Devoted to Scripture

Devoted to Scripture

By Devoted to ScriptureReligion & Spirituality
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Devoted to Scripture episodes

  • #094 I Samuel 27-31

    Day 94 of the podcast, reading 1 Samuel 27-31 NET, read along at:

    https://netbible.org/bible/1+Samuel+27-31/

    This is day 94 of our journey.

    We have reached the climax of the saga between Saul and David. David finally leaves Israel and settles in the land of the Philistines, outside of Saul's reach. While there he and his men raid the surrounding nations while claiming to attack Israel, thus gaining the trust of the local king. Meanwhile, the Philistines gather together to fight Saul. David is sent back from the battle lines to prevent him turning to the side of the Israelites. But Saul's time has come, the Philistines press hard and the archers strike a fatal blow. Saul and his 3 sons all die in battle on the same day.

    Join me in 1 Samuel 27-31 to see God's final judgement on Saul.

    Key verses:

    1 Samuel 27:2

    So David left and crossed over to King Achish son of Maoch of Gath accompanied by his six hundred men.  

    1 Samuel 28:19

    The Lord will hand you and Israel over to the Philistines! Tomorrow both you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also hand the army of Israel over to the Philistines!”  

    1 Samuel 29:1

    The Philistines assembled all their troops at Aphek, while Israel camped at the spring that is in Jezreel.  

    1 Samuel 30:6

    David was very upset, for the men were thinking of stoning him; each man grieved bitterly over his sons and daughters. But David drew strength from the Lord his God.  

    1 Samuel 31:6

    So Saul, his three sons, his armor bearer, and all his men died together that day.  

    All Scriptures are from the NET.

    15 min
  • #093 I Samuel 24-26

    Day 93 of the podcast, reading 1 Samuel 24-26 NET, read along at:

    https://netbible.org/bible/1+Samuel+24-26/

    This is day 93 of our journey.

    Saul continues to hunt for David but God is ever faithful. Today we read 2 stories of David's faithfulness to Saul in spite of his situation. Twice David has the opportunity to kill Saul and twice he refuses to lay a hand on the Lord's chosen one. He recognizes that it is not his job and that God will punish Saul in his own time. Sandwiched between these stories is the tale of Nabal, a wealthy but foolish man. Nabal refuses to honor David and his men for the support and protection they have provided. David rises up in anger, but is appeased by Abigail, the wife of Nabal.

    Join me in 1 Samuel 24-26 to see David walking in integrity before the Lord.

    Key verses:

    1 Samuel 24:6

    He said to his men, “May the Lord keep me far away from doing such a thing to my lord, who is the Lord’s chosen one, by extending my hand against him. After all, he is the Lord’s chosen one.”  

    1 Samuel 25:24

    Falling at his feet, she said, “My lord, I accept all the guilt! But please let your female servant speak to you! Please listen to the words of your servant!  

    1 Samuel 26:9

    But David said to Abishai, “Don’t kill him! Who can extend his hand against the Lord’s chosen one and remain guiltless?”  

    All Scriptures are from the NET.

    16 min
  • #092 I Samuel 21-23

    Day 92 of the podcast, reading 1 Samuel 21-23 NET, read along at:

    https://netbible.org/bible/1+Samuel+21-23/

    This is day 92 of our journey.

    As David continues to run from Saul, men begin to band with him. Men who have been oppressed or in trouble with the law find support with David. David secures his parents in Moab to protect them from Saul. When David and his men hear of a raid by the Philistines, they rise up and defeat them by God's direction and power. While this is happening, Saul is becoming more and more obsessed with killing David. He sees conspiracies where they don't exist and kills anyone he suspects of siding with David. Meanwhile, his own son Jonathan goes to David in secret so that he can encourage his friend.

    Join me in 1 Samuel 21-23 to see God's favor continue to bless David in a time of personal strife.

