Reading: Devotional

May 22

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

Vicious Cycles

Judges 2:6–22

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial,

for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life,

which God has promised to those who love him.

James 1:12 (ESV)

This chapter affirms the choice that Israel made in response to Joshua’s challenge. However, Israel’s obedience was an inconsistent one. The last half of Judges 1 tells of the attempts of Israel’s tribes to make their inheritance secure. But in each case they were unable to complete the task of driving the Canaanites from the territories God had assigned his people. While the first generation of Israel’s life in the Promised Land was marked by a relative faithfulness to the Lord, succeeding generations forgot most of the mighty acts of God by which they had been led into their inheritance. They made more and more compromises with their idolatrous neighbors, compromises involving not only treaties but also intermarriage and false worship.

The Lord was understandably provoked by Israel’s faithlessness and he gave their enemies power over them. God’s purpose in this was not merely to punish, but also to correct. When, in their afflictions, the people would repent and turn again to the Lord, God would send judges to rescue them and lead them again in proper service.

Unfortunately, Israel’s ensuing faithfulness would not long endure; they soon resumed their godless ways and again were subjected to the Lord’s correction. The book of Judges tells the story of several such vicious cycles occurring over a period of several centuries. Each response of the Lord to the cries of the people and each judge raised up by him to deliver them and call them again to true devotion, was a test to see whether they would “keep the way of the Lord and walk in it as their ancestors did” (Judg. 2:22). And every mercy of God today, too, is a similar test. May each of us prove to be faithful.

May 23

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

God Gives Gideon a Mission

Judges 6

Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s

good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Luke 12:32 (ESV)

This chapter takes us to a time following successive cycles of Israel’s on-again, off-again relationship to God. This time, Israel’s faithlessness resulted in seven years of severe oppression by the Midianites. Finally, Israel remembered to cry out to the Lord for help. In response he sent his angel to enlist faithful, but insecure, Gideon to rescue his people from Midian.

Gideon became convinced that his messenger was actually from the Lord only after supernatural fire consumed his offering. In the strength of that revelation he did what the angel told him to do: he demolished the altar of Baal and erected on its remains a proper altar upon which he made a sacrifice to the Lord.

The people of Gideon’s town responded with hostility, sure that the Midianites would now exact a fearful revenge for this desecration. However, enough of Israel’s men saw that the Spirit of the Lord was clearly with Gideon and they answered his call to take up arms and join him in the coming fight against Midian. Gideon was tentative and prudent enough to ask the Lord for confirmation that he truly would save Israel. And then, just to make doubly sure, he asked for and received a second miraculous confirmation.

Although Gideon felt himself to be an unqualified leader, he showed his character in the events that followed. God used him for forty years to free Israel from the oppression of the Midianites. It may well be that Gideon had strengths of leadership that needed to be drawn out. The main thing that ensured his success, however, was his attentiveness to the Lord’s directions and his confidence that his mission was really the Lord’s mission and empowered by God’s presence and strength (see v. 14).

May 24

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

God Gives Gideon Victory

Judges 7:1–8:21

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

John 15:5 (ESV)

Gideon prepared for battle with the army of Midian with thirty-two thousand men from Israel. But these were not all eager warriors; two thirds of them took advantage of Gideon’s God-ordered permission that anyone who desired could return to their homes and avoid the coming battle. Then, following additional directions from the Lord, the remaining troops were further reduced to a force of three hundred. God made his purposes clear in this; it was so it would be very obvious to Israel that any victory had come not by their might but by the power of God.

And that’s just what should have become very obvious in the events that followed. The army of Midian also included the Amalekites and other eastern peoples; they outnumbered Gideon’s reduced force three or four hundred to one. Nevertheless, at Gideon’s nighttime attack, the soldiers of this vast army panicked and turned their swords on each other as they fled for their lives.

Yet, some of the Israelites seemed to be unclear about who was responsible for this great victory.

·   Some Ephraimites criticized Gideon for leaving them out of the fight, apparently unaware that he had simply been following the Lord’s commands.

·   The towns of Succoth and Peniel seemed to be more afraid of Midian’s remaining soldiers than of Gideon’s forces, for they refused to help with provisions for them. It was an affront not merely to Gideon, but to the Lord, who had showed himself to be so mighty in rescuing Israel from its oppressors.

Even in victory, it was difficult for Israel to recognize and support the Lord’s hand in the events of their time. Let us take care that we today do not repeat Israel’s mistakes.

May 25

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

Gideon’s Tarnished Legacy

Judges 8:22–9:57

Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence

continually! Remember the wondrous works that he

has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered.

Psalm 105:4–5 (ESV)

The request of the Israelites that Gideon establish a dynasty to rule over them is a further indication of their failure to give God all the credit for their deliverance from Midianite oppressors. But Gideon didn’t fall for the flattery; he knew that he couldn’t have done what he did without God. He also remembered what God had said earlier—that he himself would rule over his people without a go-between or mediator-king. So Gideon refused the offer and reaffirmed that Israel would continue to be subject to the direct rule of the Lord.

Gideon was a good leader in that sense. However, he did make a foolish request of his petitioners. His intention was probably good; he wanted to make an ephod—a holy robe—from the Midianite gold taken in the battle. This was something that the priests might wear in their sacrificial service to God. The trouble was, it didn’t help Israel worship the one true Lord. Instead Gideon and his family and all of Israel began to worship the ephod rather than the Lord for whose service it had been made. Things got worse after Gideon died. Then Israel’s faulty worship transitioned to the worship of idol gods.

Gideon’s legacy was also tarnished by the failure of the citizens of Shechem and Gideon’s son Abimelech to honor Gideon’s refusal to establish a dynasty in Israel. Another of Gideon’s sons, Jotham, exemplified the spirit of his father, but he had no voice in Israel, and in fact, his life was in danger there. Between Israel’s faulty worship and their desire to secure their own future through a ruler who had no regard for serving the Lord as Gideon had done, Israel was headed right back toward the low point of the vicious cycle. 

May 26

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

God Raises another Deliverer

Judges 13

 O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you

will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear.

Psalm 10:17 (ESV)

The oppressors of Israel in the time of the judges varied by region and time, but the results were much the same. Apart from isolated victories, the life of God’s people in the Promised Land was neither happy nor peaceful. In the days of Manoah, it was mainly the Philistines who oppressed Israel. At least some of that suffering was because of Israel’s unfaithfulness to the Lord and was used by the Lord to bring them to a consciousness of sin and repentance. For God did not let his people go, but provided continuing evidence of his intention to see them living as his people in his land.

This time, the Lord revealed a bit of what he was planning to a childless couple from the tribe of Dan. Manoah’s wife was sterile but, as had happened with Abraham’s wife Sarah so many years before, she was promised a miracle child; this child was chosen for service to God in the matter of Israel’s deliverance from the Philistines.

It was not an easy thing for Manoah and his wife, unholy as they knew they were, to meet with and hear from the holy God. But they believed the Lord’s promise, reassured by their survival of the encounter and by God’s acceptance of their offerings. When their son was born they taught him about the Lord’s plan to keep him pure and to use him in service. And afterwards the family saw the way the Lord was blessing him.

A few years later, a childless couple from Ephraim would receive a similar gift from God. That is another story (see 1 Sam. 1) but both sons, chosen for service before birth, were to be used to deliver Israel. Their lives testify to the truth that the Lord’s love and choosing always precede any useful service for him.

May 27

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

Samson’s Flawed Leadership

Judges 14–15

[A Nazirite] shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine…

He shall let the locks of hair of his head grow long…

He shall not go near a dead body…He is holy to the Lord.

Numbers 6:4–8 (excerpts) (ESV)

Samson and his family saw evidences of the Lord’s blessing upon him during his formative years. God’s blessings continued in Samson’s adult life, albeit mitigated by Samson’s lack of wisdom in maintaining the purity of his devotion to the ways of the Lord. You see, Samson liked to walk very close to the line that separates devotion to God from attachment to worldly attractions. He had a heart for the Lord and wanted to serve him, but he also had a tendency to make himself susceptible to compromise with what was forbidden by God.

·   Samson made plans to take a Philistine wife, flouting God’s specific rules about intermarriage with idol worshipers, rules that had often been emphasized by Moses and Joshua (see for example, Deut. 7:1–6, Josh. 23:12–13).

·   In Samson’s willingness to eat honey from the corpse of the lion he had previously killed, he disregarded the Nazirite rule about contact with the unclean.

