1 Samuel 12, Song of Solomon 1, 1 John 3

His Great Name. There was only one reason God put up with Israel's constant fickleness. His own great Name. He intended to demonstrate to the world his power and greatness by his acts toward Israel.

Samuel understood. He could easily have misunderstood and thought it was all about him. After all, he led Israel his entire life. But it was his relationship with the Lord, and communication every day with Him, that enabled Samuel to grasp God's motivation.

Rejection of God. So, when the people rejected Samuel, he took it for what it really was~rejection of God. I believe verses 1-5 give us a window to Samuel's emotional hurt. But after he aired it, he left it behind and followed God's will in anointing Saul.

Rejection is hard. It is the greatest fear for most people. It's mine. The way we handle rejection says perhaps more about our walk with the Lord than anything else we ever say or do. God showed us the right way. He kept on loving His people. Can we keep loving those who reject us? However, God's love for them did not make the Israelites immune to judgment and consequences.

Let it go. Those who reject us can be turned over to the Lord without us worrying that they'll never be held accountable. But accountability for them is not our job. We need to take our cue from Samuel. Let it go.

Love Relationship. The Song of Solomon, or Song of Songs, is a description of the love of God for his people and the love relationship between Jesus Christ and his bride, the church. How refreshing it is - especially after reading about rejection - to read about this all-consuming passion. Whatever rules we may have imagined, whatever fears or impositions we allow in our relationship with Christ all fade in the heat of His passion for us.

We need to  abandon all else for Him. You are loved. I am loved. Nothing else matters.

Pass it on. Solomon compares the relationship of Jesus Christ and the church to a marriage. John compares it to a Father and his children. What release to know I am loved like this! I am secure as a child. I cannot ever be anyone else's child. As the child of love, that love will pour out of me to others. Every action I take, every part of my behavior, results from love. If I focus on the love of God and how to let His love flow through me to others, I won't have to live by a set of rules. I will want to please the One Who loved me first.

1 Samuel 11, Ecclesiastes 12, 1 John 2

Saul was a young man full of promise. But only when the Holy Spirit came upon him did he do a great thing. The way our promise is fulfilled is through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Solomon encourages us to receive the Lord when we are young. He indicates that it is possible to wait too long. If we are saved in our youth, then the Holy Spirit can work and our full potential be realized. If we wait, we suffer many lost years.

Solomon also recommends staying committed and finishing well. He saw his own wasted potential at the end of his life. He took his eyes off God and allowed himself to indulge in every pleasure. Then he realized wanton pleasure brought no gain. He wants his son to do better than he. Solomon sums up his advice in verse 13. "Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all . . ." It was true for Solomon and Saul. And it's true for us today.

1 John 2 is both discouraging and encouraging to read. There will be, and are, false teachers leading people astray and doing it for their own gain. The saddest of all, they ensnare by their eloquent speech. Those who attend church and then go after these false teachers, ending up in lives of sin, are the worse for it because they heard and understood true doctrine and could have accepted it.

We must keep our eyes open and compare all teaching to the Bible. Each of us is responsible for our own spiritual growth.

1 Samuel 10, Ecclesiastes 11, 1 John 1

Samuel gave Saul signs to look for so Saul would believe God had indeed chosen him. The chief sign was that Saul would "be turned into another man." (v.6) And "So it was, when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, that God gave him another heart . . ." The people saw Saul's tall, commanding stature. God saw Saul's heart. The power of the Holy Spirit would make Saul an effective king, not his physical prowess.

All along, Saul was clearly God's Plan B. Of course, He knew the people would reject Him and prepared Saul for his role. But a human king wasn't God's ideal plan.

The Israelites were so focused on what they could see that they rejected all else.

Solomon knew that if our focus is on ourselves and our happiness, based on circumstances, we'll end up miserable and under God's judgment. But if we focus on giving and serving others, we will see a return. It may come as material goods, and it may come by knowing we've pleased God. But if our focus really is on God and others, our greatest treasure will become having God's pleasure.

John wanted his readers to have no doubt that he wrote what he had seen, heard, and touched: Jesus Christ. That Jesus Christ is the Son of God, eternal in nature. And that others can have fellowship with Him. John makes clear the test to know who is living in fellowship with Christ--only those who practice truth. That means living it out in our behavior. Once again, it's about focus, this time on Christ and living like Him.

1 Samuel 9, Ecclesiastes 10, 2 Peter 3

God decided to give Israel what they wanted: a king. He chose Saul, a young man full of promise. Samuel followed God's leading and anointed Saul, even though he agreed with God, and warned the people, that they were better off without a king. Samuel was their leader. His position and influence could have been diminished by a king. But he trusted and obeyed God. Samuel could have focused on his insecurities or his worries about the future. Instead, he busied himself with the work at hand. Even with the real possibility it would all blow up in his face (and it did) he followed God's lead. Sometimes God's will looks like a disaster to us.

