I Samuel 8-10 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, …
Author Archives: John S.
March 22 / I Samuel 4-7
I Samuel 4-7 And when the people came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD here from Shiloh, that it may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.” …
March 21 / I Samuel 1-3
I Samuel 1-3 Today we meet a tremendously important figure: Samuel. He is the last — and I daresay, best — of the Judges. Though this book and the next are named for him, Samuel is not really the central character, David is (aside from the LORD, of course). But I’m getting ahead of myself… …
March 20 / Ruth 1-4
Ruth 1-4 After the turmoil of the Book of Judges, it is nice to bask in the sweetness of the story of Ruth — if only for one day! Set in the period of the Judges (Ruth 1:1) this story gives us a portrayal of decency and justice, of love and redemption. The story opens …
March 19 / Judges 19-21
Judges 19-21 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. Judges 21:25 This final verse of Judges is a repetition of Judges 17:6. Both instances point to the disastrous consequences of a lack of godly leadership, where everyone just flies by the seat of his …
March 18 / Judges 17-18
Judges 17-18 Are you beginning to get dizzy from the downward spiral? Do you smell the stench of decay? Do you see the pervasive perversion of worship? About the only positive noble act in our entire reading today is Micah’s confession of having stolen his mother’s silver. (Jg. 17:2) After that, it is all down …
March 17 / Judges 13-16
Judges 13-16 I’m guessing we are all familiar with Samson as a man with long hair and incredible strength. We hear of his great strength as children, and we wonder what his hair has to do with it. I remember as a young boy browsing through The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes and seeing …
March 16 / Judges 11-12
Judges 11-12 Be careful what you say! Today we get the story of Jephthah and the tragic consequences of his rash vow to sacrifice the first thing to come out of his house. When that turns out to be his daughter, Jephthah immediately regrets his vow, but he declares that he cannot break his oath, …
March 15 / Judges 9-10
Judges 9-10 King Abimelech. (Jg. 9:6,22 — Oh, you thought Saul was the first king of Israel? Well, now you are a bit better prepared for Bible Trivia Night!) Clearly, although Abimelech carries his father Gideon’s DNA, that DNA does not convey Gideon’s faith in the LORD. He convinces the men of Shechem to act …
March 14 / Judges 6-8
Judges 6-8 Before we get any further into the book of Judges, I should mention that we need to be careful in how we read and interpret what we encounter here. The story of Gideon presents a great example. We know Gideon as a great hero of the faith. Even if you have never before …