    Key verses:

    1 Samuel 21:10

    So on that day David arose and fled from Saul. He went to King Achish of Gath.  

    1 Samuel 22:23

    Stay with me. Don’t be afraid! Whoever seeks my life is seeking your life as well. You are secure with me.”  

    1 Samuel 23:16

    Then Jonathan son of Saul left and went to David at Horesh. He encouraged him through God.  

    All Scriptures are from the NET.

    12 min
  • #091 I Samuel 18-20

    Day 91 of the podcast, reading 1 Samuel 18-20 NET, read along at:

    https://netbible.org/bible/1+Samuel+18-20/

    This is day 91 of our journey.

    As David continues to grow in prominence among the people, he becomes the closest of friends with Saul's son Jonathan. At the same time, Saul's sanity begins to falter and his paranoia about David leads to multiple attempts on David's life. Jonathan shows the true love of a friend and sacrifices his own self interests (and his future as king of Israel) by passing information to David and sending him away in peace before the deranged King Saul can murder him.

    Join me in 1 Samuel 18-20 to see an example of true friendship.

    Key verses:

    1 Samuel 18:7

    The women who were playing the music sang,“Saul has struck down his thousands,but David his tens of thousands!”  

    1 Samuel 19:4

    So Jonathan spoke on David’s behalf to his father Saul. He said to him, “The king should not sin against his servant David, for he has not sinned against you. On the contrary, his actions have been very beneficial for you.

    1 Samuel 20:42

    Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for the two of us have sworn together in the name of the Lord saying, ‘The Lord will be between me and you and between my descendants and your descendants forever.’”(21:1) Then David got up and left, while Jonathan went back to the city.  

    All Scriptures are from the NET.

    16 min
  • #090 I Samuel 15-17

    Day 90 of the podcast, reading 1 Samuel 15-17 NET, read along at:

    https://netbible.org/bible/1+Samuel+15-17/

    This is day 90 of our journey.

    Today we see the Spirit of God move from King Saul to his successor, David. As the passage begins, Saul again disobeys God and when confronted, makes excuses and passes the blame to others. As a result, God's spirit leaves him. God then calls Samuel to anoint a new king, this time focusing on what God sees instead of what man sees, the heart, not the appearance. God chooses David. Meanwhile, the Philistines attack again and bring a champion, Goliath, to defy Israel and their God. When David hears of it, he is indignant. Even though he is too young to serve in the army of Israel, David faces Goliath and defeats him by the power of God.

    Join me in 1 Samuel 15-17 to see God's anointing on David.

    Key verses:

    1 Samuel 15:22

    Then Samuel said, “Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrificesas much as he does in obedience? Certainly, obedience is better than sacrifice;paying attention is better than the fat of rams.  

    1 Samuel 16:7

    But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t be impressed by his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. God does not view things the way men do. People look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”  

    1 Samuel 17:47

    and all this assembly will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves! For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will deliver you into our hand.”  

    All Scriptures are from the NET.

    18 min
  • #089 I Samuel 12-14

    Day 89 of the podcast, reading 1 Samuel 12-14 NET, read along at:

    https://netbible.org/bible/1+Samuel+12-14/

    This is day 89 of our journey.

    Israel is at war. The Philistines have invaded and oppressed the Israelites and Saul, the new king, rallied his army to defend against their attacks. In preparing for battle, Saul did not wait for Samuel to arrive and, instead, impatiently offered sacrifices himself to gain God's blessing on their upcoming battle. As a result of his unlawful sacrifice, God told Saul that his line would not continue to wear the crown. In battle, Jonathan, led by God, had a great victory and routed the Philistines. Israel won a great victory, but, because Saul made a foolish command, the victory was cut short and not as complete as it might have been.

    Join me in 1 Samuel 12-14 to learn of Saul's failures and God's protection.

    Key verses:

    1 Samuel 12:24

    However, fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. Just look at the great things he has done for you!