Scripture does not overtly criticize Samson for the first of these violations, perhaps because it is more concerned to tell us that the Lord had a purpose in Samson’s proposed marriage to a Philistine. Nor does it spell out God’s reaction to Samson’s violation of his Nazirite vows. But, neither omission signals that the Lord had changed his mind about such things. At issue is the fact that God would follow through on his intention to use Samson to confront the Philistines about their unlawful domination of his people. God would even turn Samson’s inadequacy and faulty obedience into something good for Israel over the next twenty years. However, God’s people would have to wait considerably longer for the perfect service that only Jesus could supply.

May 28

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

Samson’s Downfall and Final Victory

Judges 16

Time would fail me to tell of…Samson [and others] who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped

the mouths of lions…were made strong out of weakness,

became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.

Hebrews 11:32–34 (ESV)

Samson’s downfall came because of a final compromise of his Nazirite vows in the stress of a situation he should not have been in. He’d been given special strength from God to stir up Israel’s faith in God and help deliver them from the Philistines. Now he could no longer be God’s blessing for Israel, betraying both them and the Lord, who had called him to this service before birth.

The enemies of God had a great victory celebration over Samson’s humiliation because they understood that this also meant humiliation for his people and his God. They praised an idol while they blasphemed the name of the Lord over the defeat of his handpicked mediator.

By the grace of God, however, this is not the end of the story. For Samson’s hair began to grow again, and with it his devotion to the Lord and his desire to act as the mediator God had appointed him to be. Samson’s later actions show that he repented of his weakness and rededicated himself to serve the Lord and his people. His revenge was not born in human weakness, but was reflective of the judgment of God’s justice and righteousness on evil. You might say that Samson’s eyes of faith became strong after his physical eyes were put out. That’s when he gained the vision necessary to complete his mission against those who sought to tear down the rule of the sovereign God.

Samson’s final victory is just a little taste of the ultimate victory over sin and death in store for all who put themselves under the leadership of Jesus Christ, the only mediator and judge who can perfectly deliver us from evil and lead us into life everlasting. 

May 29

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

Micah’s Idols

Judges 17–18

They served their idols, which became a snare to them.

Psalm 106:36 (ESV)

These chapters tell of Micah, a man from Ephraim, who cast idols of silver and made a shrine for worship in his home. Micah’s concern for worship was proper but, in his use of idols as well as in his choice of his son to be his priest, there was little to distinguish his household from those of the Canaanites whom the Lord had warned his people to have nothing to do with.

Micah did, however, remember enough of his religious heritage so that he took advantage of the opportunity to secure a legitimate priest, one from the tribe of Levi—the only tribe authorized by God for this purpose. But neither Micah nor his priest took account of the law that clearly forbade the use of idols in worship.

Micah’s contentment with his provision for worship did not endure very long. The army of the tribe of Dan, on its way to new territory in the north, stole Micah’s idols and convinced his Levite to be their priest. Micah was beside himself with dismay, throwing aside caution to go after the much larger force. He was dissuaded from foolishly attacking them, but revealed his distress with the words, “What else do I have?” That cry was an indication of how far short he and his generation had fallen of meeting the expectations of the Lord who had delivered them from Egypt so that they might give him their exclusive service.

Four times in the last five chapters of the book of Judges we find this phrase, “In those days Israel had no king.” And in one other place beside the last verse of the book this phrase is followed by an indictment: “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit” (Judg. 21:25). Chaos and disunity prevailed among Abraham’s descendants in the land into which the Lord had brought them. 

May 30

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

Sodom Revisited

Judges 19–21

As Isaiah predicted, “If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring,

we would have been like Sodom, and become like Gomorrah.”

Romans 9:29 (ESV)

The legendary wickedness of Sodom is revisited in this less familiar story about life in Israel in the time of the judges. A town of the tribe of Benjamin—Gibeah—refused hospitality to a traveling Levite. Even worse, they tolerated wicked men who, when denied the opportunity to rape the visitor, so abused his concubine that she died.

After returning home, the Levite issued an unmistakable call to the rest of Israel to avenge this atrocity. To their credit, there was at this time enough consciousness about the life to which God had called his people that “the men rose up together as one” to remove the evil from among Israel. However, the tribe of Benjamin would not give up the wicked men for judgment, assembling instead to go to war against the rest of Israel.

The Lord’s position on the issue became clear in the severe losses suffered by Benjamin; after the battle only six hundred of their men were left and few, if any, of their towns. But, rather than celebrating, the rest of Israel grieved because the tribe of Benjamin was destined for extinction, the people having taken an oath to let none of their daughters marry into this tribe.

The Israelites wondered what would now become of God’s promise to Abraham. They were ingenious, however, in finding a way to keep the tribe of Benjamin from dying off. They took seriously the need to punish this egregious violation of God’s law, but they were equally serious about preserving intact the whole family of Abraham’s offspring through Isaac. In a time when Israel had no king and everyone did as they saw fit, here was a small sign of hope and a sign that perhaps Israel could still be the treasured possession that God had called them to be.

May 31

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

Naomi’s Trouble

Ruth 1

With God are wisdom and might; he has counsel and

understanding…Though he slay me, I will hope in him.

Job 12:13; 13:15a (ESV)

The book of Ruth dates from the time of the judges, likely about a century before David’s reign. It gives insight into some of the trials of living in Israel during this time. It also shows that God worked behind the scenes to ensure the survival of his people.

It must have been difficult for Elimelech and his family to immigrate to Moab. Even if there were some good reasons for it, and even if the language and customs there weren’t that different from what they were used to, it still wasn’t easy to leave the chosen people of God and the land where God had given them an inheritance.

Although Elimelech’s family found relief from the famine, the next few years took an unexpected toll on them; all of the men died, leaving Naomi alone and destitute in a foreign country. Her prospects were dismal since the security of women in her day lay in being under the care and protection of a father, husband, or son. Naomi had none of these; nor was she of an age to remarry.

There was the possibility of remarriage for Naomi’s daughters-in-law, but their best chance for that lay in Moab. As outsiders to the covenant community in Israel, they were not eligible to depend upon a kinsman of their dead husbands to marry them and give them sons to carry on Elimelech’s family name and inheritance. As a result, Naomi encouraged them to stay in Moab. She herself, however, made plans to return home.

Naomi, who now asked to be called Mara as a sign of her emptiness, felt that her life was ruined and was certain that God was behind her misfortunes. But she didn’t blame God for what had happened; like the biblical Job, she found it impossible to give up her trust in the Lord.

June 1

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

Ruth’s Decision

Ruth 1

Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.

Isaiah 26:4 (ESV)

Orpah saw the logic of Naomi’s argument and remained in Moab. It was more than logic that compelled her; now she wouldn’t have to leave her home and gods. But Ruth wouldn’t leave in spite of Naomi’s repeated urging.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that this is a story about human loyalty, one daughter-in-law deserting her mother-in-law while another remains faithful to her. Loyalty is a minor theme, but this is mostly a story about faith—an idol-worshiping Moabite woman making a choice to serve Yahweh, the God of Israel, in spite of the lack of any tangible incentive to do so.

·   Will there be acceptance in Israel? Ruth doesn’t know.

·   Will there be a way for Ruth to provide for herself and Naomi? She doesn’t know.

·   Will there be the possibility that Ruth can find another husband and have children? Probably not.

Ruth goes because of her faith and her determination to serve the Lord. Even though she does not see any possible rewards, Ruth casts her lot with Yahweh, trusting him for the future that she cannot see and sealing her commitment with an oath that was standard in her day. Not flippantly, but in all seriousness, Ruth says something like “May God damn me if I ever leave you.” She realizes that it is hell to live outside of the place where God dwells and the people to whom he shows his mercy.

So two women return, old Naomi with hope almost gone but clinging to a bit of faith, and the convert Ruth who puts her life on the line for her faith. Part one of the story concludes with their arrival at the start of the barley harvest. There’s just a hint of hope in this; it’s certainly better than the famine that prompted their departure.

June 2

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

Righteous Boaz

Ruth 2

There is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or

mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the

gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time… 

with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.

Mark 10:29–30 (ESV)

There was a law in Israel that what the harvesters left behind, the poor could take for themselves (see Deut. 24:19). However, gleaning did not always work out so well in practice. Over the years, more than one of God’s commands had been conveniently forgotten by those who had the most to lose by being generous.  The success of Ruth and other poor gleaners depended on finding farmers who actually lived by God’s law and encouraged, rather than harassed, the poor people in their fields.

Boaz was such a man; he went beyond obedience to the letter of God’s law to honor the spirit of it, going out of his way to provide a safe and fruitful environment for a hungry foreigner. He instructed his hired help not to harass Ruth and also told Ruth to help herself to the water provided for his workers and to stay in his fields rather than go elsewhere, where she might not be safe.

