Welcome to the Bible in a Year for 2025. Intro to this series and resource links available here, plus here’s how I’m approaching this year.
Scriptures for Today:
Reflection:
Least likely to be king (16:6-13) - The Lord is ready for Samuel to move forward. God is ready to turn the page and do a new thing, so He sends him to Bethlehem and the family of Jesse. This is one of the classic stories of the whole Bible. Samuel sees the oldest and is convinced this must be the next king. God, however, picks the runt of the litter—the youngest of eight brothers, David. The reason is summed up famously in the second half of verse 7: “But the Lord said to Samuel… “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
David and Goliath (17:1-1-58) - Another classic and wildly familiar tale! There is so much to notice here. Today, I’m most drawn to David’s words in verse 37. Saul and his army are across the field from the Philistines and Goliath, who is taunting them. Seeing David and hearing his interest in fighting, Saul contends that David is too small to fight the giant warrior. David’s reply is powerful testimony. He’s had experience with God’s empowerment. God has come through in the past and he believes God will come through again!
“The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.” '
Saul’s jealousy (18:5-9) - Part of life is learning how much power to give applause and affirmation from the crowd in assessing one’s own value and worth (one’s own “self concept”). The people are excited about what David is doing and comparing him to Saul. No doubt a hard situation to keep one’s cool and handle it maturely, but that’s Saul’s responsibility just the same. Unfortunately on this point, Saul shows his weakness and fails the test. The ramifications will play out over the next section of the story in 1 Samuel.
Questions:
When have you been fooled by looking with human eyes on a situation or decision?
How has God worked at one time or situation in your life in a way that gave you confidence He would be with you in another situation?
What else might the Holy Spirit be speaking with you about in the text today?
Prayer: Lord, give me your eyes, your heart, your strength, and your presence. Help me handle myself today in a way that pleases you. Amen.
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
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