Dear
God, we are so incredibly in need of your power and your strength. We ask that
you would fill us with your Spirit of love and unity among believers all around
our world. We ask for your help to set aside our differences and look to the
greater cause, the cause of Christ. Please help us to truly live out a life of
love. We know that this is only possible through the power of your Spirit, so
we ask that you would move across our land in miraculous ways, with fresh
filling and awareness, turning your people back to you, drawing others to come
to know you.
We need your unity and your love to stir our hearts and give direction to our days. We need your wisdom to guide us, we need your Spirit to lead us, to live out godly lives that would bring honor first to you. We thank you that you are always with us; and give us great purpose and hope. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
2024-Heart
Dive 365 - 365 Days through the Bible
in one year with Kanoe Gibson
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studying each chapter and unraveling its
profound wisdom. Extensive notes, insights,
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2024
Reading Plan, Heart Dive 365 with Kanoe
Gibson. PDF
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In
Judges 6, the Israelites are under Midianite
oppression for seven years, with the Midianites
plundering their livestock and crops, sending
the Israelites to fiee to mountainous caves
for safety. When they cry out, the Lord
sends a prophet to remind them of their
disobedience. The angel of the Lord appears
to Gideon, calling him a mighty man of valor
and assuring him that God was with him in
his fight against the Midianites. Gideon
asks for a sign, and the angel consumes
his o£ering by fire.
Gideon
is fearful when he realizes this is indeed
the Lord, but the angel assures him he need
not fear with a declaration of peace. The
Lord commands that all local shrines of
Baal be destroyed. Gideon obeys and builds
an altar for the Lord. As the Midianites
prepare for war along with their allies,
Gideon asks for two more signs using a fieece
of wool. God grants his request and strengthens
Gideon’s faith.
In
Judges 7, the Gideon and the Israelites
are encamped by the waters of Harod, where
the Lord speaks to Gideon, telling him that
he has far too many soldiers to prove the
victory is His and not their own military
might. He orders those who are fearful to
return home, and 22,000 leave while 10,000
stay. The Lord continues to reduce the army
until they are left with just 300 men. That
night, the Lord commissions Gideon to rise
up against the Midianites. But in his fear,
he is allowed to spy out the Midianite camp.
While he is there, he overhears a soldier
telling another about his dream that depicts
their defeat at the hands of Gideon and
the Lord. Gideon devises a strategy to divide
his 300 men into three companies. Armed
with trumpets and torch-filled jars, they
are commanded to blow the trumpets and smash
the jars at Gideon’s command. In doing so,
this sends the Midianites into confusion,
and they are defeated by the Israelites.
The heads of two Midianite leaders are captured
and brought to Gideon to mark the end of
the battle.
FIRST
RESORT |Judges 6:6
During
each cycle of sin, the Israelites always
wait until they hit rock bottom to cry out
to the Lord. He’s their last resort rather
than their first go to.
And
because of this, they have a lot more heartache
to deal with that lasts years. Heart Check.
When
you begin to struggle, is crying out to
the Lord your first resort or last?
BLAME
AND COMPLAIN GAME | Judges 6:11-13
Notice
that when Gideon asks, “Why is this happening?”
he makes no mention of Israel’s lack of
responsibility in the matter. The reality
is, they brought this upon themselves with
their own disobedience and unfaithfulness
to the Lord. This is something that is really
easy to do—to look at our problems and blame
every other person and give reason for why
it is happening without any personal accountability.
But
the only thing this will change is our attitude—and
not in a good way. The blame and complain
game leads to hardening of the heart and
backsliding. Heart Check.
When
problems arise in your life, do you look
within yourself first to see what you may
have done to cause it? Or is everyone else
the problem?
MAKING
EXCUSES | Judges 6:15-16
At
this point, Gideon is so focused on his
weakness that he can’t even get himself
to see God’s strength in the midst of it.
But what I love is when Gideon says, “Who
am I,” or “How can I?”
God
answers, “But I.”
When
we are self-centered or self-focused, it’s
really hard for us to trust in God’s ability
to be what we are not. There’s a good and
a bad to this—God loves to use those who
will fully depend on Him in their weakness.
He doesn’t look for the most talented or
the greatest warriors. He used people who
had legitimate faults. But a lot of the
time, we will make excuses as to why we
can’t do what He’s asked.
If
we constantly remind God about our limitations
and weaknesses, we are essentially telling
Him that He made a mistake in calling us.
Heart Check.
Are
you making excuses or trusting that God
is able to work through you?
SECRET
ALTARS |Judges 6:25-27
No
matter how gifted or talented we are, we
will not be as e£ective as we could
be if we have secret altars hanging around
the way they did. And the Lord knows—we
can’t hide anything from Him.
So
He told Gideon, go deal with your private
matters first, and then I will grant you
a greater victory. So the personal implication
for us is that if we want God to do bigger
things in our lives, we too need to tear
down any altars we may think we are hiding.
Heart Check.
Do
you have secret altars that need to be dealt
with?
BOXING
GOD IN | Judges 6:36-40
In
the end, even though the Lord didn’t rebuke
Gideon for demanding a sign or confirmation,
Biblically, this is not the best method
for determining God’s will, even though
there are instances where signs were asked
for (Eliezer and woman at the well who watered
his camels).
But
if God has already spoken on the matter,
which He had in this case with Gideon, then
asking for a sing is not asking for a word
but for enough faith to obey. Our problem
isn’t knowing what to do, the problem is
our obedience to what He’s called us to
do.
Thankfully,
God was so patient, and He acted upon these
requests in order to encourage Gideon’s
faith because his doubt was sincere.
But
the Bible is very clear that we are not
to test the Lord. What Gideon did was put
God into a box and placed his own limitations
on God to fit his expectation. Every answer
that we need can be found through God’s
Word, guidance from the Holy Spirit, and
even with the “confirmation” of wise counsel.
Heart Check.
Do
you box God in by demanding signs or conformation
by your standards?
DO
AS I DO | Judges 7:17
I
love Gideon’s leadership style. He’s not
a dictator who is saying, “Do what I tell
you to do.” He instead goes first and says,
“Do as I do.”
This
is the mark of a good leader—one who says,
“Let’s go,” and leads by example. He was
the one risking his life by going into the
camp, spocking it out, and then readying
his troops for battle.
He
was a doer! And we don’t have to be commanders
of an army to have this kind of role. We
are all leaders in our homes, with our friends,
in our workplaces, at school, or even in
groups like this one. Heart Check.
Are
you getting things done? Could you confidently
say, "Do as I do"?
BROKEN
VESSELS | Judges 7:19-23
This
story always amazes me, because it so perfectly
depicts how God is the God of the impossible,
and He will make a way when there seems
to be no way. He is the greatest when we
are the least! And what is so beautifully
illustrated here is how a little light shining
in the darkness can make the enemy flee.
We live among so much chaos and confusion
in this world, and there is more fear than
ever because everyone is suspicious and
untrusting of the government and people
in general. If we are likened to earthen
vessels, with the Light of the World living
within us, we need more broken vessels of
light to burst forth. Our breaking points
are the moments where His light will shine
the brightest if He is truly living within
you
So
take heart if you are feeling as though
you are about to crack under pressure, because
before that light can truly shine forth,
there has to be a breaking. And this isn’t
something to fear. Paul told us this when
he said we are jars of clay: “We are afflicted
in every way, but not crushed; perplexed,
but not driven to despair; persecuted but
not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.”
( 2 Cor. 4:8-9).
Every
corner you turn, there is brokenness in
this world. People are hurting everywhere.
And we, who have the Light of the World
within us can offer them hope when they
see how He brought us through those tough
times. We experience breaking so that we
can relate to and help others see that there
is hope for them. Because if we don’t relate,
we tend to preach at rather than weep with,
and this ends up being more of a hindrance
than a help.
This
is why Christ went to the cross for us—so
that He could relate to and weep with us
when we’re broken. Heart Check.
Has
there been a breaking in your life? Is the
Light of the World shining forth?
Deep
Dive
How
does God’s choosing of Gideon inspire your
faith in God’s call on your life?
What
does Gideon’s doubt and God’s response say
about their character?
How
can we discern God’s will for our lives?
What
is the greater lesson in the battle of Midian?
How can it be applied to your life?
What
might the trumpets and torch-filled jars
symbolize in the spiritual life?
Heavenly
Father, thank you for being so patient with
us all our fears and doubts.
We
are so grateful that your mercy never runs
out and that you will continue to reassure
us, even when we can’t seem to see past
our own inabilities or weaknesses. We know
that if our hearts are sincere in both our
doubt and our repentance, you will always
hear us and always answer through your Word,
through the prompting of your Holy Spirit
and through wise counsel. Guide us to the
right people and scriptures that will reassure
us when we are in doubt.
Thank
you for showing us how you can use anyone
in any situation. We don’t have to be the
prettiest, the most talented or well-spoken,
the smartest—all you are looking for is
a willing heart. You are looking to and
fro throughout the earth for hearts that
are set on you. Because when our hearts
are set on you, they are not occupied thinking
about ourselves. You are not a self-centered
God. Help us to have an outward focus—and
we know that when we do, we will be less
consumed with our own worries and anxieties.
You are Jehovah Shalom, our God of Peace.
May
that peace wash over us today.
Thank
you for seeing us through eternal lenses.
If we were judged in the state we are currently
in, we would all be doomed, but that’s not
who you are. You look at us and see your
Son. You look past our failures and into
our eternal future. Help us to see ourselves
the same way, because sometimes we are the
very ones who hold ourselves back based
on our own feelings of unworthiness or insignificance.
We think, “Who am I?” so I pray that today
we will hear you ask that same question
right back: “Who am I?” And when we take
a good hard look at who you are, we will
realize that our incapability will be null.
If
there are any secret altars that any of
us might be harboring, I pray that we will
deal with it privately before it becomes
a public mess. Thank you for your infinite
grace and mercy that doesn’t run out. But
sometimes, in your mercy, you will allow
things to be exposed publicly where we are
not dealing with it privately. It might
hurt, but you do it so that we will turn
in repentance. For that we thank you. We
never want to be left in our mess, and we
are so grateful that you love us enough
not to allow that to happen.
Forgive
us for any times where our doubt led us
to test you or to demand any expectations
from you. Everything you do is so beautifully
planned out and for our good, so help us
to trust that.
Thank
you for coming through for us anyway, despite
our fears. When the odds are stacked against
us, we will still be victorious, as you
will make a way. You are the greatest when
we are the least. You are the God of the
impossible! So I pray that we will stay
focused on you as our Divine Warrior and
not on the chaos that surrounds us. Help
us to be those who are willing to wisely
engage in the battle, knowing that we carry
your name Jesus. With you on our side, nothing
can stand against us.
Help
us to hold fast to you when the pressure
and challenges are insurmountable. The cracking
of our vessels may hurt for a bit, but we
know that joy comes in the morning! May
your light shine forth in our moments of
breaking. And help us to be those who o£er
hope to a broken world because of it. We
are so grateful that you are our hope.
In
Judges 8, the ending days of Gideon are
described. Following their victory over
the Midianites, the tribe of Ephraim complains
to Gideon about not initially being asked
to join the fight. Gideon reminds them of
their recent significant victories over
Oren and Zeeb, and their anger subsides.
As the Israelites pursue the Midianite kings
Zebah and Zalmunna, Gideon asks the people
of Succoth and Penuel for bread for his
300 exhausted soldiers. They both refuse,
declaring they will give aid when the battle
is won. Gideon declares that when he returns,
they will pay for their lack of support.
Gideon captures both kings and holds true
to his word of punishing them. Gideon calls
for his firstborn son to execute the Midianite
kings, however, he refuses out of fear,
and Gideon carries it out himself. The Israelites
insist that Gideon be king, but he refuses,
declaring that only the Lord will rule over
them. Instead, Gideon requests for gold
to be given to him for the crafting of an
ephod. He brings it to his hometown, where
it becomes an object of idolatry. Israel
rests from war for forty years. When Gideon
dies, the people of Israel fall back into
idol worship, making Baal their God thus
breaking covenant with God.
In
Judges 9, Gideon’s son Abimelech carries
out a violent grab for power. He begins
by going to his mother’s relatives in Shechem
and proposing kingship over them. He declares
it would be better than any of his 69 brothers,
as he is their blood relative.
They
agree and fund his rise to power. Abimelech
hires men to kill his father’s sons, and
all but the youngest son (Jotham) die, and
Abimelech is made king. Jotham cries out
from the top of Mount Gerizim, and by way
of a fable, he depicts a curse that will
be upon those who rely on weak and improper
leadership, declaring it will destroy them.
Three years later, an evil spirit rises
between Abimelech and Shechem, and the leaders
of Shechem begin to taunt Abimelech’s followers.
Gaal, son of Ebed, revolts against Abimelech,
but the city’s governor Zebul remains loyal
and manages to drive them out of Shechem.
The next day, Abimelech ambushes and destroys
the city, killing all who are in it. The
leaders retreat to a tower in Thebez, and
when Abimelech attempts to burn it down,
he is fatally wounded by a millstone thrown
down by a woman. In his dying breath, Abimelech
begs his armor-bearer to kill him so he
is not shamed by being killed at the hands
of a woman. This fulfills Jotham’s curse
and returns the wickedness upon the heads
of Abimelech and his followers.
CRITICIZING
STRATEGY | Judges 8:1-3
Ephraim
has been, throughout history, “the complaining
tribe.” And here, instead of being happy
that their nation has just won an incredible
victory, they’re upset that they are getting
no recognition. It’s not that they didn’t
go to battle—but they weren’t called first.
They were the clean up crew when they wanted
to be the superstars. And it’s easy for
us to look at this and think that we would
never be this way. But what if I told you
that we have the greatest victory that was
fought and won at the cross. We were given
the most valuable spoils by way of mercy
and grace. We should all be celebrating
that together. Yet much like the Ephraimites,
instead of rejoicing in the victory, we
criticize the strategy and find reason to
disagree about every little thing. Usually,
it’s based on wanting notoriety or to prove
greater knowledge rather than truly desiring
the best for the other person. But if we
can get ourselves to a place of glorifying
the victory in Jesus rather than our placement
in it, there’s no limit to what the church
can do. Heart Check.
Is
your heart set on maintaining a united front
after the victory? Or are you critical of
the strategy and desiring notoriety?
TEST
OF CRITICISM | Judges 8:1-3
On
the fiip side, we see how well Gideon handled
this criticism. We all have Ephraimites
in our lives, letting us know how we’re
failing at life. If it isn’t a person, the
devil wants nothing more than to perch on
your shoulder and fill that void. While
those arrows never cease to hurt, we must
remember what they are hurting— most likely
our ego. And if we aren’t careful, our own
ego can become a god if we allow criticism
to turn to wounded pride and then to self-pity.
Before we know it, we are in a downward
spiral of failure based on someone else’s
opinion of us. Gideon handled it by redirecting
everything back to God. This wasn’t about
them. Every time the arrows fiy at me, it
stings, but the quicker I refocus back on
God and less on myself, the quicker the
bite of that sting goes away.Heart Check.
How
do you handle criticism? Do you wallow in
self-pity, or do you refocus backon God
and how He views you?
SUPPORTING
THE FRONT LINES | Judges 8:5
While
these men were not asked to engage in battle,
they were asked to support the front lines.
The work of the ministry doesn’t stop at
those who are out front—it’s the ones behind
the scenes who are lifting arms, praying,
supporting financially, serving in other
capacities, serving the communities that
are just as necessary in the fight. Heart
Check.
Are
you on the front line? If not, how areyou
supporting the ones who are?
RULE
| Judges 8:22-23
Here
we see the beginning of the people crying
out for a king. While kingship won’t happen
for hundreds of years, the seed has been
planted. But God’s desire for Israel was
that He would always rule over them, and
Gideon wisely answered them with this idea.
But they were losing sight of God’s sovereignty
and turning to anything and everything else
for guidance. The tendency in our hearts
is the same—instead of trusting in God’s
rule in our lives, we freak out and run
to other people asking, “What should I do?”
rather than seeking the Lord and asking,
“What is your desire?” This doesn’t mean
we should never speak to others, but it’s
a matter of your heart posture and whether
you are truly seeking the face of God first.
Heart Check.
Who
are what rules your life?
COMFORT
LEVEL | Judges 8:29-31
Here
we see Gideon declining spiritually. A man
who went from “Who am I” to “Don’t you know
who I am?” He handled adversity better than
success. He passed the test of being outnumbered.
He passed the test of criticism from the
Ephraimites. He passed the test of resistance
from the men of Succoth and Penuel. He passed
the test of potential position when they
wanted to put a crown on his head. Where
he began to fail, is where life got easier.
He didn’t have the title of king, but he
sure lived like one. He began taking things
that didn’t rightfully belong to him in
the eyes of God—he made an ephod for himself
but wasn’t a high priest. He took many wives,
likely so he could fiaunt his wealth. And
he named his son Abimelech, which means
“son of a king.” This is why we can never
settle in the comfort of Christianity and
never stop checking our hearts. Heart Check.
Where
is your comfort level? Are you settling
or continuing to ensure you don't become
ensnared by comforts of life?
THE
COMPANY WE KEEP | Judges 9:4
This
holds true to the old adage, “You are the
company you keep.” Abimelech was surrounded
by worthless and reckless fellows. Paul
a£irms this idea when he declares
that “bad company corrupts good character”
(1 Cor. 15:33). This means that who you
hang out with matters. We are being challenged
to consider how others are infiuencing our
character. But some might argue that Jesus
hung out with sinners or that we can’t e£ectively
witness if we are only hanging in our holy
huddle—which is true. So we take it a step
further and look at Psalm 1:1-2 that says,
“Blessed is the one who does not walk IN
STEP with the wicked or STAND IN the way
that sinners take or SIT IN the company
of mockers, but whose delight is in the
law of the Lord and who meditates on it
day and night.”
There
is a clear line between witnessing to and
hanging with, which is the di£erence
between infiuencing others for good or allowing
them to infiuence you. Heart Check.
What
company are you keeping? Who is being influenced?
Deep
Dive
What
can we learn from Ephraim’s discontentment
and Gideon’s response? How can we apply
this to our confiict resolution?
Is
Gideon’s treatment of the men of Succoth
and Penuel justified?
What
does the end of Gideon’s life say about
the importance of spiritual maintenance?
What
dangers are found in unchecked ambition
or prominence?
Compare
the leadership styles of Gideon, Abimelech,
Gaal and Zebul. What can we learn from them?
Consider
the ideas of ambition, apostasy, deception,
betrayal, and God’s grace. How can they
be applied to your life personally?
Heavenly
Father, you are our one and only true King.
Thank
you that we don’t need to look to anyone
else for guidance or help, for you are our
strong tower, our refuge, and our pillar
of strength. You guide us through your Word
and Holy Spirit, and we are so thankful
that we already have the answers before
we even ask any questions. Help us to be
diligent in seeking your face, and to always
act in good faith and integrity.
Forgive
us if we have ever sought to steal the glory
from you by demanding recognition or trying
to grab for something that didn’t belong
to us. I pray that you will always bring
us back to the cross if we ever feel as
though we need to find fault in others just
for the sake of tearing them down. Help
us to maintain a united front for the greater
victory instead of fighting meaningless
battles that have no good outcome.
We
know that we are all fiawed, so thank you
for still choosing to use us despite that.
I pray that we always keep our eyes and
hearts set on you so that we do not succumb
to infiuences that comfort can sometimes
bring. We do not want to be lazy in our
faith, but always keep our egos and hearts
in check and fully submitted before you.
May we never forget what you have done for
us and may we never abandon the faith. I
pray that we will fully trust in you and
never in anything that man has created.
If
criticism ever arises against us, will you
shield us from the destruction that it can
cause and help us to handle the pain well.
I pray that instead of retaliating, that
we will depend on your divine retribution
and bless them back instead. For we know
that if they are not worthy of that blessing,
it will return right back to us. May we
never forget that.
May
everything we do always be in line with
your will for our lives. I pray that we
will have no unrighteous ambition or any
desire to deceive anyone into a false following
or devotion. Forgive us if we have ever
wanted power or a temporary gain—I pray
that you will protect our minds and help
us to take our thoughts captive if we ever
begin to think that we are suddenly the
cat’s meow. We know that you will humble
us, so I pray that we remain humble so that
we do not need to be humbled.
I
pray that we are always lovers of righteousness,
justice and truth, so that we will be a
people who seek to maintain healthy leadership
in our homes, communities, and nation. Give
us wisdom and vision as to what that looks
like and who will fulfill those roles.
In
Judges 10, new judges arise after the death
of Abimelech. Tola from the tribe of Issachar
led Israel for 23 years. After his death,
Jair from Gilead leads for 22 years. He
had 30 sons who ruled over 30 cities in
their land. The Israelites forsake the Lord
by worshiping idols in his sight, so out
of anger, He allows the Philistines and
Ammonites to oppress the people of Israel
for 18 years. Out of desperation, they finally
repent and cry out to the Lord to deliver
them. However, God initially refuses, as
He reminds them of the many times He’s saved
them before. But when the Israelites remove
all their idols and serve Him again, He
relents. The chapter ends with the Ammonites
preparing for battle against Gilead and
Israel seeking a new leader for war.
In
Judges 11, a mighty warrior from Gilead
named Jephthah is driven out of his land
by his half-brothers, claiming he has no
rights to the land, for he is the son of
a prostitute. Jephthah settles with the
resident scoundrels in the land of Tob.
When the Ammonites revolt against Israel,
the leaders of Gilead plead with Jephthah
to lead them into war. Because they make
this vow before the Lord, Jephthah agrees.
Jephthah
initially sends messengers to seek peace
with the King of Ammon, but he denies it.
With the Spirit of the Lord upon him, Jephthah
makes a rash vow with the Lord—if he is
granted victory over the Ammonites, he will
sacrifice the first thing that he greets
at his home when he returns. The Lord grants
the victory, and as Jephthah returns home,
he is greeted by his only child. Jephthah
gives his daughter two months to fiee to
the mountains to mourn her virginity before
keeping the vow upon her return.
In
Judges 12, Ephraim is once again upset that
they were not called into battle, this time
with the Ammonites, so they confront Jephthah
in anger. When Jephthah denies this claim
and instead blames them for not responding
to his call, a civil war breaks out between
the tribes of Gilead and Ephraim. When the
Gileadites set up border control along the
Jordan River, they identify any refugee
Ephraimites by the way they pronounce “Shibboleth.”
This leads to the death of 42,000 men. Jephthah
judges Israel for 6 years. After his death,
Ibzan of Bethlehem led for 7 years, followed
by Elon the Zebulunite for 10 years, and
Abdon the son of Hillel for 8 years.
TRAIL
OF PEACE | Judges 10:1-5
These
two “minor judges” have not much written
about them.
I
find this interesting when compared to how
many years they led. Together, they managed
to maintain 45 years of peace in the land.
You would think this would warrant an entire
page in the Bible!
But
their infiuence was quiet and wise, and
this is not a bad thing. Sometimes the world
thinks that the more noise we make, the
more infiuential we are. That can be true,
depending on what you consider to be a valuable
infiuence. More headlines or notoriety doesn’t
denote value in the kingdom of God. The
fact that they were followed by peace rather
than war shows that they led wisely. Heart
Check.
What
trail do you leave behind you? One of peace?
Or battles?
PIT
TO PURPOSE | Judges 11:1-2
Being
an “illegitimate child” carried a serious
social stigma in this day.
This
was a pretty unfair rejection by Jephthah’s
brothers. But what’s amazing is that God
is still going to use him in a mighty way.
He, like many others in the Bible, is an
unlikely hero. We tend to look at a person’s
past and immediately declare them unqualified
for the position they’re in.
Consider
this—if on the presidential ballot, there
was the son of a prostitute, a liar, a murderer,
a cheater, and a coward, would we consider
them as unfit for the presidency based on
their crooked past? The nature of campaigns
is to dig up dirt to try to keep the other
side from winning.
But
guess who’s faces that dirt that I just
spoke of is on?
Jephthah,
the son of prostitute, Abraham the liar,
Moses and Paul, murderers, Jonah and Peter,
cowards, and David, a cheater and a murderer.
They’re
all unlikely heroes. This is a reminder
that Jesus has pulled us all from the pit
of our past and qualified us based on His
grace and purpose for our lives.
The
question is whether we will agree with the
devil and disqualify ourselves. Heart Check.
Have
you moved from the pit to purpose? Are you
allowing your past to disqualify you?
HONORING
COMMITMENTS | Judges 11
In
the end, the greater picture here is that
Jephthah honored his commitment to the Lord.
Commitment isn’t just for the sake of the
cause that you’re dedicating to, but it’s
also beneficial for us. Commitment is a
remedy for laziness.
There
are also spiritual implications when we
honor our commitments—the Bible says that
we will be rewarded eternally for our good
works (Eph. 6;8, Rom. 2:6). But what we
must remember is that commitment will take
sacrifice—and this is typically where we
break. Because we don’t want to put in the
work or give something up to honor it.
Jephthah
did, and he is now considered a hero of
faith, although this was a rash vow. Heart
Check.
Are
you honoring your commitments?
JEALOUSY
| Judges 12:1-3
Here
we go again, with the petty, jealous, complaining
tribe of Ephraim. They’re not just complaining
about the fact that they weren’t “chosen
to fight,” but their bitterness has now
turned to rage.
They
want to burn anyone who stands over them
in position, because they don’t like being
the clean up crew. Yet they’re not willing
to put in the dirty work. So they’ve turned
down the opportunities that they did have
and therefore completely missed the boat.
Or some may say they were wanting to board
a ship that was never at their port. It
wasn’t their place. Heart Check.
Have
you ever been jealous of someone else's
position? Did you put in the same amount
of work that they did? Was the boat even
at your port?
MIRRORED
SPEECH | Judges 12:5-6
The
destiny of these men hinged on one word—the
same way our eternal destiny hinges on one
word—Jesus.
This
isn’t the only time this happens in the
Bible—later we will see that Peter is “betrayed
by his accent” when he tries to deny his
connection to Jesus (Mt. 26:73).
We
too will stand before the Lord and give
account for every word we’ve spoken, both
good and bad.
Jesus
says in Matthew 12 that our mouths will
speak what is in our hearts—if we have good
hearts, we will speak good words. If we
have hearts of evil, we will speak words
of malice or cursing.
So
people should be able to tell whether we
are Christian or not by the way we talk.
Heart Check.
How
does your speech mirror your heart? Are
your words full of goodness or they ones
of cursing, malice, gossip, judgment, or
any kind of evil?
Deep
Dive
Which
judges show wise leadership? What are the
characteristics of that?
What
does true repentance look like? Why do the
Israelites struggle with this? Why do we?
What
are the dangers of making a rash vow? Why
did God forbid this?
What
is an example of a righteous vow?
Do
we have modern day incidents like the one
of Shibboleth? (Discrimination and identity)
How
can we prevent division like the one we
see between Ephraim and the Gileadites?
Heavenly
Father, how our hearts break at the consequences
of war.
What
hurts the most is when innocent lives are
taken because of power struggles, poor communication,
misunderstanding, and poor leadership. But
we will stay focused on you, knowing that
everything you do is just and will always
be turned for good. Any hurt we may endure
in the lifetime pales in comparison to the
eternal glory we will bask in in heaven.
Help us to stay focused on that.
I
pray that we will be a people who fight
for unity rather than being in constant
discord with one another. Help us to see
the best in each other and be more outward
serving than inwardly demanding. Forgive
us if we’ve ever been jealous of what others
have or what they may do. I pray that we
will focus on our own calling and purpose,
and commit ourselves to it, knowing that
you will reward us when we stay in our own
lane and do the work that you’ve called
us to. If anyone doesn’t know what that
is, I pray that you will allow your whisper
to be issued through a megaphone in their
ear and magnified through your Word and
by your divine guidance.
We
know that we are not immune to confiict,
so I pray that you will help us to deal
with it in a godly manner. Give us the patience,
endurance, wisdom, and steadfastness so
that we will not allow ourselves to fall
away from the commitment to the best outcome.
May we be promoters of peace rather than
boosters of battle. We don’t want to be
known as divisive or negative—no one wants
to be around people like that. So help us
to wipe the scorn from our face and carry
the torch of light instead.
I
pray that our words will be ones that refiect
your heart—this means that our hearts must
be in line with yours for goodness to fiow
from their wellsprings. Continue to mold
our hearts so that we are truly a mirrored
image of your holiness.
Help
us also to honor any commitments we have
made. Forgive us if we have muttered any
rash vows or have been lazy in fulfilling
them. We repent of any dishonorable vows
we may have made. May we be careful in the
promises we make in the future and the actions
by which we carry them out—may they be wise
and completely reliant upon your guidance.
We
know that with you, Jesus, we are victorious,
so we do not need to bargain for it.
Forgive
us if we have been on the spin cycle of
sin. Thank you for your mercy, even when
we are repeatedly disobedient.
Your
compassion and desire to save us never runs
dry, but I pray that we never take that
for granted, because what does eventually
run dry is our time on earth to repent.
I pray that when we finally do cry out,
we will never turn back to our old ways.
Thank
you for pulling us from the pit and driving
us into greater purpose. We are so unworthy
but made worthy by the blood of Jesus. We
stand in complete awe and wonder of how
you could possibly save wretches like us,
but yet you do. So thank you. What an honor
it is.
In
Judges 13, Israel’s 12th judge Samson is
born. The chapter begins with the Israelites
rebelling against the Lord, so he hands
to them over the Philistines for 40 years.
The angel of the Lord appears to a barren
woman whose husband’s name is Manoah. The
angel tells her that she will bear a son
who will be a lifelong Nazirite, therefore
she also needs to take the vow during her
pregnancy. The angel declares her son will
save the people from the Philistines. The
woman tells her husband, and he asks the
Lord for more instruction. The angel appears
to them in the field and reminds Manoah
that his wife is to maintain her vow. Manoah
attempts to prepare a sacrifice for the
angel, but he refuses and directs them to
offer it to the Lord instead. A flame
and the angel both ascend from the altar
into heaven, and both Manoah and his wife
fall to their faces in fear that they will
die for having seen God. The wife reassures
him that if God wanted to kill them, he
wouldn’t have accepted their offering
or spoken to them. The woman gives birth
to a son and names him Samson. He grows
up and is blessed by the Spirit of the Lord.
In
Judges 14, Samson travels to Philistine
territory and desires to marry a Philistine
woman. Samson begs his father, against his
parents’ will, to bring the girl back for
him. It is noted that this is part of the
Lord’s plan to open the door for Samson
to revolt against Philistine rule. As they
are traveling to the girl’s hometown of
Timnah, a roaring lion approaches Samson.
The Spirit of the Lord comes upon him, and
he effortlessly tears the young lion
into pieces and tells no one about it. When
Samson returns to bring the girl back to
marry him, he encounters the lion carcass,
now with a beehive and honey inside its
body. He eats of the honey and takes some
to his parents but does not let them know
where it came from. As Samson prepares a
feast for his bride, he tells thirty companions
there with him a riddle about the lion and
honey, teasing that if they can solve it
within seven days, he will grant them new
garments and clothing. Unable to solve the
riddle in the first 3 days, the men beg
Samson’s wife on the fourth day to convince
Samson to tell her the meaning. They threaten
to burn her family’s home if she does not
comply, so she pleads with Samson for 4
days and is able to give the men what they’re
asking for. With the Spirit of the Lord
upon him, Samson goes down to Ashkelon and
kills 30 men and takes their garments to
the men who “solved the riddle.” Samson
flees to his hometown and his wife is given
to his best man.
In
Judges 15, Samson brings his wife a gift
and desires to spend the night with her
but is refused by her father. He pleads
with Samson to take his younger daughter
instead, for his wife had been given to
his friend. Samson devises a plan to take
down the Philistines without his personal
involvement. He ties torches to the tails
of 300 foxes and releases them into the
grain fields of the Philistines while he
set fire to the grain stacks and orchards.
When the Philistines find out it was Samson’s
doing, they burn his wife and father-in-law.
Samson slays more Philistines before hiding
in the cleft of a rock. The Philistines
revolt against Judah, raiding the city of
Lehi, so they bind and hand Samson over
to the Philistines to avert more war. When
the Philistine troops come against Samson,
he is strengthened by the Spirit of the
Lord, and the ropes melt away. He slays
1000 Philistines with a donkey jawbone and
cries out to the Lord for a drink. The Lord
gives him water from a hollow place, and
he is revived. Samson judges Israel for
20 years.
RELATIONSHIP
STATUS | Judges 13:1
13th
verse, same as the first. Here we see this
chapter begin with the cycle of sin, except
this time there’s no repentance, no crying
out to the Lord, which shows how hardened
the hearts of Israel have become. Thankfully
it isn’t all people, for we will see in
this chapter how responsive one couple is.
But
regardless, we see what is happening to
the nation as a whole, and this reminds
us that our relationship with the Lord is
not static. We may have security in our
place in heaven, but the ability to experience
the fullness of His glory hinges on our
relationship with Him. The more we read
His Word, one of two things will begin to
happen—we will either become more open and
responsive to what we hear, or we will allow
our own selfish thoughts to create more
doubt and we will begin the downward spiral
of closing ourselves o£ (a.k.a. hardening
our hearts). Heart Check.
What's
your relationship status? Is your heart
changing as you read God's word? Are you
getting closer to the Lord or pulling away?
FAITHLESS
DETAILS | Judges 13:11-14
Manoah
wants to know all the details of the future.
While I believe this is simply pure excitement
rather than doubt, the angel cracks me up
when he simply repeats the instructions
that he had already given.
He’s
emphasizing that obedience does not rest
upon more knowledge—that wouldn’t be faith.
“Faith is the substance of things hoped
for and the evidence of things unseen” (Heb.
11:1). Faith is being able to act upon the
revelation despite knowing the outcome or
having all the details. Heart Check.
Do
you need all the details before moving forward
in faith?
STIRRING
| Judges 13:25
The
word “stir” has both positive and negative
implications. We can stir up trouble by
disturbing the current state of something,
or the way that it is used here, the Spirit
will begin to stir something within us to
move us into motion. I remember as a little
girl, I used to love to stir a glass of
water and watch the tornado e£ect—the
water was being put into motion.
So
when the Spirit begins to stir within us,
it is for the purpose of moving us into
action. In scripture, the Lord stirred the
hearts of the people to bring o£erings,
to begin creating, and to ultimately do
the work of the Lord. Stirring can start
at an early age.
From
my earliest memory, I always wanted to be
a teacher—I had chalkboards and would play
school with my stuffed animals well into
middle school.
And
I was so disheartened in college, when I
began teaching part-time, and realized I
was not cut out to teach… at least not in
that capacity. But now I see how that stirring
was not in vain, as I am now fully in motion
in teaching God’s Word. Heart Check.
What
is the Lord stirring within you?
KEEPING
THE PEACE | Judges 14:18
Here
we see how Samson resented his wife for
what has happened. This is the negative
e£ect of giving in to something just
to keep the peace. Peacekeeping is not always
the best method.
In
fact, the Bible tells us that we are to
pursue peace, which means peace doesn’t
come through passivity or by dancing around
it the way Samson did. When we do that,
we are just delaying the inevitable confiict.
So
giving in to manipulation might work in
the short term and bring a little bit of
respite from the pressing, but ultimately
it comes with a cost.
