Concordia Adult Bible Class

King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. 2 They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. 3 He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. 4 As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been. 9 The LORD became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. 10 Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the LORD’s command. 11 So the LORD said to Solomon, “Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates. 12 Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13 Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”

The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.” 2 But Samuel said, “How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me.” The LORD said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate.” 4 Samuel did what the LORD said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, “Do you come in peace?” 5 Samuel replied, “Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. 6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’s anointed stands here before the LORD.” 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

Weekly Bible studies from Concordia Lutheran Church in San Antonio, TX.

All the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.” 11 He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12 Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day.” 19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”

As Christians, how do we live in a world filled with so much depravity? How do we work with those who share radically different worldviews from us? Paul argues that, without compromising our core convictions, we can gladly enter into the lives of unbelievers, seeking by any moral means possible to bring to them the message of the gospel.

“It seems like everyone I know is getting cancer.” A dear lady said this to me a year ago after her husband was diagnosed with cancer. She prayed for healing. It did not come. Why is it that Jesus heals so many people in the Bible, but so many of our prayers for healing go unanswered? How do we trust Christ even when our prayers for healing aren’t answered as we might like them to be?

“Children are a gift from the Lord” (Psalm 127:3 NLT). Yet, with children also comes heavy responsibility. The call of Scripture is clear: We are to raise our children in the faith and, when they stray, we are to exercise patience and seek gentle restoration.

Many people struggle with long-lasting and lingering temptations. Whether we are tempted by alcohol, food, anger, resentment, or sexual indiscretion, we all face some type of temptation. Jesus models how to overcome temptation: through Scripture, the power of God, and consolation from others.

“What does God want me to do?” “Where does God want me to go?” “What does God want me to be?” These big questions about life’s direction do not have easy answers. What’s more, when we approach God in prayer about large life decisions, heaven can sometimes seem strangely silent. Yet, even when we don’t know what to do, we are given this admonition: “When we do not know what to do, we are to fix our eyes upon You”

He only looked like a child. But to Herod, he was so much more. He was a threat to his title as “King of the Jews.” Herod desires to kill this child, but his plot is foiled. Some wise men from the east desire to worship this child, and they are blessed. Jesus is King! Will we respond with rebellion like Herod or worship like the wise men when we meet Him face to face?