Reflecting the perspective of God himself, Boaz was impressed with the willingness of Ruth to leave her own father, mother, and homeland for the service of Yahweh. It was just the sort of action that Jesus would praise many years later.

In a time when “everyone did as they saw fit” Boaz was more concerned with what God wanted done in every situation. He believed that God’s grace was for all, even former enemies of God, who entrust themselves to him. Boaz believed that his own position and wealth were gifts of God to be used in God’s service. His actions are a testimony to God’s kindness and mercy and a model for the relationships that can exist in the covenant community between rich and poor, and men and women.

June 3

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

Signs of Hope

Ruth 2

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son,

born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were

under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

Galatians 4:4–5 (ESV)

Ruth was amazed at the way Boaz treated her. Naomi was equally impressed, even if she was not quite ready to quit calling herself Mara. Naomi understood that it was by God’s grace that Boaz showed kindness to the living (her and Ruth) and to the dead (Elimelech and her sons). How Boaz was showing God’s kindness to the living is clear enough: the women of Elimilech’s family now had food to eat. But just a hint of a way that Boaz would show God’s kindness to the dead is seen in Naomi’s reference to Boaz as a kinsman-redeemer. Naomi saw the possibility that the inheritance lost through the deaths of her husband and sons could be restored through Boaz.

How this might be done becomes clearer as the story progresses, but already we may be sure that this is more than a simple story about a pair of poor widows in Israel who benefit at the hands of a rich and generous landowner. The kinsman-redeemer Boaz foreshadows another redeemer—a much greater one—Jesus Christ, who would give to many what Boaz gave to Ruth: undeserved mercy and protection in the difficulties of life. The journey of Naomi from emptiness to fullness foreshadows the journey of every Christian who has come to fullness from the emptiness of life apart from Christ.

What Boaz did for Naomi and Ruth, Christ Jesus has done for billions of people since their day; he has brought them from emptiness to fullness—a much greater fullness than Naomi ever imagined. If you have ever doubted God’s goodness and provision, notice it here. Believe that in Christ we are promised a joy and fullness of life that no earthly sorrow can destroy.

June 4

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

A Risky Proposition

Ruth 3:1–15

King David’s prayer against one who stands

in opposition to a faithful servant of the Lord:

May his posterity be cut off; may his name be blotted out in

the second generation…the memory of them from the earth!

Psalm 109:13, 15 (ESV)

Boaz was not the closest living relative of Elimelech. Yet his kindness toward Ruth suggested to Naomi that he might go beyond strict duty to fulfill her distant hope of a home, family, and security in Israel. So she devised a plan by which Ruth might approach Boaz and ask him to take her as his wife (symbolically represented by spreading the corner of his cloak over her).

There was danger in what Naomi suggested. Would Boaz, who had so far appeared to be a righteous man, prove to be so in his ongoing conduct? Would the way Boaz responded to Ruth’s overture destroy her reputation or would it secure her future?

The answer became clear by Boaz’s immediate response. Seeing that Ruth had not acted selfishly by seeking marriage with a man her own age, he called what Ruth was doing a kindness to Naomi. Ruth understood that marriage to anyone other than a kinsman-redeemer of Elimelech might secure her own future, but it wouldn’t ensure the preservation of Elimelech’s family line.

The dying out of a family line and the consequent loss of an inheritance in the Promised Land was regarded as a punishment suitable only for the wicked (see Ps. 109:13, 15). However, if God’s provisions for orphans and widows were followed, neither death nor poverty could separate a faithful Israelite family from their rightful place in the land and with the chosen people, serving the one true God, Yahweh. With that in mind, Boaz assured Ruth of his intention to pursue the matter. Then, taking care to preserve both her safety and her reputation, he sent Ruth back to Naomi with a gift of food.

June 5

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

Hope Restored

Ruth 3:16–4:12

The one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty,

and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a

doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

James 1:25 (ESV)

Naomi was happy to hear about Boaz’s response to Ruth’s symbolic proposal of marriage. True to his word, Boaz went to meet the elders of Bethlehem where he negotiated with a closer relative of Elimelech for the right to purchase Elimelech’s land.

This man was interested obtaining Elimelech’s land. But his interest waned when he found out that with the land came the obligation to marry Ruth. He was willing to go a little way down the road of responsibility, as God’s law had outlined but, like Ruth’s sister-in-law Orpah, he could not go far enough. So he authorized Boaz to redeem the land and exercise the rights and obligations that came with being the kinsman-redeemer.

It should be clear that Ruth and Boaz did not pursue the possibility of marriage primarily as an outlet for passion or romantic feelings. Rather, they treated it as a kind of business proposition, and in a way it was. Ruth could perhaps have married someone else, but only if she married Boaz or another kinsman-redeemer would the line of her dead father-in-law, Elimelech, be preserved—the first son of the marriage would be treated as if he were the blood son of Elimelech and Naomi.

The words of blessing of the elders to Boaz, therefore, are appropriate for one who so unselfishly pledged to preserve the inheritance of his dead relative by marrying and fathering a son who would be classified as the son of Elimelech. This was a matter of some risk for Boaz since such a son wouldn’t contribute to the continuation of his own family line. Yet, in completing the contract Boaz, like Ruth, made a commitment that fully satisfied the spirit of God’s laws for his people. 

June 6

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

More Blessed Than They Knew

Ruth 4:13–22

Blessed are the people…who walk, O Lord,

in the light of your face, who exult in your name

all the day and in your righteousness are exalted.

Psalm 89:15-16 (ESV)

The businesslike marriage contract between Boaz and Ruth was not unusual for their day. But it did not mean that they were committing to a loveless marriage; they knew that with marriage came the duty before God to love and serve each other. They also knew something that many people of our day too easily forget—love is more than a feeling; it is the word and action expression of a deep and lasting commitment to another.

God blessed their union with a son whom the women of the town saw as Naomi’s own, given by God to a now barren widow woman to ensure the security of her place among God’s people. And so, she who had returned to Israel bitter and empty was now contented and complete.

Yahweh had provided for widows and strangers in his law but it took truly devoted people such as Boaz and Ruth to make those blessings real. Together, this man to whom God’s law was important and this outside-of-the-covenant immigrant woman modeled for God’s people what it meant to live by God’s law.

Their son, Obed, would become an even bigger blessing than anyone living in that time could have known. As the grandfather of David, the greatest and most beloved king of Israel, and the ancestor of David’s most famous descendant, Jesus, Obed became a link in the chain of God’s provision for all of Israel and for the Gentiles too. Indeed, it is a beautiful coincidence that a descendant of the Gentile Ruth—Jesus—is the one who provides free access for all Gentiles into the very presence of God. Who could have guessed that the implications of the faithfulness of Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz would be so far-reaching?

June 7

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

Epilogue to Ruth

Ruth 1–4

Do you not know that you are God’s temple

and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?

1 Corinthians 3:16 (ESV)

God’s people today receive much worldly advice—things like: “Look out for number 1,” and “If you don’t do it someone else will.” We hear, directly and indirectly, of the importance of prosperity and of freedom to pursue our own interests and create our own reality without regard for God’s interests and his reality.

But we also have Ruth and the other main characters of this story as models. We have a childless foreign widow without prospects making a decision for a new land, a new people and a new God—and Naomi and Boaz, never forgetting God’s promises but determining to live in expectation that God would bless their obedience. Ruth shows us that God’s activity is ongoing and is tied to the specific covenant-keeping actions of ordinary people. There is a real and intimate connection between divine and human activity. It’s not that a young widow today ought to do exactly the same things Ruth did; we live in a different time and culture. But everyone ought to have the same attitude that she and Boaz had and translate that attitude and that devotion to God into actions that are appropriate for our time and setting. That’s how ordinary Christians become the instruments God uses to accomplish his extraordinary salvation.

We may live to see some, but not nearly all, of the results of our obedience. However, all of them are important. God guides and directs, motivates, and refines every bit of obedience for use in his great plan to redeem a hurting world and bring people into his eternal kingdom. It honors our Lord and brings meaning and purpose to our own lives when we act as mediators of God’s grace so that those around us, like Naomi, are brought from the emptiness of spiritual poverty to fullness of life. 