If
Samson had the power to rip apart a lion
with his bare hands, he would have dealt
with his wife, but his selfish gains meant
more to him, and therefore cost him. Heart
Check.
Do
you give in when the pressing gets hard
just to keep the peace? Or are you confronting
conflict by guidance of the Holy Spirit?
FOR
HIS PURPOSE | Judges 14
In
the end, we see that God alone decides who,
what and how He will get the job done—in
fact, it’s a recurring theme throughout
the Old Testament for God to use ungodly
people and situations for good. We will
also see throughout the Bible where people
begin dictating their ideals on to God—the
Pharisees did this with Jesus when He wasn’t
doing everything to their religious standard.
But what we have to remember is that we
are made in God’s image and not the other
way around. He doesn’t belong to our theology
or denominations—He rules over it.
So
it is not up to US to declare ministries
as ungodly based on our standards. I’ve
got people everyday calling this channel
and ministry unbiblical just because I’m
a woman. Yet God is doing incredible things
here, and if I am wrong in the end, God
will deal with me, and He will get the glory,
so that’s really all that matters to me.
Side bar: I do not believe that what we
are doing here is unbiblical—and I know
this based on the fruit that comes from
it.
But
my point is, if we think this way, then
we are creating a religious ideal that you
must be “good enough” for God to use you,
and the doctrine of grace goes out the window.
So does this entire book of Judges. On the
fiip side, this does not mean we skirt sound
doctrine or theological accuracy—God did
not excuse Samson’s behavior.
But
the implication is that we cannot completely
dismiss what God is doing through people
based on our boundaries. He can and will
use our mistakes for good! Heart Check.
Do
you believe that God can use anyone for
His purpose? Where do you fit into that
idea?
*In
the end, this chapter is a classic case
of conflct fueled by anger, pride, and jealousy—
and how destructive it can really be.
Deep
Dive
How
significant is the Nazarite vow in the life
of Samson? How might we apply these principles
to our lives?
What
characteristics of Manoah and his wife can
you see? Does God honor them?
How
is Samson’s marriage relevant to our faith
today?
What
role does the Spirit of the Lord play in
Samson’s life? What about yours?
Was
Samson’s anger and vengeance justified?
What consequences did he face?
How
does God’s involvement in today’s reading
strengthen your faith?
Heavenly
Father, thank you for never leaving us to
fight as a lone warrior in this life.
While
we know Samson was never alone, and that
it was only by your Spirit that he was victorious,
it doesn’t take the fear away. But what
your Spirit does is teach us how to fight
through that fear.
Despite
Samson’s rage, bitterness, revenge, and
pride, you still used him for your greater
purpose, shooting holes through anyone’s
idea that God can only use the holiest of
holies. We know that simply isn’t true.
It doesn’t give us a permission slip to
live and act however we want, but it does
give us hope when we hold ourselves back
from entering the ring. Empower us today,
Holy Spirit, so that we will be strengthened
in the gifts and calling that you have ordered.
Thank
you for hearing us when we cry out and for
reviving us when we are spiritually parched.
I pray that we will not hold back from seeking
you and that we won’t delay any longer in
allowing you to do what you desire in and
through us.
Forgive
us if we have been doing whatever seems
right in our own eyes or caving under the
pressure of temptation. All of that serves
self and not you, and that is not how we
want to live. We know that a life lived
in service to you is far more abundant than
one that gives us what we want in the moment.
Sometimes it’s hard for us to see beyond
our own desires, but I pray that you allow
our vision to surpass our fancies so that
we can see beyond ourselves. May we never
manipulate anyone into giving us what we
want, and God forbid we try to manipulate
you to fit into our ideal manifest.
Forgive
us if we have been skirting confiict in
the name of keeping peace. We know that
the best way to cure confiict is with truth
and mercy, so I pray that we will avoid
future resentment by dealing with it now.
May we be peacemakers instead.
We
are so grateful for the Lion of Judah that
roars inside of us, allowing us to defeat
the enemy that comes to devour. But this
doesn’t give us an excuse to hang out in
places we shouldn’t be in or to play with
fire, for your Spirit upon us doesn’t make
us any godlier. Our obedience is required.
But how powerful of a force we will be when
we marry your Spirit with obedience.
Help
us to keep that in mind always. Your purpose
will always prevail, but how wonderful it
would be to carry it out with e£iciency
rather than resistance.
Thank
you for allowing us to see you today and
for strengthening our faith. You live up
to every single name, and today we declare
you as Wonderful.
In
Judges 16, Samson spends the evening with
a prostitute in Gaza. The Gazites devise
a plan to ambush him in the morning, but
Sampson escapes at midnight by pulling the
gates out of the ground and taking them
to the top of a hill.
Samson
falls in love with a philistine woman named
Delilah, and the Philistine leaders convince
her to find the source of his strength so
they can overtake him. In return, they will
each give her 1100 pieces of silver. Delilah
attempts to seduce Samson three different
times, but he deceives her by telling her
that he will fall weak if he is tied up
by fresh bowstrings, bound by new rope,
or if his hair is braided. Each time the
Philistines come upon him, he is able to
escape.
Eventually,
Sampson tires of Delilah’s begging, and
he finally tells her the truth— the source
of his strength lies in his hair, as he
had taken a Nazirite vow. That night, she
lures him to sleep, and has his head shaved.
This time, Samson is unable to break free,
as the Lord had left him. His eyes are gouged
out, and he is brought to Gaza as a prisoner.
As he works at the mill of the prison, his
hair begins to grow back. As the Philistines
celebrate and worship their God Dagon for
delivering Samson to them, they bring Samson
out to humiliate him in front of them. Samson
pleads with the Lord for strength one last
time before pulling the pillars of the house
on top of himself and everyone in attendance.
That day, about 3000 died, more than the
lives he took throughout his entire lifetime.
The chapter ends with Samson’s family coming
to retrieve his body for burial.
In
Judges 17, an Ephraimite man named Micah
admits to his mother that he has stolen
1100 pieces of silver from her and wishes
to restore it, for it had been cursed. The
mother blesses her son and dedicates the
silver to the Lord by making a carved and
metal image from the silver.
Micah
sets up a shrine and ordains one of his
sons as his own personal priest. At this
point, Israel has completely backslidden.
A young sojourning Levite from Bethlehem
seeks lodging at the house of Micah. Micah
strikes a deal to make him become a priest
and in return, he will give him clothing,
housing and 10 pieces of silver each year.
After
his ordination, Micah believes having a
Levitical priest in his home will bring
him favor from God.
In
Judges 18, the tribe of Dan seeks out a
place to live, for they had not been able
to settle in their inherited land.
They
send out five warrior spies to survey potential
homelands.
When
they come across Micah’s home, they recognize
the Levite’s voice and inquire about how
he was living here.
When
he tells them he is Micah’s priest, they
ask him for a divine blessing upon their
journey, and he grants it to them. The spies
move on to the peaceful and prosperous land
of Laish. Because of its secure nature,
they report back that it is favorable land
for them, and they should take it over.
On their way back to conquer Laish, the
Danites stop at Micah’s house to take his
carved image, ephod, household gods and
the Levite priest for themselves.
Micah
pursues the Danites when he realizes they
had stolen from him, but he is turned back
by their force. The Danites conquer Laish,
rename the city Dan, and continue practicing
idolatry until their captivity.
HONEST
FAITH | Judges 16:7-9
Here
we see Samson playing her game. He’s doing
just enough to get what he wants from her
yet isn’t honest about where his strength
comes from. We can sometimes do this as
Christians, where we will disguise our Christianity
so that we don’t o£end the world,
or so that we don’t appear as hypocrites
when we’re fully engaged IN sin.
I
remember several years back; my husband
and I were invited to a co-ed bachelor/bachelorette
party in Las Vegas.
At
the time, I was considering going into seminary,
so I knew I had to choose whether I would
party it up like I had with them in the
past or choose not to fiirt with compromise.
The conviction that was on my heart was
that I knew I needed to be honest about
why I was not going—it wasn’t because I
was better than anyone but because I was
living my life for Jesus now and couldn’t
skirt the line any longer. It wasn’t easy
to say it, but our friends respected our
honesty and are still some of the closest
friends we have. I would’ve been a hypocrite
if I didn’t tell them about Jesus. Heart
Check.
Are
you honest about where your strength comes
from? Do you tell others it's Jessus?
PROPER
REST | Judges 16:19
Notice
that Delilah binds him up when he’s asleep
or comfy in his bed.
Here,
she was likely playing with his hair which
is what allowed the enemy to come in and
mimic what she was doing while stealing
away his strength. That’s the way the enemy
works. He doesn’t come in with his pitchfork
and horns—he disguises himself as an angel
of light and shows up when we’re the most
vulnerable. Here, it was when Samson was
tired. I believe this is why God stresses
the importance of getting rest, because
he knows that we are vulnerable to attack
when we’re tired or weary. Even science
shows that our decision-making ability and
emotional stability are compromised when
we are fatigued.
Think
about how grouchy we get when we’re stressed
or tired—our emotions are all over the place,
and usually teetering on the negative side.
This is why Jesus says, “Come unto me all
who are weary, and I will give you rest”
(Matt. 11:28-29), because he knows the burdens
that we bear are far too great for us to
carry on our own. Heart Check.
How
tired are you? Are you getting proper rest
in both your body and spirit?
SECRET
+ SOURCE | Judges 16:20
One
question a lot of people will ask those
who are successful is, “What’s the secret
to your success?”
The
secret of Samson’s current success was in
his hair—there was nothing magical about
the hair itself, but it was the outward
symbol of his inward consecration. He was
set apart for God’s purposes. But the true
source of Samson’s strength was the Spirit
of the Lord. And He has now left Samson,
not forsaking him, but leaving him to his
sin. The Lord said in Gen. 6 before the
fiood that His Spirit would not strive with
man forever, meaning there will come a point
where if we don’t repent, He will hand us
over to our sin. He will never forsake us
either, but His love for us is too great
to allow us to continue sinning under the
umbrella of His mercy. It seemed that Samson
assumed God’s delay in judgment for his
sin meant He was okay with it.
So
both the secret of consecration and the
source of the Spirit are both necessary
for success. Sometimes we can be consecrated,
where we desire to serve, we’re passionate
about God, but we lack empowerment to move
in the higher realm of the kingdom. Or on
the fiip side, we can have the power of
the Spirit, but we lack the discipline or
dedication to live a life that is truly
set apart.
But
when you put the two together—that is when
you will see God moving in the miraculous
and doing mighty things in the spiritual
arena. Heart Check.
Do
you have both the secret (consecration)
and the source (empowerment by the Spirit)
to success?
**In
the end, Samson never got his eyesight back—this
was a consequence of his sin. And his life
ended in tragedy. This shows us that there
may be some pain and permanent losses that
we will experience because of poor choices.
But the glorious thing that we see here,
is that God never gives up on us. He is
the God of the second chance.
And
if my life is any indicator of chance, He’s
the God of the 135th chance. I suffered
great loss of my singing voice because I
was entangled in sin at the peak of my worship.
But look how God has taken what the locust
has eaten and restored those lost years.
He specializes in restoration.
He
gives beauty for ashes, strength for fear,
gladness for mourning (anyone hear Crystal
Lewis in your head?). There may be a season
of pain, but joy comes in the morning—His
mercies are new and waiting for us to wake
up. The closer we get to God and the longer
we know Him, the more we will see His grace.
I believe that Samson, while a tragic hero,
is experiencing the fullness of that grace
now in paradise, beyond the pages of this
book. So take heart, for God will restore
what has been broken.
MOLDING
GOD | Judges 17:3
What’s
interesting here is that Micah’s mother
is dedicating the silver to the Lord, but
then turns right around and breaks the 2nd
commandment of “you shall not make for yourself
a carved image” (Ex. 32:4). So we see them
mixing true worship with false practice.
This proves the backslidden state of the
spiritual nature of Israel currently. And
because of our fallen nature, we tend to
want to shape God into our image. We don’t
want to accept what the Bible says about
Him, so we will choose to ignore the parts
we don’t like and only focus on the parts
that suit us.
This
is why we sin. And it takes a real effort
to be able to understand God’s nature and
His heart.
This
is why we read the entire Bible—so that
we can have a bird’s eye view of who God
is and why He does what He does.
But
if you go throughout your life, only cherry-picking
scripture or only relying on the few that
are highlighted at the pulpit or in a devotional,
you will never grasp this.
Recent
studies show that Bible illiteracy is at
an all-time low, with only 39% of the population
cracking open their Bible—and even that
group of people are barely scraping the
surface of actually reading. That number
plummeted during the pandemic, and if you
look at how that correlates with the increase
in immorality, it’s staggering.
Yet
we have the highest number of churches that
we’ve ever seen with fewer Christians. So
the only sense we can make of this is that
we are molding God to our image. Our truth
is superseding His truth. Heart Check.
Do
you mold God's commands or character to
fit your preferences?
RIGHT
IN HIS EYES | Judges 17:6
Even
though it says they had no king, if they
had recognized God as their rightful King,
they wouldn’t be doing what was right in
their own eyes. This was the problem—the
were no longer aware of their sin, and therefore
they weren’t repenting. This is why I don’t
believe there is such a thing as “too much
repentance.” I would rather be in a place
of humility before the Lord than a place
of thinking I’ve done nothing wrong, which
is what was happening here. They think they’re
in the right.
The
Bible says that we see life through a dim
mirror at best (1 Cor. 13:12), and the Lord
says, “If my people who are called by My
name will humble themselves and pray and
seek My face and turn from their wicked
ways, then I will hear from heaven, and
will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
I don’t know about you, but I want God to
hear my prayers and to heal our land. God
knows we need it. And that requires humility
and repentance. Anything I pray here, is
a personal plea from my own heart and never
coming from a priestly place of praying
on your behalf. That is not my place. Heart
Check.
Are
you doing what is right in your eyes or
God's?
EASY
STREET | Judges 18:1
The
truth is, the tribe of Dan was unable to
settle their original inherited land, so
now they’re going to travel north for an
“easier” conquest.
But
sadly, this is going to leave them more
vulnerable to attack from the enemies of
the north in the future. So they’re jumping
from the frying pan right into the fire.
The easy street isn’t always the better
one. God’s road is always best—and while
it may be a little bumpy, it prepares you
for the destination.
The
Danites should’ve stayed where they were
and allowed God to develop them. Heart Check.
Do
you look for the easy street when times
get tough? Or are you willing to fight the
good fight that the Lord has brought to
you?
**Micah
was looking to get rich, to be respected,
and to have a private religion, yet in the
end, he lost all three. This is what will
happen when we do right in our own eyes
instead of seeking the Lord for guidance
and wisdom in every matter.
Deep
Dive
What
lessons can be learned from Samson’s life?
How does it relate to your life?
What
could he have done di£erently? How
does this shape your decision making?
What
might private religion like the one Micah
created look like today? Is there distortion
in true worship?
How
can we ensure that our worship is true and
not infiuenced by societal pressure or personal
preference?
Look
at the characteristics of the Sidonian lifestyle—
what lessons can be learned from it?
How
can we ensure we are not doing right in
our own eyes?
Heavenly
Father, thank you for continuing to stand
by, waiting for us to return to you.
We
are so grateful for your faithfulness to
save us when we are faltering, to give us
strength when we are weak, and to guide
us when we feel lost. I pray that we will
be a people that shouts from the rooftops
about where all of this comes from. We could
do nothing without you, so we are even more
thankful that you promise to never leave
us or forsake us. Even in our weakest moments
of failure, we are still able to find redemption
to fight and defeat the enemy. Thank you
for giving us that hope today.
I
pray that if there is anything that is alluring
in our sight but immoral in yours, that
you will give us divine strength to look
away, so that we do not allow sin to progress.
We know the enemy comes to deceive us, and
sometimes we may innocently be pulled into
something that we never intended to get
into. Increase our discernment today so
that we are not fooled. We will not be scared
or fearful of what the enemy might try to
do, because He who is within us is greater
than he that is in the world.
Forgive
us if we’ve ever been on the side of the
deceiver. I pray that you continue to wash
us and make us clean, so that we will live
a life of holiness. Just because we are
strong in an area does not mean we are strong
in all, so we need you to be with us always.
I
pray that we will not be blinded by the
beauty of anything this world has to o£er
but give us corrective lenses so that we
are able to see deception clearly and will
not fall into blind love.
I
pray for proper rest, in both our physical
bodies and in our spirits. Thank you, Jesus,
for allowing us to cast all of our cares
upon you, and when we bring you our burdens,
you promise to give us rest. You are our
Sabbath.
But
we know we are still responsible for the
condition of our physical bodies, and this
requires us taking care of it and getting
a good rest. If anyone has grown weary,
I pray that you will pick them up and let
them rest in your arms for a bit, while
you carry them on your wings like an eagle.
Help us to run this race and not faint.
Thank
you for your grace and goodness which is
no match for evil. Thank you for being the
God of the 856th chance—for giving us hope
every time we fall. You are so good to us,
and this is why we desire to love, honor,
and serve you, with everything in us. Empower
us today Holy Spirit, and may we partner
with you as we consecrate ourselves in holy
devotion. We know we need both the secret
and the source, by consecration and your
Spirit if we want to be victorious.
Forgive
us if we have diluted, perverted, or completely
missed the mark in our worship. Continue
to show us what true worship looks like
so that we can bring you pure o£erings
with clean hands. We never want to assume
that we are clean, so will you allow your
Holy Spirit to convict our hearts. I pray
that we continue to teach and lead others
into prayer and repentance as well. The
more we do that, the greater the chorus
will be for you to hear and heal and forgive.
We need you in our homes, in our communities,
and in our nations.
I
know there are many who are hurting and
fearful today. Will you wrap your arms around
them and let them know you are with them?
Give them a spirit of power, love and a
sound mind. Protect every city, state and
nation from su£ering, whether it be
through warfare or weather. Our hearts cry
out with them. Let them know you have not
forsaken them. Give them everything they
need, and I pray that the hands and feet
that are near will rise up to assist and
o£er help. Show us how we can be of
assistance.
We
know the Christian life is the best life,
but it isn’t always the easiest. But with
you, all things are possible, and we can
do all things through Christ who gives us
strength. So I pray that we will not abandon
our post for the sake of taking the easy
street. We know that it is in the trials
of fire that you are developing us for your
glory. So instead of living life on our
terms, may we always maintain a right relationship
with you, one where we worship in spirit
and in truth. Thank you for your divine
guidance that you give us every day.
In
Judges 19, a sojourning Levite from the
hill country of Ephraim takes for himself
a concubine from Bethlehem of Judah. When
she proves to be unfaithful, she fiees to
her father’s home. After four months, her
husband tries to woo her back, and she invites
him to stay in her father’s home. When the
Levite tries to leave with his concubine,
the father does all he can to convince him
to stay. After five days, they set out for
Gibeah in Benjamin. When they are o£ered
no hospitality there, they seek rest in
the city square. However, when an old Ephraimite
sojourner finds them in the city square,
he invites them into his home. Mirroring
the events of Lot in Sodom, a group of men
come to the man’s home to violate the Levite.
But they are given the concubine instead,
and the men violate and abuse her to death.
When the Levite finds her on the porch in
the morning, he divides her body into twelve
pieces and sends them to the twelve tribes
of Israel to illustrate this horrific act
that had been committed in Gibeah.
In
Judges 20, the Israelites gather to address
what took place in Gibeah. The Levite recounts
the details of what happened to his concubine,
and in response, the Israelites unite against
the tribe of Benjamin to seek justice. They
go throughout the town demanding for the
perpetrators to be handed over, but the
tribe of Benjamin refuses in solidarity
with their people. The Israelites go before
the Lord for guidance in this civil war.
Israel is defeated twice, losing 40,000
men, but the Lord urges them to continue
fighting. After the third attempt, they
are victorious by way of an ambush. Benjamin
su£ers a great loss of 25,000 men
of valor, and the towns and everything in
it are destroyed. Only 600 men remain, leaving
the tribe almost extinct.
In
Judges 21, the Israelites recall a rash
vow they made not to give their daughters
to any of the remaining 600 Benjamites.
In fear of the tribe disappearing altogether,
the devise a plan to find wives for their
brothers. But first, they head to Bethel
to plead with the Lord and bring o£erings
and sacrifices. With no answer from the
Lord, they strategize and plan to send 12,000
soldiers to wipe out everyone but the young
virgins of Jabesh-Gilead since they were
the only ones who did not originally fight
against Benjamin. With only 400 virgin wives
taken, the Israelites come up with another
strategy to obtain wives for the remaining
200 men. This time, the 200 men without
wives set up an ambush during the annual
feast in Shiloh and kidnap the young women
who come out to dance. This sidesteps the
oath they made not to give their daughters
to the Benjamites.
COMMITMENT
| Judges 19:1-3
The
first thing we are seeing in this godless
society is a perversion of love. Remember—God’s
design for marriage is one man and one woman,
so while we will see godly men with many
wives and concubines, the Bible is not condoning
it. When society rejects God’s moral law
of love, we will see all kinds of sexual
immorality, because we no longer see sex
as a gift from God for marriage.
It
becomes polluted and so does the way we
commit ourselves to a person. We allow our
pleasure and feelings to dictate our commitment.
This is why we must grasp the understanding
of love and covenant through God’s eyes.
Heart Check.
What
are your views on love and sex? What dicates
your commitment to a person?
HOSPITALITY
| Judges 19:15
The
fact that they could find no hospitality
in Gibeah shows the spiritual state they
were in. God commands His people throughout
the Bible to be hospitable. Jesus commends
the ones who fed him and gave him drink.
The author of Hebrews tells us not to forsake
entertaining strangers, for we may be entertaining
an angel. This means hospitality goes beyond
serving cookies at church.
Being
hospitable is being kind to people you don’t
know, or being generous to those in need.
But in such an individualistic society,
which we are seeing here in Gibeah, where
all that matters is what I want, hospitality
will be lacking. Heart Check.
How
Hospitable are you? Do you give more than
you take? Are you kind to strangers?
TRANSFORMING
SOCIETY | Judges 19
In
the end, we see how godlessness leads to
complete societal and moral breakdown and
confusion. We are seeing this happening
before our very eyes today. Society tells
us the problem is that we lack programs
or money. So we form committees to address
it, then we spend months, if not years deliberating
about it. All the while, spending taxpayer
dollars to fund these programs, while many
others go ranting on social media. But sadly,
we are missing the point— no president,
program, law, or system will change this
downward spiral.
The
problem is godlessness. It’s everyone living
how they want to live. If we used the energy
that we spend arguing, lobbying, and going
to meetings or rallies… on teaching society
about the goodness and love of God and the
gospel of Jesus, we would be able to see
real change. The Kingdom of Heaven will
never come to earth by way of politics.
If we want to transform society, it’s up
to us. That’s the purpose of reading these
chapters—to see that there is a desperate
need for redemption, and we know hope is
on the way. So redemption can only come
through Jesus. He is the only answer to
fighting evil. Heart Check.
What
are you doing to transform a godless society
today? How much time do you spend sharing
the gosphel compared to fighting a cause?
**Side
bar: I am not saying politics don’t matter—they
do. But if hearts don’t change, we will
never get godly men and women to shape our
politics, laws, and systems.**
RESOLVING
ISSUES | Judges 20:13
Israel
is wanting to deal with the isolated issue
before simply attacking. I wonder how many
wars and battles we could avoid if we would
do the same. The enemy’s ploy is always
to destroy, so he will do everything he
can to get us to take one thing and allow
it to fester in our minds until we have
magnified ten other issues. At least Israel
is seeking resolve before war. Heart Check.
Do
you seek to resolve issues at hand? Or do
you go in for the attack?
LOYALTY
| Judges 20:14
Benjamin
is holding their loyalty to their tribe
higher than their loyalty to God. They are
willing to give up doing the right thing
in the name of solidarity.
This
would be like a parent protecting their
child at all costs, even if their child
has committed a gruesome crime. We have
to remember that as Christians, we are citizens
of heaven first (Phil. 3:20), so we must
always put the interests of ourselves and
our nation second to the interests of the
Kingdom, for it has been wisely said that
“Unity apart from justice and truth is unity
not worth having” (Guzik). Heart Check.
Where
is your loyalty? Are you willing to disobey
God to maintain a relatioship or solidarity
with something or someone else?
GIVING
GOD OPTIONS | Judges 20:18-28
Notice
the progression of their approach with God.
First they asked, “How should we attack?”
It
took them losing that battle to then say,
“Shucks, Lord, should we be fighting at
all?” They had to su£er a second loss
before finally repenting and fasting. If
the order had been repent and fast first,
they may have spared themselves some losses.
But because they put their demands on God
rather than asking for permission, He allowed
it.
So
this wasn’t necessarily God’s perfect will
for them to fight but it was His permissive
will. Heart Check.
Are
you giving God options on how to do things?
Or do you ask, "Shall I" before
you ask, " How should I?"
Deep
Dive
How
does the lack of godly leadership affect
society?
Compare
today’s hospitality and relationships with
what we read in chapter 19. How are they
di£erent? What would the consequences
of this kind of situation be today?
What
consequences do we see of sin within communities?
Nations?
How
can we better respond to injustice and resolve
confiict in our communities?
How
does “everyone did what was right in his
own eyes” play out for Israel? How does
it mirror society now?
Heavenly
Father, oh' how we desperately need to come
back to you.
With
us, If we do nothing, this downward spiral
will only gain acceleration. So we commit
ourselves to doing what we can to lead others
to your kindness, for it is your kindness
that leads us to repentance.
We
pray that scales will begin to fall off
the eyes of those who are blinded by immorality
or heartlessness. Help us to see that true
happiness does not come by way of individualistic
pleasure. It is going to come from holiness
and from the joy that is found in obedience
to you.
We
don’t want to have to be warned by gruesome
acts or even by your wrath that is being
revealed from heaven against every act of
wickedness of those who suppress the truth
by it (Romans 1:18). So I pray we will be
beacons of truth and light. We want to expose
wickedness, not suppress it. The best way
to do that is shine your light of love,
kindness, goodness and faithfulness. May
the fruit of the Spirit be so evident in
our lives and contagious unto others.
Thank
you, Jesus, for the way that you have liberated
women from being second-class, lowlife,
citizens. Everywhere your gospel has set
foot, women have been elevated. We are so
grateful that your standard of being co-heirs
in Christ is being adopted all over the
world. I pray for the oppression to be lifted
in places where women are still mistreated
and abused. Help them oh God. Strengthen
and protect them. We pray for divine intervention
so that they can be set free.
Please
help us to a people who pursue peace and
stand for unity—but may our loyalty to people,
causes or even our nation never supersedes
our loyalty to you first. I pray that we
will maintain a spirit of humility and brokenness
before you always so that we will come to
you first for resolve before jumping into
an unnecessary war. I pray that this wisdom
will be passed on to leaders of every nation.
We know that unity is worth nothing apart
from justice and truth. I pray that you
will continue to work in us personally,
corporately and nationally. Thank you, Jesus,
for being the perfect sacrifice—the only
one good enough to deal with the weight
of our sin.
We
are grateful that even if we have poor leadership,
you are our King. So we place ourselves
under your authority first and foremost.
Jesus, you have shown us how to live and
how to love, and it is the only indestructible
force in this world. It is the more excellent
way. Help us to love above all. Anything
else is a denial of your character and what
you did on the cross.
Thank
you for helping us to read through these
really dark and depressing chapters with
the hope of the world in our hearts. Without
you, we might walk away feeling defeated.
These chapters aren’t fun, nor are they
merry and bright. But it would be a superficial
faith if we only adhered to the positive
things that we want to hear. Ignoring this
Word would be saying that it can do nothing
for our good. But that simply isn’t true.
We see how desperately we need you Jesus,
even in the midst of our very dark and broken
world. We don’t live in a fairytale, and
we can’t fake our way through this life.
So we hold on to you—our only hope.
In
Ruth 1, a severe famine came over the land
of Israel. A man from Bethlehem of Judah,
Ehimelech, took his wife Naomi and their
two sons Mahlon and Chilion, to the land
of Moab to seek out a better life. However,
Elimelech does not survive. Her sons marry
two Moabite women, Ruth and Orpah, but soon
after, Naomi’s two sons die. She decides
to return home once she hears the Lord was
upon the land of Judah and urges her daughters-in-law
to return to their families, insisting that
they will have a better chance at remarrying,
since she has no other children. Orpah returns
to her family while Ruth pledges loyalty
to both Naomi and her God, declaring that
she will live and go where Naomi goes.
The
town of Bethlehem welcomes the women with
glee, but Naomi insists they call her Mara,
which means “bitter,” for she revealed her
life was full of bitterness due to the Lord’s
hand of discipline on her life. This was
during the beginning of the barley harvest.
In
Ruth 2, Ruth goes into the fields of Moab
to glean grain, in hopes of finding favor.
Ruth happens to glean a field belonging
to Naomi’s close relative Boaz. As Boaz
comes to his field, he asks about Ruth.
When his servants reply that she is a Moabite
who had been loyal to his relative Naomi,
Boaz gives Ruth full permission to continue
gleaning while giving her favor of protection
and sustenance. Despite her foreign status,
she is treated kindly. Ruth continues to
work the fields and shares some of her gatherings
with Naomi, letting her know of her interaction
with Boaz. Naomi declares that he has the
power and right to redeem them, so she encourages
Ruth to remain in the field and to stay
near the women until the end of harvest.
In
Ruth 3, Naomi devises a plan to set up Ruth
with her kinsman redeemer Boaz.She advises
Ruth to go to the threshing fioor in the
evening and humbly present herself at his
feet. When Boaz awakens to find her there,
she proposes marriage by asking him to spread
his garment over her. Boaz blesses her for
her kindness and integrity and agrees to
marriage. But first, he must give a nearer
kinsman the opportunity to redeem her first.
Ruth remains in his protection for the evening
and quietly leaves before sunrise to avoid
any hassle. Boaz sends her off with six
measures of barley as a sign of his commitment
to this oath.
In
Ruth 4, Boaz goes to the town gate to offer
the redemption of Ruth to Naomi’s closer
relative.Boaz presents it as an offer to
redeem Naomi’s land. When the relative agrees,
Boaz lets him know that the land also comes
with the widow Naomi and her daughter-in-law,
which leads to him retracting his initial
acceptance. With this rejection, he gives
the redeeming right to Boaz instead, and
they settle on it. Boaz announces the deal
to the elders, and they bless and pray for
Boaz and Ruth. Following their marriage,
Ruth gives birth to a son named Obed, and
the town rejoices and blesses Naomi, who
is now a grandmother and nurse for her grandson.
The town declares Ruth as a gift to her
mother-in-law, one that is better than the
gift of seven sons.
RUNNING
FROM PROBLEMS | Ruth 1:1-1-5
This
is definitely a tragedy, and there’s nothing
that indicates this was the “hand of God”
casting judgment on their family. Sometimes
we can’t explain why bad things happen,
but one day we will understand. It’s no
doubt that these were desperate times, and
because of the famine, people were seeking
out food wherever they could find it. But
what’s clearly indicated here is that a
change of location didn’t change their problems.
In fact, it made them worse. Instead of
waiting on the Lord to hear from Him, they
left the “House of Bread” and headed for
the darkness of Moab, and ultimately the
men died. All external forces aside, sometimes
we think that if we run away from our problems,
they’ll somehow disappear.
But
the thing is, we can’t run away from ourselves.
We bring us wherever we go, meaning our
bad habits, our personality, our insecurities,
and the way we deal with people don’t go
away, so if that is what is causing issues
in our lives, we will have the same problems
in a di£erent place. We might be able
to run from our problems, but we won’t be
able to hide. Heart Check.
Do
you tend to run away from problems or think
that a change of scenery will make your
life better? Or are you willing to make
things better where you are?
I
WISH VS. I WILL | Ruth 1:7-8
I’m
glad we came to this section, because I
wanted to follow up the last Heart Check
with this “fiip side” argument: there is
nothing wrong with changing locations to
seek a better life when the Lord leads you
there. Naomi was bold, and she did something
about her grim circumstances. Some will
stay stuck in the “I wish” mentality, while
others will reach out and grab hold of what
the Lord has for them. Heart Check.
Are
you stuck in "I wish" things were
different? Or are you committing to "I
will" to do something about it?
WHAT
OTHERS HEAR | Ruth 1:7-8
What
I love about this is that Naomi heard that
life was good because of what the Lord was
doing in the fields, and she wanted a part
of that. That’s what I want my life to be—one
where people say, there’s something good
going on over there—I want to be a part
of it. That’s how our walk with Jesus should
be—one where despite our problems, He is
the lifter of our head, He gives us joy
unspeakable, He walks with us through fire,
He’ll never leave us, He saved us from death!
That is what will make others want to come
around this Jesus guy. Heart Check.
What
do others hear about your life? Do they
know that the Lord visits your field?
BETTER
OR BITTER | Ruth 1
In
the end, Naomi was moving in faith. She
lost everything, and could’ve very easily
been bitter. But because she chose to be
better and move back to God in repentance,
back to the House of Bread, back to the
place of praise (Judah), she is going to
be abundantly blessed. This is the part
of the story where you want to shout, “Hang
in there Ruth, I know the ending!” the same
way we were with Job. I believe the Lord
was telling her that a breakthrough was
on the way, and this is what kept her moving
toward Him. So we will either allow our
trials to make us stay stuck in our bitterness
or they will keep us clinging to Jesus as
He walks with us through the fire. Heart
Check.
Do
trials in your life make you bitter or better?
I
SEE YOU | Ruth. 2:10-13
I
feel like Ruth—how in the world have I found
favor in the eyes of such a kind and loving
God? And I love Boaz’s answer—he basically
says, “I know what you’ve done.”
He
saw her!
We
will all stand before Jesus one day and
He will say the same thing—“I know what
you’ve done.”
For
some of us, that might freak us out a little.
But take heart. Because He is for you, not
against you. When He says He sees you and
knows you, He sees your heart, not your
happenings. He hears your cries. He sees
the blood of Jesus that covers us in grace
and righteousness. And He responds with
kindness. That’s the goodness of our God.
We may not deserve it and probably can’t
understand it, but what we can do is be
grateful for it and respond to it in worship
and honor. One of the best ways to honor
Him is to see yourself the way He sees you.
Because when we get a right picture of who
we are in Him, it changes everything. When
we understand our place of humility before
an Almighty God, the windows of heaven open
up in a greater way to allow you to now
see Him and to know Him. Heart Check.
How
do you see yourself? How do you see God?
LEFTOVERS
| Ruth 2:18
I
love that Ruth brought food to her mother-in-law.
She didn’t hoard it all for herself, and
this kind of generosity is what will bring
blessing on her life. The Bible says that
when we give, it will be given unto us.
A good measure, pressed down, shaken together,
running over, and poured out unto us (Luke
6:38). He blesses those who are generous
(Prov. 22:9). I always equate this with
how generous we are with the grace of God.
He is being so kind to us, in allowing us
to know and understand Him. So once we gain
that fullness in our Spirit, we’ve got to
start pouring out so that we are not fattened
in our bellies but lean in our soul.Heart
Check.
What
are you doing with your leftovers?
WHAT
DID YOU DO TODAY | Ruth 2:19
While
I believe these questions are coming from
a place of pure excitement, it made me think
about the days when I was an embittered
stay-at-home mom, and my husband would come
home to a disheveled house and wife and
ask, “What did you do today?”
