“Long live the king!” That’s something you don’t have to worry about if your king is the Lord. Mizpah means “watchtower” or “lookout,” and there seem to be many such places in the Hebrew Scriptures. The Mizpah in our story in 1 Samuel 10 was on the western border of Benjamin’s tribal territory; Samuel’s other […]
One question that perennially arises in this section of Scripture is this: Was Saul saved? Was Saul saved? The question is triggered by the following verses. “The Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man” (1 Sam 10:6). “So it was,…that God gave […]
It seems that Samuel is trying to teach Saul to walk in a new way, the walk of obedience to God. In preparation for Saul’s coronation, Samuel “brought them into the hall, and had them sit in the place of honor among those who were invited” (1 Sam 9:22). He then instructed the cook, “Bring […]
Read More… from September 28, 2023 — 1, 2, 3 Steps In The Right Direction
Sometimes what at first seems to be humility is actually an unwillingness to be God’s man in the moment. Samuel had been forewarned that he would soon meet a Benjamite who was to be the first human king of Israel, the “King eternal” (1 Tim 1:17) having been rejected by the people. Not the man […]
The problem is not making mistakes early in life; the problem is never learning from them. Hmm. David is introduced while caring for sheep. We become acquainted with Saul when he’s looking for lost donkeys. Are these portends of things to come? There’s a lot of the sheep in David, too much of the stubborn […]
How easily we can be fooled. Saul was measured from his shoulders up; nothing is said about his heart. Not only was God the best King, supreme over all earthly rulers, His reign marked by wisdom, mercy, power, and generosity, but it was—to put it bluntly—a real bargain! Samuel explained: “This will be the behavior […]
Read More… from September 25, 2023 — Man Looks At The Outward Appearance
God’s commentary: “I gave you a king in My anger, and took him away in My wrath” (Hos 13:11). Israel hadn’t had it this good since the days of Joshua. Not only was the enemy neutralized, but “Israel recovered its territory from the hands of the Philistines. Also there was peace between Israel and the […]
Read More… from September 22, 2023 — The People Reject Theocracy
Samuel shows how different life could have been for Israel (and for us) by simple obedience. After the debacle regarding the ark at Beth Shemesh, the men there did what the Philistines had done—called their neighbors to take away the ark. So they said to the inhabitants of Kirjath Jearim, “The Philistines have brought back […]