The Lord chose a very tall man from the smallest tribe to be Israel’s first king — Saul.  I’ve been pondering the way Saul became changed into a different person when “the spirit of the Lord” came upon him.  It was as if he became changed from the inside out! The Holy Spirit came upon Christians at Pentecost, and He is given as a gift to us today.  It is by His power that we are transformed. Let me tell you, that word “transformed” must be in the progressive tense because it has not yet been accomplished in my life! … Continue reading 1 Samuel 9-12: From Meager Beginnings

The Israelites were losing their battles to the Philistines, so they had the bright idea to take the ark into battle with them (this was their idea…not God’s idea).  They lost the battle decisively, and the Philistines took the ark. But then the Lord caused all sorts of afflictions to come on the Philistine people…sores, illness, etc.  So they sent the ark back to the Israelites, along with golden models of their sores and of the rats that were eating all their crops. (yuck!) When it landed with the Israelites, those people celebrated and then did a bad thing: they … Continue reading 1 Samuel 4-6: Hot Potato

Another day, another book of the Bible! I can feel Hannah’s anguish at not being able to have a child.  I can see her praying silently to the Lord, sitting on her knees with her eyes closed and her mouth silently pleading for an answer to her prayer for a son.  She wanted one so much she was willing to give him up in service to the Lord! Imagine deciding before your child was born that you would willingly let the Lord have him.  Metaphorically, many of us do just that.  We have baby dedications where we promise to raise … Continue reading 1 Samuel 1-3: Hannah’s Heart

This is one of my favorite books of the Bible.  There is no murder or rape or idol worship.  It is a story of loyalty and tender mercies.  The way Boaz takes care of Ruth is a picture of the way the Lord takes care of us. When she was poor…he not only allowed her to gather the leftover grain, but he also instructed his workers to let her even have some of the grain set aside for his household. When she was vulnerable, he provided his protection by having her stay close to the women. When she needed a … Continue reading Ruth: How one woman’s loyalty led to royalty

25In those days Israel wasn’t ruled by a king, and everyone did what they thought was right. That about sums up these chapters.  They could have been pages torn out of a modern day novel of suspense and war.  A woman was raped and murdered (after her husband GAVE her to the thugs).  Then the people of that town refused to hand over the guilty parties, so all of Israel joined forces and attacked the tribe of Benjamin, killing so many people that the whole tribe was nearly wiped out. If the husband hadn’t thrown his wife to the thugs…if … Continue reading Judges 19-21: Thrown to the wolves