I
remember it would light a fire of rage in
me because all I could see in my mind was
a child who was literally sucking the life
out of me, the piles of laundry that I had
just washed, the dirty dishes that came
from the meals that I cooked, on top of
all the errands that I was running.
Now
if I had been sitting on the couch, scrolling
through Tik Tok all day, eating Taki’s and
being lazy, that would’ve been a valid question
with an invalid response on my part.
So
when we are spending our time and energy,
gleaning from the Word and working in the
field, you will never be triggered by that
question. Side bar—my husband never asks
me that question anymore-- he knows exactly
what I’m doing each day. But it’s a healthy
question we can ask ourselves at the end
of each day. Heart Check.
What
did you do today? Where did you glean? And
where did you work?
DAILY
WASHING | Ruth 3:3
Some
people think that when we become Christians,
everything will change in an instant. Looking
at the bigger picture, it does, as our eternal
destination is far greater than where we
were headed. But we have to stay on that
road. Just like any marriage, once the honeymoon
is over, the relationship takes work.
So
if Boaz is a picture of Jesus and Ruth is
a picture of the church, then we need to
be washing ourselves by His Word and anointing
ourselves by His Spirit. It’s the same way
we take a shower everyday and put on some
Bum Bum cream so that we aren’t stinky.
So if we don’t want to have a stinky spirit,
then this (the Word) is where we will begin
to smell better than we did yesterday. And
our spouse (Jesus) will be pleased with
us. Heart Check.
Are
you washing daily? Is your spirit stinky
or anointed?
THRESHING
FLOOR | Ruth 3:3
Secondly,
Ruth has moved from gleaning in the fields
to the threshing fioor. Spiritually, this
is speaking of moving to a place of sacrifice
and separation— to a place of maturity.
When
we first become Christians, we glean from
the Lord, we’re in that honeymoon stage,
we are washed clean and anointed, but now
comes the sacrifice part of the marriage.
We have to start to separate from the things
we once did.
We
can’t blow all our money on shopping for
ourselves anymore because there’s someone
else to think of and a mortgage to pay.
We
are called to lay down our lives and present
our bodies as a living sacrifice to the
Lord. And these threshingfioor seasons can
be tough and require discipline—it will
often push us to our breaking points.
But
remember that the blessing follows the breaking.
The light shines forth out of the broken
vessels. These are usually crossroad seasons
where we will choose to fight or succumb
to fleeing. Heart Check.
Have
you gone to to the threshing floor? Have
you separated your old self from the new
and presented your body as a living sacrifice?
Deep
Dive
What
major themes do you see in the book of Ruth?
How important are they in your life?
How
have cultural and familial obligations changed
since this time? Is it a good or bad thing?
In
what way can you see the spirit of the law
superseding the Law itself? What does this
say about God’s character?
What
characteristics of Ruth, Naomi and Boaz
stand out? How do they inspire your faith?
Are
there any modern-day systems of “gleaning”?
Is it a feasible solution?
Heavenly
Father, we find our rest, security and satisfaction
in you, our Goel, our Kinsman Redeemer.
We
were all once wondering through life, in
desperate need, seeking after anything to
bring us that satisfaction, yet nothing
of this world could o£er what only
you could. We would eat and never be satisfied,
getting full but still feeling empty. Thank
you for redeeming us and filling us afresh.
We
know that just as we see in this beautiful
love story, that you have this same kind
of love for us. It brings you joy to care
for and protect us. Every footprint you
leave for us to walk in always leads us
into deeper relationship with you. And we
will always have the choice to choose a
nearer kinsman—to try to work our way to
salvation, or we will choose the one that
has been freely given to us by grace.
Thank
you for that.
We
know that nothing in this life is by happenstance—your
divine providence is still so evident. We
may not be able to see your hand in front
of us, but we will always see it when we
look back. You were always there, by our
side, covering us with your wing of protection.
So I pray that we never stray from under
that shelter or out of your footsteps. Even
your worst gift is better than the world’s
best gift to us. So we place ourselves at
your feet today, in humble surrender, declaring
our trust in your divine guidance. We know
that you are working all things together
for good, so even if everything else around
us is in disarray, one thing that never
changes is the solid foundation on which
we stand. So whatever comes our way, good
or bad, we will rejoice.
We
know that you are changing us from glory
to glory, but if we are going to get better,
there may be some breaking or rough patches
that we may need to get through. There will
be fires we need to walk through. I pray
that we won’t run away from them, but keep
pressing toward the upward call, trusting
that you are right there with us. And if
there is a step we need to take in a di£erent
direction, give us the go, blow the trumpet,
sound the alarm, so that we do not waver
in setting out to our Bethlehem. We always
want to come back to you, and can feel the
urgency of an international call to return.
May we not miss this.
I
pray that we will live our lives in bold
faith—lives that others hear about and say,
“We want to live that life with that Jesus.”
We want to be the faithful ones who stay
rooted in you and don’t fiee when we should
be fighting. We know that when we wait upon
you, we will mount up with wings like eagles,
walk and not grow weary, run and not faint.
You will bless us abundantly if we are faithful
and patient in heeding your voice. So may
we always look for the good in what you’re
doing and not the bad, so that we will always
find a way to be better instead of bitter.
We never want to fake our way through life,
but we want to be able to allow your strength
to endure when we are weak.
May
we be people who have noble character so
that we will carry the reputation of a worthy
fellow or woman. This isn’t a matter of
worrying about what people think of us,
but one that motivates us to mirror your
character. We see how Ruth and Boaz’s integrity
not only led to personal redemption, but
ultimately to the life of Jesus. You are
always orchestrating a greater purpose!!
We
commit ourselves today to glean from your
fields, to wash ourselves daily in your
word and bask in the presence of your Holy
Spirit. That is where true peace and joy
comes from, for your word never returns
void. It is in your fields where we will
find refreshment and fellowship—so may we
not be closed off to that.
Thank
you for the well from which we are able
to drink and never thirst.
Thank
you for knowing us better than we know ourselves
and for seeing us better than we are. We
can’t understand how you could love us and
give us so much grace, yet you do. You see
us and know every thought and every hair
on our head. You hear every cry and see
every need. So thank you for sowing seeds
of hope for us today and for your lovingkindness.
Even in times of uncertainty, we set our
hope on our Redeemer, knowing that you will
restore what has been broken.
In
1 Samuel 1, a Levite from Ephraim named
Elkanah has two wives—Peninnah who has many
children, and Hannah who is barren. Each
year, when Elkanah travels to Shiloh to
worship and bring his o£erings, he
gives a double portion to Hannah to express
his love for her. Peninnah despises this
and begins to taunt Hannah, causing her
to go into a depression. In a moment of
desperation, Hanna goes to the temple and
makes a vow to dedicate her child as a lifetime
Nazirite if the Lord would give her a son.
Eli the priest sees her praying and assumes
she is drunk, but when she expresses her
brokenness to him, he blesses her. The Lord
answers her prayer, and she has a son who
she names Samuel. Once the child is weaned,
Hannah takes him to the temple to dedicate
him to the Lord.
In
1 Samuel 2, Hannah lifts up a psalm of thanksgiving
to the Lord for answering her prayer. She
declares to her holy God that there is none
like Him, the one who is sovereign, righteous,
and just. She ends the prayer with a prophetic
message about a king who will be the anointed
one, referencing the Messiah. This is followed
by the account of Eli’s wicked sons Phineas
and Hophni, who are acting disgracefully
as priests as they treat the o£erings
with irreverence and disrespect. Eli gently
rebukes them, but they do not listen. A
prophet comes to Eli to give warning that
their house will be destroyed, and the Lord
will raise up another priest in their place.
In
1 Samuel 3, the people have not heard from
the Lord or had vision. One evening, when
young Samuel is going to sleep, he hears
a voice call his name. When he rushes to
respond to Eli, who he believes is calling
him, Eli denies it and sends him back to
bed. This occurs two more times before Eli
realizes the Lord is calling Samuel. So
Eli instructs Samuel to lie down and if
the Lord speaks, he should respond with,
“Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.” Eli
obeys when the Lord calls him again, and
He proceeds to give him the message of the
impending judgment on Eli’s households for
all their sin. Eli questions Samuel about
his encounter with the Lord, and Samuel
reluctantly relays the message. Eli accepts
the judgment as righteous. The chapter ends
with a statement of Samuel being a true
prophet, as the Lord has been with him throughout
his life, and all his prophecies had been
fulfilled. All of Israel is made aware of
this prophetic gift.
REJECTED
| 1 Sam. 1:6-7
Peninnah’s
name means “Ruby,” but she was anything
but a precious gem.She was over there working
for the devil with her taunting. Sadly,
her lashing out stems from her own issues
of rejection from her husband and jealousy
of Hannah. Heart Check.
Do
you deal with feelings of rejection or jealousy?
How does it make you treat others?
PRAYER
& COUNSEL | 1 Sam. 1:6-18
We
all have an adversary perched on our shoulders,
constantly taunting us. He wants us to think
we’re failures.
He
will do everything he can to make us think
we are terrible parents, we’re failing in
life because we haven’t reached certain
goals, people don't like us, or his favorite—we’re
not good enough to get to heaven. These
thoughts will send us straight into a downward
spiral of depression and anxiety.
But
what I love about Hannah, is that she did
not react like a wounded animal—she went
to the Lord and prayed fervently. She poured
out her soul and sought counsel. In doing
so, she was finally able to get some peace
as she chose to believe in God’s greater
promise for her life. Heart Check.
When
you're being taunted or are suffering from
feelings of failure or depression, where
do you go? Who do you talk to? Who do you
talk to? Do you pour out your soul to the
Lord?
FEAR
OF OFFENSE | 1 Sam. 2:29
Because
Eli didn’t discipline and correct his sons,
he was essentially showing that he was more
worried about o£ending them than he
was about o£ending God. We can sometimes
parent this way—we would rather be our kid’s
friend than their parent because we are
so worried about them liking us.
But
in the end, that will be to their detriment,
but also to ours, because we are now putting
them before God with our fear of o£ense.
Even in society, we dance around so many
issues because we’re afraid of o£ending
people or certain groups, so we either won’t
talk about it or we will change the language
so that it is more fitting and less o£ensive.
We even fail to witness because we are afraid
of scaring people o£ or appearing
weird. Heart Check.
Who
are you more worried about offending? People
or God?
TUNED
IN | 1 Sam. 3:1
One
of the reasons that the word of the Lord
was rare in this time was because there
was no one to speak through—their spiritual
state was at an all-time low. Secondly,
they simply weren’t listening—they weren’t
tuned in to His voice. Today, we have noise
coming from every direction—we’ve got tra£ic,
radios, TVs, podcasts, VLOGS, Spotify, and
both people and the devil yappin’ in our
ears. It’s no wonder people can’t hear the
voice of God. One of the most common things
I hear from people is that they don’t feel
that God speaks to them, or they even worry
about the state of their salvation because
they aren’t sure if they’re hearing from
the Lord or not. Some people even say that
God doesn’t speak today.
But
Jesus made it clear that He stands and the
door and knocks, and anyone who hears his
voice (meaning He still speaks!) and answers,
He will come inside and hang out with them
(Rev. 3:20). So again, the problem isn’t
that He isn’t speaking, it’s that we can’t
hear above all the other noise, or we simply
aren’t tuned in to it. Side bar: If you’re
Christian, you have heard His voice and
responded! If you’re reading His Word, you’re
hearing His voice! Heart Check.
Are
you tuned in to God's voice? When he speaks,
do you listen?
CHILDLIKE
FAITH | 1 Sam. 3:7
Isn’t
it interesting that Samuel lives in a Godly
home, so he most certainly has heard the
word, but it hasn’t been revealed to him
yet. This means he hasn’t gotten revelation.
And
it makes sense, because Jewish tradition
says that Samuel couldn’t have been but
12 years old at this time. Yet God still
chose to speak to him—a child!! After all,
He tells us that if we want to get into
the kingdom, we need to come as children,
meaning we stop thinking we know everything
and feel like we need to control everything,
and we go back to the days of innocence
(Mt. 18:3).
That’s
why He says that when we are saved, we are
a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17).
I
believe that when we have that kind of childlike
faith, where we are excited to get into
His Word, and we see His beauty everywhere,
and we are excited to wake up and see what
He’s going to do next, that’s when He will
call us. Heart Check.
Do
you have a childlike faith that has an innocence
and wonder? Or are you still operating in
the old habits of being doubtful and unfaithful?
Deep
Dive
What
might barrenness look like for the spiritual
life?
What
characteristics can you see in Hannah, Eli
and Samuel? How do they inspire you?
Is
there something you’ve been waiting for
an answer with the Lord? How does Hannah’s
fervent prayer and faith give you hope?
Judging
by Hannah’s song, how well did she know
God and His character? How can this help
shape your prayer life?
How
might you distinguish God’s voice from other
voices?
Heavenly
Father, we hear you, God, and we are listening.
Thank
you for continuing to speak to us every
day through your Word, through laughter
with family and friends, through nature,
and by your Holy Spirit in our hearts. We
want to be like Samuel—people who make ourselves
available and posture ourselves so that
we can respond when you call. I pray that
we are never presumptuous in assuming that
you will speak about a certain thing at
a certain time, but we remain humble, and
simply wait on you. In the meantime, I pray
that all other frequencies will be tuned
out so that we are receptive to your whisper.
I pray that we will not try to speak over
you with our own pride or stubbornness but
will simply be still and know that you are
God. We want to have an innocence and excitement
within us, so that we can allow your wonder
to be awe-inspiring. We don’t want to grow
cold to who you are or to what you do.
I
pray for anyone who may be struggling today
with infertility—will you speak a promise
over them today, declaring that they have
been chosen for a specific purpose in this
life, and whether they are given a child
or not, there is nothing that can diminish
or devalue their worth as child of God and
as a woman in this world. I pray that all
pressures and burdens will be lifted from
them today, and that you will bless them
with your peace in knowing that your purpose
will prevail.
And
for anyone who may be dealing with depression,
Lord, we bind it in the name of Jesus. May
that spirit be lifted o£ them today.
Help them to know that you are with them
and that they are not alone. Teach us all
how to know your peace and how to overcome
any deep sorrow or grief.
Thank
you, Jesus, for understanding exactly what
we’re going through and for being the one
to carry our burdens. We lay them at your
feet today. I pray that you will calm our
hearts and ground us in your love. Help
us to have an eternal perspective so that
we can set our hope on higher ground. Keep
us steadfast in our faith, especially in
those seasons that are tougher than usual.
We
will continue to trust in your divine calling
on our lives, and I pray that we will remain
open to who, what, when, where and how you
will get it done.
All
you want from us is faithful obedience,
so we are here for it. We acknowledge your
sovereignty in our lives and submit ourselves
to you.
Thank
you for all the blessings in our lives.
I pray that we never cease to dedicate it
all for your glory. We hold our heads high
today, knowing that you are our strength,
even when we are at our weakest. There is
none like you, God, so we exalt and magnify
your Holy Name. Thank you for being our
rock, our firm foundation—the one who is
unchanging and immoveable. Because we set
ourselves upon that rock, we too will not
be moved but by your Spirit. The world may
spin in chaos all around us, but we will
not be shaken. We know that you will right
every wrong, so we trust in you, and thank
you that we do not need to take matters
into our own hands.
Forgive
us if we have acted worthless in any way
and thank you for your mercy to forgive
us of all sin. We know that there is nothing
that can separate us from your love. But
we want to live a holy life, one that is
refiective of you. We want a genuine relationship
with you and to continue to draw closer
with each passing day. I pray that we will
raise our children to be the same.
So
we ask again for vision, revelation and
direction on how we can be faithful to your
call. We know you are moving and doing mighty
things. I pray that we do not miss it when
you call from heaven.
In
1 Samuel 4, Samuel brings the word of judgment
to Israel, and they go out to fight against
the Philistines near Ebenezer. Four thousand
Israelites are defeated, and the elders
attempt to bolster up their army by bringing
the Ark of the Covenant from Shiloh into
battle with them.
When
the Ark arrives, the men shout so loud that
the earth trembles. When the Philistines
hear their shouts, they begin to fear that
Israel’s “gods” were among them. But they
courageously fight and defeat Israel once
more, this time killing 30,000 men and capturing
the Ark.
In
1 Samuel 5, the Philistines bring the Ark
to Ashdod and set it on display in the house
of Dagon. When they awake the next morning,
they discover Dagon face down before the
Ark, and prop him back up. The following
day, they find Dagon face down once again,
but this time his head and hands were cut
o£.
When
the Lord sends a plague of boils upon Ashdod,
the Philistines send the Ark from town to
town, but the plague follows the Ark. They
finally cry out to the Lord because of their
severe distress.
In
1 Samuel 6, the Philistines call upon their
elders and diviners to give them advice
as to what to do with the Ark, which has
been with them for seven months. The men
tell them to send it back with five golden
tumors and five golden rats, as an an offering
that symbolizes the 5 plagued cities.
Before
setting out, they test whether this punishment
has truly come from God by yoking two cows
to a cart and taking their calves away.
When the cows go straight to Beth-shemesh
instead of back to their calves, they know
this has been divine punishment.
When
the Israelites see the Ark, they rejoice
and offer a burnt offering. However,
seventy men are struck dead when they look
upon the ark presumptuously. The men of
Beth-shemesh send a message to Kiriath-jearim,
asking for the Ark to be picked up.
In
1 Samuel 7, men from Kiriath-jearim come
to pick up the Ark.
It
remained there for 20 years, in the care
of Eleazar the priest. Samuel calls upon
the people to repent and return to the Lord
by removing all idolatry from among them.
The people fast and confess to the Lord,
pouring out water before Him as a sign of
their renewed commitment to Him. Samuel
cries out to the Lord and offers a
burnt offering to the Lord before they
head out to battle, and the Lord sends the
Philistines into confusion with a thunderstorm.
Israel
defeats the Philistines, so Samuel sets
up a stone memorial and calls it Ebenezer,
meaning “Stone of Help.” Philistine cities
are restored to Israel, and Samuel travels
throughout Israel as judge for the rest
of his life.
In
1 Samuel 8, Samuel, in his older age, appoints
his sons Joel and Abijah as judges.
Because
the sons are greedy and are taking bribes
and perverting justice, the elders call
upon Israel to appoint for them a king so
that they could be like the other nations.
Samuel
is offended but prays to the Lord,
who tells him that they are not rejecting
his leadership but rejecting God Himself.
The
Lord instructs Samuel to warn them of the
king that will be appointed, one who will
draft men into war, and put them under a
yoke of slavery and taxes. Regardless, Israel
insists that they be given a king and the
Lord gives Samuel the authority to do so.
SUPERSTITIOUS
| 1 Sam. 4:4
It
was common for surrounding pagan nations
to take symbols of their gods with them
in belief that their gods would deliver
them. Israel is once again mixing true religion
with false practice by way of superstition.
They
believe the divine power will come from
the ark as a good luck charm, rather than
from God Himself, but God never approved
of this method. In a way, they are trying
to force God to fight for them rather than
humbling themselves and seeking Him. The
ark has become like a genie. And superstition
is still very much alive today, from small
things like crossing our fingers for luck,
or thinking we’re going to have a bad day
if a black cat crosses in front of us.
Even
occult practices like astrology, black magic
or voodoo are still prevalent. And since
there are demonic powers associated with
those things, just as Peter warns us, we
need to be self-controlled and alert, because
the devil is always looking for a crack
in the door of our minds (Peter 5:8). Paul
even told us not to be taken captive by
elemental spirits of the world (Col. 2:8).
We
must remember that God is sovereign, and
there is no such thing as luck or universal
chance. And lastly, we can even create superstitions
when we think that if we miss a tithe, we’re
suddenly going broke, or on the fiip side,
we are going to come into prosperity if
we read the whole Bible.
That’s
carnal thinking. God isn’ t a program, formula
or genie. He is a person, and what He wants
is a relationship with us, not a transaction.
Heart Check.
Do
you have any superstitions? Or do you base
your faith on a formula?
SUBMISSION
| 1 Sam. 4:8-9
This
plan was being devised because they wanted
to repent so they could be set free from
their infirmities, but not if it wasn't
necessary. So they wanted to be 100% sure
that they were in the wrong before they
made things right.
And
they were used to manipulating their gods,
so this little test of theirs isn’t surprising.
We tend to do this as well—we want to see
just how far we can go or how little we
can do before we cross the line or fall
into “real sin.”
Usually
if we are asking if it’s ok, it’s probably
because there’s a conviction in our hearts
that it isn’t, but we wanna know for sure.
The intent is there to want to honor God,
which is wonderful, but the question is…Heart
Check.
Are
you wanting to honor God with everything
in you? Or just enough to be able to still
do what you want?
RESISTING
HOLINESS | 1 Sam 6
In
the end, the glory of God wasn’t a pleasant
experience for the Philistines. It seemed
like a good trophy to have, but once they
realized that it would work against them
if they didn’t bow down to Him, they wanted
no part of it. Holiness can feel that way—when
we are set apart, it can be painful to separate
from things or people that once brought
you happiness. It almost feels like a burden
when we are resistant to it.
And
we will either give some slack on that resistance
or we will do what the Philistines did and
say, “Who can I toss this holiness stuff
to, so I don’t need to deal with it?” Heart
Check.
Do
you welcome God's holiness in your life?
Or are you resistant or even trying to get
away from it?
CONVICTION
| 1 Sam. 7:3-4
Here
we see Samuel calling for inward repentance
followed by an outward action. But if they
had only done one or the other, this would
not have been true repentance.
Repenting
inwardly is the most important aspect because
that’s between you and God only—no one else
will ever know this takes place.
But
it’s our faith in action that brings God
glory, which is our mission as Christians.
This was how other nations would know that
they really were set apart and devoted to
one God. At this point, they had added to
their worship of God by bringing in additional
ones. But that is one foot in and one foot
out, and Samuel would not allow it to continue,
because he knew it would continue to lead
to their destruction
So
conviction means nothing if we do nothing
about it. Heart Check.
How
do you react when you feel rejected? Do
you shrink back or fight back or go to the
one who knows your pain?
LEAVE
IT TO GOD | 1 Sam. 8:19-22
The
ironic thing we see here in the end, is
that even though the people are rejecting
God, they can’t escape Him! He is the very
one giving them the king that they think
they want—because God will ultimately never
be dethroned. We must be very careful about
this because our worry about who is going
to be “on the throne” in November is showing
that we put more faith in human leadership
than God. But let’s not forget that God
is on the throne!
No
one can take that crown from Him, and He
is still ruling from above. So we should
stick to the old saying of “God always gives
his best to those who leave the choice to
Him.” We can pour out our hearts in honesty,
and take all the steps necessary, but then
yield it to Him and say, “Your will be done.”
Heart Check.
Do
you leave the decision making in your life
to God?
Deep
Dive
Why
do you think the ark didn’t guarantee the
Israelites victory?
Are
there any ways where we might misplace our
faith today? How can we protect against
this?
Has
God’s glory departed from our societies,
communities, or nations?
What
might be something sacred today that can
be disrespected (like the ark)?
Describe
Samuel’s character. How does it inspire
you?
How
does Samuel’s sons’ leadership style compare
to Samuel? Why do you think they ended up
this way?
How
can we ensure we don’t put more faith into
human leadership than God?
Heavenly
Father, Thank you for never giving up on
us and for allowing us to return to your
Presence, even when we've dismissed it
We
recognize you as Supreme and Omnipotent,
the one who is always in control of all
things. There is nothing left to chance
with you. And while we can’t begin to comprehend
your greatness or even why you do some of
the things you do, we will choose to trust
in you anyway because what we do know is
that you are a good Father who loves His
children.
Thank
you that we don’t have to look to the ever-changing
things of this world to give us hope. But
we can set our hope on the one who has promised
to never leave us or forsake us. Forgive
us if we have demanded our own way or have
tried to put conditions on you or even do
things in hopes of gaining your approval.
You are not a transactional God that is
obligated to give us what we want. Yet you’re
the giver of all good gifts, and how much
you desire to give to us. So thank you for
that.
I
pray that we always revere your holiness,
never neglecting it. Help us to understand
that there are consequences to every action,
but you can turn things around at any time.
When we come to you with a repentant heart,
you desire nothing more than to restore
what has been broken.
I
pray that we will live out our whole lives
in honor before you, not just trying to
do the bare minimum, but always desiring
to go the extra mile because you are worthy
of our best. And when we fall into line
with your will for our lives, what once
may have seemed like a burden becomes the
fuel that helps us to soar to higher heights.
So realign us today with your purpose. Help
us to see what that looks like or give us
the steps to take to get there. We don’t
need all the details; we just need one direction
at a time.
And
God, just as we are seeing how desperately
the nation of Israel needed spiritual reformation
and restoration, how we cry out for our
nations today. We don’t do so with a prideful
heart in thinking we’re good and they are
not.
We
cry out because we care for our people—we
want to see them prosper. We want you to
hear our prayers, and we need you to heal
our land.
If
there is anything in our lives that we need
to put away, will you give us a nudge. When
we feel that conviction, I pray that we
will respond to it, always turning back
to you.
Thank
you for the life of Samuel, he began and
finished well. I pray we will be people
like that, who diligently serve and faithfully
pray, especially in times of rejection or
discouragement.
And
thank you for being our King. With you on
the throne, there is nothing else we need
to look to for protection, guidance, and
strength. There is nothing that can ever
dethrone you, and how we look forward to
the day that all others know you and confess
with their mouth that you are indeed the
King of Kings.
In
1 Samuel 9, Saul is born to a wealthy Benjamite
named Kish. He is described as tall and
strikingly handsome. One day, Kish’s donkeys
come up missing, and he sends Saul and his
servant to find them but they are unsuccessful.
Before heading home, Saul’s servant suggests
they stop at a nearby city, where they can
consult a well-known man of God who is known
to be a seer. They take a quarter of a shekel
as a gift and seek out Samuel’s counsel.
Along
the way, they encounter young women at a
well who confirm that Samuel is just ahead
at the entrance of the city. As they enter
into the city, they are met by Samuel, who
had previously heard from the Lord that
he would be met by the man who was to be
anointed as prince.
Samuel
makes it known that he is aware of the lost
donkeys and that they have been found. He
also tells Saul that Israel’s future is
in his hands as he invites him in to dine
with him and thirty other guests. Samuel
places Saul in the seat of honor and gives
him the prized portion of meat before taking
him to the rooftop to continue talking.
In
1 Samuel 10, Samuel anoints Saul with oil
to be prince over Israel, declaring that
Saul shall save the people from their enemies.
He speaks a prophetic word of guidance for
Saul as he sends him out, telling him he
will meet men near Rachel’s tomb, three
men by the oak of Tabor, and a group of
prophets at Gibeah.
Each
of these encounters will have specific signs,
and Saul will know what to do. He is then
instructed to wait for seven days for Samuel
to return from bringing o£erings to
the Lord. God transforms Saul’s heart once
Samuel leaves, and all the signs come to
him. When he encounters the group of prophets,
he too begins prophesying, surprising all
who knew him before. When Saul’s uncle asks
him where he had been, he truthfully tells
him about his search for the donkeys but
does not give him the details of his anointing.
Samuel gathers the people at Mizpah to select
their king by lot. When Saul is called forward,
they find him hidden among the baggage.
A few men reject Saul’s appointment while
the rest of the people rejoice.
In
1 Samuel 11, Nahash the Ammonite besieges
Jabesh-Gilead, so the Israelites plead for
a peace treaty. He agrees with the condition
that he can gouge their right eyes out.
They
request for 7 days to search for a leader
among Israel. When Saul hears the weeping
of the people and is told why, Saul is empowered
by the Spirit of God, and he dismembers
an ox and sends it throughout the land as
a message for them to fight or su£er
judgment upon their fields. Saul readies
the troops and defeats the Ammonites, declaring
that the Lord has saved them. The people
endorse Saul as king following the victory.
In
1 Samuel 12, Samuel gives his farewell address.
Now old in age, he declares his integrity
as he has faithfully served the Lord and
Israel. The people a£irm this with
God as their witness. Samuel recounts God’s
divine acts of deliverance and the people’s
apostasy and repentance before warning them
of the consequences of their sinful request
for a king. He also reminds them that if
they obey the Lord and His commands, it
will go well with them. But if they do not
obey, they will su£er judgment. Samuel
calls upon the Lord for a sign of confirmation
through thunder and rain, and the Lord grants
it.
The
people realize in that moment that they
had sinned by asking for a king, and they
beg Samuel to intercede on their behalf.
Samuel promises to never stop praying for
them and once again emphasizes that if they
serve the Lord with all their hearts and
stay away from idolatry, for if they do
not, they will be swept away.
REPUTATION|
1 Sam. 9:6
Samuel’s
reputation precedes him, and what they have
to say about him is what we all should strive
to be—a man of God who is highly respected
and tells the truth. We should be people
that others come to for wise counsel and
advice, knowing that we hear from the Lord.
The more you get into the Word, the more
He will change you from glory to glory as
you are molded into His image. Heart Check.
What
reputation precedes you?
HONOR|1
Sam. 9:22-24
Samuel
is treating Saul with the highest honor,
from putting him in the best seat in the
house to giving him the special portion
of meat. Some have speculated that this
was Samuel’s way of testing Saul’s reaction.
But
considering Samuel’s faith, if he were to
do that on his own, that would show that
he didn’t trust in God’s choosing. So I
believe that he was honoring Saul because
he was the one that the Lord had chosen.
But going back to the idea of testing Saul’s
reaction to honor, this can be an indicator
of a person’s character, and it's a fine
line. There are typically three responses
when we are honored: 1.) We receive the
honor with gratitude and humility (the best
response) 2.) We shy away from it because
we feel unworthy 3.)
We
feel deserving or entitled and take it with
pride. Even if we are never given a seat
of honor or the best portion in life, we
can still see our heart’s posture in how
we react when others are honored. Either
we will be happy for them, or we will be
jealous. Heart Check.
How
do you react when you receive honor? How
about when others are honored before you?
MESSY
ANOINTING | 1 Sam 10:1
When
we think of someone being anointed, most
of the time, we think of one who has it
all together and is making waves in the
kingdom of God.
If
there were any moment in my life where someone
called me anointed, it would probably be
now. But if we know anything about the anointing
process, it wasn’t one that was pretty.
It was messy.
They
weren’t applying little Doterra roll-on
vials, they were pouring it over their heads.
Psalm 133 says that it would run down their
beards and on to their clothes. When we
think about men in the Bible who were anointed—they
weren’t people who had it all together.
David was a murder and adulterer, Peter
denied Christ, Paul killed Christians. They
were a mess! Yet they were anointed and
chosen right in the middle of it. As Christians,
we are all anointed. The di£erence
between the greatest and the least lies
in the response to that anointing.
Most
of us feel like we can’t respond until we
get our act together. But if we wait until
then, we will die having never done anything,
because we are all on the struggle bus in
some way, shape or form. You are anointed
right in your mess, so let God do His job
as the one who will clean up your act. Heart
Check.
Are
you responding to your anointing? Or are
you trying to clean up your mess first?
EVIDENT
CHANGE | 1 Sam. 10:27
Here
we see Samuel displaying one of the same
great character traits of Moses—despite
his own feelings, he was able to hold his
peace. He didn’t feel the need to give him
a piece of his mind or blast some snarky
comments to these guys. This is the mark
of maturity—the ability to hold your tongue
when others offend you.
The
men of Gibeah were surprised when they saw
the change in Saul. God did something in
his heart and it was evident. Heart Check.
How
have you changed? Is it evident? Would people
from your past se you differently?
MADE
ME GLAD | 1 Sam. 11:9
The
Israelites were weeping when they didn’t
feel they had any hope, but now that they
know there is someone to save them, they
are glad. The fact that we have a savior,
we too should be glad. He has saved us from
death, and we can rejoice because we didn’t
have to provide any kind of merit or documents
of proof that we were worthy to receive
this gift of grace.
One
of the first songs I remember singing as
a child in church was “He has made me glad,”
and when I’m having a bad day, I try to
remember these words that come straight
from the Bible: “I will enter His gates
with thanksgiving in my heart, I will enter
His courts with praise. For this is the
day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice,
for He has made me glad.” This doesn’t mean
we will always feel glad, but it is by our
will that we will choose gladness in our
salvation despite our circumstances. Heart
Check.
Has
He made you glad? Do you have a sense of
joy about you despite your circumstances?
PRIORITY
OF PRAYER | 1 Sam. 12:23
Samuel
declares that if he doesn’t pray for Israel,
it will be blatantly sinning against the
Lord. He sees it as a major o£ense!
So is it a sin if we don't pray?
We
should ask ourselves if the Lord has told
us to pray—we know the answer is yes. And
we said yesterday that if we know we are
to do something and don’t do it, it is sin
(James 4:17). The greatest leaders in the
Bible were men and women of prayer, and
it was this trait that made them great,
because they fully depended on God to make
them that way. This is one of the reasons
we struggle so much with prayer, because
the enemy knows that if he can discourage
us from praying, he can keep us from hearing
and being strengthened to the point of greatness.
He also knows that if we pray for others,
this will begin to work on our heart to
be more compassionate and merciful. Prayer
doesn’t always change other people—it changes
us!
When
we seek God in prayer, we are ultimately
humbling ourselves by saying, “I can do
nothing without you.” If we want to be great
in the kingdom of heaven, we need to be
a people of prayer. Heart Check.
How
much of a priority is prayer in your
life?
MENTORS
| 1 Sam. 12
Samuel
left such a great legacy.
He
was one of the most Godly men in the Bible,
and he led Israel well. But not only that,
he was an incredible mentor to Saul, and
I find this so inspiring when we find people
who will be able to speak truth and encouragement
into our lives while also showing us how
to lead well in all areas (meaning we can
have more than one!) Heart Check.
Who
are your mentors in life? Are you mentoring
others?
Deep
Dive
How
is God’s divine providence on display in
chapter 9? Have you experienced this?
Why
was the private conversation and private
anointing important?
Why
was Saul hiding prior to his anointing?
What does this say about his character at
this time?
How
does the public anointing change Saul? How
might public acknowledgment a£ect
us?
Compare
Samuel and Saul’s leadership styles. How
do they compare to how we are called to
e£ectively lead others?
Heavenly
Father, thank you for showing us what good
leadership looks like through the life of
Samuel.
I
pray that we will look at his character
traits and apply them to our lives— what
a godly, faithful man of prayer he was.
He showed us what it looks like to hold
our peace in the face of opposition, how
to be unwavering in our faith, how to lead
well, how to be a good mentor, and how to
let go when you make a change.
Thank
you that your providential care still exists
today. Everything that happens in our life
is an opportunity for us to see your hand.
I pray that you will open our eyes to be
able to see this—if this means we need to
go chasing donkeys, so be it. We will do
it. We know that every encounter we have,
no matter how insignificant it may seem,
is all a part of your chess pieces moving
across the board to get us to our destination.
Thank
you for changing us along the way. You have
given us a new heart, so I pray that we
will understand the power of the anointing
you have placed on our lives so that we
can now move into action and bring you glory.
Thank
you for anointing us right in the middle
of our mess. You never asked us to be perfect
but faithful. Yes, you call us to repentance
and obedience, but our failure to do so
doesn’t necessarily disqualify us. Or even
if it does in the eyes of the world, your
grace requalifies us over and again. Thank
you for that.
