Bart Byl on Malachi 3:13-4:3.

Cynical Israelites were complaining serving God was pointless and joyless. It's a temptation we all feel. But those who feared God talked with each other — and God had it recorded in his minutes. Then he promised that the Day of Judgment would also be a glorious sunrise for those who waited for him — a day when they would skip like calves released from long confinement.

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Bart Byl on Ephesians 1:3-14.

Perhaps the reason our praise is half-hearted is because we believe God is half-hearted in his generosity ... irritated and resentful at our neediness, a God who needs to be nagged and guilted into giving. But what if he is the God of open-handed, ungrudging, unsparing, prolific and extravagant gift-giving, all through Christ?

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Bart Byl on Leviticus 25:1-7.

Israel received the Promised Land as a gift from God, and they were to steward it as tenants under God's ultimate ownership. The fallow laws in Leviticus 25 suggest several principles of 'ecological righteousness' for today: curbing consumption, sharing with the community, tending to the needs of animals, and making sustainable choices. We can't be righteous if we abuse God's earth. As disciples of Jesus, the second Adam, we take up our original mandate to cultivate and protect God's garden. 

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Bart Byl on 1 Samuel 31.

Series: Waiting for the Kingdom (1 Samuel)

Saul falls on his own sword to escape capture and humiliation. It's a tragic end to a man determined to master his own fate instead of trusting God. He was the king the people wanted, and his rebellion has brought disaster onto the nation. Have we foolishly harnessed our faith to human leaders? The fate of God's kingdom is in the hands of the one man who will never disappoint us: Jesus Christ.

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Bart Byl on 1 Samuel 30.

Series: Waiting for the Kingdom (1 Samuel)

David and his men return home to find their town burned to the ground and their families missing. His men are about to beat David to death with rocks, but he strengthens himself in the Lord and sets out in pursuit. Two hundred exhausted men are left out of the battle. Do they deserve a share in the spoil? Does God's anointed king only reward the strong and productive?

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Bart Byl on 1 Samuel 28:3-25.

Series: Waiting for the Kingdom (1 Samuel)

Abandoned by God and desperate to know his fate in tomorrow's battle against a massive Philistine army, Saul has Samuel summoned up from the dead by a medium, a "ghostwife". It's Saul lowest point in his long fall away from God. What greater horror could there be than resisting God for a lifetime, to find yourself abandoned by Him in the face of death?

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Bart Byl on 1 Samuel 27:1-28:2, 29:1-11.

Series: Waiting for the Kingdom (1 Samuel)

David crosses the frontier to escape Saul and embarks on a clever scheme to deceive the Philistines. The one thing he forgot to do: seek God’s will. Then disaster strikes: he and his men are sent to the front lines to attack Israel. There’s nothing David can do to control the situation … he can only hope salvation arises from an unexpected source.

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Bart Byl on 1 Samuel 26.

Series: Waiting for the Kingdom (1 Samuel)

David and Abishai slip among the sleeping soldiers and hover over Saul. But intead of killing him, they take his spear and water jug. David may not yet be the king, but he’s determined to demonstrate faithfulness and righteousness toward God. We too live in the wilderness, but we’re called right now to live out the kingdom values Jesus taught and modelled.

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Bart Byl on 1 Samuel 25.

Series: Waiting for the Kingdom (1 Samuel)

Nabal may be rich, but he's also stupid enough to insult David and his private army. But his wise wife Abigail restrains David from slaughtering their household, reminding him to trust God’s destiny for him. Our own greatest danger is self-sabotage, and we'd do well to listen to those God sends to dissuade us from impulsive and destructive choices.

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Bart Byl on 1 Samuel 24.

Series: Waiting for the Kingdom (1 Samuel)

Saul stops to relieve himself in a cave, not realizing the fugitive David and his men are hiding in there. But David doesn't seize the chance to murder Saul‚ because he's appealing to God for justice. The story warns us of the danger in trying to do God's will, but not in God's way or in God's time.

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