.
• LORD Almighty: the same name used by Hannah is now used by the elders. But they miss what it means, namely, God is in control of all things. Because they miss the meaning they try to manipulate God and disaster strikes.
• The focal point of chapter 4 is the loss of the ark. When Phinehas’ wife dies she names her child ichabod because the ark has been lost. Note that in the Hebrew it says that the ark has gone into exile i.e. God has not abandoned his people, but he is showing that their relationship is broken.
• Not only is the ark taken, but most believe that this is the time when the tabernacle is destroyed at Shiloh.
• The sages say that the rivalry between the Philistines and the Israelites has deep spiritual roots. It began in the days of the patriarchs when the Philistines stopped up the wells of Abraham. These “wells” symbolized spiritual values and teaching that Abraham and his offspring were to unearth and bring to the world. The Philistines battled Israel to keep those holy lessons underground.
• The Philistines are first mentioned in Genesis 10.13-14. They have roots in Egypt. (Note that Hophi and Phinehas’ names have Egyptian roots. When Hophni and Phinehas eat the meat in chapter 2 they are taking God’s share. Given that their names have Egyptian roots, we might say they are acting like Egyptians, people who do not care about God or really believe in him.) Some of the Philistines moved into Canaan during the time of the patriarchs, others first went to Crete and later (about 1200 BC) came back to Palestine.

Chapter 5-6

• The philistines think that God has fallen into their hands, but the reality is that they have fallen into his hands.
• It is a great disgrace to Yahweh to be put on a “shelf” next to a god that is not a god. Yahweh lets this be known by having Dagon bow before him.
• The breaking off of Dagon’s head and hands reflects the practice of armies at the time. Victorious armies would cut off the hands and head of enemy soldiers killed in battle as a symbol of their victory. God shows he is victorious over Dagon.
• God shows mercy to the Philistines by first afflicting their god and so giving them a chance to see who he is and repent. It is only after they don’t get this message that he begins to send his plague (most likely bubonic plague).
• The sages say that some in Philistia were slow to send the Ark back because of the cost of the guilt offering (it was a lot of gold), but their religious leaders made it clear that it was a small price to pay for the end of the plague.
• Using two cows who were still nursing was a test to see if Yahweh was in this plague business or if it was just something that happened. Using two cows meant 1. they did not want to leave their calves 2. They had never drawn a cart before so they would not know how to do it 3. They did not know the way to Israel. Therefore, if the cows went to Israel, Yahweh had been the source of the plagues. If not, they would get their gold back.
• It is interesting to note that the Philistines honor God and do everything that their priests tell them to do—unlike the Israelites, both before they lose the ark and when they get it back.

Chapters 7-8

• Samuel becomes Israel’s greatest judge. He creates a spiritual revolution, a revolution that brings freedom in the land of Israel (from the Philistines), and he travels the land to keep the people faithful to God.
• 7.3 Partial repentance is not enough, all of their gods have to be dumped
• 7.5 Samuel becomes famous for his powerful prayer (see Psalm 99.6, Jer. 15.1)
• 7.7-14 The defeat of the philistines solidifies Samuel’s leadership (cf. the crossing of the Jordan solidified Joshua’s leadership).
• 7.10 “thundered” has close connections with Hannah’s song in 2.9-10 and shows that Hannah is a prophet, she foresees this defeat.
• Chapter 8: The request for a king. The problem is not that the people want a king (see Dt 17.14-20), the problem is they want a king like all the other nations. They should have asked for a king who would lead them by his example in following the ways of the Torah, instead they want a king who would rule over them like the non-Jewish rulers of the other nations. God is rejected not because a human king is put in place, but because the people don’t want a king who follows God’s ways.
• 8.1-4 Beersheba is in the south of Israel, unlike their dad who traveled to the people, Samuel’s sons demanded the people come to them. The sages say that the text needs to be interpreted as his sons accepted payment for their services (not that they took bribes). The problem was that their dad had not done so. So these two don’t live up to their dad’s level of sacrifice and servanthood.