Lord,
we know that you can use even foolish leaders
for your greater purpose, even if we don’t
like it. But may we be people who seek out
good leadership, for we fear the day that
we demand what we want and get it, only
to find that it wasn’t your best for us.
May
we always remain humble before you and others,
regardless of the honor that might be placed
on our lives. I pray that we always have
a servant heart no matter our position in
life. While earthly crowns will pass away,
our royal crown that you have given to us
can be worn with elegance. I pray that we
never shy away from allowing your rule over
our lives to be evident.
One
of the best ways we will show a true mark
of maturity is by our ability to hold our
peace in times of opposition or rejection.
I pray that you will strengthen us in that.
Keep us aware that when we ask for things
like this, it will likely be followed up
with an opportunity to test out our new
kicks. But we welcome it because we know
that it will only make us stronger.
Help
us to always recognize if the devil is trying
to bargain with us—we want nothing to do
with him or his scheming, so I pray that
we will not negotiate, even if he tries
to intimidate us. Help us to hold our ground
and stand firm in our faith, resisting him
so that he will have no other choice but
to fiee.
Thank
you, Jesus, our anointed King, who was appointed
from before anything else existed. Your
word was already written. You’ve already
proven that you will fight to the death
for us, so we receive you as our Savior.
In
1 Samuel 13, Saul arranges his army with
2000 men with him at Michmash, and 1000
with his son Jonathan in Gibeah. Jonathan
defeats the Philistine garrison at Geba,
and Saul blows a trumpet throughout the
land, signaling war. Knowing they are now
a stench to the Philistines, Saul orders
men to join the fight. When Israel sees
that they are outnumbered, with 30,000 chariots
and 6000 horsemen across enemy lines, they
go into hiding.
Saul
waits seven days, as instructed by Samuel,
but when Samuel doesn’t show up on the seventh
day, Saul o£ers a sacrifice to the
Lord. When Samuel arrives and sees what
has been done, he rebukes Saul for an ungodly
sacrifice and states that another man will
come to the throne over him— a man after
God’s heart. The chapter ends with Israel
at a disadvantage, with no blacksmiths or
iron to fabricate weapons. As they head
into battle, only Saul and Jonathan carry
weapons.
In
1 Samuel 14, Saul’s son Jonathan and Jonathan’s
servant secretly cross over to the garrison
of the Philistines without telling anyone.
Trusting that God will deliver them, he
devises a plan to determine if they should
rise and fight the Philistine garrison.
If once the Philistines see him and his
servant, they call them up to them, it would
a£irm that God was for them. When
this happens, Jonathan and his servants
defeat 20 Philistines. God sends an earthquake,
which leads to mass confusion and the Philistines
begin to turn and fight one another. Saul
is informed about the battle, and Israel
rises to defeat the Philistines. Saul foolishly
swears that anyone who eats that day will
be cursed. However, Jonathan, who was not
aware of his father’s oath, eats some honey
that is on the roadside and is strengthened.
When
Jonathan is told about his father’s oath,
he criticizes him. At the end of the day,
the Israelites are so faint that they eat
animals, still with their blood, violating
the Law of God. Saul rebukes them and builds
an altar to o£er sacrifices. When
Saul attempts to go out against the Philistines
once again, Ahijah the priest advises him
to seek God.
However,
when God doesn’t answer, Saul realizes there
is sin in the camp. Saul casts lots to reveal
where the sin is coming from, and when it
is revealed that it is Jonathan, he orders
Jonathan to death. But the people pay a
ransom for his life because of the victory
he had just led them to. Saul’s great strength
and victories are listed, along with an
account of his family. Throughout his reign,
Saul continues to fight the Philistines
and make a great name for himself.
ENDURANCE
| 1 Sam. 13:8-15
This
was a huge test for the character of Saul,
and sadly, he panicked in the last few minutes
and failed. The last moments of waiting
on the Lord are always the hardest.
If
you’re a marathon runner, you know that
there are several times where you experience
a breakthrough—you feel like your muscles
are failing, your lungs are on fire, and
you can’t take one more step.
But
somehow, when you endure, you break through.
This is that snail mentality—slow and steady
wins the race. One foot in front of the
other. (Snails don’t have feet… but hey,
they made it on the ark!) There’s an old
saying that says, “The brave man is not
braver than any other, but simply braver
for 10 minutes longer.”
We
need to be people who don’t hit the panic
button when we’re in the waiting room. But
instead, we must wait on the promises that
God will show up, He will turn it for good,
He will give you the desires of your heart,
and He will bring peace. But guess what?
When we pray, “Make me more like you,” He’s
not necessarily going to change us in an
instant but instead say, “Okay, I’ve been
waiting a long time for people to come to
me,” and therein enters the test where we
will be faced with the choice to wait for
the promise or panic. Heart Check.
How's
your endurance? Are you waiting on the promise
or panicking?
READY
TO CHARGE | 1 Sam. 14:9-10
Some
might read that and think this is testing
God, something we know we are not to do.
One
thing we must remember is that we have 2000
years 66 books, 8000 promises, and the Holy
Spirit within us to consult with.
Others
may say this was the same as Gideon when
he laid out the fieece. But Jonathan didn’t
have a word from the Lord when Gideon already
did.
So
this is an act of faith on Jonathan’s part,
as he is genuinely seeking what the Lord
wants him to do next. He’s looking for the
footprint to step into, but he is not being
presumptuous about it. He’s willing to wait,
but he’s also ready to charge. He’s ready
to fight, while Saul is sitting back in
the safety of a pomegranate tree and bodyguards.
Most of us are waiting for something to
happen—we’re ready for God to make a move.
But
our position matters—we are either going
to play it safe and miss an opportunity,
or we will be right there waiting when that
door opens. Heart Check.
Where
are you positioned? Are you staying in the
safe zone? Or are you at the front line,
ready to charge when th Lord says to go?
STEP
OUT | 1 Sam. 14:1-23
I
love that this victory followed the faith
of two men who were willing to boldly step
up and step out into a battle that was beyond
them.
They
trusted that the Lord would deliver them,
but they didn’t do anything foolishly. They
sought Him out, step by step. And look what
happened—the earth was shaking, fear turned
to courage, people were rising up out of
the earth and willing to fight with them.
They were firing people up-- this is the
heart of ministry!
It
always starts with one willing heart. And
I believe the Lord is calling someone out
today to take that same step of faith. Heart
Check.
Is
it you? Is God calling you to step out in
faith to do that thing He called you to
do?
Deep
Dive
What
is impatience rooted in? How can we combat
it?
What
lessons can we learn from Saul’s actions?
What
does a man after God’s heart look like?
Compare
Saul and Jonathan and their leadership styles.
How do the circumstances that surround them
refiect their leadership?
Heavenly
Father, thank you for helping us to be brave
when it feels like we are outnumbered.
We
know the ploy of the enemy and how he will
stack the odds against us so that we feel
helpless—his goal is to get us to bargain
with him, but we will not barter with the
devil. He will try to take our weapon away
by putting every other kind of tool in our
hand so that we don’t have time to sharpen
our sword of the word. But I pray that you
will remind us that this is our greatest
weapon and our best training for battle.
You are all we need.
And
as we wait upon your promises, give us strength
and endurance to push through. We know that
breakthrough is right there, but those last
few minutes are the hardest. But please
don’t let us give up or give in. I pray
that we won’t try to take matters into our
own hands and force our will to be done.
We trust in you to come through because
we’ve seen you do it. If you didn’t, we
wouldn’t be here today. So help us to be
brave when we feel like we want to cave
in.
I
pray that we will all be men and women after
your heart—a people who love you and love
others. I pray we will always be sensitive
to your will and put it above our own desires
always, for we know it is the best thing
for us. I pray that when we sin, we will
be quick to confess and repent. We don’t
want to be excuse makers, but peacemakers.
Thank you for the grace that waits for us
to return.
Thank
you for showing us what bold faith looks
like today through the life of Jonathan.
We want to be people like him—people who
are willing to step out, even when the odds
are against us, never seeking glory for
ourselves, but simply to save a generation.
We want to be a people who trust that you
can do anything, and if you are for us,
then nothing can be against us. We don’t
ever want unbelief to restrain your will.
I pray that we will always seek your direction
and guidance in all things, never sitting
back in comfort, but always ready to charge
when you open that door.
Thank
you so much for nourishing our soul with
the sweetness of your word. It truly is
like honey, for when we come here each day,
we have a satiation that we could never
get from anything else. I pray that you
will keep us hungering after you so that
we do not turn to the junk food of the world.
A bu£et of donuts looks really delicious,
and the first few bites may seem like the
best thing we’ve ever had, but it will only
lead to aching in the end.
Keep
our hearts humble before you so that we
do not feel the need to gain any sort of
notoriety that isn’t due us. It isn’t a
bad thing to be recognized for hard work
and achievements—in fact, we know that you
celebrate with us, because that’s what good
parents do. But I pray that we won’t live
for that applause because that’s when we
will get our minds twisted into believing
that we can somehow work for happiness.
True joy and contentment will always come
from you, and we are seeing that through
the faithfulness of this group.
While
it saddens us to see the breakdown in Saul’s
character, thank you for demonstrating to
us what that looks like, so we know the
warning signs and what to look out for in
our own lives. I pray that if we are ever
in the wrong, that we will immediately confess
and repent rather than making excuses, for
excuses won’t change a thing in your eyes—you
know our hearts and motives.
And
because we know we will be victorious, I
pray that it will never go to our heads
but will only bring more awe and wonder
to our hearts as to the greatness of our
good God. Thank you, Jesus, for being our
Divine Warrior, Immanuel, God with us.
In
1 Samuel 15, the Lord tells Saul, through
Samuel, to bring total judgment against
the Amalekites because of the way they attacked
Israel as they came out of Egypt. Saul does
as he asked, except he spares King Agag
and allows his men to collect spoils, claiming
they will be used for sacrifices. The Lord
expresses grief to Samuel as he lets him
know, and Samuel also grieves throughout
the evening. The next day, Samuel confronts
Saul, who tries to a£irm his innocence.
But once it is revealed that he has lied,
he again tries to put it o£ on the
people and his fear of them. Samuel declares
that the Lord prefers obedience over sacrifice
and because of his disobedience, he will
now be dethroned.
Saul
repents but asks Samuel to honor him before
the people. Samuel executes Agag and mourns
for Saul.
In
1 Samuel 16, the Lord appoints a new king
to the throne of Israel. He sends Samuel
to Bethlehem to o£er a sacrifice while
seeking out the son of Jesse who is to be
anointed king. Samuel initially thinks it’s
Eliab, Jesse’s firstborn, but the Lord reveals
otherwise. He reminds Samuel that He does
not look at the outward appearance but at
the heart. Jesse goes down the line with
Eliab’s six other brothers, but none were
chosen. Samuel asks if there are any others,
in which Jesse replies that the youngest
is tending to the sheep. Samuel calls for
the boy, and he is anointed before his brothers.
The Spirit of the Lord rushes upon David
and departs from Saul. Now tormented by
an evil spirit, Saul calls for a talented
musician to soothe his soul. A servant recommends
David, who is not only a skillful musician,
but also a man of valor, well-spoken, and
well-kept. Saul sends for David, who becomes
his armor-bearer and personal musician to
soothe his torment.
In
1 Samuel 17, the Philistines and Israelites
prepare to fight in the Valley of Elah.
Philistine’s champion, Goliath, begins taunting
Israel and calling for a challenge to fight
one-on-one. When Jesse sends his youngest
son David to bring bread to his brothers,
he hears Goliath’s call and rises to the
challenge. Saul o£ers David his armor,
but David chooses his sling and five stones
instead. When Goliath sees David, he is
o£ended that such a young boy would
be sent to fight him. But David declares
that he has the Lord on his side and slings
a single stone at Goliath, striking him
in his forehead. Goliath falls to the ground,
and David finishes Goliath o£ with
his sword. After the victory, Saul asks
who David’s father is, and the Israelites
defeat the Philistines.
SPARING
AGAG |1 Sam. 15:9-10
In
“normal” war, taking the spoil was seen
as “payment” to those who had fought for
the Lord. But in the more severe judgment,
the Lord would call for utter destruction,
which means spare nothing. In doing so,
they are selectively obeying. But selective
obedience is complete disobedience. We can
look at Agag and the spoil as the deepest
part of our sin. The root of sin is always
the hardest thing to get rid of or let go
of. These are things that have been so “normal”
for so long that we think, “Surely God understands
that I need this.” In a sense, it controls
us, and it’s usually rooted in some sort
of self-gratification.
But
we must understand that a holy God will
not tolerate living in a house of sin. So
if He dwells within us, He is telling us
to utterly destroy it. Heart Check.
Are
you sparing Agag? Or are you keeping some
spoil for yourself?
MOVE
ON | 1 Sam. 16:1
In
the Bible, there is a lot of mourning, and
there is a reason for it—it’s necessary
for our healing. But there’s also a general
set time for that mourning process, before
the Lord wants us up and moving again. We
do not serve a static God—He is on the move.
And if we stay stuck in our grief, our regrets,
or our disappointments, we will miss the
boat when He passes by. Because while He
weeps with us, He also wipes away our tears
and tells us to arise. If we follow after
Him, He will fill our vessel with the oil
and of gladness. Heart Check.
Are
you stuck in something? Have you emptied
your vessel for the Lord to pour His oil
into so you can move on?
LOOK
AT THE HEART | 1 Sam. 16:7
As
humans, we are quick to judge a person based
on appearance. And we aren’t just talking
about a person’s hair or clothing, but even
their actions. We will make assumptions
based on our own prejudices or experiences,
but we must remember that there’s a whole
lot that we can’t see that God can. This
is why we can’t understand why God does
what He does a lot of the time—because we
can’t see the hearts and motives of people.
It’s also why it is not our place to judge
others, especially based on what they look
like, what kind of clothes they wear, what
kind of job they have, or even how talented
they are. Heart Check.
What
do you value more? The inward or outward
appearance? How do you view others?
SHARPENING
SKILLS | 1 Sam 16:18
While
we just came o£ talking about the
importance of the heart, there are many
other aspects that are considered when looking
at someone who leads with excellence. David
was good at what he did. Col. 3:23 says
that whatever we do, we are to work at it
with all our heart. He didn’t just wake
up one day and suddenly play the harp. He
worked on his craft. Being skilled at something
will refiect hard-working and diligent character.
Some people will get bent out of shape about
how others have “favor” while they’re sitting
back and not doing anything to sharpen their
own skills. Heart Check.
What
are you doing to sharpen your skills each
day?
RESUME
| 1 Sam. 16:18
David
had a pretty impressive resume—he was skillful,
hard-working, good leadership skills, confident,
articulate, trustworthy, charismatic, and
well-kept. Heart Check.
What
does your spiritual resume say?
WAITING
ON OPEN DOORS | 1 Sam. 16:21
Jesse
had to call for David once again—and look
where he was—back with the sheep. This means
he wasn’t anxiously trying to manipulate
or work his way into position. He knew the
anointing and promise that was on his life,
and he kept his head down until the Lord
opened doors. Sometimes a lot of our anxiety
stems from trying to make something happen,
and because we are doing that, we will get
confused as to whether it is God or not
when an opportunity does arise. I know that
any time I have ever forced the hand of
God, even if it was His will—if I was simply
trying to change His timing, it never turned
out the way I anticipated it to. His way
is always best. Heart Check.
Are
you anxiously trying to force God's will?
Or are you keeping youe head down (continuing
to work and sharpen skills) and waiting
until He opens a door of opportunity?
PREPARATION
| 1 Sam 17:31-31
If
anyone were to ask David what kind of training
he had, he could simply say, “Life.” God
had been preparing him his whole life for
this moment. Every fight he went through
was training for the greatest fight of his
life. If we can change our perspective on
the challenges we face and see them as training
camps for what is ahead, this would alleviate
a lot of our turmoil as we go through it.
Heart Check.
Can
you see how God has been preparing you for
a greater purpose? What fights have you
had to fight?
SOMEONE
ELSE’S ARMOR | 1 Sam. 17:38-40
This
is one of David’s wisest decisions—he didn’t
try to fight with someone else’s armor.
He knew that he couldn’t fill the shoes
of someone else. When we face giants in
our lives, we must be courageous in the
gifts that are in our hand, in the battles
we’ve already won, and the ability to fight
from the victory of the One who lives within
us. We will never be e£ective if we’re
carrying around the extra weight of someone
else’s chain mail. The Lord has equipped
us for our purpose, and we don’t need to
try to be a copycat version of what someone
else is doing. Heart Check.
Are
you trying to put on someone else's armor?
Or are you using what's in your hand to
face the giants?
Deep
Dive
How
does Saul refiect or defiect personal responsibility
when it comes to sin? How do we do this?
In
what ways do the cracks in Saul’s character
quickly turn to crevices?
Does
David’s anointing challenge or strengthen
your expectations in leadership?
What
makes a good leader today?
How
does David’s faith strengthen your courage
to face your fears?
How
does David and Goliath refiect spiritual
warfare? Can you relate to it?
Heavenly
Father,You have called us to listen to your
words, just as you did with Saul.
We
are here, and your servants are listening.
I pray that we do not miss a single word,
for your words are life to us.
If
there is any area of our lives where we
are sparing Agags, and if we are failing
to cut things o£ at the root, take
the shears and do a work for us. If we are
blinded or deceived in any way, please open
our eyes so that we are not justifying or
trying to hide behind excuses as to why
we are doing it. We want to be pure and
holy before you, so that you can dwell within
us. We want your Spirit to rule over us,
and not our fiesh. I pray that our fear
of you will erase the fear of all else.
We never want the fear of man or our own
ego to get in the way of honoring you.
Thank
you for the blood of Jesus that washes away
every sin. But it still requires obedience
on our part, so hold us up with integrity
and strengthen us. Give us new roots of
righteousness and goodness so that we will
bring joy to your heart and not grief. I
pray that our hearts will align with yours
so that what breaks your heart will also
break ours. And what brings you joy will
fuel us to live rightly.
We
know that you desire obedience over sacrifice—this
doesn’t mean sacrifice isn’t required—we
know it is. But it does not supersede obedience.
But I pray that we will bless your heart
by doing both—obeying you with our whole
heart and sacrificing because you are worthy.
You made the greatest sacrifice, Jesus,
when you laid down your life. The least
we can do is give up our selfishness. Your
will be done in our lives, here on earth,
as it is in heaven.
Thank
you, Lord, for wiping away every tear when
we are in seasons of sadness or mourning.
We are grateful for tears, for we know they
are healing. But I pray that when it is
time for us to arise out of that mourning
period, that you will lift our heads so
that we can move forward. We don’t want
to miss a present move of God—we want to
be moving with you always. For when we begin
to move our feet, you will refuel us with
your oil of gladness and refresh our spirits
with joy once again.
We
are so grateful that you know our hearts
better than anyone. I pray that we will
be people who don’t look at the outward
appearance, but at the hearts, just as you
do. This gives us hope, when we feel as
though we don’t necessarily measure up according
to the standard of the world.
But
in your eyes, if we are faithfully serving
and diligently working on our skill, you
will raise us up when the time is right.
I pray that we never try to force it, for
your timing is perfect. Help us to keep
our heads down until those doors open. We
trust that we will know beyond the shadow
of a doubt, that it is you.
May
our resumes be ones that are like David—we
so desire to be people who are qualified,
hard-working, confident, courageous, articulate,
charismatic and well-kept. I pray that we
will have humble hearts that are always
set on you, but I also pray that we will
steward the gift of our bodies and appearance,
presenting ourselves as honorable to you
and the people we are interacting with.
We don’t need to worry about what others
think of our appearance, but we should still
be respectful enough to care about not distracting
from the environment we are in. Thank you
for this reminder today.
If
we ever get into a space where we are downcast
or feeling as though we are being tormented,
I pray that you will remind us of these
moments with Saul and David so that we can
respond with worship. We know how freeing
it is and how it will refresh our spirit
but also drive away the enemy.
Thank
you for preparing us, not only through your
Word, but also through the battles we face
every day. We know it's a training ground
for the day when we will face the giants
in our lives. Each time we defeat one giant,
it makes us even stronger and well-prepared
to fight an even greater one. I pray we
will never forget the victories so that
we will remember that you are with us at
the battlefront.
Thank
you, Jesus, for being our Champion. You
are fighting on our behalf, taking back
what’s been stolen, and dropping the enemy
fiat on his face. He can taunt us all day,
but we will keep focused on you, knowing
that you are the ultimate giant slayer.
Please don’t allow his bu£oonish taunting
to get the best of us. But I pray that we
will instead turn away and continue to declare
victory. Thank you, Jesus, for not succumbing
to the rejection and taunting of the people—you
give us so much hope when we are in the
middle of a battle. You know exactly what
we’re going through. So I pray that you
will sharpen our swords and tighten our
armor, so that we are prepared when we hear,
“Step up.” We will not fear, for you are
with us.
In
1 Samuel 18, we see the start of David and
Jonathan's friendship—a friendship of knitted
souls that would prove to be to David's
advantage later in the book.
We
also see the confiict between Saul and David
and explore the character, jealousy, and
dangers of Saul's anger. The chapter describes
Saul's jealousy of David's success and his
first attempt to kill him. Saul becomes
fearful of David after David kills a Philistine,
and women from Israel sing and dance to
Saul, saying, "Saul has slain his thousands,
and David his tens of thousands." Saul
becomes angry and keeps a close eye on David.
In
1 Samuel 19, the tension between Saul and
David reaches a boiling point. Saul's jealousy,
like a raging fire, drives him to seek David's
life. Yet, David's wife, Michal, and his
loyal friend, Jonathan, stand as beacons
of hope in this dark hour.
We
see David seek out Samuel for protection
and counsel, and then Saul sends messengers
three times, only to be thwarted by God's
supernatural intervention. Even Saul is
touched by God's spirit and starts prophesying,
as did his messengers.
In
1 Samuel 20, a testament to loyalty and
friendship is written as Jonathan and David
forge a covenant. Jonathan, ever the faithful
friend, warns David of Saul's continued
threat, urging him to seek safety. Through
a series of trials, Jonathan's loyalty is
proven, and David escapes. Their bond, like
an unbreakable thread, remains as they part
ways, each following the path ordained by
God.
Psalm
11 declares trust in God's protection in
the face of adversity. The psalmist, David,
begins by affirming his confidence in the
Lord as his refuge and counselor, even when
facing threats from the wicked.
Despite
the advice to fiee like a bird, the psalmist
chooses to remain steadfast in the Lord,
knowing that He sees and judges the righteous
and the wicked. Ultimately, the psalmist
concludes with a proclamation of God's righteousness
and His love for those who walk in integrity,
o£ering hope and assurance to the
righteous amidst trials.
Psalm
59 is a prayer of urgency and trust in God's
protection amidst imminent danger. David
penned this psalm when he faced threats
on his life from King Saul's men. Divided
into two parts, the first section portrays
David's plea for God's intervention, while
the latter celebrates God's anticipated
deliverance.
Throughout
the psalm, David vividly depicts his enemies
as cruel and unjust, yet he remains steadfast
in his faith, seeking both deliverance and
justice from the Lord. Verses such as "Deliver
me from my enemies, O God; be my fortress
against those who are attacking me"
illustrate David's reliance on God's strength
and protection. Psalm 59 teaches us to earnestly
seek God's intervention in times of trouble,
to express our deepest emotions and concerns
to Him, and to trust in His faithfulness
to bring about deliverance and justice.
KNITTED
| 1 Sam. 18:1-5
What
does knit mean? Knit - tied together (not
romantic).
Because
tied together is also the same reference
that Judah uses when he's trying to protect
his brother Benjamin.It is this deep uncompromising
promise that he gave over his brother and
it's the same deep uncompromising commitment
that Jonathan is making to David. Heart
Check.
Who
is your spirit attracted to? Would your
relationship reflect affection fo God or
the world?
SELF
DENIAL | 1 Sam. 18:4
Jonathan
placed his tunic/robe on David. Just the
tunic or the robe and placing it on to David
he was willingly acknowledging and transferring,
“like oh you're going to be the heir! You're
the next person in line and I'm willingly
not going to get my Birthright?”
Because
Jonathan was the King's son he was next
in line for the throne but he's acknowledging
that David is a far greater man. So he gave
that position to him. Now, didn't it say
just a couple chapters back that only Saul
and Jonathan had swords.
Everyone
else is using farm equipment. You're going
to give the one of two swords in your entire
nation to David? Wow! David probably prized
this sword above all else and I want to
emphasize this whole act of humility of
Jonathan. It symbolizes self denial. He
is denying himself. What does that sound
like?
Sounds
like something we’re supposed to do when
we choose to follow Jesus Christ.
It
is self-denial when we are choosing to follow
JESUS and not the way of th world. It says
to die to self and to carry his cross. Here
this is a glimpse of Jesus and of what is
to come because he's the son of David -a
term that is used throughout the New Testament
to describe Jesus. So we're seeing Jonathan
acknowledging David - you are worthy. Heart
Check.
Are
you still holding onto your own fleshly
tunic or willingly laying it upon the shoulders
of our King upon the throne?
SUCCESSFUL
LEADER | 1 Sam. 18
I
wonder what type of man David had to be
in person to garner the love and devotion
of the Kingdom, including the crowned PRINCE,
to the point of songs being sung and complete
military success with each battle he entered.
What
attributes have we already seen? Courage
in the face of insurmountable odds. Devotion
to the LORD with boldness. Willingness to
be in the thick of the battle and not basking
under a pomegranate tree. Also, we see wisdom
and a sensitivity since he performed with
the lyre and wrote poetry.
This
is a man after God’s own heart so what attributes
of God can we draw from David? Kindness,
righteous anger, passion, courage, mercy,
and forgiveness (which we will see in the
coming chapters of I Samuel). Heart Check.
Who
are you choosing to follow? What character
traits do they exhibit to be a successful
leader?
THOUGHT
PATTERNS | 1 Sam. 18:6-16
What
about your witness?
Have
you ever seen anger mess up someone's testimony?
One minute the person says they love Jesus
and the next they are spewing hateful words
at their child or closed love ones?
Anger
can corrupt your testimony and walk the
Lord. Cross reference Ephesians 4:26 and
27, the evil one is looking for ways to
corrupt us and lead us astray. Especially
with our thought patterns.
In
the Old Testament, Saul and others lost
the protection and empowered being of the
Lord’s spirit, however it's not going to
happen today.
In
the New Testament, God left his comforter,
his helper, his holy spirit is here! Once
you accept Jesus Christ - you have the Holy
Spirit!
It's
not going to depart from you but it can
be distant so you may want to check your
heart - that's not the heart check though.
The
king’s own thought patterns were controlling
his mindset. This was a huge Heart Check
What
thought patterns are controlling your mindset?
TIME
OF NEED| 1 Sam. 19:18
David
fied and escaped being murdered! Where did
you go? To his best friend and seek revenge?
Garner an army from his adoring fans aka
soldiers? Nope. He ran to Godly counsel
- the old rough and tough Samuel. Heart
Check
Where
and who is your true support system
CHALLENGES
OF SUCCESS | 1 Sam. 19:30
We
can now see the continued success and ascension
of fame and popularity of David - he handled
it with such humility that you would expect
from the youngest son and shepard.
However,
many find the allure and rise to fame intoxicating
and like a harmful drug seek it and desire
it until it destroys them. Can you think
of anyone who achieved a high level of success,
fame, wealth, status, or prestige, only
to fall from that high pedestal? Heart Check.
How
can we combat the snare of the enemy when
we are on the mountaintops and living easy?
What heartwork can we do now before we face
the challenges of success?
TRUE
FRIENDSHIP | 1 Sam. 20
We
see a very good model of what a true friendship
looks like - do you have a ride or die friend?
Someone who is closer to you than a brother
or sister yet y’all don’t even share the
same DNA?
What
circumstances brought y’all into this sacred
relationship that you would do practically
anything for them? Or perhaps, do you even
have such a relationship with someone with
that much depth?
We
see what true vulnerability and open honest
clear communication can create beyond just
- oh we have similar hobbies of walking
boldly and courageously into battle and
trusting God - both of these men bore their
souls which included sharing their weaknesses
such as fears and failures. Heart Check.
Who
is your closest friend? Do you have a Jonathan
in your life?
UNWISE
COUNSEL | Psalm 11:2
David’s
advisors were speaking from a place of fear
and not from the wise counsel or petitioning
of God. They were saying to fiee and placing
more fear and a sense of danger than even
David was feeling. Like Job’s friends and
Peter to Jesus, perhaps their hearts were
in the right place but words thrown about
carelessly can cause irrevocable damage.
Our
only advice should be the word of God and
prayer to HIM and not our own opinions.
Heart Check.
Where
are you seeking counsel?
CIRCUMSTANCES
OR PERSPECTIVE | Psalm 11
What
do you do when backed up against a wall?
When the world is crumbling down?
When
you have been wrongly accused and unduly
marked?
Your
circumstances do NOT dictate what your heart
posture towards God should be. When life
throws out your unrighteousness you have
a choice to stand strong and faithful or
give in to the world’s vision of justice
and righteousness. Heart Check.
Will
you choose faith in the face of your unjust
circumstances or fear?
FORTRESS
| Psalm 11
What
do you do when backed up against a wall?
When the world is crumbling down?
When
you have been wrongly accused and unduly
marked?
Your
circumstances do NOT dictate what your heart
posture towards God should be. When life
throws out your unrighteousness you have
a choice to stand strong and faithful or
give in to the world’s vision of justice
and righteousness. Heart Check
Where
do you go when you need a place of peace
and strength? Who or what is your fortress?
Deep
Dive
How
can we have covenants today beyond just
marriage? What does a covenant of friendship
look like today?
What
lessons can we learn from the friendship
of David and Jonathan?
Why
did Michal still have idols in her home?
What does that indicate for the first royal
family?
Why
do you think Saul permitted his thoughts
to control his behavior and actions?
What
are the main ways David used poetry, praise,
and worship to combat his own thought patterns
and circumstances? And how can you use the
same Psalms to pray for your circumstances
today?
Heavenly
Father, thank you for always being our refudge
and fortress when we are in need.
In
times of trouble and distress, we find refuge
in You, our fortress and stronghold. Like
David, who sought shelter in Your mighty
protection,we come before You, knowing that
You are our defense against all adversaries.
Your Word declares that You are our refuge
and strength, a very present help in trouble,
and I cling to this promise with all my
heart.
Lord,
Your mercy knows no bounds, and may we,
the spiritual family of this Heart Dive
Ministry, be grateful for Your steadfast
love that never fails. Just as You came
to meet David in his time of need, may we
also trust in Your unfailing mercy to meet
us where we are. Your mercy is like a beacon
of hope, guiding us through the darkest
of nights and leading us into the light
of Your presence.
As
we face the challenges and trials of life,
let us take comfort in Your strength, which
sustains and upholds us. Your Word reminds
us that You are our rock and fortress, our
shield and stronghold. With You by our side,
we can stand firm against the schemes of
the enemy and overcome every obstacle that
stands in our way.
Lord,
give us the courage to face our enemies
with confidence, knowing that You go before
us and fight on our behalf. Help us to trust
in Your power to deliver us from every threat
and to see Your victory over all who oppose
us. May Your peace reign in our hearts,
casting out all fear and doubt, and filling
us with boldness and assurance. May we praise
your name with song and worship amidst the
challenges of life because it is a sweet
sound to your ear.
Lord,
just as David found a deep and lasting friendship
in Jonathan, helps us to seek godly counsel
and develop spiritual relationships that
go beyond surface-level interactions. Guide
us in creating fellowship outside of this
online community, moving towards corporate
gatherings where we can experience the richness
of community and the depth of friendship.
May we build relationships like David and
Jonathan, rooted in love, trust, and mutual
support, that will sustain us through every
season of life.
Thank
you, Lord, for Your unwavering faithfulness
and Your unending love. May our lives be
a testimony to Your goodness and grace,
as we walk in the strength of Your Spirit
and the power of Your might.
In
1 Samuel 21, David comes to Nob, where he
claims to be on assignment from the king,
and he requests for bread from Ahimelech
the priest. Ahimelech gives him the holy
bread since there is no other bread to offer.
David also asks for a weapon and is given
Goliath’s sword. An Edomite named Doeg witnesses
the event.
David
then fiees to the Philistine city Gath where
King Achish’s servants recognize him. While
under their scrutiny, David begins to act
insane, leading the King to dismiss him.
In
1 Samuel 22, David continues his fiight
from Saul and ends up in the Cave of Adullam,
where a group of 400 distressed, discontented,
and indebted men begin to follow him. In
an e£ort to keep his parents safe,
David moves them to Mizpah in Moab, where
he receives a prophecy that the Philistines
will be delivered into his hand.
As
David and his men set out to the Forest
of Hereth, Saul begins to falsely accuse
his men of conspiring against him in their
support of David. The Edomite, Doeg, reports
what he saw in Nob and how Ahimelech came
to the aid of David. This prompts Saul’s
order for the execution of Ahimelech and
all the priests of Nob, which Doeg carries
out himself.
The
only priest who escapes is Ahimelech, who
seeks out protection from David.
In
1 Samuel 23, David is told that the Philistines
are robbing and fighting against Keilah
in Judah, so David inquires of the Lord
and is told to save Keilah. David continues
to seek God’s guidance and is successful
in defeating the Philistines.
When
Saul finds out David is in Keilah, he assumes
the Lord has given him into his hands. The
priest Abiathar warns David of Saul’s knowledge,
so David continues to fiee Saul. David meets
up with Jonathan, who encourages him in
his faith and renews his covenant of friendship
and protection.
The
Ziphites inform Saul that David is hiding
out, but as Saul goes after David, he is
rerouted to fight the Philistines. David
is able to escape through the strongholds
of Engedi.
In
1 Samuel 24, following his fight against
the Philistines, Saul is told about David’s
whereabouts in Engedi.
As
he is seeking out David with 3000 men with
him, he goes to use the restroom in a cave
where David and his men are hiding out.
While
David’s men push for David to take Saul’s
life, David instead cuts the corner of his
robe, sparing his life. David begins to
have a guilty conscience for having violated
God’s anointed, and he restrains his men
from carrying out harm upon Saul.
As
Saul is leaving the cave, David confronts
him in innocence and proves that he has
shown him kindness by showing him the corner
of his cut robe.
David
affirms his faith in God to be the judge
between them. In his remorse, Saul weeps
before David and recognizes his authority
as future king. He begs for David’s mercy
on his family, and David agrees.
EXCUSING
SIN | 1 Sam. 21:2
David
is blatantly lying to protect his life.
Most people would read this and think it’s
okay to deceive the enemy. But sadly, we
will see that this very lie gets 85 priests
killed in the next chapter, where “little
white lie” turns into a huge disaster. This
shows us that we can’t categorize or minimize
sin, because it’s all wrong in the eyes
of God, regardless of the motive. Heart
Check.
Do
you excuse sin based on your idea of its
seriousness?
SPIRIT
OF THE LAW | 1 Sam. 21:5-6
This
is another account where we see the spirit
of the Law superseding the law itself. Only
priests were allowed to eat the holy bread.
Jesus refers to this account in Lk. 6 and
Mk. 2 when he and his disciples are chastised
by the Pharisees for gathering grain to
eat on the Sabbath. Even the Talmud, which
is a publication of Jewish Law, explains
that the preservation of life trumps any
other law or commandment. In other words,
love is greater than all. This doesn’t mean
do anything you want and sin in the name
of love, but it means that if a commandment
in the Bible is causing the death of a person
or causing you to hate others, then you
are in the wrong. Heart Check.
