What keeps you up at night? Ever experience the syndrome where you cannot turn your mind off because you’re thinking about stuff? I fall asleep rather easily, but if I wake up in the middle of night, usually to use the restroom, anxious thoughts can creep in my mind, and it can be so difficultContinue reading “The state of fear in America – 1st Samuel 11-12, Preview”
Tag Archives: israel
The king who didn’t want to be king – 1st Samuel 8-10, Part 4
This week I’ve been blogging about the story of Israel asking for a king. God is their king, but they want a human king. Amazing God grants their wish, and in the last post we met the king. He’s a man name Saul. As the story in 1st Samuel chapter unfolds, Saul searches for hisContinue reading “The king who didn’t want to be king – 1st Samuel 8-10, Part 4”
Evaluating placing our hopes in a political candidate – 1st Samuel 8-10, Part 3
In the previous post, we learned that after the Israelite elders ask Samuel to give them a king, God warns them that while having a king might sound effective or powerful like the nations around them, it could easily backfire. That warning didn’t make a dent in the elders’ desire for a king. In 1stContinue reading “Evaluating placing our hopes in a political candidate – 1st Samuel 8-10, Part 3”
How do you react when you are hurt by someone? – 1st Samuel 8-10, Part 2
What comes out of you when you are hurting? When someone treats you poorly or says something unkind to you, how do you react? The elders of Israel have just come to Samuel, asking for a king. See the previous post for all the details. What will Samuel say? Samuel’s response is in verse 6,Continue reading “How do you react when you are hurt by someone? – 1st Samuel 8-10, Part 2”
I just can’t wait to be king – 1st Samuel 8-10, Preview
It was one year ago, May 6, 2023, that Prince Charles III of England was crowned King Charles (though he had acceded to the throne the previous September 22, when his mother, Queen Elizabeth, passed). Charles had been waiting for that moment for a long time. When his mother became queen, Charles was 4 yearsContinue reading “I just can’t wait to be king – 1st Samuel 8-10, Preview”
How to rightly submit to God – 1st Samuel 4:1b-7:17, Part 5
After the first three chapters of 1st Samuel focusing on Samuel’s birth and childhood, we’ve now read through more chapters, 4 through 6, with no mention of Samuel. Where is Samuel through all the craziness of the Ark of the Covenant’s capture? The narrative doesn’t tell us, so we can safely guess that during thoseContinue reading “How to rightly submit to God – 1st Samuel 4:1b-7:17, Part 5”
The mysterious events around the Ark of the Covenant – 1st Samuel 4:1b-7:17, Part 4
Does the Ark of the Covenant have power? In the previous post, we learned that the Israelites thought all they needed to do was bring the Ark out to the battlefield, and God would give them victory over the Philistines. We learned the Israelites were wrong. Instead of the Ark destroying the Philistines, the PhilistinesContinue reading “The mysterious events around the Ark of the Covenant – 1st Samuel 4:1b-7:17, Part 4”
The arrogance of Israel’s super weapon – 1st Samuel 4:1b-7:17, Part 3
After a stinging defeat at the hands of the Philistines, the elders of Israel have a plan to strike back. It’s their secret super weapon. Why they didn’t bring out the weapon in the first place, we don’t know. But now they do, and the super weapon has a profound effect on the Philistines. Let’sContinue reading “The arrogance of Israel’s super weapon – 1st Samuel 4:1b-7:17, Part 3”
How easily we can succumb to folk theology – 1st Samuel 4:1b-7:17, Part 2
Years ago someone told me how they got into a car accident while driving on a snowy road. They hit a slick patch, lost control, the vehicle spun around and they came to a rest against a snow bank on the side of the road. No injury. No damage. No collision. Nothing. They said theyContinue reading “How easily we can succumb to folk theology – 1st Samuel 4:1b-7:17, Part 2”
Is God to blame for the times life goes wrong? – 1st Samuel 4:1b-7:17, Part 1
Did you have a spiritual crisis and turn to God in grief, “Why Lord?” when a container ship hit the Key Bridge in Baltimore, and six people lost their lives? You were likely saddened and even appalled. My guess is that the disaster was like the many, many other disasters that happen so frequently; theyContinue reading “Is God to blame for the times life goes wrong? – 1st Samuel 4:1b-7:17, Part 1”
Engaging Scripture 