David was no stranger to grief. The Psalms are full of his accounts of grief, sorrow, and lament. This is to be expected of a man who lived the kind of life that David did. But what about the people of God today? How are we to respond to hurt in our lives? How are we to respond when people who have hurt us experience their own hurt, pain, or even death?

As we prepare to close the book on this journey through the writings of Samuel, I encourage you to turn the page to 2 Samuel 1 and look at how a man after God's own heart responded to the news of the death of Saul, the first king of Israel. 

This weekend we return to the story of Saul, the first king of Israel. Chapter 28 invites us into the final hours of Saul's life and one final act that will ultimately define Saul's legacy. This is a strange story that includes an overwhelming army, a desperate journey into sorcery, and a theological conundrum about forgiveness, repentance, and rejection. 

"Then David said in his heart…" These opening words of 1 Samuel 27 introduce a time in David's life when he relied on his own wisdom and chose a path that seemed right to him, but it led him further away from the identity God had given him. Only through God's relentless grace will David be reminded of who he truly is and the purpose God has for his life.

As we prepare to dive into God’s Word, take a moment to reflect on areas in your own life where you've relied on your own wisdom and strayed from the identity God has given you. Come ready to worship and be encouraged, knowing that God is a giver of grace and a restorer of the brokenhearted!

This week in I Samuel 25, the narrative takes a break from the Saul-David conflict and instead describes an interaction between David and some of the people of Israel he has been anointed to lead, including a wealthy kinsman of David’s, Nabal, and Nabal’s wife, Abigail.

Each of them will take on an identity in one of the most compelling relationship triangles in all of the Bible.

In the past several weeks we've seen David on the defensive.This week is different. He literally catches Saul with his pants down, and he has a choice to make:

Does my enemy live or die?

How would you respond to such an opportunity? Given Saul's wicked conduct the previous few chapters, it might seem like an obvious choice. But David isn't your average guy. He is seeking God's will and God's heart. So what would God want him to do?

Read all of 1 Samuel 24 before Sunday and come ready to be blown away by God's great mercy!

This week in 1 Samuel 23, David hears back from Yahweh (unlike Saul). Some of what he hears is comforting…but there’s also confusion. Just because God speaks, it doesn't mean that David necessarily understands it or agrees with it. The same could be said for us.

Do you hear from God? What does He say? How can you know His will for your life?

On Sunday we’ll see what David depended on to hear from God. And we’ll see how that foreshadowed the Better David. And we’ll see what that means for how we can hear Him and know His will, today.

When we read 1 Samuel, it might be tempting for us to reduce Saul and David to two-dimensional characters; 

Saul = bad guy; David = good guy. 

Don’t be like Saul. Be like David. 

But humans are a lot more complex and complicated than that.

Although history and geography may lead us to feel distant from David’s life, this week we'll see some similarities (and not great ones) between David’s choices and our own. He’s more relatable and this passage is more relevant than I expected at the start. And I'm not sure if I like that!

As we prepare to gather and worship Jesus this Sunday, I encourage you to read 1 Samuel 18-20, paying careful attention to how God works to accomplish His purposes. While we plan to cover a lot of ground, I believe we will discover one overarching story of God's provision overcoming human intentions. And yes, we will discuss the "evil spirits" sent by Yahweh!

Goliath has fallen, the people of God are saved, and a young shepherd from the hill country of Judah becomes an overnight celebrity: the messiah of Israel! Yet creeping through the shouts of celebration is an enemy far greater than any giant on a battlefield. As the hearts of Israel turn towards David, the heart of Saul turns against him.

As we approach 1 Samuel 18 this weekend, I invite you to read over the text and prayerfully ask this question: How do I respond when the Messiah arrives? 

"With courage like David, you too can face Goliath!" 

Sound familiar? For many, the story of David and Goliath has been reduced to a children's Sunday school lesson or a metaphor for sports and personal challenges. While we love a good underdog story, when it comes to facing the 'giants' in our lives, we often seek more than slings and stones to solve Goliath-sized problems. But what if this story is more than a metaphor for dealing with hard things? What if you and I aren’t the hero of the story?

I invite you to open your Bibles to 1 Samuel 17 and take a fresh look at the age old story of a very unlikely champion.