How
dogmatic or legalistic are you? Does it
cause hatred within? Or are you able to
understand the truth and love others through
it?
GROWTH
IN THE DARKNESS | 1 Sam. 22:1
David
was at a low point here. He has just lied
his way out of imprisonment, and now the
Lord is sending him to a dark and depressing
cave. But this is where the Lord will often
meet with us—in our valleys. Paul spoke
about this in Rom. 5:3-5 when he said that
we rejoice in our su£ering because
it produces endurance and builds our character
if we will seek him while we are in there.
But if we resist Him and blame Him, we will
also resist that opportunity to grow in
the dark times. If light is necessary for
growth, He is our only hope when we are
depressed or down and out. He is the light
that we need to break ground. He penned
Psalms 57 and 142 while in this cave, and
even though they are psalms of lament, he
is exalting the Lord and putting his trust
in Him. The Lord wants us to be joyful and
comfortable, but He also knows that there
are necessary seasons of growth, and that
doesn’t happen in comfort. He does His greatest
work in the dark times. Heart Check.
Are
you able to see His light in the darkness?
Are you allowing His Word to take root so
He can grow you?
GOD’S
WILL | 1 Sam. 23:7
Saul
assumes that because things are going his
way, that it “must be God.” But just because
an opportunity presents itself, it doesn’t
mean it’s necessarily coming from Him, especially
if it goes against His will. Anytime we
are faced with an opportunity, we should
always check our motives (in this case,
Saul’s motive to kill David was pure evil
and driven by ego and pride), before assuming
it is God’s will. Heart
Check.
How
quick are you to jump to the "It must
be God" conclusion?
FRIEND
IN JESUS | 1 Sam. 23:17
This
is one of the most beautiful parts of Jonathan
and David’s friendship—Jonathan may have
not been able to single-handedly save him,
but his gift of encouragement to David was
far more valuable, because it ultimately
strengthened David and he was able to reject
fear. We have a friend like this in Jesus,
who tells us the same thing—we don’t need
to fear because we are a royal priesthood
under the King of Kings. We can reject fear
because there is a promise on our lives,
and we have a friend who is next to us to
see it fulfilled. We can reject fear because
we are in a covenant of safety and protection.
Heart Check.
Is
thers an area of your life where fear is
taking over? Can you reject it, knowing
that you have a greater friend in Jesus?
KILL
‘EM WITH KINDNESS | 1 Sam. 24:17
This
is a beautiful example of heaping coals
over your enemies’ heads (Rom. 12:20). David
could’ve taken Saul out, but he treated
him with kindness instead, and this is what
led to the change of heart that we are seeing
in Saul. He killed his ego with kindness.
This goes against the grain of our fiesh—when
people mistreat us, we want to lash out
and fight back. But if we can restrain ourselves
and treat them with kindness, watch what
the Lord will do. Heart Check.
When
you are mistreated, do you set out to kill
them with the sword or with kindness?
Deep
Dive
How
did David’s lie to protect himself turn
out to be tragic? How does this make you
consider unforeseen consequences when making
decisions?
How
was Goliath’s sword significant for David?
Consider
David’s leadership style. How are these
traits admirable? Is this style of leadership
still effective today?
How
can false narratives and insecurity lead
to disaster? Can you cite any modern cases
of this?
Consider
Jonathan and David’s relationship. How important
is it to have friends like this?
How
do David and Saul’s decision making differ?
Whose example do you follow?
How
can we respect authority without compromising
God’s morals?
Heavenly
Father, thank you for showing us what a
man after your heart looks like..
Even
in the middle of his mess-ups, David continues
to show compassion and integrity in the
way he deals with Saul. I pray that we will
be like this—where we always seek you and
your guidance in all things, especially
when it involves coming up against direct
opposition. Help us never to cave in to
our own emotion or impulse but maintain
patience as we wait for your word.
Forgive
us if we have ever lied our way out of a
scary situation or out of desperation. Thank
you for your forgiveness and grace in all
things. I pray that we will always be truthful,
even if we can’t see the future consequences.
Help us to trust in you, knowing that you
will work all things together for good.
You
are the judge of all people, not us. Thank
you for reminding us that our job is to
love, and we can leave the judgment to you,
for love covers a multitude of sins, so
may that be etched on the deepest parts
of our heart. I pray that we never allow
your commandments to create hatred in our
hearts in any way.
We
speak against any insecurities and renounce
any lies or falsehoods that are being whispered
in our ears about anyone. I pray that we
will not allow insecurities to bring us
to a place of victimhood, where we feel
we are being attacked by people who are
probably not even thinking about us. But
if there is a legitimate attack, I pray
that you will give us strength to confront
it with truth and love. We trust that you
are protecting us.
If
there is anyone who is struggling to confront
abuse or who worries that they may be out
of line or in a weaker position, I pray
that you give them the strength they need
to expose any darkness, even if it means
that they too are exposed in any way. Protect
their hearts and reputation, and I pray
that you will not allow this kind of evil
to remain uncovered. If we need to cut corners
to prove something, give us the scissors.
I
pray that we will be wise in every decision-making
opportunity that we are faced with. May
we not assume that everything that comes
our way and works in our favor is from you,
but may we seek assurance from you and trust
that you will bring confirmation. We want
to be faithful, but we also want to be wise.
We know you will never tempt us to do anything
against your will, so may we always double
check our motives and the outlook if we
act upon it.
For
anyone who might be in a dark place or a
cave of depression today, we ask that your
light will fiood their souls right now.
Lift the pressure that may be hovering over
them and free their body, mind, and spirit
from any heaviness. I pray they will know
that they are not crushed or abandoned because
you are with them. Renew their strength
today as they put their hope in you. We
come against any negativity that may be
filling the minds of any person and ask
that you help us to take every thought captive
and make it obedient to Christ. We know
that you have a future and a hope planned
for us, and this time of weakness is an
opportunity for your strength to prevail.
So give us the strength to move one foot
in front of the other to climb out of the
pit we might be in. Help us to have patience
in this a£liction as we stay focused
on you. We know that you develop us in the
harder times, so we welcome you to do what
you need to.
If
there are any severed relationships, we
ask for reconciliation. We don’t want to
put ourselves into compromised or unsafe
situations, but we also don’t want to hold
on to any bitterness or guilt for having
not tried to pursue peace. I pray we will
be wise and compassionate as David was,
but never naïve. Thank you, Holy Spirit,
for giving us discernment and wisdom.
In
Psalm 7, David pleads with the Lord for
protection and deliverance before his enemies
tear him apart. He appeals to the Lord as
judge and declares his innocence and willingness
to receive judgment if he is guilty. He
calls upon the Lord to arise in anger and
bring judgment upon the wicked while defending
the righteous, for only He knows man’s motives
and innermost being. David condemns the
wicked by declaring that they will be subject
to the Lord’s fiery arrows if they do not
repent, and they will eventually destroy
themselves. The psalm ends with a declaration
of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord on
high.
In
Psalm 27, David proclaims the Lord the light,
salvation, and stronghold of his life. Because
so, he is confident and does not need to
fear any enemy or battle. David expresses
his one desire to be in the Lord’s presence
forever, for it is here where he can see
God and fellowship with Him, find protection,
sing praise, and o£er sacrifices.
David cries out for God’s grace, help, teaching,
and guidance. referencing the Lord’s past
deliverance and protection in his life.
He ends the psalm with a declaration of
God’s goodness and instruction to find strength
and courage while waiting on the Lord.
In
Psalm 31, David declares his trust in the
Lord while still crying for help in his
distress. He finds safety in the Lord, who
leads and guides him away from danger. David
declares total surrender in his famous quote
“into your hand I commit my spirit,” while
portraying confidence in the Lord, who knows
every part of him. David rejoices as he
compares his trust in God’s righteousness
and mercy with those who trust in worthless
idols. He also expresses his physical, emotional,
and social distress, as he feels rejected
by those around him. But once again, he
declares his trust as he pleads for mercy
and deliverance from his enemies. He continues
to praise the goodness and divine protection
of the Lord, blessing his name for how He
has shown mercy to him. The psalm ends with
a call to love the Lord and to be strong
and courageous as they wait on the Lord.
In
Psalm 34, David purposes praise in his heart
by declaring he will bless and praise the
Lord always while declaring for others to
join him in exalting the Lord. David recalls
his personal deliverance and assures that
those who call upon the Lord will be radiant
and never ashamed, for the Lord surrounds
those who fear Him. David calls upon the
people to taste and see that the Lord is
good, assuring them that those who fear
the Lord and seek him will lack no good
thing. A call to obedience is given, including
speaking truth and not evil, doing good,
and pursuing peace. He assures the people
the Lord watches over them with care and
protection and He stays close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
David ends the psalm with a declaration
that the Lord is just and will condemn the
wicked while redeeming the righteous.
In
Psalm 52, David rebukes Doeg’s wickedness
in boasting of evil, plotting destruction,
and relying on wealth and wickedness. David
proclaims that the Lord’s divine judgment
will be upon all evil and the righteous
will rejoice in His justice. David compares
himself to a healthy olive tree in the house
of God, as he trusts in God’s mercy and
faithfulness and vows to praise Him forever.
BOLDLY
ENTER IN | Psalm 7
In
the end, this psalm is a cry for the justice
of God upon his enemies. David is being
falsely attacked and chased after, and he
has no other place to run than straight
to the Lord, as this is his only chance
for deliverance.
Note
that David never declares himself innocent
because he knows he isn’t. But he’s not
asking for mercy for his sin, he’s asking
for his vindication. This is important for
us to catch because sometimes, the thing
that will keep us from completely surrendering
to the Lord is fear that we will be judged
or that we are not worthy of asking for
such a thing because of our own guilty conscience.
But
what we must remember is that the enemy
is the prosecuting attorney, accusing us
of all kinds of things. But Jesus is our
attorney, who stands at the right hand of
the Father declaring us innocent. The judgment
has already been made and we have been acquitted
of all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). David
understood God’s justice and love before
He ever demonstrated it to the world, and
this is why he could so freely and boldly
come before his chambers to plead for justice.
What
about you? Heart Check.
Are
you able to freely come to the Lord in all
matters? Is there guilt that is holding
you back from completely surrendering and
boldly entering His throne room of grace?
LET
THE LIGHT IN | Psalm 27:1-3
David’s
confidence didn’t come from the fact that
he slayed Goliath or defeated the enemy.
His
confidence came from the fact that he had
nothing to hide. He trusted in the Lord
as the light of his life, so there was no
sitting in darkness.
He
allowed that light to fiood in and cast
out all fear, doubt, sickness, rejection,
and evil. We can’t say that the Lord is
our light and salvation and yet keep the
door closed on certain parts of our lives.
That
is allowing darkness to lurk in the deepest
corners of our hearts, and that darkness
is what will keep us shackled in fear. David
was confident because He allowed every part
of himself to be exposed before the Lord,
knowing that He could hide nothing from
Him. Heart Check.
Have
you let the light in? Is it exposing evry
corner of you heart?
TOTAL
SURRENDER | Psalm 31:5
If
you’ve read the Bible before, you know these
words, as ones having been said by Jesus
right before He took His last breath on
the cross (Lk. 23:46) and Stephen (Acts
7:59) before he was taken up into heaven.
This
phrase is a declaration of total trust and
surrender. But notice when they speak it—right
before they died (or in Stephen’s case,
right before he eternally lived). When we
receive Jesus, this is what we are ultimately
declaring right before we die to ourselves
and enter the path toward eternal life.
We are declaring that our lives, down to
the deepest parts of our being, are in His
hands. We must surrender everything to Him
with complete trust and dependence. We are
essentially handing over our lives, relinquishing
all control. Heart Check.
Have
you committed your spirit into His hands?
Or are you still trying to control certain
parts of your life?
PURPOSING
PRAISE | Psalm 34:2
The
word bless means “to confer happiness or
prosperity unto another.” While it may be
hard to believe, we have the ability to
make God, the Creator of the universe, God
Almighty, happy! We bless His heart when
we come to Him with gratitude and praise.
I
love how David purposes in his heart that
he WILL bless the Lord continually meaning,
no matter what comes his way, he will maintain
a heart of gratitude. Studies show that
gratitude is intrinsically linked to happiness,
and C.H. Spurgeon wisely said that “He who
praises God for blessings will always have
blessings for which to praise God.”
Whereas
those who have an attitude of ungratefulness
or lack, they will think they have no reason
to praise the Lord because they can’t see
the blessings that are upon them. Heart
Check.
Have
you purposed praise in your heart no matter
what may be?
MAGNIFY
| Psalm 34:3
We
can quote the psalms and phrases without
ever truly thinking about what it means.
For example, when we say, “magnify the Lord,”
we probably imagine making God bigger. But
the thing is, we can’t make God bigger.
He
is what He is.
So
when you magnify something, you are not
changing the being but rather the perception
of it. And when we “magnify the Lord,” we
are given the opportunity to change the
perspective of Him. Right now, the world
is trying to diminish or make God smaller.
So
we need to be a people who change that perception,
and David is wise to call upon the assembly
to do this together. Because when we get
around like minds, we are encouraged, our
understanding is increased, and there’s
a general sense of oneness.
Whereas
if we are torn apart, our magnifying lens
gets shattered. Heart Check.
How
do others perceive God through your life?
Are you magnifying Him?
Deep
Dive
Compare
earthly judges with the Lord as judge. How
do they compare? How are they di£erent?
How
do you reconcile God’s judgment with His
love, mercy, and forgiveness?
What
does it mean to dwell in the house of the
Lord? What does that look like for us?
How
does David’s relationship with the Lord
inspire your relationship with Him?
We take refuge
in you today, knowing that you have saved
us from us—from the worst of ourselves and
from heading down a road of destruction.
While
the enemy may continue to accuse us, you
are our advocate, our helper, our refuge,
and our righteous judge, who has already
pardoned us and set us free—our bond was
paid. Thank you, Jesus. We know that we
were never truly righteous, nor will we
ever be by our own merit, yet you still
gave us a new name and continue to call
us by it. We are the righteousness of God.
I pray that we will do our best to live
that out for others to see. Maintain our
integrity so that we can walk with our heads
held high—not in pride—but in a posture
that gets others to look where we are looking,
and that is up at you. When we do that,
a radiance that has never been seen on us
will shine forth, for your glory will be
revealed. I pray that others will be able
to taste and see that the Lord is indeed
good!
We
know that we cannot understand why evil
prevails in this world, but we will trust
you, knowing that you will right every wrong
one day, and that you will bring judgment
upon those who are wicked. But we also recognize
that you are mercifully waiting on every
heart to turn to you, so we ask that you
will arise, O Lord, and help them to see
you.
Thank
you for being our shield in the meantime.
If any wickedness is coming our way, we
trust that you are our defender. We thank
you for this divine protection in our lives.
We
declare today that you are our light and
salvation, so we do not need to fear. No
matter what battles we face, or what insults
may come our way, we will not stumble or
fall, but we will remain confident. You
have brought us through the battlefield
before, and you will do it again.
One
thing we ask for and seek today is to, indeed,
be able to dwell in your presence forever.
There is no other place we would rather
be than under the shelter of the shadow
of your wings. Thank you for lifting us
up out of harm’s way, and on to a rock,
out of the enemy’s reach.
For
anyone who feels like they are crushed,
su£ering, or simply broken in mind,
body, or spirit, let them know that you
are near to them. They may not be able to
see through their tears but increase their
faith so they can walk by faith and not
by sight.
We
continue to seek your face, our helper,
and our comforter. We know that when we
seek you, no good will be withheld from
us. Teach us your ways and lead us on a
level path so that we do not stumble. With
you, we can walk through this life on equal
footing. You never promised that this life
would be easy, but you did promise to never
leave us in it, so we will set our focus
on you as you guide us while leaving us
a set of footprints to walk in.
Until
the day you call us home, we will continue
to gaze upon your goodness and faithfully
wait for you. We will not wait in apathy
or laziness, but actively wait, in prayer,
in service, with humility, and with expectancy.
So help us to be strong and courageous as
we watch for your every move with anticipation.
As
David so beautifully depicted what unwavering
faith and trust looks like, I pray we will
do the same. We want our lives to be an
example for others who can trust in your
love and divine protection, no matter what
they go through. You are always there. Thank
you for seeing us, for hearing our cries,
and for continuing to lead us and guide
us.
Thank
you for the honesty and integrity of David,
and the way that he showed us to pray and
praise. We can come before you in complete
honesty, with all our raw emotion, because
you already see it anyway. So help us to
continue to be open and honest with you.
You’re not looking for perfection in us—you’re
just looking for a relationship. I pray
that we will bring every hurt, every ounce
of worry or distress, every sickness or
disease, every moment of rejection, before
your throne. We bring you our all, the good
and the bad.
So
into your hands we commit our spirits today
as we give you all the thanks, praise, honor
and glory. And we declare that we will sing
praise to the name of the Lord Most High,
magnifying you and exalting you all the
days of our lives. We bless you and love
you so much.
In
Psalm 56, David cries out to God for help,
declaring that he will trust in and praise
Him regardless of constant enemy oppression.
No matter what man does, he will not fear.
David pleads with the Lord for justice upon
those who twist his words and look for a
reason to take him down. But David knows
that the Lord knows his every step and every
tear, so he is able to rea£irm his
trust, knowing that God is for him. The
psalm ends with a vow to fulfill his promises
and live with gratitude as he walks along
the path illuminated by God.
In
Psalm 120, the psalmist calls out to God
for deliverance from those who have been
lying against them. They ponder the arrows
of punishment and judgment due to their
accusers. The psalmist feels discontent
living among pagan peoples who antagonize
them, and they end the psalm with a desire
and yearning for peace.
In
Psalm 140, David pleads with the Lord for
deliverance and protection from evil and
violent men who are always looking for ways
to trip him up. He declares that the Lord
is his God, his strength, and his protector,
and once again pleads for judgment against
them. He prays that the Lord will not allow
their wickedness to prevail but rather burning
coals be brought upon their heads. He ends
the psalm with a declaration of assurance
that God will champion the powerless as
the righteous will dwell with Him in gratitude.
In
Psalm 141, David cries to the Lord to hear
his prayer, which he knows are like incense
to the Lord. He pleads with the Lord to
guard his mouth and heart and to keep him
from all wicked people and situations. David
also welcomes godly rebuke or correction,
regarding it as kindness and oil upon his
head. Knowing there are traps set before
him, David asks the Lord for divine protection
and deliverance upon himself and judgment
upon his adversaries as they all into their
own traps.
In
Psalm 142, David desperately pleads with
the Lord for mercy in the midst of his distress.
Feeling defenseless and weak, he cries out
to the Lord as his refuge and portion, asking
for deliverance from the prison he feels
he is in. He ends the psalm with a declaration
that he will be surrounded by righteousness
as the Lord delivers him.
LIES
VS. TRUTH | Psalm 120:1-2
With
so much information at our fingertips, it
is hard to decipher what is a lie and what
is truth anymore. For every statement or
story on the internet, you can find the
opposing argument and usually a passionate
group of people who stand behind it. There
are lies in politics, lies in business,
lies about biology, lies being told about
us, to us, about God. We are surrounded
by lies, because we live in a world that
is held by the ruler of darkness.
Lies
are the devil’s M.O.
This
is why you see so much twisting of scripture
and why we are so twisted in our spirits
with insecurity—because he lies to us all
day long about who we are, what our purpose
is, where we’re going, who we’re going with.
He is trying to tear us down and tear our
relationships down, with both God and man.
So we need to fight that with truth. We
combat that, just as David did, with the
Sword of Truth.
In
God’s Word, we know who we are, what our
purpose is, where we’re going, and who we’re
going with. People are not our enemy.
What
about you? Heart Check.
Hoe
do you decipher what is a lie and what is
the truth? Are you weighing it against the
backdrop of God's word?
BYE
FELICIA | Psalm 120
To
me, this psalm is a “bye Felicia” psalm.
As
the pilgrims were preparing to dig out and
head toward the church, they were like,
“Good riddance!” to all the people who were
constantly antagonizing them.
Now
they get to be with their own people who
they could be like-minded with, to be encouraged
by, and to love the Lord with. This is what
the church is supposed to be for us! It’s
no wonder that every time you get ready
to head out to Bible study or church, it
seems like everything starts to go wrong.
Your
spouse picks a fight, or your kids become
lunatics in the car.
Because
the devil knows that you are going into
training with our army and the last thing
he wants is for you to gain more spiritual
muscle.
Anytime
you feel resistance against God’s purpose
for your life, whether it is a roadblock
on the way to fellowship or a temptation
that will lead you astray, you must remember
that it’s Meshech and Kedar, trying to keep
you from being better. And that’s when you
need to say, “Bye Felicia” and keep moving.
Heart Check.
Is
there resistance in your life? Who or what
do you need to say "good riddance"
to so you can keep moving?
KNOWLEDGE
IS POWER | Psalm 140:12-13
The
world was right when it said that “knowledge
is power.” When David says, “I KNOW that
the Lord WILL…” there is absolutely no doubt
in those words. These are words of resolve
that come from knowledge. But if He didn’t
know God, His Words, or His promises, where
would that leave Him? Powerless!
This
is why we must get the word deep in our
souls, so that when problems arise, we KNOW
what the Lord said about it and what He
will do about it. If we keep that in our
heart, we won’t be paralyzed by our fear.
Heart Check.
Think
about your current worries and fears. What
has God spoken about them? How can this
knowledge bring you power?
HEART’S
DOOR | Psalm 141:3
David
is pleading with the Lord to guard his mouth.
This should be a major consideration and
prayer of ours as well because our words
come from what is in our hearts.
The
mouth is simply the door through which it
exits. If you think about any place of royalty
or prominence, there are guards at the door,
making sure that nothing harmful can penetrate.
How
much more do we need guards at the door
of our heart! Heart Check.
Is
the door of your heart creaking with complaining,
criticism, gossip, or swearing? Or are the
hinges oiled with joy, gratitude, encouragement,
and praise?
GODLY
CRITICISM | Psalm 141:5
Up
to this point, David has been pleading with
the Lord over the insults and verbal attacks
he’s been facing.
But
here we see a di£erent perspective—he
recognizes that not all criticism is ungodly
and destructive. Knowing this, he asks the
Lord that his heart will not refuse it,
probably because it’s our natural human
inclination to reject anything that is spoken
against us. It never feels good!
And
in an o£ended world, even the truth
of God’s word is being seen as “hate” rather
than rebuke. We must be a people that do
not perpetuate this kind of thinking because
this is what leads to everyone doing right
in their own eyes rather than what is right
in God’s eyes.
But
if we can receive Godly criticism with a
humble heart and consider it kindness, it
will be beneficial to us.
Solomon
echoed this when he said, “Faithful are
the wounds of a friend” (Proverbs 27:6).
Heart Check.
When
you face criticism or rebuke, how do you
react? Do you immediately consider it evil
or thoughtfully consider that it may be
beneficial?
Deep
Dive
How
does David’s response to fear inspire you?
How can we apply this to our lives?
How
can we be peace seekers in a world full
of chaos and turmoil?
Look
at the places in the psalms where “selah”
occurs—why would we need to ponder those
particular passages?
How
do we see the power of words on display
throughout these psalms?
How
can we detect and protect ourselves against
invisible traps, entanglements, or snares
of the enemy?
How
do we find a balance between pouring out
our anguish and fully depending upon the
Lord?
Heavenly
Father, thank you that no matter what we
face, we can always trust in you.
Especially when
we are up against the wall, you are for
us and not against us. We know that there
is no triumph without trouble, no testimony
without tests. And while we may not welcome
the pain that it causes, we do welcome what
you will do through it. We will trust that
you are making us stronger and better, sharpening
and refining us in the process, for you
know what is ahead of us, and you are preparing
us for greater things.
When
we are overwhelmed by fear, I pray that
we will be like David and remember that
you are on our side. Help us to recall the
many promises you have spoken to us through
your word, and may we resolve to never cower
to man’s insults or attacks, but to fully
trust that you are covering us and holding
us up when we feel too weak to stand.
You
know our every thought, hear our every cry,
and catch every tear that falls from our
eyes. May we never forget that. You are
near to the brokenhearted and crushed in
spirit, so I pray that when we are there,
that we can tangibly feel your loving arms
wrapped around us. Help us to be the physical
form of those arms for others, as we weep
with those who weep and mourn with those
who mourn. Give us the right words to speak
that will uplift those who are hurting.
Put your words in our mouths. We want to
be champions for the powerless because that’s
who you have been to us.
Lord,
we are surrounded by lies and turmoil in
this world, so I pray that we can stay focused
on your word and on the Prince of Peace.
Wars and rumors of war fill our feed, and
distress and anguish fill our souls as we
see and hear what is going on across the
world. We know that these things must happen,
but it doesn’t take the pain away in seeing
it. Oh how we long for peace and look forward
to the day that you fill the earth with
it. Until then, may we do our part to usher
in your Presence in the middle of this chaos.
Help
us to be able to decipher between lies and
truth—increase our discernment so that we
can petty delete the lies and welcome truth,
even when it hurts. I pray that we never
reject your correction, even when it comes
through the mouths of man. It never feels
good but is always beneficial, so help us
to see that.
You
see what is up ahead—every trap, every potential
entanglement, and every snare that could
trip us up. Protect us from being deceived
and lead us away from any people or situations
that will try to trap us.
Please
continue to transform our hearts so that
out of its wellsprings will fiow words of
life and not death. I pray that you will
keep our hearts from becoming consumed with
anything that will distract us from your
purpose in our lives.
You
are our God and the strength of our salvation.
We know that you will maintain our cause
and uphold us when we feel that everyone
else has forsaken us. We know that with
you, we are never alone. You are always
with us, so we take comfort in your divine
providence. We give you all thanks and praise
to your name.
In
1 Samuel 25, Israel mourns the death of
Samuel and buries him in Ramah. Meanwhile,
David sends messengers to collect payment
from a wealthy man named Nabal, whom David
and his men had been protecting along with
his sheep and shepherds. Nabal insults and
belittles David while refusing to give provisions
to him and his men, so David readies his
troops to battle him. Nabal’s wife, Abigail,
hears of the impending doom and quickly
prepares the requested provisions to bring
to David. She pleads with David for mercy,
petitioning for him to act with integrity
while reminding him of his kingship.
David
blesses her for having such discernment
and for providing wise counsel. He receives
her gift and acknowledges her hand in keeping
him from shedding blood. When Abigail relays
what happened to Nabal, he is struck with
fear and dies ten days later. David sends
for Abigail and takes her as his wife, along
with a second wife named Ahinoam, as his
previous wife Michal had been given to another
man.
In
1 Samuel 26, the Ziphites reveal to Saul
that David is hiding in the Hill of Hakilah.
Saul takes 3000 men in search of David.
When David learns of his arrival by way
of spies that he had sent out, he takes
his servant Abishai down to Saul’s camp.
Finding him sleeping, Abishai pleads for
the opportunity to kill Saul, but David
refuses, as Saul is God’s anointed. Instead,
he takes Saul’s spear and jug of water and
leave the camp. Once they are far enough
away, David calls out to Saul’s commander,
Abner, reproving his inability to protect
Saul. When Saul recognizes David’s voice,
David questions Saul’s pursuit of him. Saul
repents and blesses David, and they go their
separate ways.
In
1 Samuel 27, David grows weary and finds
refuge for his family and military in the
Philistine territory of Gath. David appeals
to King Achish for favor and a place to
live, and the king gives him Ziklag in Judah,
where they continue living for one year
and four months. David begins raiding towns
and driving out the Geshurites, Girzites,
and Amalekites from the land of Judah. In
doing so, he convinces King Achish that
he has risen against his people, Israel,
and is now loyal to the Philistines.
RICH
| 1 Sam. 25:2
Nabal
is described as a rich man, but as we will
find out, he was only rich materially. When
we think about the lifestyles of the rich
and famous, this is usually the standard
on which we base it—how much money, how
big of a house, and how many cars a person
has. But we know heavenly riches go far
beyond that. Our wealth is di£erent—it
is found in our eternal future.
But
even while we’re here on earth, richness
is found in our character and our purpose.
We are rich in mercy, grace, joy, and peace,
because it’s been given to us through the
gift of the Holy Spirit. Nothing on this
earth will give you what Jesus can. There
is no Hollywood in heaven, so what’s considered
rich now will be very short-lived in comparison
with eternity. Heart Check.
How
rich do you feel?
ALL
MINE | 1 Sam. 25:11
Here
we see the root of Nabal’s lack of generosity—he
was simply selfish. He thought everything
was “mine, mine, mine, it’s all mine!” He
viewed his wealth as done by his hands alone
and not the Lord’s. When we view our lives
this way, we will be more prone to clinging
to it for dear life rather than having a
loose hand and being willing to give unto
others. Heart Check.
How
do you view what you have? As a blessing
from the Lord? Or "its all mine!"
NUMBERED
DAYS | 1 Sam. 26:21
What’s
really sad is that Saul will die soon after
this, so these words are like an epitaph—they
perfectly sum up his life. If Saul believed
that his days were numbered, I wonder if
he would’ve had a real change of heart?
Heart Check.
Do
you live if your days are numbered? What
would be written on your tombstone today?
HEART
TO HEART | 1 Sam. 27:1
David
talked himself right out of faith and straight
into enemy territory. This is what will
happen when we consult ourselves rather
than God. Jer. 17:9 says the heart is deceitful
and desperately wicked, so when we try to
have a heart to heart with our own feelings
and thoughts, this is when we will start
to get confused and will come to faulty
conclusions, because what we say in our
heart can easily shape our thoughts and
the trajectory of our future. And we have
the best counselor in the universe right
at our disposal, yet most of the time, we
treat Him like an appointment: 5 minutes
of prayer here, one before our meal, and
then check o£ the box. Meanwhile,
we’re talking to ourselves all day long,
and then we wonder why we have so much anxiety.
Paul told us the antidote to anxiety is
prayer—when we bring our requests to the
Lord with thanksgiving in our hearts, then
the peace of God will rule our hearts and
minds. Heart Check.
Who
are you consulting and having heart to hearts
with? Yourself? Your spouse? Your friends?
Or God?
**While
David may no longer be at odds with Saul,
he is now at a real spiritual low. In fact,
there are no records of psalms being written
during this time, which tells us that he
was closer to God when he was under attack.
Now he’s living in compromise, which plays
him right into the hands of another enemy.
The devil is not a one-trick pony. If he
doesn’t win one way, he will try another,
and sadly, this trick is fueled by David’s
own self-will..
Deep
Dive
What
lessons in marriage can be learned from
Abigail?
How
does Abigail’s appeal to David show the
power of peacemaking?
What
lessons in foolishness and wisdom can we
learn from chapter 25?
What
lessons in integrity, respect, and vengeance
can we learn from chapter 26?
What
would respect for God’s anointed look like
for us today?
Why
did Saul stop pursuing David once he was
in Philistine territory? How was this good
and bad? How can we relate to this?
Heavenly
Father, thank you for reminding us that
vengeance is yours and that we do not need
to fight unnecessary battles.
We know that
no matter where we go, even if it is somewhere
we shouldn’t be, you are there to hear our
cry when we call out to you.
Thank
you for hearing our voice. I pray that we
never forget this and always remain close
to you, seeking your heart in all things
so that we do not begin to consult ourselves.
Thank
you for the position you have placed us
in. We know that you have raised us up to
be right where we are for a reason, so I
pray that we will be sensitive to the calling
in this season of our lives. We don’t want
to miss our chance at fulfilling your purpose,
for we know that your work doesn’t stop
at us.
So
if we don’t move when you say to, you will
raise up another. But thank you that your
gifts and callings are without repentance,
so even if we do miss the bus, there is
always another one available if we get back
on track.
Thank
you for the life of Abigail and the way
that she maintained so much truth and honor
in every area of her life. She didn’t cower
in fear but boldly took a stand with such
grace and humility, all while protecting
her family. Even if she was mistreated,
she bore the burden and was blessed because
of it.
I
pray that we can all be faithful like this,
honoring our spouses, even when it’s hard.
On
the fiip side of that, we see how the disrespect
and selfishness of Nabal led to his ultimate
downfall, for you are just.
What
I love most is how you continually work
on our character through every situation.
We all have opportunities every single day
to act on our emotions or to wisely discern
when respect and honor must supersede our
feelings. We know that we will ultimately
reap what we sow, so please help us to make
wise decisions in all things.
I
pray that we will have steadfast faith like
David. Even when we feel that we are being
pursued on all sides and the pressure is
mounting, help us to act with integrity,
even in the face of injustice. We will continue
to trust that in your perfect timing, you
will make things right.
And
even if we find ourselves running in the
wrong direction or camped out in enemy territory,
I pray that we will continue to rely on
your protection and resources, rather than
trying to take matters into our own hands.
May we always navigate back to you.
We
know that life on this earth is short, so
I pray that we live out each day as if it
is our last. In doing so, may we leave a
legacy that will be written on the hearts
of many, one that ultimately brings you
honor and joy.
In
Psalm 17, David prays and appeals to the
Lord’s justice in asking him to uphold his
righteousness and integrity while vindicating
his enemies. David is confident, knowing
the Lord will answer him, so he pleads for
mercy and divine protection, likening himself
to a bird finding refuge in the shadow of
its mother’s wings. David describes the
character of the wicked as being cruel and
arrogant and asks the Lord to intervene
on his behalf. The psalm ends with a statement
of resolute faith and anticipation of heaven.
In
Psalm 34, David appeals to the Lord as his
Warrior and Judge to fight against his enemies
and to assure him that He is his salvation.
He asks that the angel of the Lord to make
their path di£icult, turning them
back into their own shame, dishonor, and
disappointment. He continues with several
cycles of petition for God to confuse and
dishonor his enemies and to deliver him
in the process. David feels as though the
accusations against him are not warranted,
especially in the wake of his help toward
them. Nevertheless, David maintains a heart
of gratitude, declaring that he will publicly
proclaim the greatness of God in praise.
In
Psalm 54, David cries out to the Lord for
help and vindication, pleading with the
Lord to hear his prayer. He appeals to God
as his helper and avenger, knowing that
God will uphold him. He ends the psalm with
a declaration to fulfill his vow of sacrifice
to the Lord because of his deliverance and
goodness.
In
Psalm 63, David earnestly seeks the Lord,
expressing a spiritual thirst and longing
for the Lord in the midst of his wilderness.
He seeks to cling to the power and glory
of the Lord like he had seen in the sanctuary
previously. David declares that he will
praise the Lord with joy and meditate on
him each night, bringing comfort to his
soul as he clings to the Lord who upholds
him. He ends with a prediction of the destruction
of his enemies and a renewal of trust and
rejoicing in the Lord.
EXAMINING
OUR HEART | Psalm 17:3
David
has a clear conscience here, and it is because
he has allowed the Lord to search his heart
for any wickedness or impure motives. He
welcomed the test and feels as though he
has passed it because he was more concerned
with God’s standard of righteousness and
not just his own cause.
This
is a mark of spiritual maturity-- when we
can welcome God’s testing of our heart and
character because we are accepting that
there might be something wrong with us and
not everyone else. When we read God’s Word,
we should allow for the Holy Spirit to convict
(correct, not condemn) our hearts so that
we too can appeal to the Lord without guilt
hanging over our head. Heart Check.