Solomon saw the excesses of the courts of his contemporaries and the ridiculous results. His own wisdom was the reason he rose above all other kings and queens. As the king, he understood the ways royalty procured information: reckless, open speech. He knew all he or his servants had to do was listen. Somebody would babble sooner or later. Let's not be known for our babbling, but for our listening.

When it seems the foolish and the wicked will rule forever, the Day of the Lord will come. The earth will burn up and judgment will be meted out. This is the true big picture. Until then, we are to live as wise ones, following God, listening to and trusting Him, no matter what.

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.

1 Samuel 6, Ecclesiastes 7, 1 Peter 5

Recognize God's power. Even the diviners and priests to the false gods of the Philistines recognized the One True God and His power. They didn't understand how to worship Him, or that they even could, but they knew they had to send the ark back to the Israelites because of God's power coming against them.

Respect God's power. The men of Beth Shemech rejoiced at its return to them, but even they failed to respect and honor the ark in a proper manner. They knew it housed the power of God, and still they opened it. And paid with their lives.

Know and Follow God's Instructions. The reason they didn't know was that they hadn't heard the scripture. They didn't have priests who taught them God's instructions. We might wonder at their foolishness, but we will join them if we don't read the Bible and attend a church where the Bible is taught.

Focus on the Eternal. Are you shocked by the content of Ecclesiastes 7? We are prone to think of suffering or grief as a bad thing. This fresh perspective from Solomon encourages us to focus on the eternal, rather than the temporal. And, I think, it reminds us to lighten up.It's all for a greater cause.

Follow Leaders. Peter exhorts the elders to shepherd (read: guide) the flock and the flock to follow their shepherds. He knew the importance of solid teaching to keep followers from going astray and making stupid decisions like the Israelites and their handling of the ark.

Keep Your Focus and Keep Following. He also talks about living in suffering and keeping a proper focus. Down through the centuries, nothing has really changed.

1 Samuel 5, Ecclesiastes 6, 1 Peter 4

Many Christians and conservatives in the U.S. are wringing their hands over the results of our recent presidential election. I sense real fear as I listen to some acquaintances talk. But 1 Samuel 5 speaks calm and peace to me. This chapter describes how the Holy Spirit, who dwelt in the ark of God, by His very presence caused the enemy so much death and grief that they only wanted to be rid of it. The enemy is allowed the power God intends, and no more. We can trust the Lord to prevail. Yes, we have to do our part, but we need not despair. God is in control.

Solomon realized that our focus needs to be eternal, rather than temporal. Everyone dies, he says, so we'd better pay attention to "Him who is mightier" (v. 10).

Peter continues Solomon's train of thought. He tells us what our focus needs to be in practical terms: doing the will of God. Living in such a manner that lost people don't understand and persecute us for being Christians. He contrasts this new focus with our old focus - physical pleasures on earth.

If we need any motivation to keep our focus on Christ, it is the judgment that awaits everyone. Whatever happens in our country or our lives on earth, it really is not as important as our lives in heaven. So let's raise our gaze to catch a glimpse of the bigger picture and keep our eyes on it.

1 Samuel 4, Ecclesiastes 5, 1 Peter 3

First Samuel 4 is a sad chapter. The Israelites realized after a defeat by the Philistines that they needed the Lord's presence in order to be successful in battle. But the sins of Hophni and Phineas had not been confessed. This was the time of judgment the Lord had prophesied through the child Samuel.

God's people can only go so far in their reckless abandonment of God and grieving the Holy Spirit. There comes a day of reckoning. If one is doing more harm than good by remaining alive, the Lord will remove His covering of grace and death will come.

Ecclesiastes 5:1-3 presents a lesson we all need. Isn't most of our praying done with words? How much we need to hear! One way to hear more and speak less is to read scripture every day. Three chapters - as we practice here - provides a lot of God's wisdom and truth to chew on through the rest of the day. Choose part of the daily reading to meditate upon in quiet moments. Review it. Pull meaning and application from it. Try to memorize it. Let's let our words be few.

Verses 10-17 describe those who lust after wealth and fame. These people are contrasted with those who labor with joy at work the Lord provides, as we see in verses 18-20. These are the people who can enjoy the wealth they have because it is a mere by-product of their life focus. Not the focus itself. It's all about priorities.

If the Israelites, particularly Hophni and Phineas, had obeyed the principles Peter quoted from Psalms in 1 Peter 3:10-12, and had hearts tuned to the joy of the Lord as in Ecclesiastes 5:18-20, they'd have won the battles against the Philistines and avoided the judgment of the Lord.

If we live our lives mindful of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sins, and live in such a way as to maintain a good conscience (v.16), then we will inherit the blessing. (v.9)

A word on submission: For us as women, it is simply good practice for submitting to God. Relish the opportunity. And remember the admonition men are given in verse 7.