June 8

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

Hannah’s Miracle Child Released to God

1 Samuel 1

You shall teach [my commandments] diligently to your children,

and shall talk of them when you  sit in your house, and when you

walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

Deuteronomy 6:7 (ESV)

We feel sorry for couples who earnestly desire children but are not able to have them. Even though their physical well-being and status in society probably does not depend on having children, we feel sorry for them. But it seems that the dilemma of childless people, and especially women, in Old Testament times was even more a reason for compassion, for those who remained childless were often looked down upon. That was certainly the case with Hannah, at least as far as Elkanah’s other wife was concerned. Hannah was sick about it; she wanted a child more than anything, even promising the Lord that she would dedicate her child to his service.

It is not unusual for people to make such conditional promises to God; what is more unusual is for them to keep those promises as Hannah did when God answered her prayers. She gave up little Samuel when he was perhaps three years old. It was an act with greater consequences than she knew, for Samuel would have an important task to fulfill in Israel’s history.

The ways that God used Samuel may have been greater than the ways he will use our own children; only God knows what he has for each person to do. However, what every Christian parent can know is how important it is to have Hannah’s perspective and follow her example. Although we wouldn’t give up our children in quite the same way she did, we can and must dedicate and release them to God. As much as we love them, they don’t really belong to us; they are on loan to us as gifts from the Lord. Parents are called to prepare their children for service to God by teaching them to love him and by a lifestyle that is consistent with biblical faith and values. 

June 9

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

The Secure Future of God’s Servants

1 Samuel 2:1–10

The Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is

no other. Therefore you shall keep his statutes and his commandments…

that it may go well with you and with your children after you.

Deuteronomy 4:39–40 (ESV)

This is Hannah’s personal song of praise and thanks to God. Her boast is not an improper “Ha! Ha!” to Peninnah, but joyful amazement at the change in her position that God has brought about. Hannah’s focus is on God and his salvation. The theme of her prayer and life is this: “God gets the credit for all that is good in my life.”

Hannah’s prayer also fleshes out why she thinks God is so great, and why he’s the center of her life. It’s because of who he is, what he does, and where those who belong to him will end up.

·   Who is God? He is holy, strong, wise, and fair, beyond measure and without equal.

·   What does God do? He exercises control over all on earth because he put it all together. He alone has the power over life and death, over riches and poverty, and over honor and disgrace. He brings down those who are full of themselves and exalts those who are full of him.

·   What will the future bring? A righteous kingdom that will prevail against all opposition. It began with the creation of the world. It grew, albeit invisibly to many eyes, during Hannah’s life. And it would become more visible and stronger when God’s anointed king came to power. The proximal fulfillment of this would be with David, but its ultimate fulfillment would be in Christ. 

Pray that you, like Hannah, will build your life around the unchangeable truth of God’s character and providence and the sure future that is coming. Pray as well that both your children and others may come to love the Lord and grow in the ways of biblical servanthood.

June 10

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

A Scarcity of Insight in Israel

Proverbs 29:18

We do not see our signs; there is no longer any prophet,

and there is none among us who knows how long.

Psalm 74:9 (ESV)

Hannah’s faith, as shown in her dedication of Samuel to God, is all the more remarkable if you consider the world in which she lived. The last verse of the book of Judges describes that world: “In those days Israel had no king; every­one did as they saw fit” (Judg. 21:25). The people lived largely without reference to the law of God. They were on the verge of reaping the consequences that Joshua warned about many years before: “If you violate the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, the Lord’s anger will burn against you, and you will quickly perish from the good land he has given you” (Josh. 23:16).

The people had access to God’s Law and the stories of his gracious work with their ancestors, but they didn’t pay much attention. It was as if they had received no revelation from the Lord —the same sort of situation Solomon would refer to in this proverb: “Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint, but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction” (Prov. 29:18). God revealed himself and his law for Israel, but it was mostly ignored or rejected. As a result, not many of God’s chosen people experienced the blessedness that Hannah found.

In our world too so much blessing awaits those who pay close attention to what God wants and who try to honor him in every part of their lives. But too many either disdain or trivialize God’s revelation and cast off all restraint. They do so because they don’t want restrictions on their lives but want the freedom to live as they please. However, casting off restraint implies a coming disaster; it leads to what Proverbs 29:18 says in the King James Version: “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” 

June 11

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

The Failure of Israel’s Priests

1 Samuel 2:12–17, 27–36

Her prophets are fickle, treacherous men; her priests

profane what is holy; they do violence to the law.

Zephaniah 3:4 (ESV)

Israel’s priests bore at least some of the responsibility for the spiritual conditions among God’s people. God gave specific rules about the sacrifices his priests were to bring to him. The Bible uses the term “fat of the land” to describe the required offerings. Literally, this was the fat of the best lambs, but it also symbolized the best of the best. The priests were allowed to eat from the sacrificed animals, but only after the fat was burned as an offering to the Lord.  But Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas, took the best meat for themselves; “they were treating the Lord’s offering with contempt” (1 Sam. 2:17).

Eli’s sons also committed adultery with the women who performed some of the tasks around the temple.  Although Eli rebuked his sons, he did not exercise proper control over them, and he ate what they ate. God’s designated representatives did not fulfill their leadership mandate but instead modeled the popular philosophy that everyone should do as they saw fit. God warned Eli but, when Eli ignored his warning, God promised to make Hophni and Phinehas pay for their contempt with their lives and to make Eli suffer in other ways. God also said that he would raise up a line of faithful priests to serve him.

Do you think the church and its leaders today ever show contempt for God? Do we ever go through the motions of religion, concerned mainly with self-preservation instead of repentance for sin or expectancy for God’s work? If so, then just as much as Eli’s sons, we show contempt for God’s honor and purposes. God will still find a way to advance his kingdom, but the question for us is, “Will we be more like Eli’s sons, or like the one whom the Lord was raising up as Israel’s prophet and priest—Samuel?”

June 12

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

Samuel’s Growth in Wisdom

1 Samuel 2:18–21, 26

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;

all those who practice it have a good understanding.

Psalm 111:10 (ESV)

Scripture says that Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord. Speaking literally, everyone does this because God is everywhere. But the Bible means to say more than this; it means that even at a young age Samuel drew close to God to love and honor him and to learn how to serve him. He learned to recognize God’s way in an evil world and practiced following that way. He did his work so well that Eli gave him a priestly garment to minister in. Although little Samuel was no priest, Eli gave him this linen ephod because he saw that God was with him.

The idea that Samuel did well in God’s service is strengthened in verse 26, which summarizes his progress: “The boy Samuel con-tinued to grow in stature and in favor with the Lord and with people.” Luke later said something very similar of the boy Jesus. The favor of the Lord is a sign of growth in biblical wisdom, which, in part, is knowing the truth about how things are.

Mere growth in knowledge, however, does not necessarily lead to increased wisdom. Despite a common notion in our world that education is the solution to delinquency, the Bible tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. While knowledge is important, it must be integrated with a proper humility before God so that we always come before him in reverence and worship, obedient to his commands. Wisdom involves coming to know the truth and then living according to that truth, both with regard to the Lord and with regard to his world.

That’s what everyone in our world needs just as much as did all of the nominally religious people in the days of both Samuel and Jesus. May God grant that we grow in wisdom that so God’s favor might be seen more clearly in us and in our world.

June 13

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

A Call to Service

1 Samuel 3

We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,

which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)

In looking at Samuel’s call to service, it is interesting to reflect on how the Lord calls people into his service today. We should note at the outset that God does not merely call those whom we ordinarily label as ministers or missionaries, but also people for every category of service in his kingdom. As to how this call comes, it may be that some still hear something as clear as an audible voice. Many others, however, sense the leading of God through the experiences of their lives and the comments of other people. Some answer God’s call quickly while others, like Jonah, run the opposite way until there’s no longer any place to go. 

Since none of us know in advance how or to what service God will call us, each of us needs to seek to stay close to God through attention to his word and Spirit. We must also develop our ability to serve God while keeping our ears and eyes open to the opportunities he places before us. Then, knowing that he will never lead in a manner contrary to his revealed will, we may say with Samuel, “Speak, for your servant is listening” (1 Sam. 3:10)

When we really hear the Lord and do his will then what Scripture says of Samuel will be true for us too: “The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground” (1 Sam. 3:19). Because Samuel listened carefully to God and did what God wanted him to do, his words were not frivolous or wasted but true and helpful. People could tell that he was a prophet of the Lord and spoke with the Lord’s authority. Not everyone liked what he said and did; some still ignored or opposed him. But that wasn’t Samuel’s problem. Nor is it ours if we follow his example; the Lord will always use true service for his glory.

June 14

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

The Ark of the Covenant is Captured

1 Samuel 4:1–11

The ark of the covenant…[contained] a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron’s staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant.