Do
you welcome God's examing of your heart
and character? Do you listen whne He corrects
or fight for your cause?
ALL
MINE | 1 Sam. 25:11
Here
we see the root of Nabal’s lack of generosity—he
was simply selfish. He thought everything
was “mine, mine, mine, it’s all mine!”
He
viewed his wealth as done by his hands alone
and not the Lord’s. When we view our lives
this way, we will be more prone to clinging
to it for dear life rather than having a
loose hand and being willing to give unto
others. Heart Check.
How
do you view what you have? As a blessing
from the Lord? Or "it's all mine!"
SATISFIED
| Psalm 17:14
David
knew that discontentment and wickedness
came from those who were satisfied by things
of this world.
When
you look at war, political debates, or fights
in general, they are usually fueled by greed
and power.
This
is why we cannot measure our satisfaction
by wealth, success, or anything in this
world. If we do that, we will deceive ourselves.
As Christians, we know that satisfaction,
contentment, and joy come only from a true
relationship with the Lord and doing his
will. Heart Check.
Are
you satisfied in life? What are you longing
for that you believe will bring you satisfaction?
VOICE
THE VICTORY | Psalm 35:16-18
While
David poured out a lot of complaints here,
I love that he doesn’t only publish his
problems. He also gives voice to the victory.
This made me wonder, how much of my mind,
my conversations, my social media posts,
celebrate the victory as opposed to pouring
out my problems. The determining factor
here is the condition of the heart and whether
we are operating in a heart of lack or a
heart of gratitude. Heart Check.
What
is your heart projecting? Does it pour out
problems or give voice to victory?
FAITH
LANGUAGE | Psalm 54:7
Notice
that David ends by speaking in the past
tense—he is declaring that it has already
been done. He is fighting FROM the victory!
For unbelievers, they would call this blind
faith. But the thing is, true faith isn’t
blind. True faith sees things that those
without faith can’t. Faith can see the glory
of the future in the darkness of today.
So we can acknowledge the cold truth of
our circumstances the same way David did,
but then we behold and declare the promises
of God. Heart Check.
What
language does your faith speak? Does it
declare victory or is it caught in the present
day trouble?
SPIRITUAL
THIRST | Psalm 63:1
Every
morning when I wake up, the first thing
I do is head to the kitchen to refill my
Stanley and make a co£ee… I’m thirsty.
I can’t help but wonder if the Lord created
us that way so that we would realize that
our soul thirsts for Him. Some translations
read, “Early will I seek you,” and this
speaks of eagerness or earnestness. But
I do believe there is a benefit in considering
this as “first thing” after you wake up.
Because His mercies are new each day—they
are like fresh co£ee grounds in little
K-cups just waiting to be popped open in
our spiritual Keurig. He is our morning
Cup O’ Joe! While we shouldn’t be legalistic
about making sure we do Bible study in the
morning (some people function better at
night), I do believe there is a benefit
in seeking Him early before our phone starts
dinging and the kids start screaming. We
need a good spiritual drink before the distractions
of life take over Heart
Check.
Do
you recognize your spirtual thirst each
day? Are you drinking of His new mercies
that are freshly available to you? Or are
you allowing yesterday's burdens and today's
demands to take over?
EVENING
LULLABY | Psalm 63:6
This
convicted my heart today, because if I’m
being completely transparent with you, my
lullaby lately has been This is Us on Netfiix.
It’s the way that I wind down and ultimately
fall asleep, and it never fails. I fall
asleep before the credits finish. But today
I thought about when I was younger, and
my Daddy didn’t allow me to have anything
on—no radio, no lights, no TV. But what
I realized was that because of this, I was
faithful in saying my nightly prayers. In
fact, my prayers were my lullaby. I would
often fall asleep in the middle of it! Up
until recently, I felt guilty about that
and even mentioned it in this Bible study,
that the enemy is the one singing lullabies
in our ear when we are praying, because
he wants us to fall asleep in the middle
of our conversation with the Lord. But someone
brought a di£erent perspective. When
we pray at night, we may fall asleep because
in praying, there’s a sense of peace and
comfort that comes when we lay our head
in the lap of our Father. It’s like taking
a melatonin gummy. This was David’s cure
to insomnia—he would meditate on the Lord!
And I do believe that it is often in the
night hours when the Lord speaks the loudest.
Heart Check.
What
is your evening lullaby? Are you meditating
on the Lord at night?
Deep
Dive
What
do these psalms speak about the heart or
character of God?
How
does David’s appeal to the Lord’s justice
inspire you to deal with false accusations
or injustice?
How
do these psalms deepen your understanding
of prayer?
What
role does faith play in injustice? How does
David model this?
When
David says God’s love is better than life,
what does that mean to you?
Heavenly
Father, You are our beacon of hope in times
of trouble.
Thank you for
allowing us to come to you in complete honesty,
with our roller coaster of emotions, knowing
that you desire sincerity. I pray that we
echo the prayers and praises of David all
the days of our lives.
So
we start by saying, “Search me oh God, and
know my heart. Test my anxious thoughts
and see if there is any o£ensive way
within me. Lead me in the way everlasting.”
In saying this, we welcome you, Holy Spirit,
to correct our hearts if we have any impurities
within us.
Thank
you for your grace, where we may have disobeyed,
been selfish, neglected something, or had
our priorities out of order. I pray that
our steps will hold fast to your path—please
keep us from slipping.
Keep
us as the apple of your eye—thank you for
protecting us and caring for us. In the
shadow of your wings, we will find warmth
and comfort, so I pray that when we feel
anxious, that we will run to you as our
refuge.
Thank
you for being our Divine Warrior and Defender.
With fighting going on all across the world,
we will remain confident in you as the one
who is sovereign over all. I pray that we
remember who the real enemy is, for we do
not fight against fiesh and blood, but against
powers, principalities, and rulers of darkness
in this world. When people come at us, take
the devil out of hiding and help us to remember
that he is the one taunting and not the
person. This will keep us from fighting
useless battles that will lead to nothing
good.
We
want to fight for what is right, but we
want to do it your way. So I pray that before
we begin lifting our voices in retaliation
or even lifting a finger to fight back,
may we always come to you first so that
we can maintain our own peace and righteousness.
If we begin slinging and swinging on our
own strength, we are likely going to say
things we regret and even possibly ruin
our own testimony, and we don’t want to
do that. We want to glorify you, even in
the fight. We want to be able to give voice
to the victory before it even comes. Because
we do fight from victory and not for it.
We
long for your presence, power and love today,
Lord, for it is the only thing that truly
satisfies our soul. May we seek you early
and meditate on this nightly, so that we
are fully committed to you each day. In
doing this, we know that our joy will run
deep and will transcend any challenges we
may face in this life.
Even
in our darkest moments, we will turn to
you, knowing that you hear our cry. Renew
our sense of your Presence right now, as
we celebrate your goodness. You are better
than life, so we praise you.
In
1 Samuel 28, the Philistines rise against
Israel and encamp at Shunem. King Achish
declares that David and his men shall fight
alongside them, and he places David in a
prominent position as his bodyguard. When
Saul sees the Philistine army encamped around
them, he calls upon the Lord but receives
no answer. Saul then sends for a medium,
despite his removal of all mediums and necromancers
out of the land. He disguises himself and
asks the medium to call up Samuel from the
dead. Even though she fears for her life
due to the ban by Saul, she fulfills his
request. Samuel asks why Saul has disturbed
him, and he expresses his need for spiritual
guidance. Samuel reminds Saul that the kingdom
is being taken from him and given to David
because of his disobedience in not destroying
the Amalekites. Samuel prophecies that the
Philistines will conquer Israel, and Saul
and his sons will die. Saul falls to the
ground in fear, and the medium has compassion
and feeds Saul and his men before they depart
in the evening.
In
1 Samuel 29, the Philistine commanders question
King Achish about David and his men’s presence.
King Achish defends David’s loyalty to him,
declaring him an ally. But the commanders
demand the men be sent back to the land
of the Philistines, for fear of them turning
on them in battle. King Achish has mercy
on David and his men and sends them back
to keep the peace, and in the morning, the
men head back.
In
1 Samuel 30, when David and his men arrive
back at Ziklag, they find it raided and
burned by the Amalekites, with all their
wives and children taken captive. David
and his men begin to weep for their families,
and the men threaten to stone David. David,
however, goes to Abiathar the priest to
inquire of the Lord. When David asks if
he should pursue the Amalekites and rescue
his family, the Lord answers a£irmatively.
When
David and 600 men reach the brook Besor,
only 400 have the strength the cross over.
On their journey, a wandering Egyptian is
brought to David, fed, and questioned. He
reveals that was a slave to an Amalekite,
who left him behind when he got sick. David
strikes a deal to protect him if he leads
them to the Amalekites. That night, David
defeats the Philistines, with only 400 men
escaping on camels. They rescue all that
was taken and gather spoil from the land.
When they arrive back at the brook, some
of the “worthless men” refuse to share the
spoil with the other 200 who stayed behind.
But David declares form that day forward,
all spoil is to be divided evenly among
those who fight and those who stay behind
to do other duties. When David comes back
to Ziklag, he distributes more of the spoil
as gifts to the elders and his friends.
In
1 Samuel 31, the Philistines defeat Israel
at Mount Gilboa, capturing Saul and his
sons and killing Jonathan, Abinadab, and
Malchi-shua (Saul’s sons). Badly wounded
by archers, Saul asks his armor-bearer to
take his life, but he refuses out of fear.
Saul then falls upon his own sword and dies,
and the armor bearer follows suit. Many
of the Israelites fiee, and the Philistines
take over the land beyond the Jordan. When
the Philistines find Saul and his sons the
next day, they decapitate Saul and strip
him of his armor, taking them to the temple
of Ashtaroth to put them on display. When
the valiant men of Jabesh-gilead hear that
Saul’s body has been fastened to a wall,
they immediately go to the temple to take
his body back to Jabesh, where his body
is burned and the bones are properly buried.
Following the burial, the men mourn and
fast for seven days,
In
Psalm 18, David declares his love for the
Lord for being his everything, from his
deliverer to his rock to his refuge. He
calls upon and praises the Lord for saving
him from his enemies. Just as he was facing
death, David called upon the Lord, who heard
his cry. He describes a graphic scene of
God’s judgment over the land of his enemies
and his dramatic rescue. David proclaims
that God has rewarded him based on his righteousness
and innocence, as the Lord repays a person
according to their actions.
David
continues by exalting the Lord in his salvation,
perfection, protection, and vengeance. David
recognizes the Lord’s hand in his favor
with the people, and he blesses the Lord
as his rock and salvation. He ends the psalm
with praise and singing to the Lord for
his great salvation and steadfast love.
PRETENDING
| 1 Samuel 28:1-2
In
so many words, David made a deal with the
devil and now he is having to pay the bill.
He has deceived Achish by pretending to
be someone he’s not (loyal to the Philistines),
and here he is faced with the consequences.
Yes, God brought good from it by protecting
him from Saul, but sin still has repercussions.
One of the strongest temptations in our
lives is to pretend to be someone we’re
not—we compromise our character to avoid
confiict or rejection, we infiate our qualifications
to get a job, or we will exaggerate or underplay
our faith, depending on who we’re around.
But as we can see here, there’s danger in
that because it will ultimately sever trust
and create the confiict you were trying
to avoid in the first place. Deceit may
work initially, but eventually the truth
will surface. It has been said that character
is who you are when no one is around. Heart
Check.
Are
you pretending to be someone you're not?
DEEP
CLEAN | 1 Samuel 28:8
Saul
likely removed these spiritual occultists
from the land when he was under the infiuence
of Samuel. But the problem was, this was
only surface cleaning. He didn’t remove
the temptation from his heart, and now in
a moment of desperation, he is crossing
over that thin line that he created. Just
because we denounce sin doesn’t mean we
have truly repented of it. There must be
a change in our hearts as well. Heart Check.
Do
you need to do a deep clean? Is there anything
that has been wiped from the surface?
FEAR
OF REJECTION | 1 Samuel 29:8
David
is in a total state of compromise here and
we can see that he is upset about “displeasing
the lords of the Philistines,” meaning he
is afraid of what the ungodly will think
of him. If he had been told this years back
when he was facing Goliath, he likely would’ve
said, “Yes, and I will live out my life
displeasing the lords of the Philistines!”
But now it’s as if he’s lost his identity
in this time of backsliding. Sometimes,
as Christians, we too will be so afraid
of o£ending people with our faith
that we will remain quiet or shy away from
truth to avoid rejection or to maintain
peace. But this is lukewarm living. And
Jesus says that He will spit us out if we
live this way. Heart Check.
Do
you shy away from your faith in fear of
rejection or offense?
SOLUTION
OR SCAPEGOAT | 1 Samuel 30:6
David
has lost everything at this point, and while
everyone else around him has allowed their
situation to embitter them to the point
that they’re now turning on David. But thankfully,
David turns to his “last resort” which should’ve
been his first. He goes looking for a solution
rather than finding a scapegoat to blame.
When we are at our wits end, this is where
we will be faced with the choice to remain
in our bitterness or strengthen ourselves.
And
we’re not talking about manifesting positivity
or visualizing good intentions. This is
going straight to the Lord with our brokenness
and helplessness, knowing that He is our
only solution. Heart Check.
When
you are at your wits end, do you look for
the only feasible solution in the Lord or
do you go looking for a scapegoat?
GODLY
HEART | 1 Samuel 30
In
the end, we really see David’s godly heart
coming back, and the fruit of that shows
in the way he treats others. He didn’t need
to feed and be kind to the gentile Egyptian,
yet he did, and the Lord used him to change
his circumstance. He didn’t need to share
with the soldiers who stayed behind, yet
he did, showing that everyone’s roles matter.
This will later lead to a strong military.
He
didn’t need to give gifts to the elders,
yet he did, earning favor in the eyes of
both God and man. While he didn’t do it
for his own gain, the Lord blessed his generous
heart anyway. Heart Check.
How
do you treat those who may seem "insignificant"
in your eyes? Does your heart reflect the
generosity and kindness of our Father?
LIFE
AND DEATH | 1 Samuel 31:4
Facing
death did nothing to change Saul’s hardened
heart—it merely refiected how he faced life.
He always needed to be in control and took
matters into his own hands. There is sadly
no record of his repentance in the end,
so this opportunity simply revealed what
he was really like. Heart Check.
If
death were staring you in the face, how
would it reflect how you are living today?
GOD’S
DEALING | Psalm 18:25-27
In
these few verses, David is expressing how
God will deal with each of us individually
and according to the way we treat others.
This isn’t absolute, because we have also
seen where there is sometimes a testing
of the strength or character of a person
(as in the case of Job). But if we are judging
by these verses… Heart Check.
How
has God shown Himself to you? Is this indicative
of how you treat others?
GENTLENESS
| Psalm 18:35
When
we think of David, most of the time, we
think of him as God’s warrior. But I love
how he refers to the gentleness of God,
because the Lord really did deal so kindly
with David. He comforted him when he was
rejected, attacked, envied, pursued, and
despised. He gave him Jonathan as a friend,
holy bread when he was hungry, self-control
when he could’ve killed Saul, and comfort
after he lost almost everything. Sometimes
we forget how gentle our Father is because
we are lost in looking for His greatness.
But it was His gentleness that made David
great. Heart Check.
How
has God shown His gentle side to you? How
do you show gentleness to others?
Deep
Dive
What
role did Saul’s disobedience play in chapter
28? How does this speak to your life?
How
does Saul’s fear affect his judgment? How
can we combat fear?
How
is the mistrust in David reflected today?
How
do we see David’s leadership style transform?
How
do we deal with moral dilemmas like Saul’s
armor-bearer faced?
What
declarations of faith have proven true in
your life? What would your psalm say?
Heavenly
Father, thank you for being our rock on
which we stand, never shaken and always
protected.
We love you,
Lord, our strength, the one in whom we take
refuge, our stronghold and shield, the one
worthy to be praised. You have saved us
from the snare of sin and put us on to a
high place, out of the reach of the enemy.
We see how you will go to the greatest depths,
even turning the world upside down, to rescue
us out of the hands of the enemy. You did
it on the cross, and you will do it again
when you come back.
I
pray that you will continue to keep us in
your ways so that we can be confident in
your dealing with us. We know that you will
show yourself to us the way that we show
ourselves to others. So I pray that we will
deal in kindness, grace and mercy to others.
You
are perfect, and your word always proves
true, never returning void, and this is
why we rejoice each time we come here. You
never fail us, if we are open to receiving
from you. I pray that we will not close
ourselves o£ to your word, for we
know that you can and will stop speaking
if we reject what has already been said.
May we be swift to obey, knowing that each
step with you brings us one step closer
to heaven.
We
are so grateful that the more we read your
word, the more attributes we can see of
you. How we love your gentleness and kindness—the
compassion that you show us is unmatched.
If anyone is still longing for that embrace,
I pray that you will allow them to tangibly
feel it today.
Thank
you for showing us how much you value each
person, no matter where they stand—they
can be on the front lines, in the middle
of the battlefield, or even caring for the
homeland. You value every small group leader,
every prayer warrior, every single person
who is longing to know you more.
We
declare today that the Lord does indeed
live, so blessed by our rock and may the
God of our salvation be exalted every day
of our lives. We will praise you among all
people, not just the Christian ones, and
we know that as we do this, we will be strengthened
in our remembrance of your love and promises
and as we stay in fellowship with you always.
These
Psalms are known as the “songs of ascents”,
believed to be sung corporately as the people
did their three times a year pilgrimage
to Jerusalem for the feasts, pentecost,
passover, and tabernacles. The people would
sing these prayers as the ascending the
steps to the temple OR the Levite Priests
would sing them as they ascended the temple
steps to make the sacrifices.
In
Psalm 121, it expresses confidence in God's
protection, declaring that the Lord is the
ultimate source of help and security. It
starts with a plea of where does my help
come from and uses poetic lines and repetition
to answer that plea with a resounding and
confident praising song that describes where
our help comes from.
In
Psalm 123, the psalmist looks to God for
mercy and guidance, acknowledging His supremacy
and pleading for deliverance from oppression.
This psalm also starts with an anecdote
of looking up to their help. Describing
a merciful and loving relationship with
his master aka GOD who lovingly and mercifully
protects us especially when we are In Psalm
124, the psalmist refiects on God's past
deliverance, praising Him for rescuing His
people from their enemies and expressing
gratitude for His ongoing protection.
It
describes the miraculous deliverance that
would not have been possible without the
supernatural hand of God redeeming and restoring
HIS people from the grips of Israel’s oppressors.
It is prayer and praise to remember and
show reverent gratitude to God for the deliverance
oppressed by those who hate us and ridicule
us.
In
Psalm 125, it emphasizes the stability and
security found in trusting God, likening
His protection to the mountains surrounding
Jerusalem. Another song to remember where
to place our trust - in GOD and not ourselves
- and to walk upright to receive the blessings
for the Lord.
In
Psalm 128, it is a song of blessing, this
psalm celebrates the joys of a righteous
life and the rewards of fearing the Lord,
including prosperity and family blessings.
It is a reminder to have awe and reverence
of the Lord to receive the blessings of
the LORD and what blessings to expect when
you “walk in His ways”. It illustrates practical
blessings that the Israelites found truly
promising such as a strong marriage and
children.
In
Psalm 129, it recounts Israel's history
of a£liction and persecution, a£irming
God's faithfulness in delivering them from
oppression. A prayer and petition to the
Lord to judge and thwart the plans of their
enemies. Also, another recounting of how
the Israelites have survived and their enemies
have not prevailed because those who hate
Zion, hate God, therefore, their plans will
not prosper.
In
Psalm 130, known as one of the seven penitential
Psalms, a lamenting prayer that could be
used during a time of deep personal anguish,
therefore it expresses deep longing for
forgiveness and redemption, trusting in
God's mercy and eagerly awaiting His salvation.
It starts with a personal confession of
deep guilt of a sin nature that requests
grace and merciful forgiveness that then
turns to a plea for ALL of Israel to also
place their hope into the LORD - always
- and not the anticipation of just his blessings.
HIGHVIEW
| Psalm 121:1-2
Where
are we looking with our eyes? Are we looking
to the hills ahead of us or are we looking
to perhaps the mountains that we have to
face? These were pilgrims who travel three
times a year and maybe they can't wait for
it to end. They can't wait to get home,
or maybe they're afraid of the the thieves
and bandits that are out looking for them
because they know, “oh this is predictable
these people are going to travel three times
a year let's get on the road and ambush
them”, so where are they looking for their
help? Well guess what they know - it's not
in the hills where their help comes from.
It is the Lord. Heart Check.
Where
are you looking for help? Are you looking
to the heavens wher our God is enthroned
or your temporary home where the enemy is
enthroned?
INSURANCE
PLAN | Psalm 121
When
you are ready to rest - you look for a safe
place to lay your head.
When
you are ready to fight - you look for strong
footing to hold your ground. When you are
ready to journey - you look for sustenance
and safe passage.
When
you are ready for life’s daily, mutinous,
and tedious routines - how do you prepare?
Well, the Lord is our preparer, our prepper,
our protector, our safe place.
He
will not slumber. He will not rest. He will
not give up. He is like an insurance plan
that covers all areas of our lives yet do
we take advantage of the plan? He provides
comprehensive coverage because “The LORD
is our keeper”. Heart Check.
Is
your coverage plan running out? Are you
seeking wise counsel and insurance from
your coverage keeper or ignoring its daily
benefits?
HUMBLE
EXPECTATION | Psalm 123
The
psalmist has the perspective and the viewpoint
of knowing where to look. Today, slavery
and having slaves is not something that
we feel comfortable with today in our society
but I want you to see it through the eyes
of the Lord. See what kind of relationship
we are to have with him because the word
picture that it is painting is something
much deeper and more profound and loving
than you could ever imagine. Our Master,
aka our Lord, is our God who wants a loving
relationship with us. He holds all provision
for us so much so that he paid the ultimate
sacrifice for us. He doesn't abuse our relationship
- HE died for us. So they see the hand is
holding the provision and they're waiting
with a humble expectation for the gods for
God's provision or help. Heart Check.
Are
you seeking to bite the hand of the one
that provides for you or actively and patiently
wait upon His provision even through trails?
MARVELOUS
AWE | Psalm 124
Have
you ever been swept away in a heroic movie
or story?
A
story of such intense antagonizing contempt,
betrayal, or oppression that there is no
way the victor is going to come forward
and save the day. You are gripping the edge
of your seat for the final victory scene?
That’s
this psalm! A story so riveting that the
people sing about the deliverance over and
over to remind them and us that it is the
LORD who brought about this miraculous victory.
It
creates AWE which is an overwhelming feeling
of reverence, admiration.
It
is something to truly marvel at and with
this prayer, let us also marvel in awe at
the work He has done to deliver his people
from the most unlikeliest of situations
- situations that their human capacities
could have never done! Heart Check.
What
story have you heard that you know was not
possible by man's hand and still creates
awe in you today?
WARNING
SIGN | Psalm 125
It
never fails - every time I drive our family
vehicle - some warning sign pops up!
I
am grateful for the warning sign because
we can fix and remedy exactly where the
problem lies
However
sometimes it isn’t as clear - is the gas
cap or the whole the EVAP system? Sometimes
it is an easy fix and sometimes the truck
is in the shop for weeks!
God
also provides us warnings in His word. We
know we are to trust in the lord to keep
us upright in our HEARTS and so we will
do good. We place our trust in GOD and not
our own evil schemes such as the crooked
mentioned here. It is a warning sign to
those who may reject the Lord that they
will perish as will their schemes but if
we trust the Lord we will be blessed. Heart
Check.
Are
you taking head of the warning signs from
the Lord and getting regular maintenace?
PROSPERITY
| Psalm 128
Humility
Mindset. Personally, I don't need a big
house. I don't need all the big expensive
toys. I don't need wealthy things in my
life (**I was emotional on camera - so I
excuse me for being emotional) because this
is a very big piece of my story and who
I am. For me to stand on this platform in
front of all of you and lay this out is
a blessing. To be at a place where my cup
is overfiowing into other people because
of the labor of my hands is a blessing.
I even talk about my family which are beautiful
blessings and I love them all but when I
had to face perhaps losing my husband to
illness I had to lay it on the altar just
like Isaac was laid on the altar for Abraham.
What
am I willing to do or place into his hands
so that the blessings will continue to grow?
To have the prosperity of the Lord in my
life?
It
comes from a fear of the Lord and not a
fear of man - I am thankful for that. Let
this Psalm remind us that we should always
place our gratitude into his hands with
a prayer of thanksgiving. A prayer that
understands that all things come for him
and especially for those who fear Him. Heart
Check.
Are
you centering your prayers on prosperityof
thr world or the Lord? Have you invited
the Lord into your daily efforts with prayer
and reverence for the Lord?
ACTIVE
WAITING | Psalm 130
What
I saw in one commentary, is a reminder that
our Hope is in the Lord not just the gifts
that he provides. For example, if you're
looking for water in the desert you're looking
for the well in the desert, not just water.
The Lord fills us up with His steadfast
Love, His fullness, and our identity is
in the Lord. THEN we can receive the blessings
of the water that's in the well, the blessings
of the forgiveness and the mercy and the
kindness and all those things that are the
overfiow of trusting in the Lord. I love
how Charles Spurgeon put it…
“Perhaps
the sweet singer would never have found
that precious thing had he not been cast
into the depths. Pearls lie deep!” Heart
Check.
While
in the depths of depair, can you actively
wait with a hope for the coming dawn or
fearful tha tnight will never end?
Deep
Dive
Do
you believe that God is watching you always?
What
kinds of lies are distressing you? What
kinds of threats are worrying you?
Do
you look forward to corporate worship? Why
should we?
Are
you aware of particular events in which
the Lord delivered you—from dangers, concerns,
fears?
Do
you yearn for God the way the psalmist intensely
desires to know Him personally? Why or why
not?
What
depths of this world have you crying out
to the Lord?
Heavenly
Father, you are our keeper, protector, deliverer,
and help, thank you for always and forevermore
being there for us.
Hear our cry!
O Lord, as we gather on this journey, ascending
to Your holy presence, we lift our hearts
in unity, seeking Your divine protection
and guidance. Like the pilgrims of old,
we declare that our help comes from You
alone, the Maker of heaven and earth, our
unwavering fortress in times of trouble.
We
humbly acknowledge Your sovereignty, O God,
as we look to You for mercy and deliverance
from the oppressors that surround us. Just
as the psalmist looked to You with hopeful
expectation, we trust in Your unfailing
love and mercy to sustain us through every
trial and tribulation.
We
join our voices in praise, recalling the
wondrous deeds of Your past deliverance,
marveling at Your mighty hand that has rescued
us time and again from the grasp of our
enemies. With grateful hearts, we o£er
our thanks for Your continual protection
and provision over our lives.
As
we journey onward, may we walk in the security
of Your steadfast love, trusting in Your
unfailing promises and finding stability
in Your everlasting arms. Grant us, O Lord,
the wisdom to fear You and walk in Your
ways, that we may experience the abundant
blessings of a righteous life.
In
the face of adversity and persecution, we
look to You, O God, as our ultimate deliverer,
knowing that Your faithfulness endures forever.
Strengthen us, we pray, to stand firm in
our faith, knowing that those who trust
in You will never be put to shame.
As
we cry out to You from the depths of our
souls, may Your mercy and grace abound,
lifting us from the depths of despair to
the heights of Your presence. Help us to
wait patiently for Your salvation, knowing
that You are our only hope and refuge in
times of trouble.
Grant
us, O Lord, the courage to heed Your warning
signs and walk in obedience to Your Word,
that we may experience the fullness of Your
blessings and protection.
Lead
us in the path of righteousness, O God,
and keep our hearts steadfast in our devotion
to You.
In
the midst of our struggles and uncertainties,
may we find solace in Your unfailing love,
knowing that You are always watching over
us with tender care. Help us to surrender
our fears and anxieties to You, trusting
in Your sovereign power to deliver us from
every threat and danger.
As
we continue our journey of faith, may we
draw near to You with hearts of repentance
and humility, seeking Your forgiveness and
mercy. Grant us the grace to wait patiently
for Your salvation, knowing that You are
our hope and our refuge in times of trouble.
In
the midst of our trials and tribulations,
may we find strength and courage in Your
presence, knowing that You are our ever-present
help in times of need. Fill us afresh with
Your Holy Spirit, O God, and empower us
to walk in Your ways, that we may bring
glory and honor to Your name.
In
2 Samuel 1, an Amalekite reports
of Saul and Jonathan’s death to David, claiming
he dealt the last blow to Saul per his request.
David fasts and mourns until evening before
executing the man for killing the Lord’s
anointed. David pens a lament for Saul and
Jonathan, expressing sorrow over the loss
of the “glory of Israel.” In it he also
utters a curse upon their place of death,
Gilboa, and calls for the daughters to weep
over these mighty fallen men. He ends with
a declaration of his deep love for Jonathan.
In
2 Samuel 2, David asks the Lord if
he should go to Judah, and the Lord tells
him to go to Hebron.When he arrives with
his men and his family, the people of Judah
anoint him king. When David hears that the
men of Jabesh-gilead buried Saul, he sends
a blessing and appeals to them for their
support of his kingship. Meanwhile, Saul’s
former commander Abner, establishes Saul’s
only surviving son Ishbosheth king of Israel.
Ishbosheth reigns for two years while David
reigns 7.5 years in Judah. A deadly battle
is fought at Gibeon after Abner and David’s
commander Joab call for a representative
combat between 24 men.While all men die,
David’s men claim the victory. Asahel, Joab’s
brother, goes after Abner but is killed
by Abner’s blunt end of the sword in self-defense.
The men call for a truce and return home.
Asahel is buried with his father in Bethlehem.
In
2 Samuel 3, confiict continues between
Israel and Judah, as David’s forces grow
stronger, and Saul’s become weaker. An account
is given of David’s six sons.Meanwhile,
Abner takes one of Saul’s concubines and
is questioned by Ishbosheth. Feeling insulted
and angry, Abner switches allegiance to
the house of David. David agrees to the
covenant under one condition—that his former
wife Michal (Saul’s daughter) is brought
back to him. Michal is taken from her weeping
husband Paltiel and brought to David. Abner
begins campaigning for David to the elders
of Israel and the Benjamites.When Joab returns
from battle and hears of Abner’s presence,
he questions David and accuses Abner of
being a deceitful spy. Joab has Abner captured
and takes him outside the city to murder
him. David utters a curse over Joab as he
washes his hands of the guilt and calls
for mourning over Abner. The people acknowledge
David’s sincere remorse.
In
2 Samuel 4, Ishbosheth and the people
of Israel become discouraged when they hear
of Abner’s death.Two brothers, Rechab and
Baanah from Beeroth, who are captains of
Ishbosheth’s army, plot to kill Ishbosheth
during his midday rest.They bring his head
to David expecting a reward but are instead
ordered to be executed, and Ishbosheth’s
remains are buried in Abner’s tomb.
FORGIVENESS
| 2 Samuel 1:11
Saul
lived out his life in bitterness and jealousy
of David and ultimately went down with an
unrepentant heart. David, however, mourned
the one who had relentlessly attempted to
attack him rather than celebrating the end
of this pursuit. This shows us that these
states of mind are chosen. We will either
choose bitterness or choose forgiveness.
Some people say, “I can’t forgive.”
But
we can do ALL things through Christ who
gives us strength. We are commanded to forgive
and love others. This doesn’t mean we put
ourselves in a position to be walked on
or abused. But it means that we sever that
dark spiritual tie of unforgiveness that
we are holding on to, because it is like
poison to our soul. Heart Check.
Who
do we need to forgive? If your enemy died
today, would you be able to mourn their
death? Or would you celebrate?
STEERING
WHEEL | 2 Samuel 2:1
This
was the key to David’s success—he always
sought the guidance of the Lord.
Prayer
was his steering wheel and not his spare
tire. We can’t just seek out the Lord when
there is a blowout or slow leak. We should
be seeking Him throughout the day, allowing
Him to steer and direct our lives. This
is the now classic song, “Jesus Take the
Wheel.” Imagine how many ditches of life
we could avoid if we did this. Heart Check.
Is
the Lord your steering wheel or spare tire?
(Corrie Ten Bloom)
ACTIVELY
WAITING | 2 Samuel 2:4
Here
we see the promise of David’s anointing
being fulfilled in this second anointing,
15-20 years after the first one that acknowledged
the Lord’s intention for his kingship.
What
I love the most is that David patiently
and faithfully waited for this promotion
and never tried to force it.
Yet
he also never stopped working toward it,
because waiting on the Lord is active, not
passive. So rather than his goal being the
advancement of himself, his goal was always
the advancement of the kingdom, and that’s
where the di£erence was between his
heart and someone like Saul. Heart Check.
What
is your priority? The advancement of the
Kingdoom of God? Or the advancement of self?
Are you actively waiting for this to happen?
GOAL
ORIENTED | 2 Samuel 4
In
the end, we see so many opportunistic actions.
From unchecked revenge to the craving of
power, these motivations lead to unnecessary
loss of life.
And
David ain’t having it. Because to him, the
end goal doesn’t justify the unethical means
that are used to get there. He has always
stood on God handling it. Where do you stand?
Heart Check.
Are
you so goal oriented that you pay no mind
hoe you get there? Or do you, like David,
patiently wait on the Lord, taking one step
at a time?
Deep
Dive
What
character traits of David are emphasized
throughout these chapters?
How
does David’s handling of confiict inspire
you?
Compare
the leadership of David and Ishbosheth.
How were they di£erent and how did
it impact their leadership capabilities?
What
lessons in unity and division can be learned
in these chapters?
What
roles do forgiveness and reconciliation
play in leadership?
What
type of leadership do we see today in nations,
churches, and communities?
Heavenly
Father, thank you for poignat reminders
today about leadership, respect and integrity.
David’s compassion
is so evident, far after his pursuers are
done with. He still honors Saul’s anointing
and authority, which is not an easy feat
for most of us. I pray that we will have
hearts that are more like yours—ones that
are loving, kind, forgiving, and full of
grace. Even in the face of confiict, help
us to show respect and love, even if we
disagree with one another. I pray that we
will be quick to forgive, because this life
is too short to hang on to a rope that is
holding us in the past. We want to move
forward in our lives, not stay stuck.
As
we patiently wait on you, may we still be
actively sharpening our skills and serving
others. We trust in your timing, whether
it is for promotion or recognition. You
will lift us up when the time is right.
Until then, we know you are strengthening
us and building our character, the same
way you did with David.
We
know that loyalty and kindness are the driving
factors behind earning favor with both you
and man, so I pray that they will be bound
around our necks and written on the tablets
of our hearts, so that we can display that
everywhere we go and with every person we
meet.
Meanwhile,
we don’t want you to bless our plans, we
want to be right in the middle of yours.
So I pray that we won’t try to force anything
but simply stay focused, with our heads
down but eyes upward, always striving for
unity and peace.
Thank
you for your Presence that dwells within
us to guide us each step of every day. I
pray that we never forget that we are anointed.
