David and his men have been on the run, fugitives being hunted by King Saul. But in the previous post we learned that God was protecting David, keeping Saul from finding him. Someone does find David, though. A friend shows up in 1st Samuel chapter 23, verses 16-18. David’s best friend Jonathan, Saul’s son, makesContinue reading “The single most important factor in making decisions – 1st Samuel 23 & 24, Part 3”
Tag Archives: saul
When making decisions, how much should others’ opinions matter? – 1st Samuel 23 & 24, Part 2
In our 28 years of marriage, my wife and I have found that big decisions are sometimes easier to make than small ones. Maybe it’s just us, but we have found that the significance of big decisions helps us have clarity about them. Big decisions are also quite rare. I’m not saying that buying aContinue reading “When making decisions, how much should others’ opinions matter? – 1st Samuel 23 & 24, Part 2”
A dark evil day during David’s fugitive years – 1st Samuel 21 & 22, Part 4
David has been experiencing some good news while on the run as a fugitive, which we learned in the previous post. Just like that, though, things turn very dark. In 1st Samuel 22, verse 6, the narrative switches focus on David’s pursuer, King Saul. We learn that Saul is raving made that David has notContinue reading “A dark evil day during David’s fugitive years – 1st Samuel 21 & 22, Part 4”
How to recover from regrettable decisions – 1st Samuel 21 & 22, Part 3
Years ago my son and his friend hung a swing in our backyard from a high tree branch. My grandson loves riding that swing. Recently we were swinging, my grandson sitting on my lap. As we were swinging, we started spinning. My grandson thought it was fun, and he started laughing. I love it whenContinue reading “How to recover from regrettable decisions – 1st Samuel 21 & 22, Part 3”
When David begged for help – 1st Samuel 21 & 22, Part 1
A panhandler is back in my community. They stand at the end of the exit ramp that goes from the highway to the road my church property is located on. If you are making a left hand turn onto the road, you have to drive right by them. Whenever I see the pandhandler standing there,Continue reading “When David begged for help – 1st Samuel 21 & 22, Part 1”
The resolution of the crisis in David and Jonathan’s friendship – 1st Samuel 20, Part 4
David’s life hangs in the balance. But he has proposed an idea to his best friend, Prince Jonathan, in which Jonathan will try to discover if his father, King Saul, truly intends to kill David. Jonathan, though he doubts David’s interpretation of the situation, agrees to the idea. Jonathan will tell his father Saul that DavidContinue reading “The resolution of the crisis in David and Jonathan’s friendship – 1st Samuel 20, Part 4”
How to avert crisis when you disagree with your friends – 1st Samuel 20, Part 3
David and Jonathan’s friendship is in crisis. How so? Read the previous post here. In the previous post, we read that David has proposed a test in which Jonathan would lie to his father, King Saul, telling Saul that David had not shown up at Saul’s house for the New Moon festival because Jonathan gaveContinue reading “How to avert crisis when you disagree with your friends – 1st Samuel 20, Part 3”
When should you choose to break relationship with family? – 1st Samuel 20, Part 2
David and Jonathan’s relationship is at a crossroads. Jonathan is stuck in the middle between his father, King Saul, and his best friend, David. David adamantly believes Saul wants to kill him (David). Jonathan can’t imagine that his father would intend to kill David without consulting him (Jonathan) first. Jonathan could view David as beingContinue reading “When should you choose to break relationship with family? – 1st Samuel 20, Part 2”
Have you ever felt like a fugitive? – 1st Samuel 20, Part 1
Are you a good friend? Would your best friends say that you are a good friend? If your best friends could fill out an anonymous survey evaluating your friendship, what would the results be? I suggest it needs to be anonymous because it is often very difficult for even our closest friends to tell usContinue reading “Have you ever felt like a fugitive? – 1st Samuel 20, Part 1”
How (and why) a king was left writhing nude on the ground – 1st Samuel 18 & 19, Part 4
King Saul is losing his mind because of the young upstart David. As we learned in the previous post here, Saul unsuccessfully attempts to kill David. In this post, we are studying 1st Samuel chapter 19. As the chapter begins, Saul now asks his son Jonathan to kill David. Saul likely knows how close JonathanContinue reading “How (and why) a king was left writhing nude on the ground – 1st Samuel 18 & 19, Part 4”
Engaging Scripture 