Hebrews 9:4 (ESV)

God’s word had been coming to Israel through Samuel for some time and he was recognized as a true prophet.  Even so, no one thought to ask him how Israel might prevail in their war with the Philistines. Israel’s elders thought they knew what to do; they would take the ark of the covenant into battle because the ark with its contents was the preeminent reminder and symbol of God’s presence with his people. As God had told Moses, “There above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the covenant law, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites” (Ex. 25:22).

Consequently, when the ark was brought into Israel’s camp, the soldiers were sure that victory was imminent. The noise of their celebration was heard as far away as the enemy camp. The Philistines, having learned the cause for Israel’s celebration, became as terrified as Israel had been happy. They remembered the stories of how Israel’s God had led his people out of slavery and struck down their enemies. Now that this god had been brought to the battlefield they dreaded what would happen in battle. The Philistine commander did the only thing he could—tried to make his men so afraid of being Israel’s slaves that they would fight with desperation, no matter what the odds against them.

That address might afterwards have been acclaimed as the best motivational speech of Philistine history, for the outcome of the battle was shockingly different from what both sides had pictured: Israel’s army was slaughtered and its priests killed. Both sides had thought that the Lord was with Israel, but it turned out that he wasn’t, as shown by the capture of the ark. How could that be?

June 15

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

Why the Ark’s Presence Didn’t Help

1 Samuel 4:12–22

[God] delivered his power to captivity, his glory to the hand of the foe.

Psalm 78:61 (ESV)

Some of you will recall that the Nazis in the movie Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark believed that the ark had invincible powers. That was proved when the Nazis finally secured the ark and took off the lid. Then they were consumed by flames and piercing firebolts from inside. The good guys were saved only because they had enough respect and sense to look away.

That, obviously, is not what happened in Israel’s battle with the Philistines. The Israelites had forgotten and the Philistines did not know that God cannot be kept in a box. The Philistines moved their gods from place to place, but Israel could not. Their God was the one whose knowledge and omnipotence Samuel’s mother had praised when dedicating her miracle child. There was no one else, Hannah said, who could take credit for creating the earth and no one else who would judge the deeds of everyone from one end of the world to the other (1 Sam. 2:3–10).

Israel should have tried to discover what God wanted and then done that. But no one asked God or his prophet Samuel. Nor did they get any good advice from Hophni and Phinehas who, along with Israel’s leaders, behaved as though God could be kept in a box and made to obey their wishes. They all forgot that they were servants and that God was in charge. No one considered the central thrust of that book of the Law inside the ark—the need for wholehearted love for God and obedience to him (See one of Moses’s sermons on this in Deuteronomy 10:12-22).   

Now the nation really was in a desperate way. Eli was shocked and dismayed by the death of his sons, but even more so by the capture of the ark, at which news he fell backward off his chair and broke his neck. As Eli realized, without God he and his people really were doomed. 

June 16

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

God Cannot Be Manipulated

1 Samuel 4

Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man.

Luke 2:52 (ESV)

The des­perate plight of Israel is illustrated in the story of what happened when Eli’s pregnant daughter-in-law heard of the ark’s capture and the death of the men in her family. She went into labor early and gave birth to a son she named Ichabod, which means “the glory has departed.” It was an appropriate way to recognize that, aided and abetted by Israel’s disobedient priests, the glory of the Lord had departed from Israel.

It was not that God was compelled to leave the country when the ark was captured by the Philistines; the ark’s capture was just symbolic of what had already happened because of disobedience. The leaders of Israel hadn’t even considered asking God what he wanted, but assumed that the presence of the ark meant they could do whatever they wanted. Therefore, in contrast to Samuel’s God-inspired words, none of which fell to the ground, all of Israel’s plans came to nothing. Israel suffered defeat because they did not listen to God or his servant Samuel with the ears of humble servants of God.

More than a thousand years after this abortive attempt to manipulate God, God sent another message of grace in the person of Jesus. He reminded people of God’s rigorous requirements, not so they would focus on the minor points of God’s law as the Pharisees did, but so they’d understand and remember that God requires devotion that is true and wholehearted, inside and out. Jesus became more than another Samuel who spoke with God’s authority; he became the one through whom God boxed himself in, so to speak, making binding promises to those who accept his gift of grace. Apart from this grace our destiny is Ichabod, “the glory has departed.” With it our destiny is Immanuel, “God is with us.”

June 17

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

A Caution for Leaders in Christ’s Kingdom

Psalm 106

Whoever would be great among you must be your servant,

and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve,

and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Mark 10:43–45 (ESV)

Positions of authority in the church and elsewhere in society come with a significant risk, that those who have power to say how things will go will forget their own constant need for humility before the Lord and instead seek the power and prestige that comes with authority. It is too easy to forget whose agenda we are to pursue. A sign of this is when we try to get God on our side rather than making sure we’re on his side.

It’s pretty clear that the first of these is what Israel was attempting by bringing the ark of the covenant into camp. Even if some of Israel’s priests and leaders started off with the right perspective and motives, they began to look at the service of the Lord as a way to gain power and privilege. But, of course, it was never their desires, programs, plans, and leadership that needed to be served. Titles, forms, and arks mean nothing if God is not served. How much Israel’s leaders could have used the humility and devotion to God that is displayed in Psalm 106. Note particularly the confession of sin expressed in verse 6 and the confession of failure to wait for God’s counsel expressed in verse 13.

We must never forget whose kingdom it is, nor that everyone in God’s kingdom is called to humble service while living constantly by the instruction and admonition of the Word. Those servants who are called to leadership must pay all the closer attention to this. We can accomplish absolutely nothing of value in God’s kingdom without his direction and strength. He will not follow us; rather we must follow him if we are to gain the victory over Satan and his hosts. It’s only as we submit to God that we are assured of his presence and blessing. 

June 18

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

Ichabod Reversed

1 Samuel 5–7 

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!

Psalm 108:5 (ESV)

The Philistines scored a great triumph with the capture of the ark but got more than they bargained for when they put the ark in the temple of their god. Within two days, Dagon fell off his perch twice, the second time breaking off his head and hands. The ark was moved to Gath, but the people there developed tumors. A similar thing happened at Ekron, but with much death. Finally, the Philistines decided to send the ark laden with gifts back to Israel. They used two cows that left their calves behind, thus proving the Lord’s hand in what had happened, and took the ark straight to its destination.

God did not act only against the Philistines. He also put to death seventy Israelites who dared to get too familiar with the ark of the Lord as it was being returned to its proper place. This was not, as previously thought, because there was some power inherent in the ark. It was rather a severe object lesson illustrating the holiness of God, who had accommodated himself to live with his people by giving them a holy priesthood and precise rules for them to follow. These events made quite an impression on the people; they heeded Samuel’s call to fasting and repentance and for some time thereafter served the Lord alone, giving him the reverence they owed him.

The Philistines continued their periodic attacks over the next twenty years but didn’t have much success. As long as Samuel lived, the Lord led Israel to victory against the Philistines. Israel even retook the towns that had been captured. The people submitted themselves to the leadership of Samuel, prophet of the Lord. The glory of the Lord that had previously departed the land (as commemorated in the naming of Ichabod) was now back for all to see. 

June 19

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

The People Ask for a King

1 Samuel 8; Deuteronomy 17:14–20

[The king] shall read in [the Law of God] all the days of his life,

that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the

words of this law and these statutes, and doing them.

Deuteronomy 17:19 (ESV)

The life path taken by Samuel’s sons was a sad reprise of that taken earlier by Eli’s sons; they took bribes and perverted justice. It makes me wonder if there was a problem with the parenting of Eli and Samuel. Perhaps they bore no blame; after all, children will make up their own minds about whether to serve God or themselves. But it at least bears notice that godly parents must do everything in their power to help their children make their own commitment to love and serve the Lord.

The failure of Samuel’s sons was partly why Israel’s leaders asked Samuel to appoint a king over them. That appeal, however, broke with the long-standing tradition of Israel being ruled directly by God himself using priests and prophets who did nothing on their own, but sought his will in every decision.

Samuel did not like the request, taking it to be a rejection of the kingship of the Lord. At God’s command, Samuel warned the people about the problems of having a king like the other nations. But the people had made up their minds, convinced that a king, with all of the accoutrements of his office, would raise their status among their neighbors. They may have been correct in this. However, the danger was that with a king the people would become even less bound to God and his word.

God was not unalterably opposed to the appointment of a king for Israel; he had spoken to Moses about this long before. But he also had warned that such a king was to revere the Lord and closely follow the words of his law. So it was with this understanding that the Lord told Samuel to listen to the request of the people that they be given a king. 