    1 Samuel 13:14

    But now your kingdom will not continue! The Lord has sought out for himself a man who is loyal to him and the Lord has appointed him to be leader over his people, for you have not obeyed what the Lord commanded you.”

    1 Samuel 14:14

    In this initial skirmish Jonathan and his armor bearer struck down about twenty men in an area that measured half an acre.  

    All Scriptures are from the NET.

    17 min
  • #088 I Samuel 9-11

    Day 88 of the podcast, reading 1 Samuel 9-11 NET, read along at:

    https://netbible.org/bible/1+Samuel+9-11/

    This is day 88 of our journey.

    Today, Israel gets a king. When God set Israel apart, it was established that God himself would be their king and they would be his people.  Despite Samuel’s clear warnings about how much having a human king would cost them as a people, Israel rejects the Lord and asks to be like the pagan nations that surround them.  We first meet Saul as a handsome young man chasing donkeys and God tells Samuel to anoint him as king. He was exactly the type of man that Israel would want as king...tall, good looking, and rich but, unfortunately, he wasn't neccesarily wise and shows no real evidence of an authentic spiritual life.  On his way home, God's power comes over Saul and he prophesies but, even after experiencing the power of the Lord first hand, he wasn't changed and continued to live only for himself.  Later, after Saul reluctantly is set up as king in the presence of the whole community, he leads the Israelites to defeat the Ammonites who have been oppressing God's people.

    Join me in 1 Samuel 9-11 as Israel's monarchy is established.

    Key verses:

    1 Samuel 9:17

    When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said, “Here is the man that I told you about! He will rule over my people.”  

    1 Samuel 10:24

    Then Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the one whom the Lord has chosen? Indeed, there is no one like him among all the people!” All the people shouted out, “Long live the king!”  

    1 Samuel 11:15

    So all the people went to Gilgal, where they established Saul as king in the Lord’s presence. They offered up peace offerings there in the Lord’s presence. Saul and all the Israelites were very happy.  

    All Scriptures are from the NET.

    13 min
  • #087 I Samuel 4-8

    Day 87 of the podcast, reading 1 Samuel 4-8 NET, read along at:

    https://netbible.org/bible/1+Samuel+4-8/

    This is day 87 of our journey.

    Today we read about the tragedy that occurs when man dishonors and understimates God. First the Israelites, led by Eli's wicked sons, try to use the ark of the Lord as a good luck charm to guarantee victory in battle over the Philistines.  During the conquest of the Holy Land, the Israelites walked in obedience and the Ark was carried to glorify God in front of their enemies (essentially giving God the glory for all their successes).  Hophni and Phinehas carried the Ark into battle to try to use the power of God to glorify themselves and to accomplish their own desires. God allows them to be defeated, showing that his presence and power are NOT subject to the whims of his people. The ark is captured and taken into Philistine territory. After their victory, the Philistines believed that the God in Israel was weak and unable to protect his people so they placed the ark in a pagan temple at the feet of their god Dagon. But the image of Dagon cannot stand in the presence of the One true God and his statue collapses and crumbles. At the same time, the Philistine people are oppressed with a plague that moves from city to city as each of the Philistine kings tries to pass the Ark of the Lord off onto their neighbors. Eventually, the Philistines send the ark back to Israel with a guilt offering to appease God and remove the punishment. But, when Israel receives the ark, many people do not show it the honor it deserves and they pay with their lives.

    In the last chapter of our reading, we see the people of Israel reject God as king and request that Samuel appoint them a king like the surrounding nations.

    Join me in 1 Samuel 4-8 to understand the power of God and the glory due him.

    Key verses:

    1 Samuel 4:22

    She said, “The glory has departed from Israel, because the ark of God has been captured.”  

    1 Samuel 5:11

    So they assembled all the leaders of the Philistines and said, “Get the ark of the God of Israel out of here! Let it go back to its own place so that it won’t kill us and our people!” The terror of death was throughout the entire city; God was attacking them very severely there.  