Sometimes we think we’ve somehow lost it
or that our power is diminished, but that’s
because we are relying on feelings or outcomes
to determine that, rather than your promise
that the gifts and calling of God are without
repentance. You don’t take it away from
us. It’s always there. So help us to reach
down deep to find it. Sometimes it’s just
buried under a bunch of self-preservatives,
so I pray that any junk that may be hindering
us from walking in our anointing, gifting,
and calling, will be removed. We want to
be ambassadors now, not just people waiting
to escape to heaven. The abundant life is
available now!
For
anyone who is in any type of leadership
position, I pray that you will bless them
in their position. May they carry integrity
into every decision they make, respect into
every relationship, and I pray that they
will be favored by those they lead as they
carry this torch that you’ve given them.
Every
job we have is a gift from you, so thank
you for that. I pray that we can see it
that way, and I pray that we will be beacons
of light in our workplaces. Help us to show
respect and kindness to all people, whether
we are serving them, working under them
or even when we have authority. May we maintain
a heart of confident humility.
And
for anyone facing a battle head on, may
we not compromise our values for temporary
gain. May we stay focused on you. Increase
our discernment and help us never to forget
the common goal to love. At the end of the
day, that’s what everyone wants—to be loved
and accepted. So help us to show the grace
and mercy that you have so abundantly poured
out into our lives. We are so grateful for
it. We bless you and love you.
In
Psalm 6, David cries out for mercy
in the middle of his pain, fearing his grave
illness is a result of God’s anger. He calls
on God to act on his behalf, declaring that
he will be of no use to Him in the grave.
The psalm changes mood when the Lord answers
David’s prayer, and he declares that his
enemies will be put to shame.
In
Psalm 8, David
declares the majesty and glory of God that
is on display throughout and beyond all
creation. He is amazed at how the Lord’s
strength is shown through the smallest things
like babies, silencing the enemy. Compared
to the galaxies above, he can’t comprehend
how such a great God would be mindful of
insignificant people. Yet he recognizes
that God has placed man in a position just
below the angels, crowning them with glory
and honor. Everything on the earth is under
their care.
In
Psalm 9, David
praises the Lord with his whole heart, remembering
all the wonderful things He has done. He
recounts the ways the Lord has shown righteous
justice in rebuking and destroying the wicked.
He describes the Lord as a stronghold that
can be trusted by those who seek Him, for
He has never turned His back on them. David
calls for praises to be sung unto the Lord
before making a personal plea for justice
for and deliverance from the wicked and
mercy upon his life. He asks that the nations
be reminded of their human frailty.
In
Psalm 10, David
questions the Lord’s inaction, calling upon
the Lord to rise in judgment against the
wicked. He takes note of the pride and arrogance
of the wicked who have no sense of God and
therefore can live however they please.
Meanwhile, those who are crushed feel forgotten,
so David renews his call upon God to act
and deliver justice, for God does, in fact,
see and know all things. He ends by confessing
his faith in God’s sovereignty, knowing
and fully trusting that He hears every cry
and will protect the needy and innocent
while bringing the wicked to justice.
In
Psalm 14, David
states that those who deny the existence
of God are fools and will eventually become
corrupt. Meanwhile, God looks down from
heaven to see if any are seeking Him, but
in doing so, He finds none who are righteous.
Even though the foolish may seem confident
in their unbelief, they live in great dread,
for God is with the righteous giving refuge
and protection. David ends with a cry for
salvation and deliverance of Israel, for
they will rejoice in their restoration.
In
Psalm 16, David
expresses his trust in the Lord as he finds
refuge and goodness in His presence. He
delights in the righteous while condemning
those who seek after other gods, refusing
to take part in their practices. David describes
his relationship with God as his portion
and the one who hears his prayers, counsels
him, and gives him instruction. Because
he has humbled himself before the Lord,
he is confident and glad in the Lord’s security,
knowing he will not be shaken. David’s faith
comes from knowing the Lord will not abandon
him to Sheol and corruption, and his fullness
of joy from the Lord’s guidance into a beautiful
life.
In
Psalm 19, David
celebrates the Word of God in the context
of creation, displaying how the heavens
declare His glory. Each day and night silently
proclaims his handiwork.
David
then looks to the Law in its perfect, simple,
righteous, and pure nature, declaring it
sweeter than honey. His words bring warning
and enlightenment but also reward when obeyed.
He then pleads for forgiveness for any hidden
faults or presumptuous sins, while ending
the psalm with a heartfelt plea for his
words and thoughts to be acceptable to the
Lord who is his strength and redeemer.
In
Psalm 21, David
rejoices in the assurance of God’s blessing
on his life. He acknowledges that his kingship,
his desires, long life, splendor and majesty
are all a gift, with the greatest of gifts
being life itself, both temporal and eternal.
In the second half of the psalm, David declares
his trust in the Lord, who will protect
him from his enemies and bring the ultimate
victory. He ends the psalm with an exaltation
and praise for the Lord’s strength and power.
MERCY
AND FORGIVENESS | Psalm 6:4
Even
though David is not seen confessing anything
here, he is asking for mercy, meaning he
knew he didn’t deserve God’s forgiveness
and deliverance. Yet, he’s still asking
for it. And it made me think how we will
cry out for mercy for ourselves while seeking
justice for everyone else. If we hurt someone,
we want them to forgive us, but when it’s
the other way around, we want them to get
a taste of their own medicine, or we refuse
to o£er the mercy we are so often
shown. Heart Check.
Do
you offer the same amount of mercy and forgiveness
that the Lord shows to you?
DOMINION
| Psalm 8:5-8
If
you remember from Genesis, when the Lord
created humans, he gave them dominion over
all the earth, which David is reiterating
here. This means that we have a responsibility
to care for and steward the gifts that we
have been given. I know for some, this really
fires you up because of how poorly our earth
is cared for, but let’s bring the focus
back to our personal responsibility. This
convicted my heart today, because every
time I pick up dirty socks on the stairs
or come into the kitchen to a sink full
of dishes with food in them, my blood pressure
leaps into the heavens. But the other day
I saw something that said, “Caring for your
home and your family is not a burden. It
is a gift.” And this changed my whole perspective.
It’s something that I know, but sometimes
we need the reminder that our lives and
everything in it are a gift. And we are
going to be held accountable for how well
we cared for it. Heart Check.
How
well do you steward the gift of this earth,
your family, your body, and all thatyou
have been given dominion over?
END
GOAL | Psalm 9:14
David’s
pleas for deliverance were not just for
the sake of being free to do whatever he
wanted to do. His end goal was always to
be able to praise the Lord and bring Him
greater glory. Heart Check.
What
is your end goal? In your needs, wants,
and prayers, what is the why behind it?
Is it for yourself or for God's greater
glory?
CRIES
FOR JUSTICE | Psalm 9:19-20
I
am always amazed at David’s reasoning—once
again we see what his motivation is when
he prays for justice and vengeance upon
the wicked. It’s not just to see them be
served and locked up— he doesn’t look at
God as a dog he can sic on people. His desire
is so that they too will know and fear God
and be put into a place of humility before
Him. I don’t know how much I wish that upon
the most wicked people. Heart Check.
When
you cry out for justice, is it for the betterment
of or the detriment to those people?
BREAK
MY ARM | Psalm 10:15
When
David calls for the Lord to break the arm
of the wicked, he is essentially asking
the Lord to take away their power and strength.
This seems to be a feasible cry. But how
often do we pray this over ourselves? For
the Lord to break our own self-will and
power that we are trying to operate by?
To remove what isn’t right within us? Heart
Check.
Have
you allowed the Lord to break your arm?
Do you operate in his power or your own?
DELIGHT
IN GOD’S PEOPLE | Psalm 16:3
I
love how despite the failures, the scandals,
and the weaknesses of God’s people, David
delighted in them anyway. And once again,
this stems from that perspective of knowing
that none of us are righteous on our own.
It’s only because of His grace and mercy
that we are given any favor whatsoever.
Heart Check.
How
do you view God's people? Are they a delight?
Or a specimen to dissect?
RETURN
ON INVESTMENT | Psalm 16:8-9
Because
David set his focus and intention on the
Lord, it brought him gladness. He didn’t
feel like the time he was investing was
putting him into debt. Instead, his return
on investment was so good that it brought
security, contentment, and joy. I can always
tell when my focus is o£, because
coming to the Word will feel more like a
burden than it does a blessing. If you hear
yourself saying things like, “This lesson
is too long,” you may want to question how
you’re gonna handle eternally worshiping
the Lord.
Heart
Check.
What's
your return on investment like? Does it
add value or do you feel like it cost too
much?
Deep
Dive
When
David said the dead can’t praise Him, what
do you think he meant? How is this statement
true and false?
How
well do you grasp the majesty of God and
His creation compared to our smallness?
How
does the reminder that we are “only human”
encourage you when looking at those who
may abuse power?
Why
might God allow the temporary prosperity
of the wicked?
What
does practical atheism look like? How does
it di£er from traditional atheism?
Is one worse than the other?
What
is David’s attitude in his psalms? How does
it play out in his life? How can this guide
your outlook on life?
Heavenly
Father, We see you-your majesty, your goodness,
and your faithfulness.
If the heavens
declare your greatness, why wouldn’t we?
You are awesome, and sometimes we forget
just how great you truly are. I pray that
when we look up into the heavens, that we
recognize just how vast it really is. Help
us to see your majesty and glory on display,
because it reminds us that even in your
greatness, your love for us is even greater.
The fact that you would stoop down to little
ol’ us, when you could be chilling with
the undramatic sun, moon, and stars. But
your heart is for us. You love every part
of us.
So
as we are reminded of this, we come to you
with a repentant and humble heart today.
You know the anguish that our souls feel,
and you catch every single tear that falls.
I pray that those tears will be healing
today—may they be the unspoken prayers that
our soul can’t even bear to produce. Where
our words fail, our tears are understood,
so we thank you for that.
We
wholeheartedly set ourselves before you
in worship and honor and praise, for you
alone are worthy of it. We declare today
that we will give thanks, we will remember
what you’ve done and tell others about it,
we will be glad, we will rejoice, we will
praise, because life on this earth is far
too short to do anything otherwise. We know
that when we worship in this way, it will
only draw us nearer to you, making us more
like you, and ultimately bringing you the
glory as others see the change in us. That’s
what we want.
In
the meantime, if there are any people in
our lives that we have been crying out to
you about because of how they may be wronging
us or hurting us, I pray that our perspective
changes today in being able to see them
through your eyes. Yes, we want justice,
but we also want their hearts to soften
toward you. Because that’s what you desire.
Make our hearts more like yours, for sometimes
it’s far too di£icult for us to comprehend
wickedness.
We
know that you see and know all things, so
we will remain confident that you will right
every wrong. For those who may be feeling
a£licted or crushed today, I pray
that they will know that they are not forgotten.
There may be some pain in the breaking,
but it’s only temporary. So we set our hope
on you, knowing that you will strengthen
us and never forsake us.
We
rejoice in your salvation today, knowing
that not a single one of us was ever deserving
of your mercy and grace, but you poured
it out anyway. Now our dread has turned
to a reverent fear of you, our Almighty
God. Thank you for reminding us that we
are all in need of forgiveness. I pray that
as we remember this, we will draw our attention
away from everyone else’s wrongdoings and
bring it back to your glory and what is
most important—that people need Jesus, plain
and simple. And you can and will use anyone
and anything to get through to people. Thank
you that you will go to the greatest heights
for us. So may we not stoop to the lowest
low in the way that we judge or condemn
others.
For
those who may deny your existence or who
are blatantly rejecting you, I pray that
you will show yourself to them in such a
real way that there is no denying your power
and your goodness. Help them to see that
you are better than anything this life could
ever o£er, and that operating on their
own power will never amount to anything
beyond the grave. But with you, we will
live in your eternal glory.
With
you, there is fullness of joy and a confidence
in knowing that you are leading us into
a beautiful place. Whether we see it on
this side of eternity or not, we will trust
that you will keep us secure, with firm
footing, and we declare that we will not
be shaken. Thank you for counseling us,
guiding us, and directing us, every step
of the way. Because of this, we can dance
freely along the roads of life.
So
along with the heavens, we declare your
glory and delight in your Word. Thank you
for its perfection, surety, simplicity,
rightness, purity, trueness, and sweetness.
I pray that we continue to partake in it
so that it will transform and revive our
souls while bringing comfort and joy daily.
We love how it shows us where we are erring
so that we can correct our steps back toward
the righteous path. You are our rock and
our redeemer, so we pray that the words
of our mouths and the meditations of our
hearts will be pleasing to you every moment
of every day.
Thank
you for every blessing. We acknowledge that
every good thing comes from you. Be exalted
today, oh Lord. We praise your holy name.
In
1 Chronicles 1, the lineage of David is
traced all the way back to the beginning
with Adam and Seth (pre-fiood) followed
by post-fiood origins with Noah and his
sons. A selective list of names is given
that follows the genealogical line from
Abraham to Jacob, who will form the nation
of Israel. Abraham’s lineage is laid out
through Isaac and Esau, with special notice
of Esau’s sons, chiefs, and kings in the
land of Edom.
In
1 Chronicles 2, a list is given of Jacob’s
twelve sons, who form the tribes of Israel.
Special attention is given to the line of
Judah, with Perez being highlighted as the
branch that leads to King David. Other notable
mentions are Caleb and his sons, the families
of Bethlehem, and Bezaleel, the man tasked
with building the wilderness tabernacle.
GRANDER
PLAN | 1 Chronicles 1
We
have already read through this genealogy
once before, and this won’t be the last.
As we learned in the past, this isn’t just
a list of names. They are a significant
part of human history with real people at
a real time.
Each
one of these people had a story that we
followed, and if we aren’t careful, we will
miss God and His divine providence throughout
their lives. While we may not have our names
published in a book here on earth, our name
is just as important as any of these.
We
are a part of a grand plan that the Lord
laid out before the foundations of the earth.
But sometimes we can’t see beyond ourselves
long enough to be able to recognize that.
Heart Check.
When
you view your life, can you only see it
in isolation or as a part of a grander plan?
ONE-LINER
| 1 Chronicles 2
Can
you imagine being this guy, Er, who's got
a one-liner in the middle of a genealogy
that sums up his life—he was evil, and God
put him to death.
This
is where we are so thankful that our one-liner
is so di£erent from what it would’ve
been before Jesus. Heart Check.
If
you were to get a one-liner in your genealogy,
how would your life be summed up?
Deep
Dive
How
does this genealogy fulfill the promise
God made to Abraham?
Where
does Jesus fit into this picture?
Why
were some names left out? Is there anyone
who you think should’ve been listed?
How
important is your ancestry, both historically
and spiritually?
Can
you see a connection between these chapters
and the New Testament?
How
much significance can you see in the tribe
of Judah and its role in the birth of Jesus?
Heavenly
Father, Thank you for us visit your family
today, Jesus.
Thank you for the
reminder that you are a very real person,
who had real parents and real ancestors.
These aren’t just historical figures, but
individuals who served an incredible purpose
for your grander purpose. Reading this reveals
your sovereign hand of divine providence,
that so carefully weaved together a redemption
plan.
And
just the way that every single person mattered
in this history, so do we. We too are a
part of your providential plan, bound to
the pages of these books by way of your
Spirit. We’ve been grafted into this family,
and for that we are so grateful. Thank you
for caring enough about us and for us that
you would write our story to include this
part of our lives where we love you so dearly
Jesus.
If
anyone is struggling to see their role that
they play in this life, I pray that you
will use a bold marker to write on the tablet
of their heart so that they are able to
see it. Let them know how significant they
are and that their legacy that they will
leave will be one that is impactful to generations
to come. Their faith alone is a living testimony,
so I pray that they walk in that knowledge
and confidence.
We
also see how incredibly important family
is to you, but we also recognize that there
are very real struggles within relationships.
I pray that if there are any strained relationships,
that you help us to resolve them. Reveal
to us if we have done anything that we may
need to seek forgiveness in, and I pray
that you will give us the courage to make
it right. I pray for unity and peace to
be upon every home and may the time we spend
be joyful and filled with gratitude and
laughter.
We
have seen how you can do all things, Lord,
and how you can work through any circumstance
with any person to fulfill your promises.
We want to be a people who are promise keepers
and promise fillers. So we lay our lives
down today and fully surrender to whatever
it is that you want to do with our lives.
For your ways are higher and so are your
thoughts. So we want to go higher with you.
In
Psalm 43, feeling
unjustly accused, the psalmist cries out
to the Lord for vindication and deliverance
from those who are deceitful and unjust.
Although he takes refuge in the Lord, he
also feels as though the Lord has departed
from him and therefore requests for His
light and truth to lead him back to the
temple so he can joyfully praise once again.
He closes the psalm with a renewal of hope
in the Lord, urging his soul to keep believing.
In
Psalm 44, the
psalmist and the community rehearses the
past deliverances of God, as told by their
fathers, recognizing His salvation from
the Exodus to the Promised Land. Every victory
came from the Lord alone. The psalmist then
speaks on behalf of Israel, declaring that
their faith is in the power of God and not
in their own strength, rea£irming
that victory will still come from Him and
thanking Him for it.
The
community laments, feeling as though God
has stopped fighting for them and has allowed
them to be sold, scattered, and made wretches
before their enemies. They feel defeated,
disgraced and abandoned, despite their continued
loyalty to the Lord. The psalmist continues
his insistence that they have been a faithful
people, with everything known to God, yet
they still feel as though they are being
led into the trap of death.
The
psalm concludes with a final appeal for
the Lord to act on their behalf and redeem
them in His mercy.
In
Psalm 45, a
royal wedding is depicted, painting a picture
of God’s relationship with His people.
It
begins with the excitement of the psalmist
praising the beauty and grace of the King.
Wedding wishes are declared upon the King,
describing him as handsome, gracious, blessed,
mighty, victorious, humble, and righteous.
He is anointed and clothed with fragrant
robes, and his palace is full of beautiful
music and ladies of honor. The bride is
called to leave her family so she can be
fully devoted to the king. She will be favored
with gifts and adorned in gold.
The
psalm ends with a blessing unto the king
of future generations and everlasting praise.
In
Psalm 49, the
psalmist calls all people to understanding
of the insight he is about to pour out.
He
questions why one should fear the wealthy,
for wealth cannot redeem a person’s soul
or save them from death. Both the wise and
fool will die, and at the end of their life,
they will have nothing. He likens those
who boast in their wealth to that of beasts
that will one day perish.
In
Psalm 84, the
psalmist speaks of the loveliness of the
house of God. He expresses the longing his
soul feels for it, for it is here where
he finds rest, blessing, and peace. As one
makes their journey to the tabernacle, the
Lord turns their weeping to springs of refreshing.
The psalm concludes with a prayer for God’s
favor, goodness and protection, knowing
that true blessing comes from trusting in
the Lord.
In
Psalm 85, the
psalmist remembers the forgiveness and mercy
He poured out on Israel, taking away His
wrath and forgiving them of their sin.
Still
feeling the effects of His wrath, he appeals
to God’s mercy for restoration and revival
in their land. This plea is spoken with
a boldness but also a willingness to listen,
knowing that the Lord will speak peace and
bring glory back. The psalmist concludes
with a depiction of the character of God
in His mercy, truth, righteousness, and
peace. He looks forward to the day when
their land will again be prosperous.
In
Psalm 87, the
psalmist declares the special love and care
the Lord has for Zion while welcoming all
surrounding nations to become a registered
citizen by way of divine birthright. The
psalm ends with a celebration of this salvation.
PEP
TALK | Psalm 43
One
of the things that I love about David is
that he had no shame about who he was and
how he was feeling. He poured out such raw
emotion before the Lord, and this shows
us that we have the permission to do that.
We
can be completely honest with Him. We don’t
have to come to Him speaking in Old English,
because that wouldn’t be genuine, unless
you talk in thou, thee, and art. But what’s
di£erent in this psalm is the way
he talked to himself. He gave himself a
pep talk! And it was this self-encouragement
that renewed his hope.
And
sometimes I wonder how much self-sabotaging
we do in the way that we speak to our souls.
Heart
Check.
What
do you tell your soul about you? Are you
encouraging yourself to be hopeful or discouraging
yourself to be hopeful or discouraging
yourself deeper into depair?
STORY
TIME | Psalm 44:1-3
The
confidence of the Israelites came from the
passing down of oral traditions—the telling
of what God had done in the past and how
He saved and delivered them. If we call
ourselves a Christian, we too have been
saved and delivered from something. And
while we no longer rely so heavily upon
oral stories, we still have a story to tell.
Even if we never publish an autobiography,
the way we live, the things we post on social
media, the way we treat others, is a living
testimony of who God is to us. Heart Check.
What
story are you telling of God?
FRAGRANCE
| Psalm 45:8
This
verse implies that the king was “so fresh
and so clean.” His robes were white and
he smelled good—in other words, he was pleasant
to be around. But this also speaks to the
nature of Christ, and the sweet fragrance
of oil that His Holy Spirit carries.
And
when that fragrance is upon us, people want
to be around us, because there is a pleasant
joy that is di£used from us. But if
we are carrying a stench of cynicism, negativity,
complaining, or bitterness, it is the most
off-putting fragrance out there and will
repulse people. Heart Check.
What
fragrance are you wearing? Is it pleasant?
Or repulsive?
ETERNAL
PORTFOLIO | Psalm 49
When
we stand before the bema seat of Christ,
we will not be carrying with us our bank
statements or investment portfolios. But
what will be before the Lord is the investment
we made into the kingdom, financially or
otherwise. And the Bible says we will be
rewarded accordingly. Heart Check.
What
assets will be in your eternal portfolio?
GOING
TO HIS HOUSE | Psalm 84:1-4
The
psalmist loved church—there was nowhere
else he wanted to be, and his motivation
was the presence of God, and nothing else.
That
was his focus.
If
we don’t have this same focus, but rather
find our motivation in the quality of worship
music, the games in the youth room, the
self-help that we might get, or the entertainment
value of the pastor, this is where we will
lose sight of the purpose in going in the
first place. And when the pastor is o£
or we don’t feel like we “got anything”
out of service or worship, we begin the
slow drift because we are putting more value
on the people and the church itself than
on the collective worship and presence of
God. I’m not saying that we can’t enter
into His presence and worship Him elsewhere,
because we know we can. But God created
the church for a purpose—there is power
in the gathering of the saints. And it says,
“Blessed are those who dwell in your house.”
Heart Check.
Are
you excited to get to God's House? What's
your motivation to get there?
REGISTERED
IN ZION | Psalm 87
In
the end, we see God’s love and care not
only for Jerusalem, but for all who are
born in it, which proverbially relates to
our salvation in Christ. Through Him, we
are grafted into the family of God. We are
registered in Zion. And everyone is welcome,
but not all will be registered because of
their rejection of the invitation. Here
we come to the most important Heart Check
you will ever hear:
Are
you registered in Zion?
Deep
Dive
What
is the light and truth of God and how might
it lead you?
How
important is it to connect the past, present,
and future regarding our relationship with
God?
How
does Psalm 45 help you understand the relationship
between you and Jesus?
How
significant is the church in the life of
a believer?
What
attributes of God are seen throughout these
psalms? Which of them do you cling to the
most?
How
can we reconcile the special nature of Jerusalem
in the context of what is going on there
today?
Heavenly
Father, we grateful to be called children
of God, as you have welcomed us into your
family by divine birthright in Jesus.
Because of this,
we can find joy. Thank you for reminding
us that no matter what we may be going through,
no matter how grim the circumstances may
be, there is hope in you Jesus. So we recommit
ourselves to bring you the sacrifice of
praise, knowing that when we do, it is a
sweet smelling fragrance to you. We come
to the altar of your love and grace and
cling to you, our only hope.
Fill
our mouths today with words of encouragement,
in ways that we speak to others but also
in the way that we speak to ourselves. I
pray that our words will be life-giving
and full of promise so that we can pull
ourselves up by the bootstraps and keep
on marching forward. We have enough pesky
voices pulling us down, so may ours not
be one of them.
We
know that we will face di£iculties
in this life, and we will be challenged
in our faith and even in our knowledge of
who you are. I pray that when what we can
see seems to contradict your very character,
we will still choose to trust in you and
in the ways you have delivered us in the
past. Even if we can’t hear you, for whatever
reason, we know that it is not because you
don’t care. It is simply an opportunity
for us to grow even deeper in our faith
and to recommit ourselves to be faithful
to you no matter what. May our loyalty be
unwavering, never tossed about by the wind,
but set upon a firm foundation.
Our
hearts truly burst with excitement of what
you are about to do. We haven’t seen anything
yet, in comparison to your future glory.
But until that day, I pray that we stay
committed to the covenant that you have
so graciously made with us as our King.
Your beauty is unmatched, and your might
cannot be touched. Thank you for using that
to save us in your mighty love. You captured
our hearts with your arrows of grace and
kindness, so we praise you with gladness
and joy.
Thank
you for what you have done for us, as we
remember in this week of Passover, the sacrifice
that was made on our behalf. We are covered
by your blood, and as sorrowful of an event
that it was on Calvary, the beauty of the
resurrection far surpasses that and allows
us to rejoice instead of staying stuck in
the sadness of it.
We
know that you sing over us, valuing us as
a treasure. No matter what we’ve done, how
we’ve failed, or what we feel like you see
us as beautiful. I pray that we can all
be immersed so deeply in your love and embrace
today, that it overfiows into every other
relationship that we have.
Thank
you for your victory over the grave. While
death may come our way here on this earth,
we will not fear it, for we know where we
are going. But there are a lot of people
who don’t know. And there is nothing worse
than dying without you Jesus. We pray for
every unsaved soul, that they will hear
the knock at their door and welcome you
in. Your desire is for all to come to repentance—the
rich, the poor, the foolish, and the wise.
Knowing
that this life is only our temporary home,
please help us to focus on what truly matters.
May our investments that we make with our
time, money, talents, and energy be ones
that are eternal in nature. We can’t take
success and wealth with us, so I pray that
we will have a good grasp and the right
perspective of it.
Wealth
isn’t a bad thing, but the love of it is
where we run into problems. So may our love
for you be the basis of our dealing with
it.
As
we continue this journey through life, I
pray that our focus will always be on you
and your dwelling presence, for it is in
you where we will find our strength, favor,
blessing, and goodness in this life. Looking
for it elsewhere will leave us empty. May
we walk uprightly with you, as we await
the good that you so desire to give to us.
So today we ask for revival—for restoration
in our own lives, revival in our communities,
in our churches, and in our nations. We
are in desperate need of you Jesus. We know
we don’t deserve the mercy that it takes
to grant this, but we never were, and yet
you did it anyway. And for that, we thank
you.
In
1 Chronicles 3, David’s descendants from
his 7 wives are listed. Those born in Hebron
are Amnon, Daniel, Absalom, Adonijah, Shephatiah,
and Ithream. Those born in Jerusalem are
Shimea, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon and others.
Solomon, who succeeds David on the throne,
is highlighted with the line of kings that
follow him. The genealogy concludes with
the last chronicled generation of Anani,
which is seven generations removed from
the exile.
In
1 Chronicles 4, the descendants of Judah
are listed, including Perez, Hezron and
Carmi. In the middle of the genealogy, we
see a brief yet profound prayer of an honored
man named Jabez. He prays for blessing,
increase, protection, and for the presence
of God to be with him in all that he does,
and the Lord answers favorably. The descendants
of Simeon are also listed, along with its
areas of conquest and leadership.
In
1 Chronicles 5, the lineage of Jacob’s firstborn,
Reuben, is listed. It is first noted that
because he slept with his father’s concubine,
Reuben’s birthright was taken and given
to Joseph’s sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
Along with Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh,
Reuben inherited the land east of the Jordan,
from Gilead to Bashan. These tribes successfully
battle against the Hagarites, Jetur, Naphish,
and Nodab, crying out to the Lord mid-battle
and therefore victorious. Sadly, these tribes
also fall into idolatry, leading to their
exile from the land by the Assyrians.
SPIRITUAL
LINEAGE | 1 Chronicles 3
While
this genealogy is one that is tied together
by bloodline, the thing that came to my
mind as I read this was how we too were
brought to the throne of royalty through
this same bloodline.
Because
of the blood of Jesus, we were declared
a royal priesthood. While many of us have
a general idea of where we came from in
the familial sense, have you ever thought
about how you came to royalty spiritually?
For
me, I believe it started before I was even
born, with my grandmothers, who I truly
believe prayed for their grandchildren.
Just as there are di£erent branches
of the monarchy here, I can trace di£erent
branches through my sisters, my aunties,
my friends, some of my teachers, who all
had a profound impact on my faith. Heart
Check.
Can
you trace your spiritual lineage? Who impacted
your life to get you to the throne of grace?
BLESS
ME | 1 Chronicles 4:10
When
the book The Prayer of Jabez came out years
ago, many people latched on to these verses
as a means for personal blessing and prosperity.
But
the more you understand the context of this
prayer, the more you will realize that Jabez
wasn’t asking for a personal blessing here.
He was a man who was faithfully devoted
to the Lord, and this is why he was honored.
He was likely a scribe who studied God’s
law, even to the point that the city where
the scribes lived was named after him! So
his prayer for a blessing was in the context
of his place within a covenant people and
for God’s purpose for them. He wanted to
accomplish the promises of God and was asking
for the provision to do so. Heart Check.
What
are you asking God to bless today? Is it
only for you? Or for his greater purpose?
ENLARGED
TERRITORY
1
Chronicles 4:10 Secondly, Jabez prayed for
an enlarged territory.
This
was not a plea for more land and a bigger
home. This was a prayer for greater infiuence.
And we’re not talking about followers on
Tik Tok or YouTube subscribers. He genuinely
wanted to be able to reach more people.
Last
year, I fervently prayed this prayer, not
knowing what that would look like.
All
I knew is that time was running out, and
I wanted to be able to help ready the troops
for an impending battle. We are coming up
against some of the fiercest spiritual battles
we will ever see in our lifetime as the
time draws nearer to Christ’s returning.
This isn’t something to be scared of—it
should excite you to have been chosen for
such a time as this. So now is the time
to ask for the Lord to increase your territory.
But if we don’t know where our border lines
are currently, how will we know when they
have been pushed out? Heart Check.
Do
you know your territory? Who have you been
called to influence? How can those borders
be expanded?
WORKPLACE
MINISTRY | 1 Chronicles 4:22-23
One
of the things I love about the Lord is how
He will always remind us how it isn’t just
the ones on the stage or on the screen who
matter.
Here
he lists the potters or the gardeners—these
were considered “servant jobs,” yet they’re
listed in the genealogy of David! What this
tells us is that every job can be an opportunity
for ministry. The Bible tells us that whatever
you do, do it for the glory of God (1 Cor.
10:31). This doesn’t mean that you need
to preach in the middle of the grocery store.
But you can silently pray for each person
you have a transaction with. Or you can
bless people with kindness and generosity.
Being a Christian is not about being religious.
It’s simply being Christlike and displaying
His character to everyone we encounter.
Heart Check.
How
are you ministering in your workplace?
GREATER
OPPORTUNITY | 1 Chronicles 4:24-43
In
the end, the tribe of Simeon temporarily
grew stronger (they will later lose their
identity), and part of the reason was because
they were a people of vision—they looked
beyond their area of comfort and expanded
their territory.
The
Bible says that without vision, the people
perish (Proverbs 29:18), so they may have
very well disappeared had they not continued
looking for greater opportunity beyond their
borders.
A
lot of the time, we are the ones who hold
ourselves back from doing greater things
because we are comfortable where we are,
we are afraid of the unknown or what lies
beyond what we can see, or we think we aren’t
strong enough to drive out the enemy. Heart
Check.
Are
you looking for greater opportunity? What's
keeping you from taking hold of it?
Deep
Dive
How
do you see the faithfulness of God through
the lineage of David?
How
is God’s grace and sovereignty on display
through the unfaithfulness of the kings
in David’s line?
Look
at the lives of some of the key players.
How do they inspire your faith?
Compare
what Jabez was asking for and what society
seeks as blessings. How are they di£erent?
Can
true blessings be materialistic?
What
conclusions can we draw from the initial
success and the eventual fall of the Transjordan
tribes?
Heavenly
Father, thank you for your unwavering promises
that we see fulfilled through the life of
David.
Your faithfulness
is so keenly on display in the way that
you led and cared for every person to fit
into your divine plan and purpose. Every
response that we see, whether faithful or
a complete failure, serves as a testament
to your unfaltering plan. You never fail,
even when we do.
Thank
you for showing us the beauty of the spiritual
lineage once again. While we may not be
royalty by way of physical descension, we
are royalty by your blood, Jesus. What an
honor it is to be called a child of God.
I pray that we will honor every person who
led us to you, whether it was through prayer,
words of encouragement, or invitation. Bless
them, Lord. And may we do the same in the
lives of others, as we bring them to your
throne.
I
pray that every place we step foot, whether
it is in our homes, our classrooms, our
workplace, or even in times of recreation,
may we be a beacon of light and hope. We
know that every encounter we have is a divine
appointment, so help us to see it that way.
Give us the words to speak, and may we always
be a living testimony to all we come in
contact with.
May
we be a people of prayer, understanding
its power and purpose. First and foremost,
you want communion with us, so we will delight
in that. But we also know that through prayer,
you will begin to shift things in our hearts
while helping us to see things from your
perspective. As we take the focus of ourselves
and look to you, somehow the mountains begin
to look a little smaller, and our territory
begins to widen. So we ask today that you
will bless us indeed, so that we are able
to serve your greater purpose.
Show
us what that looks like so that we can boldly
walk in it. I pray for a good understanding
of our territory—where you’ve placed us,
who is in it, and our role within that.
We ask for an increase in territory—push
us beyond our borders so that we can bring
heaven down to the earth, into new places,
and straight into the hearts of man. We
can’t do it alone, so we ask that you will
be with us every step of the way. Oh, how
we need your Presence. And keep us from
harm, both in the way that the enemy wishes
to take us out, but also from internal harm
that we may bring upon ourselves. Protect
our minds, our motives, and our intentions,
so that everything we do is honorable in
your sight. You know what our desires are,
and we trust that in asking for them, that
you will grant us whatever is good for us.
Thank you for that and thank you for the
permission to be able to fervently ask for
the things that we want and need. But overall,
your will be done here on earth as it is
in heaven.
Our
greatest request is that you will keep us
near to you, for we can gain everything
in this world and yet lose our soul. So
no matter how much blessing is poured into
our lives, our greatest desire is that our
relationship with you is genuine, for there
is nothing on earth that will satisfy us.
You are truly all we need. So may we always
be faithful and obedient to you all the
days of our lives.
In
Psalm 73, the psalmist Asaph begins by declaring
that God is good to Israel and the pure
in heart, but in seeing the prosperity of
the wicked, he is losing confidence. He
gives reason for this belief, describing
what his eyes see and begins to wonder what
the point is in maintaining a pure heart.
But his perspective changes when he goes
to the sanctuary to worship—it’s there where
he realizes that the wicked’s success is
only temporary and everything he is seeing
is all an illusion; therefore, he regrets
his foolishness in thinking otherwise. Asaph
rea£irms his faith in knowing that
God is with him and guiding him, and that
the glory of heaven that awaits is far greater
than anything on earth. He declares that
the Lord is his refuge and strength, and
he resolves to tell others.
In
Psalm 77, Asaph cries out to the Lord, trusting
that He will hear his call. Even though
Asaph is seeking the Lord, his pain and
distress only continue to worsen, and he
begins to feel as though God has abandoned
him. However, when he pauses for a moment,
his focus shifts to God and becomes more
hopeful, as he remembers God’s great miracles
and work in the past, especially in the
way He delivered His people out of Egypt.
