1 Samuel 8, Ecclesiastes 9, 2 Peter 2

The middle years of Samuel's adult life were unremarkable for their lack of crisis. Samuel was a good man and a good leader. The people responded and enemies either were defeated, made peace with Israel, or simply steered clear of them.

But he wasn't a good dad. Maybe it was all his travel away from home. Maybe it was lack of focus on fatherhood. Whatever the reason, his sons turned out just like Eli's sons.

And the people panicked. Instead of trusting God when no heir apparent was in sight, they came up with their own plan. A king.

Yes, Samuel was old. Yes, he might well have died before God raised up a new leader. Yes, there might have been a leadership vacuum for a few years. But God knew what to do and they could trust Him. They chose not to.

Solomon contrasts the perspective of humans with that of God often in this book. We should work to please Him because reward on earth likely won't come. The world doesn't regard or reward those who are godly and wise.

Peter teaches the hopeless depravity of men, too. He describes the end result of these people's lives, and it is ugly. It is even worse for those who heard the truth, who appeared to follow it, but whose hearts never turned to the Lord. They had knowledge, but never surrendered to the Lord.

All three chapters tell of the futility of life for those who choose not to trust Christ. Solomon alluded to the fulfilled life: trust and follow God. Samuel did. Peter did. You can.

1 Samuel 7, Ecclesiastes 8, 2 Peter 1

If you ever wondered where the phrase, "Here I raise mine Ebenezer," in that old hymn came from, now you know. In verse 12, the stone memorial was built to remember, "Thus far the Lord has helped us."

The key for the Israelites was worship. When they worshipped right, their enemies stayed at bay and there was peace. It took a leader to show them what to do. They followed Samuel's admonition, and peace ensued.

How we worship determines whether our enemy stays at bay. If we feel overcome by evil, stop. Check our worship practices. Cut out anything in our lives that competes with God. Focus on Him. Praise Him. Thank Him. Meditate on scripture. The enemy will flee.

Solomon speaks of the need to live a righteous life. Not to live longer, but to please God, that "it will be well with those who fear God . . " referring to life after death. In the meantime, he recommends we not take ourselves too seriously. Verse 15 implies the value of enjoying the life we have. The chapter ends with the reminder that we as humans cannot understand all the workings of God. So, our job is to worship right and leave the rest to God. The peace that comes will help us enjoy living.

Peter points out the need to not only trust Christ, but go through a process of character development. (v. 5-9) An intentional focus on living for the Lord parallels worship and produces confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ. When we trust Him and live for Him and worship Him, we need not fear our outcome. Peter knew his life's end was close. He wanted others to be encouraged by his faith and pay attention to the prophecy of scriptures for their own assurance of life with Christ after death.