    1 Samuel 6:20

    The residents of Beth Shemesh asked, “Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God? To whom will the ark go up from here?”

    1 Samuel 7:8

    The Israelites said to Samuel, “Keep crying out to the Lord our God so that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines!”  

    1 Samuel 8:5

    They said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons don’t follow your ways. So now appoint over us a king to lead us, just like all the other nations have.”

    All Scriptures are from the NET.

    18 min
  • #086 I Samuel 1-3

    Day 86 of the podcast, reading 1 Samuel 1-3 NET, read along at:

    https://netbible.org/bible/1+Samuel+1-3/

    This is day 86 of our journey.

    We begin the book of Samuel with the story of Samuel's miraculous birth. His mother, Hannah, was barren. But when she prayed to the Lord, he heard her and granted her request. When Samuel was born, Hannah dedicated him to serve God at the Tabernacle from a young age. Samuel grew up in the House of the Lord, learning from the priests and gaining favor with God and man.  More miraculous still is the fact that Samuel grew up showing great faithfulness in the midst of spiritual apathy and corruption.  Eli, the high priest, had placed his morally corrupt sons in positions of leadership over the temple and had failed as Israel's spiritual leader.  The Lord condemns Eli for the corruption of his tabernacle and declares that he will take the priesthood from Eli's family and will instead raise up a faithful priest (one who will serve as High Priest forever).

     

    Join me in 1 Samuel 1-3 to learn about the origins of this great prophet and judge.

    Key verses:

    1 Samuel 1:27-28

    For this boy I prayed, and the Lord has given me the request that I asked of him.  28 So I also dedicate him to the Lord. For all the days of his life he is dedicated to the Lord.”Then he bowed down there in worship to the Lord.  

    1 Samuel 2:26

    However, the boy Samuel was growing up and finding favor both with the Lord and with people.  

    1 Samuel 3:11

    The Lord said to Samuel, “Look! I am about to do something in Israel; when anyone hears about it, both of his ears will tingle.  

    All Scriptures are from the NET.

    15 min
  • #085 Ruth 1-4

    Day 85 of the podcast, reading Ruth 1-4 NET, read along at:

    https://netbible.org/bible/Ruth+1-4/

    This is day 85 of our journey.

    Today we read the book of Ruth.  Ruth appears in the context of the period of the Judges, when Israel was failing without a king to lead them in the ways of God. Ruth is the story of a Moabite woman who, after losing her husband, returns with her mother-in-law, Naomi, to Bethlehem.  Ruth gleans in the fields to provide for herself and Naomi. While gleaning she catches the eye of Boaz.  He performs his right as kinsman redeemer and marries Ruth. It is a beautiful love story, but more than that, it introduces us to a Godly family that will provide Israel King David, Israel's greatest king. And ultimately, from the line of Ruth and Boaz will come the Messiah to save all people.

    Join me in Ruth 1-4 to hear a story of love and provision.

    Key verses:

    Ruth 1:16

    But Ruth replied, “Stop urging me to abandon you! For wherever you go, I will go. Wherever you live, I will live. Your people will become my people, and your God will become my God.  

    Ruth 2:12

    May the Lord reward your efforts! May your acts of kindness be repaid fully by the Lord God of Israel, from whom you have sought protection!”  

    Ruth 3:11

    Now, my dear, don’t worry! I intend to do for you everything you propose, for everyone in the village knows that you are a worthy woman.  

    Ruth 4:17

    The neighbor women named him, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. Now he became the father of Jesse – David’s father!  

    All Scriptures are from the NET.

    15 min

About Devoted to Scripture

From the publisher's feed

This will be a daily posting of my trip through the Bible. I will be reading the NET aloud. Each day I will introduce the passage with a brief commentary. But mostly I will simply be reading the Word of God for you.