June 20

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

Saul Anointed as Israel’s King

1 Samuel 9–11

You…shall anoint them and ordain them and consecrate

[Aaron and his sons], that they may serve me as priests.

Exodus 28:41 (ESV)

The Lord revealed the identity of Israel’s new king to Samuel through a series of miraculous coincidences. Saul certainly seemed to be the perfect king for Israel; Scripture emphasizes both his physical impressiveness and his humility. So, at the Lord’s command, Samuel anointed him with oil.

Anointing with oil had long been part of life in the ancient world; oil mixed with perfume was used on special occasions for personal grooming and for showing honor to guests. It had a more important place in sacred rituals. Robertson Smith writes in the International Standard Bible Encylopedia article on anointing that sacred anointing originated in the ancient custom of smearing the best parts—the fat—of the sacrificed animals on the altar. This helps explain the Scriptural assessment of Eli’s sons; their seizure of the meat of the sacrificed animals before the fat was burned off constituted contempt for the Lord’s offering (see 1 Sam. 2:15–17).

Up until this point in Israel’s history, the sacred ritual of anointing with oil was used to mark Israel’s priests, along with the tabernacle and its furnishings, as set apart for the service of God. Now, in this anointing ceremony, Samuel marked Saul as set apart for God’s service in the office of king. Saul was confirmed as God’s choice when, shortly after, the Spirit of the Lord came upon him in power, enabling him to prophesy with the prophets of God.

Before Saul’s coronation the Spirit of the Lord again came upon him in power, this time to enable him to unify the tribes of Israel to meet the threat posed by the Ammonites. It was an auspicious beginning for this new period in the life of God’s people. 

June 21

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

Warnings and Signs of Trouble

1 Samuel 12:1–13:15

Strive…for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

Hebrews 12:14 (ESV)

Like Moses and Joshua before him, Samuel called Israel together for a farewell speech. In it he emphasized the great mercy shown by the Lord in that God had not given them the punishment they deserved for all their sins, including the sin of asking for a king in place of God’s direct rule. Samuel concluded with an admonition and a warning—that they serve the Lord with all their hearts or else be swept away, together with their king, for their persistent sinfulness.

Shortly after this, Saul’s willingness to serve the Lord was tested. Saul’s anxiety is not difficult to understand. The army was very afraid of an impending attack by the Philistines, and Saul realized that he must make a move soon or his men might desert. But he couldn’t attack before Samuel the prophet came to offer the pre-battle sacrifices that demonstrated Israel’s dependence on the Lord.

Saul probably wanted to do the right thing. But when Samuel didn’t show up at the expected time, he took matters into his own hands and made the offering himself. In doing so Saul took upon himself more responsibility than his office allowed. He forgot for whose service he had been anointed and decided that for the sake of his own success he would violate God’s law.

Saul showed disdain for the elaborate provisions God had made to live with his people. God had provided a holy priesthood and a holy tabernacle with holy furnishings together with repeated warnings, most recently in Samuel’s farewell speech, to pay close attention to his laws. But Saul seems to have abandoned the humility he had in the beginning. Nor did he repent when confronted by Samuel, but offered excuses instead. It was an ominous sign of things to come.

June 22

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

Jonathan’s Unusual Faith

1 Samuel 13:16–14:12a

We look not to the things that are seen but to the things

that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient,

but the things that are unseen are eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:18 (ESV)

Prior to Saul’s disobedient sacrifice he was facing the Philistines with an army of three thousand men and few, if any, chariots. It’s no wonder that he’d been anxious then, for the Philistines vastly outnumbered the Israelite army and had three thousand chariots, which were the ancient equivalent of the modern tank. Things soon deteriorated even more, and Saul’s army was reduced to six hundred men. Moreover, except for Saul and Jonathan, none of them had the iron sword or spear that every Philistine soldier possessed. It was truly an impossible situation, and the Israelites were hiding in the hills and caves, frightened and faithless.

However, in the midst of Israel’s predicament, Jonathan had a different perspective—that numbers were nothing to the Lord. The “uncircumcised fellows” label that he applied to the Philistines was already evidence of his faith, for he understood that circumcision was a sign and seal of God’s covenant with Israel. By implication, then, it was also a sign that the Philistines, who had not covenanted with the Lord, had no valid claim to the land.

Jonathan’s armor bearer didn’t have had a lot of choice in the matter, but it appears that he shared his master’s perspective. All of Israel’s soldiers had been circumcised, but only these two had the faith to see what this meant. They remembered what King Saul seems to have forgotten: It’s what the Lord wants that matters. God’s chosen people did not need to fear their enemies but to follow Samuel’s counsel to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all their hearts. Apparently, that’s just what Jonathan had been doing, and here too in this difficult situation he determined to proceed in faith.

June 23

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

The Lord Makes Israel Victorious

1 Samuel 14:12b–23

The horse is made ready for the day of battle,

but the victory belongs to the Lord.

Proverbs 21:31 (ESV)

It isn’t easy to translate faith into action; fears pile up the most at the point of action. Sure, Jonathan got the sign that he asked the Lord for, but he might have second-guessed it. Moses had not been content with only one sign from the Lord (see Ex. 4). And neither had Gideon (see Judges 6:36–40). However, with the confidence that victory rests with the Lord, Jonathan and his armorbearer immediately acted upon what they saw God calling them to do.

Jonathan didn’t even have his sword out; he needed both hands and feet for climbing. But faith overcame fear, and they finally made it to the top. And then God gave him and his armorbearer a great victory. Amazing! Twenty well-armed men overpowered by two with only one sword between the two of them. What would have happened, I wonder, if Jonathan had not been close enough to God to act upon the reality that he saw by faith?

It was not Jonathan’s faith that delivered Israel. But God certainly used Jonathan and his faith and, in the process, renewed the faith and spiritual vision of a nation. Previously, while Jonathan and his armorbearer were clambering up the steep slopes to answer God’s call to action, the rest of Israel’s army was shivering in dread anticipation of what the Philistines would do next. But the consequences of Jonathan’s faithful obedience suddenly made things very clear for them. They didn’t even need eyes of faith, for what they saw physically corresponded to reality. Those outside-of-the-covenant intruders, those uncircumcised fellows, were on the run.  The panic of the Philistines, together with the ensuing devastation of their army, was God’s doing. It was the Lord who rescued Israel that day. 

June 24

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

Saul’s Foolish Oath

1 Samuel 14:24–52

The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of sense.

Proverbs 10:21 (ESV)

Saul repeatedly wavered between seeking his own glory and that of the Lord. On this occasion he failed to recognize just how completely indebted he was to God for Israel’s victory over the Philistines. As a result, he was not content simply to take advantage of the opportunities God put before him, but foolishly bound his army with an oath that they must not eat until victory was complete.

What Saul did not know, however, was that he thereby condemned his own son; Jonathan had not heard of his father’s oath and had regained some energy by eating honey he had found. How ironic that the life of the one whom the Lord had most used to give Israel the victory over their enemies was endangered by the one who benefited most from that victory. Jonathan later had to be rescued from the hand of his own father.

In certain respects Saul still seemed to want to follow the Lord; he told his men not to sin against God by eating meat with blood in it. He knew what God had told Moses, “It is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life” (Lev. 17:11).

The king’s concern for law-keeping was correct. But he should have remembered another law too: “If anyone thoughtlessly takes an oath to do anything, whether good or evil (in any matter one might carelessly swear about)… when anyone becomes aware that they are guilty in any of these matters, they must confess in what way they have sinned (Lev. 5:4–5).

Saul himself had been partly to blame for the impatience his hungry and exhausted men showed in improperly draining the blood of the butchered animals. He would have done well to confess his own foolishness and mixed motives. 

June 25

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

Saul Rejected as King

1 Samuel 15

For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice,

the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Hosea 6:6 (ESV)

In one of Israel’s celebrations of Saul’s kingship, Samuel warned: “Be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. Yet if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will perish” (1 Sam. 12:24–25).

Saul’s declining willingness to serve faithfully is illustrated in this chapter. He got a clear command from the Lord to attack and totally destroy the Amalekites, together with all they owned. This was consistent with the repeated instructions of God regarding this nation; Moses had reviewed them in some of his final words to Israel: “When the Lord your God gives you rest from all the enemies around you in the land he is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you shall blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!” (Deut. 25:19).

