In this gripping passage we confront King Saul at the bottom of his death spiral—a decline that began all the way back in chapter 13. In the face of his mounting sin and the dreadful consequences that continue to pile Saul is totally desperate. He’s scrapping to save himself from humiliation and destruction, doing everything except the one thing that would actually work. When confronted with our own sin, it’s in Saul’s example of what NOT to do that we find the theme of this passage: True repentance from sin opens the door to full forgiveness from our merciful God.

In this fourth week of our Advent series we contemplate the tremendous blessing of life with Jesus as our king and the joy that we have to share Him with others. The life King Jesus offers makes us joyful messengers who pursue holiness together. In 1 John 1 we see John’s proclamation of Jesus’ incarnation—the truth that God came to earth in the flesh. We see why John chose to write this letter about the incarnation. And then we find the core message that Jesus, the Word of Life, proclaimed when He came.

Here’s the image for us to latch onto. Do our hearts long for a present shadow or future substance? Are we hungry for the present foretaste or the future fulness? The movie’s preview trailer or the film itself? The present shadow is fading, fleeting, momentary. The future substance is everlasting, sturdy, magnificent. Long for Jesus’s eternal kingdom where the Church will live with God forever!