In
Psalm 78, Asaph calls upon the people to
listen to the parables and teachings from
the past as they relay the same message
to their children. In doing so, the next
generation will have a renewed hope and
desire to obey, unlike their fathers’ generation.
He refers to Israel as Ephraim and recalls
how they turned away from God and tested
Him in the wilderness, forgetting how he
delivered and provided for them. In His
anger, God humbled them, but they continued
in their sin and unfaithfulness, refusing
to repent and thus breaking covenant with
Him. Asaph continues to describe the way
the people tested God, even as He showed
His saving power through the plagues in
Egypt and the way He drove out the inhabitants
of the Promised Land. Their rebellion continued
as they took on new forms of idolatry, angering
God even further, and leaving them at the
mercy of their enemies as His Presence departed.
Yet despite all this, God did not completely
abandon them. He instead chose to raise
up a faithful shepherd, David, out of the
tribe of Judah to lead His people with an
upright heart.
GOD
IS GOOD | Psalm 73:1
Asaph
begins with this declaration that God is
good—I believe he did this because if he
didn’t purpose that in his heart before
pouring out all his other feelings, he might
lose hope. Knowing that God is good is the
foundation of our hope and faith—if we lose
sight of that, we will lose hope. Adam and
Eve lost sight of this in thinking that
perhaps God was withholding something from
them—they doubted His goodness, and therefore
they sinned. Remember, He withholds no good
thing from those who walk uprightly with
Him (Psalm 84:11). Heart Check.
Do
you truly believe God is good? Or do you
feel He is withholding good from you?
PURE
IN HEART | Psalm 73:1
Secondly,
look at who God is specifically good to—Israel
and the pure in heart—those who are governed
by God and who have good clean insides.
You might be saying, well in that case,
I’m disqualified. True. Without Jesus, we
are all disqualified. But because of His
goodness and mercy, He gave us the free
gift of grace, and by his blood, He has
washed us clean from all of our in. He gave
us a new heart! But the purity comes when
we allow Him to be Lord over our lives and
when we live in true repentance. We don’t
just say sorry and keep doing the same things.
We make a 180 and turn toward Him. Heart
Check.
Is
your heart pure and is He truly Lord over
your life?
PAUSE
| Psalm 77:9
This
word “selah” is so significant here—Asaph
seems to be in a spiritual nosedive, and
he realizes that if he doesn’t stop and
take a breath, he’s going to crash.
Sometimes
life feels this way—that everything around
us is caving in and burying us alive. And
because we live in such a fast-paced society,
we feel that if we slow down, life is going
to pass us by.
But
this is where hitting the pause button for
just a moment is so necessary. The Lord
tells us to “be still and know that I am
God” (Psalm 46:10). This doesn’t mean we
give up and quit—this means we wake up out
of our nightmare and breathe a sigh of relief.
We get out of the hamster wheel and trust
that because He holds the universe in his
hands, we will not be left behind if we
hit the pause button.
One
of the most pivotal moments in my life was
when I was working the morning news, waking
up at 1 A.M., coming home at 3 P.M. to two
toddlers and just feeling like a ragdoll.
And
I so clearly remember the day when I saw
myself on our security cameras, and I couldn’t
believe how frantic I looked just walking
out the door. I didn’t realize it at the
time, but my life was so full of anxiety
because I was running an endless marathon
with no end in sight.
And
it was in that moment that I paused and
purposed in my heart that I would slow down
in every way-- physically, spiritually,
and mentally. It was the best decision I
ever made, because the peace that washed
over my life a£ected everything around
me. The moment I stopped striving was the
moment where God began to take me to new
heights with Him, instead of me trying to
pull Him along in my plans. Heart Check.
Do
you need to selah?
REMEMBER
| Psalm 77:11-12
Asaph
gives us a 3-step process for encouragement:
remember what the Lord has done, refiect
on it, and relate it to your life personally.
I like to add two more steps into that by
saying relay it to others and repeat. But
the first step is the most important—because
if we don’t remember what the Lord has done,
we can’t do any of the other steps. I think
this is important because our memory banks
are often full of the bad things that have
happened and we have a harder time remembering
the small victories. This is why I am such
a proponent of journaling or writing things
down. Heart Check.
If
you had to weite down 3 things that the
Lord has done for you lately, what would
they be?
THE
NEXT GENERATION | Psalm 78:1-8
Asaph
just spent 8 verses telling the people that
they needed to tell their children (step
#4 in the 5-step encouragement process)
about what God has done. We know that we
are our children’s greatest teachers. And
sometimes we are really good at teaching
them how to fold laundry or how to put the
dishes away, but we expect others to teach
them about the Bible and Jesus (not the
case with most of you), but here we clearly
see that this is our responsibility as parents,
whether we have children or not. Because
I’ve said it before—as we grow in our knowledge
and relationship with Christ, we become
spiritual parents and are responsible to
teach those younger in the faith. Heart Check.
How
areyou helping to raise the next generation?
What historical lessons areyou teaching?
SHEPHERDS
| Psalm 78:70-72
When
David was younger, shepherding was one of
the more menial tasks—it was not glorious
to be the leader of a bunch of wild animals.
But what’s amazing is that this was his
training ground. Because guess what he’s
going to be doing? Leading a bunch of wild
animals! He learned incredible leadership
skills when he was among the sheep. And
this is where you will often find the greatest
of leaders—they are among the people, guiding
them, shepherding them, listening to them,
teaching them. They don’t sit in their penthouse
suite somewhere out of the reach of their
followers. They are on the battlefield,
right alongside them. This is why God chose
David—because he not only had a heart for
God, but a heart for people, and he would
reach out and use his skills to be able
to lead them well. Heart Check.
Knowing
what it takes to be a good leader in God's
eyes, what does your leadership ability
look like? Are you among the flock? Are
you ready to be chosen by God as a leader?
Deep
Dive
Can
you relate to Asaph’s feelings of distress?
How
does Asaph’s journey through doubt and faith
bring you hope?
What
practical ways can we overcome our doubt
when what we see on earth does not refiect
the goodness of God?
If
God’s Word was intended to be passed down
in order to make the next generation better,
why does it seem as though society is becoming
more morally corrupt?
What
can we learn from the repeated failure of
the Israelites?
What
aspects of God’s character do you see the
most in these chapters?
Heavenly
Father, One of the greatest things that
we see today is that you are good.
There is nothing
on earth that we desire besides you, as
we fix our eyes on your goodness. For when
we look to the left and to the right, we
begin to lose footing, so I pray that you
will continue to be the lifter of our heads
so that we have nowhere else to look but
up. You are our refuge and strength, so
when we feel we can’t take another step
forward, you are there to carry us.
Thank
you, Jesus, for your counsel and guidance.
Thank you for being Lord over our lives—we
surrender all to you today. Thank you for
giving us a new heart and for continually
washing us clean by the blood.
For
anyone who is struggling to see your goodness
or for anyone who is having a hard time
seeing beyond life on this earth, I pray
that you will breathe new life into them
today. Allow them to feel your presence
so that they can gain an eternal perspective.
Open their eyes to the things of God. The
moment we realize that this is just our
temporary home, and that heaven exceeds
all our expectations, we will begin to see
things di£erently while we are here,
and our hope will be renewed as we look
to your glory.
Thank
you for giving us permission today to feel
the very real feelings of distress and despair.
Even the most faithful of men dealt with
this. But we also thank you for the reminder
of how imperative it is for us not to stay
stuck in that, for our sorrow may last through
the night, but joy comes in the morning!
It comes when we choose to wake up out of
the rut we are in. So we do that today—we
remember your goodness and faithfulness.
I pray that we will purpose in our hearts
to be active in our selah. As we take the
time to refiect on who you are and how that
relates to us as your children, we declare
that we will relay it to others and then
do it again. When we take the focus o£
ourselves and look to you, the one who guides
us, we will not lose our way or our firm
footing. For in you, we have a firm foundation
upon which we stand, and we will not cave
to the pressure of this world. Thank you
for your unfailing love and providential
care.
Thank
you that even in times of our own doubt
or failure to believe or trust you, you
never give up on us. So I pray that we never
forget the times that you have been with
us, delivering us from trouble, providing
for us when our souls were parched or in
starvation mode. And as we grow in maturity
with you, I pray that we will be the teachers
of the next generation, both in terms of
age and spiritual growth.
I
pray that our hearts will be full of gratitude,
content with our portion, and faithful to
carry out what we say we are going to do.
We don’t want our unbelief in you or ourselves
to limit what you can do through us. So
I pray that you help our unbelief, increase
our faith, and awaken us today from simply
dreaming to actually living. We want to
walk the talk.
Thank
you for continuing to pursue us, even when
we go o£-roading for a bit. Thank
you for still choosing us. May we all be
good shepherds, loving others, guiding them,
teaching them, and protecting them, just
as you have done for us.
In
1 Chronicles 6, we dive back into the genealogies
of God's people; this time, it is of the
Levites, the priestly tribe.The chapter
meticulously traces their lineage, starting
with Levi's sons, then moving to Aaron's
sons, and finally, the various Levite dwelling
places since they did not receive an inheritance
of land.
It
also highlights the roles of the Levites,
including musicians, in temple worship.
The
genealogies serve as a vital reminder to
the returning exiles of their ancestral
heritage and the priests' responsibilities
in leading the people in worship and maintaining
the sanctity of the Tabernacle or temple.
By
preserving these records, the Israelites
could ensure the continuity and integrity
of their religious practices, reinforcing
their identity as a chosen people set apart
for God's service.
ERAS
TOUR | 1 Chronicles 6:15
Exile
was the repercussions of apostasy so again
remember in Judges there was the cycle of
sin and rebellion.
SO,
once again the people chose to not obey
him to follow him and so he said, "here
you go”, and into exile they went. They
were banished and taken away to a land that
was not their own, that was not the promised
land, and once again enslaved.
It
was the end of an error. It was the end
of a very significant time where they lived
in the Promised Land and they lost it. Ezra
is trying to remind the people of the Priestly
duties and what is entitled or inherited
to them which is really just the role of
being a priest. If you were just kicked
out - wouldn't that be a significant time
to remember that you'd lost everything?
It's all gone? What would you do during
that time? What would you do when you're
finally allowed to return? Heart Check.
Are
you at the end of an era? Will the past
era be a learning experience to build upon
or a cycle that repeats itself?
SWEET,
SWEET SOUND | 1 Chronicles 6:31
It
is heartening to see that the Lord and David
emphasized worship and praise. David was
a poet, singer, and harp player.
Consider
this: when our hearts are heavy with grief
(and we all have experienced such moments),
the right song can bring a sense of solace.
It's as if the music is a balm, a Sweet
Sweet Sound that soothes our souls.
Refiecting
on my own experiences, I can't help but
feel a surge of joy and gratitude. ' I Love
You Lord and I lift my voice'-these words
have been a Sweet Sweet Sound to my ears,
a testament to the power of praise and worship.
So,
imagine what it is when we give our all
in our hearts to the Lord, so much so that
in his word, there were priests set aside
to sing. That's why there's worship in church,
and it's not something to be frowned upon.
I know lots of people do it in a lot of
di£erent ways. Okay, so we're not
going to get into that one, but I wanted
to emphasize that praise and worship in
song honors and glorifies God. He likes
it. Heart Check.
Are
you prioritizing time for praise and worship
of God or the world?
ROLES
| 1 Chronicles 6:48
Have
you heard of the show Fixer Upper or the
TV Network Magnolia by Joanna and Chip Gaines?
I was reading the biography of Chip Gaines
and one thing in particular was as they
talked about their marriage and business;
they learned that they had to stay in their
lane. They had to stay in the role that
was distinct for them and whenever they
would swerve and try to hijack the lane
of their spouse - that's when trouble would
happen.
So
they learned to stay in your own lane- the
lane the Lord has you in. If we see throughout
the Bible, what happened when people came
out of their lane?
Saul
lost his role because he tried to hijack
the role of Samuel and so the emphasis of
sharing the lineage and the genealogy of
the Levites is allowing the people to know
you can't hijack the role that God has ordained
for the Levites and especially the lineage
of Aaron. Heart Check.
Are
distinct roles or "lanes" hijacking
your service to the Lord? How would accepting
the role given to you benefit your spiritual
walk through surrendered effort?
BOUNDARIES
| 1 Chronicles 6:81
Knowing
their history will help God's people rebuild
the ministry when they return from exile,
which is very important because they will
need God more than ever as they try to rebuild
after the Assyrian Exile.
Emerging
from years of exile, the community seeks
the guidance of Godly individuals and a
wise Council. The beauty lies in the unity
and inclusivity of this community, where
boundaries are dissolved, and all are welcome.
These
priests weren't allotted land yet they were
scattered amongst one another so that there
could be a proper spiritual discipline,
growing counsel and wisdom, and mentoring,
such as Titus 2 men and women, pouring into
the younger generations.
Also,
a reminder, if you are spiritually farther
along, you're also capable of pouring into
the one who's a little bit spiritually younger
than you.
The
priests were scattered among the people
in all these little cities, but they can
minister to the people without boundaries
or restrictions. No territorial lines are
holding them back. Heart Check.
Are
your territory boundaries holding you back
from true fellowship?
Deep
Dive
So
what, who cares? Why are genealogies important?
How
is the line of Aaron and role of the High
Priests significant to the coming Messiah
of Jesus Christ?
Explain
how God was supposed to be the inheritance
or portion for the Levites?
Would
you excel or fail with a strict role or
job if it was ordained by God? What if it
wasn’t a role you desired?
Why
is it important to remember the line of
Levites as God’s people return from exile?
You know, sometimes
I get lost in the lists of names and generations
in the Bible. But then I remember that each
name represents a story, a life, a purpose
ordained by You. Just like those genealogies,
I trust that You have a plan for each of
us, weaving our lives into Your grand tapestry
of history.
Lord,
teach us to pray with sincerity and vulnerability,
just as the psalmists did. Help us to pour
out our hearts to You, knowing that You
listen and care deeply about every word
we utter. Let our prayers be more than just
words, but a genuine conversation with You,
our loving Father.
In
times of worship, may our hearts be fully
engaged, lifting up praises to You with
joy and gratitude. Let our songs be a sweet
melody that rises up to heaven, touching
Your heart and bringing glory to Your name.
May our worship be a refiection of our love
and adoration for You, our Creator and Sustainer.
Help
us, Lord, to trust in Your roles for us,
knowing that You have equipped us with everything
we need to fulfill Your purpose. Give us
the courage to step out in faith, even when
the path ahead seems uncertain. Remind us
that You are always with us, guiding us
and empowering us to walk in Your ways.
As
we journey through life, help us to keep
our eyes fixed on You, our faithful and
unchanging God. Give us the wisdom to discern
Your will and the strength to follow where
You lead. May our lives be a testimony to
Your faithfulness and goodness, drawing
others closer to You.
In
Psalm 81, Asaph
begins with a call to hearty praise using
song and joyful shouts, in celebration of
the New Moon festival. The psalm shifts
to God responding directly to Israel, declaring
that He lifted their burden, delivered them
from Egypt, and tested them in the wilderness.
He calls them to remove all idolatry and
allow Him to meet their needs. Yet because
the people don’t listen, He gives them over
to their own hearts, declaring that if they
had only listened, they would’ve been filled
and satisfied.
In
Psalm 88, Heman
cries out to the Lord in desperation, expressing
his anguish as he feels death drawing near.
He feels as though God is pouring out His
wrath upon his life and committing him to
Sheol, away from his friends and with no
chance to escape. Yet he continues to pray
and cry out to the Lord, pouring out his
grief and complaints.
In
Psalm 92, the
psalmist encourages the people to respond
to the Lord’s faithfulness and mercy with
thanksgiving and songs of praise. He declares
the greatness and depth of God’s works and
thoughts, in which none can understand,
especially the wicked. He expresses the
temporary nature of evildoers and their
impending destruction.
Considering
this, he recognizes the Lord’s strengthening
and refreshing on his life, and he is encouraged
in knowing that the righteous will fiourish
when they are firmly planted in God’s house.
Even in their golden years, they will continue
to bear fruit. The psalmist ends with a
declaration of the Lord’s righteousness
and immovability.
In
Psalm 93, the
psalmist declares that the Lord reigns in
majesty and strength. He celebrates the
Lord’s stability as Creator, mightier than
the waves and fioodwaters. He ends the psalm
by acknowledging the trustworthy and holy
nature of God.
BIGGER
AND BETTER | Psalm 81
What
I love about this psalm is that we get to
hear straight from God, who is telling us
that He wants to give us His best, He wants
us to be satisfied, and He wants us to be
open to big opportunities. But sometimes
we can be the ones who close ourselves off
to the possibilities of that based on our
own fear or insecurities. Heart Check.
Are
you open to bigger and better? Is your life
open wide and being filled to satisfaction
GIVE
THANKS | Psalm 92:1
This
is one of the best attitudes in life, because
it can shift every situation in your mind.
When we have hearts of gratitude, we live
with more joy, we navigate stress a little
better, we have an easier time seeing God
because we will be looking for good rather
than only being focused on our lack or needs.
Being grateful keeps you humble. But’s this
is more than just an attitude—the psalmist
declares an action—we must actually give
thanks, not just acknowledge it. Heart Check.
Is
there someone you need to thank or show
gratitude to today? What are you grateful
for?
CONNECTING
ROOTS | Psalm 92:12
One
of the characteristics of a cedar tree is
its strength and immovability. It is able
to withstand high heat, extreme cold, and
vicious winds that are sometimes found in
those mountainous areas in which they grow.
One of the reasons for this is its horizontal
root system that links up with other trees
so that when the wind blows, it cannot be
shaken. There is something to say about
the root system in which we are connected.
Heart Check.
What
is your root system like? Are you connected
to people who will hold you up when the
storms of life hit? Or do you need to find
roots to link up with?
FRUIT-BEARING
FRIENDS | Psalm 92:14
The
Bible is always showing us the beauty in
aging, whereas society is looking for ways
to reverse or stop it. But I love that we
see that there is a glorious hope in getting
older—that we will continue to bear fruit
well beyond our physical fruit bearing capabilities.
Like the palm tree, the older we get, the
more fruit we will produce if we are firmly
planted in the presence of God. That’s how
I want to be! And what this made me realize
is that there is so much value in connecting
with those who may be older than you, especially
if they are palm-like. We talk a lot about
pouring into the generation after us, but
how about reaching upward to find mentorship
in the generation before you? Heart Check.
Do
you have fruit bearing friends who provide
mentoship in your life?
BEARING
FRUIT | Psalm 92:14
Lastly,
notice the requirement for this ability
to fiourish—it’s the ones who are planted
in the courts of our God. I have heard this
used to preach the importance of church
membership. But I see this so differently
now. The courts of our God is where His
presence dwells. And yes, His Presence is
absolutely found in church. But you know
where else it is? Inside of you! But some
of us haven’t truly planted ourselves into
His Presence. And one of the best ways to
know if you’re truly growing is by the fruit
that you bear. The fruit of the Spirit being
love, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness,
gentleness, and self-control. We talked
about this in the beginning of Bible study,
in the first quarter. If you have been here,
growing in His Word, there should also be
growth in your spirit and therefore fruit
that has been born. Heart Check.
Are
you bearing fruit as you plant yourself
deeper in His Presence
Deep
Dive
How
does modern day worship refiect what is
described in Psalm 81?
What
does an abundant life look like from God’s
perspective?
How
do we reconcile despair and anguish with
trust and hope?
What
can we learn from the perseverance in prayer
that Haman had?
Consider
the seasons in your life. How do they refiect
what is portrayed in the Biblical seasons
of life?
What
can be compared to the roaring seas in our
lives? How might knowing that God is mightier
help you deal with chaos or turbulence?
Heavenly
Father, your faithfulness is unmatched,
and we joyfully praise you today because
of it.
Thank
you for being with us when we feel as though
we are being tossed around in the chaos
or instability of life. Your power is supreme,
mightier than the greatest and strongest
things of the earth. Your established dominion
gives us a lifeline to hold on to when we
feel like we are sinking.
Thank
you for your goodness and your unyielding
faithfulness that you have made so readily
available to all who desire it. I pray that
when we wake up in the morning, that the
first thing that comes from our lips are
words of gratitude and praise to you. I
pray that we will worship you with more
vigor than we carry to sporting events,
concerts, or conferences. You are deserving
of all our praise, so I pray that our worship
will be a sweet sound to your ears. And
before we lay our head to rest, I pray we
will remember your faithfulness that guided
us through our day so that we can go to
sleep with a fullness in our hearts.
Thank
you, Jesus, for delivering us from the slavery
of sin, giving us rest when we are weary,
carrying our burdens, and hearing our cries.
We even thank you for the hard times in
life, knowing that our life simply being
run through a diagnostic testing, producing
perseverance so that we can grow in our
faith.
Thank
you for being a God of greater things. You
so desire to pour out the best into our
lives and to put us into wide open spaces,
giving us an abundant life. I pray that
we will be open to that so that we do not
leave unfulfilled potential, unclaimed blessings
or missed opportunities on the table. We
want to hear you, listen, obey, and walk
in your ways, for that is the road that
leads straight to your kindness and generosity.
We don’t worship you for what we can get,
but we most certainly celebrate with grateful
hearts when you do provide for us. The breath
in our lungs is reason enough to shout a
hallelujah.
If
there is any stubbornness in our hearts,
we ask that you remove it now. We don’t
want to be left to ourselves, for that would
be the worst of our circumstances. We need
your Presence every second.
Thank
you for showing us that we have permission
to grieve and to pour out our complaints
to you in such a real and raw way. We know
that grief and depression don’t just go
away overnight, so sometimes we need to
ceaselessly pour out our anguish until we
feel the pressure valve released a little
so we can take a breath.
In
fact, we know this is necessary to do, because
in coming to you with our unedited selves,
you can start making changes if we give
you that divine authority over our lives.
May we never assume that you can’t handle
our messes or that you don’t want to. So
I pray that we won’t keep ourselves from
prayer based on a faulty assumption. You
want nothing more than to hear our voices,
whether they are cries of desperation or
joy-filled praises. We know it blesses your
heart to be able to pick us up and comfort
us. And you are with us in every moment,
especially in our darkest hours.
But
when we come out of that pit, oh how we
will rejoice as you strengthen and refresh
us once again. Sometimes when we come out
of dark places, light can seem a little
uncomfortable, so protect our fragile eyes
as you lead us back into daylight, rehabilitating
our spirits back to the place where you
intended them to be. And I pray that we
will plant ourselves in your Presence so
that as we continue to grow stronger, we
will be unshakeable, and we will fiourish
and bear more fruit. May it all bring you
honor and glory.
In
1 Chronicles 7, the genealogy of the tribes
of Issachar, Benjamin, Naphtali, Manasseh,
Ephraim, and Asher are given. Issachar’s
military strength is highlighted, with 87,000
mighty warriors. Benjamin’s genealogy focuses
solely on the sons of Tula, one of four
sons of Benjamin. Naphtali is briefiy mentioned
but Dan and Issachar are not. Ephraim’s
account begins by noting an incident where
the men of Gath killed some of the men in
a livestock raid. Ephraim mourned this loss
and later had a son named Beriah. The tribe
of Asher notes 26,000 mighty warriors.
In
1 Chronicles 8, a detailed account of the
generations of the tribe of Benjamin is
given to account for the genealogy of Saul.
This list includes the Benjamite sons Bela,
Ashbel, Aharah, Nohah, Rapha, and their
descendants. The families living in Jerusalem
are also noted with a focus on Beriah and
Shimei.
In
1 Chronicles 9, the genealogy of the returned
exiles are noted, including the Israelites,
the priests, the Levites, and the temple
servants. Some of the tribes of Judah, Benjamin,
Ephraim, and Manasseh dwelled in Jerusalem.
Aaron’s line of priests is outlined, along
with the duties of the Levites, including
gatekeepers, musicians, and other workers.
The chapter concludes with a repeated genealogy
of Saul prior to his death.
In
1 Chronicles 10, an account of the fall
of King Saul is given. It begins with Israel’s
defeat against the Philistines at Mt. Gilboa,
where Saul and his sons were tragically
killed. When found, the Philistines removed
Saul’s head and armor and set them on display
in the temple of Dagon. However, valiant
men from Jabesh-Gilead rescued his body
and gave it a proper burial. The chapter
ends with a statement of Saul’s death being
a result of his unfaithfulness and disobedience
and the way he consulted a medium for spiritual
guidance. Therefore, the kingdom has been
handed over to David, the son of Jesse.
FIRST
CLASS | 1 Chronicles 9:2
Notice
who was brought back into the land first—the
priests, the Levites, and the temple servants.
These were the people who fully devoted
their lives to the service of the Lord,
and now they’re being given priority boarding
to get on the plane first. But this isn’t
how society has us set up—it’s the rich
and famous who get priority boarding and
first class seats. But not so in Kingdom
Airways—the Lord tells us that if we want
first class treatment, we need to be servants
first (Matt. 20:27). Heart Check.
Will
you have first class and priority boarding?
Are you a kingdom servant?
BACKGROUND
WORSHIP | 1 Chronicles 9:33-34
Listed
last, but certainly not least, are the musicians.
We know they’re not the least in the kingdom
because the Lord has music playing around
the clock— the stars singing at creation,
angels worshipping at the birth of Jesus—he
does miraculous work when we worship! Some
of the greatest breakthroughs happen in
times of worship, healings take place, people
are delivered from strongholds, battles
are won! Remember, it’s the musicians who
were put at the frontlines of battle. So
knowing this, Heart check.
Is
there a melody in your heart? What background
music are you providing for the Lord to
work in your life?
THE
“RE” GOD | 1 Chronicles 9:1-34
What
I love about this chapter is that it presents
God as the “RE” God. He is the God of the
redo. He is always looking for ways to return,
rebuild, and restore. But first He looks
for the hearts that are set on Him—the ones
who are open to that restoration. In fact,
He even calls us to gently restore our brothers
and sisters after they fall. We don’t keep
holding their past against them. Heart Check.
Is
there something in your life that needs
a REDO? Have you set it before the Lord
to allow Him to restore?
SOWING
SEEDS | 1 Chronicles 10:12
While
Saul’s life came to a tragic end, his account
wasn’t completely depleted. The men of Jabesh-gilead
honored him in the end, and it was because
of the way Saul had shown them kindness
and mercy when they were struggling against
the Ammonites. The seeds that he had sown
were being returned to him. The Bible says
that we will reap what we sow (Gal. 6:7).
Heart Check.
What
kinds of seeds are you sowing?
Deep
Dive
Why
was there such a focus on mighty warriors?
How might this speak to spiritual warfare?
How
might genealogy apply to churches today
in terms of community and identity?
If
you were to write an account of your family
history, which details, people, and stories
would you include?
Why
was there a focus on the Benjamite tribe?
What
can be learned from the di£erent roles
of the Levites and temple servants?
What
lessons can we learn from the life of Saul,
especially in light of his tragic end?
Heavenly
Father, thank you for being the God of redo?
We are so grateful
that underneath all our failures, you are
still able to see the golden potential in
every one of us, and you never give up on
us. You are able to sift through rubble
to find rebuilding materials and your ability
to create a masterpiece from ruins and beauty
from ashes is beyond us. This allows us
to look at our ruins and call them glorious,
because there is always an opportunity for
you to be glorified in our messes. But this
requires us to humbly submit it all back
to you. I pray that we do that today. May
our hearts be completely wrecked before
you, laid out in such a way that you can
do a mighty work.
As
we wait, I pray that our hearts will be
filled with worship, making a sweet melody
unto you. We know that you inhabit the praises
of your people, so may our hearts’ songs
be a part of the playlist in heaven. We
know that you do mighty works through worship,
and we are so ready for breakthrough. We
know it’s on the way, and we will not be
apathetic or lazy in waiting for it. We
will instead be expectant, fully trusting
that you have a divine plan that is being
turned in our favor and for our good. Wow,
what a good God you are. If there is any
fear, hesitation, unfaithfulness, or disobedience
in us, please help us see the power, love
and soundness of mind that you have given
to us. It’s there—we just need to recognize
it and allow it to buck out that spirit
of fear that was not given to us by you.
We don’t have time or room in our spirit
for that. So kick it out today in Jesus’
name. We resolve to be mighty warriors for
your purposes and we will not cower to the
ploys of the enemy. We declare that our
ending of victory isn’t one that is coming—it
is one that has already happened. And we
will therefore fight from that.
Thank
you for being our promise keeper. We are
so grateful for the beautiful covenant that
we now live under, one that is full of promise
and glory. I pray that we will help carry
it forward to future generations just the
way that you have always done. Thank you
for our lineage of ancestors who have gone
before us. We know that they all played
a role in the setup of our lives, and we
honor them, in their failures and in their
successes, because you have turned it for
my good. I pray that we never forget where
we came from, and that we always appreciate
and acknowledge our past, for from it came
the building blocks that you were able to
use to shape us into the people we are today.
But most of all, we honor you and what you
have done for us Jesus. It is because of
your death, your victory over the grave,
your mercy and kindness that we have any
hope today.
In
Psalm 102,
the psalmist cries out for deliverance to
the Lord. He reflects upon the frailty of
life and is unable to eat, as he is not
only physically and internally distressed,
but he is also being taunted and attacked
externally. However, he sets his focus back
on the Lord, praising Him for future deliverance
and restoration and anticipating the rebuilding
of Jerusalem. His hope is that the future
generation will see and learn from their
experience and praise God, bringing Him
glory. The psalmist goes back to his weakened
state, recognizing the brevity of life compared
to the eternal nature of God. He ends the
psalms with a statement of knowledge that
God’s people will always be secure and established
before Him.
In
Psalm 103,
David speaks to his soul, urging it to bless
the Lord for His holiness and for what He
does. He acknowledges His total forgiveness
of all sin, His ability to heal all diseases,
His redemption, His giving of crowns of
love and mercy, and the satisfaction and
strength He gives, renewing one’s youth
like an eagle. David further describes the
Lord’s special care for those who are in
need in terms of justice and righteousness.
He has given instruction for life by way
of the Law, He is merciful, gracious, slow
to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.
While we may deserve punishment, He does
not deal with us unkindly. David gives a
description of God’s mercy by comparing
it to the infinite nature of the heavens
and His removal and separation of sin from
us. Because He knows our frailty and fickle
nature, He shows even more compassion. But
for those who fear Him and live in obedience
will give even more mercy. The psalm ends
with a call to all of heaven and earth to
praise the Lord along with Him.
In
Psalm 104,
the psalmist poetically alludes to creation
with his praise. He begins by blessing the
Lord for His splendor and majesty, noting
His wardrobe of light as He creates the
heavens. He paints a picture of the Lord
riding on the winds with the clouds as his
chariot and the winds and fire being his
ministers and messengers. He describes God’s
creation of the earth and hints at the Noahic
covenant with the boundaries set over the
waters. He highlights how God supplies all
of creation with sustenance of life, including
plants and wildlife. He refers to the patterns
of life including the seasons and days as
they relate to animals and humans. The psalmist
notes how all creation depends on the Lord
for its sustenance, underscoring His sovereignty
and provision. Without Him, there would
be life or death. The psalmist ends with
a prayer for the Lord to rejoice in His
works, as he responds with a vow of praise.
OUT
OF THE FUNK | Psalm 102:6-7
These
three birds mentioned are painting a picture
of loneliness and isolation. If I learned
anything growing up with a father who suffered
from depression and bipolarism, continued
isolation is destructive. It’s the thing
his fiesh thought he wanted most, but we
knew that the moment we got him out of his
funk and back around family and friends,
his joy was restored. It was never easy
getting him there, but he never regretted
it.
This
is why the enemy fights so hard to ruin
relationships and your view of community
and fellowship—because he knows that if
he can get you away from the voices that
will a£irm God’s word and lift you
up through encouragement, he can then leave
you to your own thoughts as he becomes the
only voice of infiuence in your ear—and
it’s a voice driven on lies, which ultimately
leads to self-sabotage and internal destruction.
Heart Check.
Can
you recognize whenthe enemy is try to isolate
you? What do youdo to get out of the funk?
BLESS
THE LORD | Psalm 103
If
you ever feel yourself forgetting how to
praise, David gives us a wonderful list
here. And in doing so, we actually make
the Father happy—we bless Him! A lot of
us think that we don’t have the ability
or the right to make God happy. In fact,
we think we are always making him mad with
how much we are messing up. But if we know
His fatherly nature, that extends well beyond
any earthly father, we will know that His
compassion and mercy is far greater than
anything we will ever know from another
human being.
So
what does praise consist of?
1.) Fearing
the Lord (respecting, revering, standing
in awe of)
2.) Remembering
His mercy, kindness, faithfulness, ability
to heal, forgiveness, and compassion
3.) Living
a life of gratitude
4.) Obeying.
Heart
check.
Does
your soul bless the Lord? Is your life one
of praise?
Deep
Dive
How
can we contrast our personal anguish with
God’s eternal nature and promises?
How
do these psalms shape your idea of prayer?
How
have you experienced the Lord’s love and
mercy?
What
does God’s forgiveness look like and what
does it mean for your sin?
What
does Psalm 104 show us about God’s relationship
to creation?
Heavenly
Father, thank you for this beautiful depicition
of you glory and majesty
Being reminded
of your sovereignty over all of creation
is truly humbling, especially when we take
a moment to truly grasp the immensity of
the world and how small we are. Sometimes
we think that our problems and issues are
surely the ones in need of dire attention
from you, but in relation to the vastness
of this world and all that is in it, our
perspective of the self to creation ratio
begins to shift.
We
marvel today at your creativity—you are
the master artist, carpenter, engineer,
doctor, and so many other things, yet your
“profession” has never come before us. We
have always mattered more to you than anything
you ever created, and how we long to even
have an ounce of that love and dedication
that can be refiected right back on to you.
We
celebrate you today as we live our lives
in joyful dependence upon you, knowing that
you will always provide for our every need.
Thank you for your unchanging ways in such
a fiuid world. The foundations of the earth
are unshakeable but we sure are running
amuck here on the surface, so we hold on
to you, our peace and our stronghold.
Thank
you for your perfect timing, everything
orchestrated so beautifully and in due season.
We are so grateful for your provision every
single day—the light that wakes us up, the
first breath we take when we open our eyes,
a good cup of co£ee or tea, the ability
to hear your Word, the roof over our head,
our families, and friends. Oh, how you’ve
been so good to us. May your glory endure
forever, as we declare that we will sing
to you as long as we live. May our thoughts
be pleasing, and our praises be sweet sounds
to your ears.
Thank
you for forgiving us of all of our sins—not
just the small ones or the ones we only
committed once. You forgive and forget every
single sin. What amazing grace! Thank you
for healing every disease. We realize that
it may not happen today or even in this
lifetime, but there will come a day where
we enter into glory and have a new bill
of health—one that is indestructible by
evil or disease. Thank you for pulling us
out of the pit and redeeming every mistake.
But not only that, you even made us royalty,
crowning us with righteousness, mercy, and
love. Your goodness is unlike anything we
have ever known, and we are so grateful
for the satisfaction that even the simplest
life with you brings. We don’t need anything
else, yet it brings you joy to fill our
hands with good. So we end by saying, bless
the Lord, o my soul, and that is within
me. Bless His holy name.