But, Saul had what he thought was a better idea. He kept the Amalekite king alive and decided to destroy only the poorest of the animals. Saul’s rationale with Agag was unclear, but his ostensible reason for keeping the best animals was so they might be sacrificed to the Lord. Whether or not Saul was sincere in this is beside the point. Samuel later put it to Saul like this in an often quoted nugget of Scripture: “To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams” (1 Sam. 15:22).

The Lord took Saul’s actions to be a rejection of him. Saul repented, but the Lord rejected him as Israel’s king. Leaders in God’s kingdom are especially responsible for the quality of their obedience. Saul’s sin is equally important for all of us to avoid. Those who compromise and rationalize in their obedience to God are not faithful and trustworthy servants.

June 26

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

David Anointed to be King

1 Samuel 16

The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and

the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people.

1 Samuel 13:14 (ESV)

Soon after God rejected Saul as king, Samuel was instructed to anoint one of Jesse’s sons to succeed him. Samuel was hesitant about this call to anoint Saul’s replacement, fearing that if the king found out he would have Samuel killed. Nevertheless, he proceeded by inviting Jesse to join him in making a sacrifice to the Lord. There, Samuel was impressed by Jesse’s oldest son. But here again, as happened so often in redemptive history, the Lord’s choice was the unexpected one. In fact, Jesse’s youngest son was the last one that Jesse and Samuel considered. Not that something was lacking in David’s character or appearance; it was just that to human eyes he was not as well suited as his older brothers for this important position. But the Lord saw something that others didn’t see nearly as well; he saw David’s heart.

David had a few things Saul lacked, among them a persevering faith in God and concern for God’s honor and law. David wasn’t perfect, of course; to the contrary he would do some very shameful things. But he always repented of his sin and came back to the Lord. The essential thing about David, unlike Saul who did pretty much as he wanted when he thought he could get away with it, was that he always returned to do what the Lord wanted him to do. Paul testifies to this in Acts 13:22, referring to 1 Samuel 13:14. What God wanted more than anything was to live with his people. As king, David would show his concern for this by preparing to build a temple for the Lord in Jerusalem.

God confirmed his selection of David by filling him with his Spirit from the day of his anointing. Afterwards, David grew in the power of the Spirit while Saul succumbed more and more to the influence of a different spirit.

June 27

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

David and Goliath—Part 1

1 Samuel 17:1–37

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,

but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

Psalm 20:7 (ESV)

There had already been many battles in the ongoing war between Philistia and Israel. Here again their armies assembled to fight although neither side was pressing the battle. Israel certainly had reason to fear the better equipped Philistines with their iron weapons of war and the intimidating Goliath. But the Philistines remembered their losses against Samuel (1 Sam. 7:13) and Saul (1 Sam. 14:22–23, 47). This time, however, they appeared to be as sure of victory as the Israelites were fearful of defeat.

Then David appeared in camp. He was less impressed with the formidable Goliath than he was astonished by the giant’s willingness to defy the armies of the living God. He was taken aback as well by the criticism he got for his observation—and rightly so. For if God was as irrelevant in this battle as everyone seemed to think, then Israel was in deep trou­ble indeed.

Of all of the people in Israel, David had the faith to remember who God was—the Creator and true Master of heaven and earth. And of all the people in Israel, David remembered God’s promises and believed that what God wanted would actually be done. He had already seen God at work in the desperate situations of his own young life—in the success God had given him against the predators of his sheep. And he had no doubt that God would do the same here with this giant predator of God’s people.

For this perspective and for what would follow, David is often portrayed as a great hero and model for us. However, his faith and courage, though exemplary, points us to the real hero of the story—the living God. David knew that God would vindicate trust in his goodness and power by delivering Israel from this current threat. 

June 28

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

David and Goliath—Part 2

1 Samuel 17:38–58

For not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword save me.

But you have saved us from our foes.

Psalm 44:6–7a (ESV)

Having no other options, Saul accepted David’s proposal that he take on the champion of the Philistines. Saul then unsuccessfully tried to dress David in his personal armor. Afterwards, David went down into the valley to meet Goliath armed only with his shepherd’s staff, slingshot, and rocks from the stream bed. 

Goliath could not believe his eyes and swore by his god to make short work of this foolish boy. David responded to him with a Holy Spirit–inspired statement of faith that by day’s end everyone would recognize the supremacy of the God of Israel. And with what happened next, everyone did. When the Philistines saw their champion killed they suddenly knew the hopeless panic that Israel had previously felt. Israel’s army, in turn, found the courage to hand the Philistines a terrible defeat. 

The events of that day set the stage for the transition of power from Saul to David—a significant advance in the realization of God’s purposes for his chosen people. It is as God had told their forefathers long before: “Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Ex. 19:5–6). In other words, the vindication of David’s trust in the Lord helped Israel better recognize its task to give a witness to the rest of the world of God’s sovereign power and glory.

That witness would be frustratingly inadequate. Still, what happened with David and Israel was a taste of the greater salvation and fulfillment of God’s purposes that would come through Jesus Christ and his church—whom Galatians 6:16 calls the “Israel of God.” As with David and Israel, we still face many threats, but we may do so with even greater assurance that God will have his way and achieve all of his purposes in this world and the next. 

June 29

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

Preparation for Service

1 Samuel 16:13; 17:34–37

It is God who…has anointed us, and who has also put his seal

on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

2 Corinthians 1:21b–22 (ESV)

As we’ve noted before, the primary focus of Scripture in this story is less on David than on the Lord. Even so, it is worthwhile to note the ways in which David was prepared for service to God; these are instructive for us as well.

First, David was anointed by Samuel for the kingship of Israel. The anointing that happened with him happens even more fully with every believer today; we too are anointed by God so that his Holy Spirit resides with and in us. This is the same Holy Spirit who came upon David in power enabling him for service. The power of God’s Spirit is essential for the spiritual warfare to which all of God’s children are called. Paul addresses this matter of the Spirit’s enablement in Ephesians 6.

Second, although David would become famous for his exploits, he was prepared for service to God by his faithfulness in the routine tasks of ordinary life. In the menial tasks of a shepherd David gained the experience and skills necessary to help him defeat Goliath. Years of training in obscurity are what most people need to help them acquire the courage and skills for success in meeting bigger and more public challenges.

Third, there is David’s faith and devotion to the law of God. This becomes clearer in the Psalms he wrote. It is also evident in the astonishment he expressed on this occasion, that anyone should dare to defy the living God, and in his attribution of his success as a shepherd to God’s enablement.

It took all of these things—God’s anointing, practicing and training in obscurity, and learning to know and love the law of God—to prepare David for the service to which God called him. Such things are essential for us as well. 

June 30

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

Saul’s Envy of David

1 Samuel 18

Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless,

but sin overthrows the wicked.

Proverbs 13:6 (ESV)

After the victory over Goliath and the Philistines, Israel’s dominance continued, often with David as the most successful of Saul’s commanders. David’s victories were good for Saul. And yet, it troubled the king deeply when he heard the songs comparing his own successes to the greater successes of David.

At the same time, Saul depended on David for the music that could soothe his troubled spirit. In his better moments Saul appreciated David, but in his worse ones envied and hated him, even trying to kill him on certain occasions—when an evil spirit came upon him. (By the way, this puzzling statement about an evil spirit from the Lord does not mean that evil can be traced back to God, but simply that all spirits are subject to the sovereign God, and nothing can happen without God’s permission.)

Saul hoped that the problem of David’s popularity might eventually be solved by David’s death in battle with the Philistines. The offer of his oldest daughter Merab was an attempt to obligate David to continue to expose himself to danger in Saul’s service. When that marriage fell through, Saul offered David another daughter, even while hoping that he would be killed in his attempt to fulfill the dowry that Saul required.

Contrary to Saul’s hopes, David did not die, but returned with proof of double the required number of Philistines killed. Saul had no choice but to keep his word. But his resentment grew and, except for brief periods, for the rest of his life he considered David his enemy. Saul’s envy of the one whom God had chosen to replace him represented a persistent rebellion against God himself. Saul’s real enemy was the Lord against whom he sinned and to whose will he refused to submit.

July 1

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

David’s Friend Jonathan

1 Samuel 19–20

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

Proverbs 17:17 (ESV)

When David came to court following his defeat of Goliath, Jonathan not only celebrated his victory, but made a covenant of friendship with him and gave him clothes and other symbols of his own authority (see 1 Sam. 18:3–4). When Jonathan’s father Saul later became upset by the repeated successes of David against the Philistines, Jonathan never shared his father’s concern to preserve his own status. Even though he was the next in line to the throne, he became David’s advocate. That’s because, as with his own success against the Philistines (see 1 Sam. 14:12), Jonathan attributed David’s victories to the Lord. 

Jonathan went beyond this too. At considerable risk to himself, he tried to allay Saul’s concerns and secretly helped David evade capture. Jonathan only narrowly avoided being killed by his own father for his outspoken support for David. He had such fierce anger and deep grief over Saul’s conduct in this matter that he didn’t eat for the rest of that day. It was not that he felt sorry for himself, although no son should ever be so mistreated by his father. Rather, Jonathan’s anger and grief was over his father’s shameful treatment of David; he saw Saul’s behavior as sad evidence of his rebellion against God and his lack of God’s Spirit.

Along with Joseph, Jonathan is one of the few biblical characters Scripture has nothing negative to say about. As with Joseph, Jonathan consistently tried to follow the leading of the one he knew to be sovereign. He was content with the Lord’s choices about his future and the future of his people. He was unwilling to assume the prerogatives of power if it meant acting with injustice or going against what God wanted. Jonathan knew that meaning in life comes not by way of power, wealth, or fame, but from faithful service to God.

July 2

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

On the Run—Part 1

1 Sam 21:1–9; 22:6–23

You love evil more than good…

I trust in the steadfast love of God for ever and ever.

Psalm 52:3, 8 (ESV)

Following his escape with Jonathan’s help, David spent the next few years trying to avoid capture and death. Over time he became the leader of a few hundred men who were in similar straits or discontented with Saul for other reasons. But he began virtually alone, with neither provisions nor weapons. His first stop was at the house of Ahimelech the priest, who had no food except for some bread that had been consecrated as an offering to God. In view of the emergency, Ahimelech gave it to David along with the sword of Goliath that had been in safekeeping with him.

One of Saul’s men, Doeg the Edomite, saw the transaction and later reported it to gain favor with the king. Ahimelech had not known that David was a fugitive; nevertheless, Saul held him accountable for aiding an enemy and ordered his execution. To their credit, Saul’s guards were not willing to kill a priest of the Lord, but Doeg did not share their scruples. He killed Ahimelech together with the other priests of Nob, as well as the citizens of the town; only one priest escaped. It was both an atrocity for which Saul was guilty, and the fulfillment of God’s judgment against the house of Eli, as prophesied by Samuel (see 1 Sam. 2:33).

This was the beginning of a very dark time for David who felt some responsibility for the massacre. In Psalm 52 he expresses his hope that the Lord will call Doeg to account for the evil he has done. David speaks of the laughter of the righteous at the prospect of this judgment. It’s not selfish revenge that David wants, but he wants God to make things right, for God’s honor is at stake. Indeed, it is right for all God’s people to pray that in the end God will vindicate his honor and make things right—judging evil and rewarding righteousness. 

July 3

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

On the Run—Part 2

1 Sam 21:10–22:5; 23:1–29

Strangers have risen against me; ruthless men seek my life…

Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life.

Psalm 54:3, 4 (ESV)

David thought that he didn’t have many good options for escaping capture. At first he went to Philistine territory, feigning insanity to escape imprisonment or death. Then he went to Moab until a prophet of the Lord told him to go back home. There it became clear that David had a real heart for his people and didn’t blame them for Saul’s persecution. He even wanted to risk himself in the defense of Keilah against the Philistines and asked the Lord for permission to do so. His men made him get double confirmation from the Lord on this matter, but then agreed. David and his men defeated the Philistines and saved the town.

Saul heard about what happened and went to Keilah to capture David. David went back to the Lord to inquire whether he could count on the people he had saved to protect him and his men. When told that they would betray him, he left for the Desert of Ziph. There Jonathan secretly met David to renew their covenant and encourage him to keep trusting in God.

That undoubtedly made David feel better until he heard that the Ziphites also planned to betray him to Saul. In fact, he would have been captured then if Saul had not needed to respond to a more immediate threat from the Philistines. David penned Psalm 54 as an expression of his distress. Here again he asked that the Lord would vindicate him by judging evil and saving his life.

Since then, many others who have likewise been betrayed or abandoned have used this Psalm in their own prayers. Often there is little else we can do in such situations than bring all of our problems to the one who both Scripture and experience tell us will be sure to help because it’s in his character to save those who love and trust in him. 

July 4

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

Waiting for God’s Timing

1 Samuel 24; 26

When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.

1 Peter 2:23 (ESV)

The psalms that David wrote during his years of exile suggest that he was content to wait for God’s timing in the matter of his restoration to his homeland. Certainly that was true of David’s best impulses as illustrated in the events of these chapters.

Twice David had the opportunity to deal with Saul in the way that Saul had been attempting to deal with him. The first time, David was deep in the cave into which Saul had come alone to relieve himself. It was his chance to kill Saul and seize the throne that God had promised him.  But David did not dare harm the one whom God had anointed as Israel’s king; he even felt guilty for cutting off a piece of Saul’s robe. Another time David sneaked into Saul’s camp while Saul and his men lay sleeping. But here again he refused to kill the king, and only took Saul’s spear and water jug to prove that he had been there.

Both times when David revealed to Saul that he had not taken advantage of his opportunities for revenge, Saul was shamed by his distrust and aggression against David. The first time, in a moment of honesty, Saul even admitted that he knew that God had chosen David to be king. He asked David to swear that when he became king he would not take the expected action of killing off Saul’s descendants. The second time Saul expressed remorse again and promised never again to try to harm David. However, David knew better than to trust Saul’s promise, and on both occasions each man went his own way.

David’s distrust would be proved right. Even so, he was content to wait for God to fulfill the promises made at his anointing. As with the Christ to come, David entrusted himself to him who judges justly.

July 5

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

Impatience with God’s Timing

1 Samuel 25

Wait for the Lord and keep his way,

and he will exalt you to inherit the land.

Psalm 37:34 (ESV)

David was not always as content to wait for God to give him justice as he had demonstrated in his two personal encounters with Saul. While living in the Desert of Maon he and his men were not far from the property of Nabal in Carmel. As Nabal’s servants later testified, David and his men treated them well and protected them from the predations of others. Yet, when David sent men to politely ask for some payment for services rendered, Nabal, whose name means “fool,” insulted them and intentionally slighted David by questioning his lineage.

David was furious and prepared to kill Nabal and all his servants. It was a rash decision made in the heat of the moment, as David himself later confessed. His vengeance was averted only by the quick thinking of Nabal’s much wiser and more gracious wife, Abigail, who intercepted David with apologies and gifts. With this, David, who seemed to have forgotten his desire to let God vindicate him, withdrew, expressing his regrets and thanking God for Abigail’s good judgment. A few days later, God himself put Nabal to death; David would later marry his widow.

God continued to preserve David in the time that remained before until Saul’s death. Some of David’s decisions were questionable during this time. One was his decision to seek refuge with the Philistines (see 1 Sam. 27). Nevertheless, God used David and his men to meet the threat to Israel posed by the Amalekites (see 1 Sam. 30). As an added benefit, David used the plunder from his victories to enlarge his base of support among the towns of Judah. The Lord came through on his promises to David, not because David’s actions were always blameless, but because God always keeps his promises.

July 6

^{∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞}

Saul’s Decline and End

1 Samuel 28:3–24, 31

“In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and

in trust shall be your strength.” But you were unwilling.

Isaiah 30:15 (ESV)

The downward spiral of Saul’s life seems to have begun when he refused to destroy the Amalekites as the Lord had commanded. For that rejection of the word of the Lord, Saul was rejected as king over Israel (1 Sam. 15:26). Even so, Saul could have repented. He could also have repented on any further occasion when the signs of envy and other sins rose in him. But any sorrow he felt over sin was temporary at best. He still worshiped God on occasion but his heart was not in it. As 1 Samuel 16:14 puts it, “Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him.”

What happened with Saul seems similar to what is spoken of in Romans 1:21–29. Paul uses the phrase “gave them over” three times in the space of a few verses to describe what eventually happens to those who know God but persist in dishonoring him. God gives them over, abandoning them in their foolishness, with the result that they sink ever farther into wickedness.

Saul became more anxious and depressed. David had been a good servant but Saul, in jealousy, repeatedly tried to have him killed. Nor was he above using his own children in his plots, once even threatening to kill the righteous and innocent Jonathan. Saul’s spiritual low point came the day before his death when he resorted to a pagan practice that he himself had outlawed: going to a spiritual medium to consult with spirits of the dead. The next day the Philistines defeated Israel’s army, and Saul and his three sons died in the battle—Saul by suicide. It was the end of a life distinguished by many failures to obey God—failures that kept Saul from fulfilling his commission to lead Israel in unreserved service to God.