Kathryn's Vacation

Dear Readers,

My son is getting married on Saturday, so I am taking the week off to prepare and enjoy my family. I plan to return next week.

God Bless,

Kathryn

1 Samuel 3, Ecclesiastes 4, 1 Peter 2

Samuel's Lessons. Samuel learned three things:

1. What the voice of the Lord sounded like.
2. What to do when he heard it: Listen.
3. What to do with the message: Tell it, follow through. It wasn't intended only for Samuel.

God's Blessing. Because Samuel remembered these three lessons, God used him for a great purpose and everyone knew that he was a prophet of the Lord. "So Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground." (v.19)

What is Vanity? If a quest for wealth or fame is all that motivates a person, it is "vanity and grasping for the wind." (v.16) The one thing Solomon says has any value is friendship with one or two companions.

What's Our Purpose? Peter concurs. The only prize worth living for is eternal life. The way to bring others along is to live out the word of God in front of them and share the gospel.

The Real Path to Greatness. Obedience to the voice of God, following through for the good of others instead of ourselves, is the path to greatness. All else is vanity.

1 Samuel 2, Ecclesiastes 3, 1 Peter 1

Reading 1 Samuel 2 is like looking into a camera lens while it zooms out to a panorama. This is the big picture God had in mind when He withheld a child from Hannah. He needed her to come to the point of willingness to give her first-born son to the Lord. The priesthood was in tatters. Eli's natural sons could not carry it on. The whole nation's future was at stake. God needed the man He would create as Samuel. Compare verse 26 with Luke 2:52. This chapter points straight to Jesus. The sins of Eli's sons were as grievous as those of the Pharisees in Jesus' day. Samuel became a priest. Jesus became both our High Priest and perfect sacrifice.

Solomon is right when he says there is a time for everything. He also makes the point that humans can't see the big picture of what God is doing. So we need to trust Him and enjoy what He gives us. It can seem that evil prevails now, just as it seemed in Eli's time and Solomon's. But God doesn't allow evil to go on without end. He brings all to justice.

Peter's words echo Solomon's and highlight the arrow pointing from the Old Testament to Jesus Christ. We, who live with the benefit of reading the Bible as a whole, should heed Peter's instructions readily. Treasure our inheritance in heaven and live our lives in a manner worthy of the Spirit who dwells in us.

1 Samuel 1, Ecclesiastes 2, James 5

Reading Hannah's story makes me cry. Her inability to conceive brought shame, scorn and ridicule. She lived daily in misery, each month fresh with disappointment. For years. And prayer changed everything. Prayer changed everything for her personally and for her nation. She was not only a woman of prayer, but of her word. When the time came to relinquish her son, she didn't back out.

Hard things drive us to prayer. It is when life eases up that we find out if we meant what we prayed.

Solomon discovered that accumulating things didn't bring fulfillment. Not even wisdom was able to make him content. He failed to recognize two things. In the words of John Maxwell,  "All . . . have two major voids:

1. The God-sized vacuum inside their heart; only the Lord can fill it.
2. The life-sized vacuum inside their heart; only their life mission can fulfill it."

James recognized the vacuums. He addresses them here. Accumulating things not only leaves a void, but also leads to sin. Solomon worried that his descendants would do foolish or sinful things with his wealth. And he searched for the meaning Hannah found. A life mission. James found it, too, and encourages his readers. He instructs us how to live while we wait for the ultimate fulfillment--the return of Christ.

Ruth 4, Ecclesiates 1, James 4

The story of the redemption of Ruth is powerful. The whole concept of the rite of redemption was instituted by God to show us what Jesus Christ would do for us: buy us back. Boaz bought Naomi's property back, and that included Ruth. He was not the closest relative, so he was not obligated to do it. But he wanted to. I think he loved Ruth. Jesus Christ didn't have to redeem us either, but He wanted to because He loves us. Boaz and Ruth became the great-grandparents of King David, who was an ancestor of Jesus.

Solomon's perspective as he wrote Ecclesiastes sounds hopeless. And it was, as long as he focused on earthly pleasures and systems. Only in looking above and beyond what we see and experience on earth do we find purpose and meaning. Ruth found purpose in following God. Solomon should have followed her example.

James draws the conclusion Ruth drew and Solomon ultimately did. Focus on the world and ourselves leaves out God and is worthless. Waiting on God and trusting Him for the outcome is priceless.

Ruth 3, Proverbs 31, James 3

Courage. What a gutsy move! Ruth's heart must have pounded in her head as she bathed and dressed. Then as she snuck to the threshing floor, she may have had thoughts running in her mind such as, "You're crazy!" Or, "You're a foreigner. What makes you think Boaz will take you?" Or even, "What if he does take me? My reputation could be ruined."

Obedience. If Ruth made a list of the positives and negatives related to her choice, it would have come out even. There is only one real reason she went. Obedience. She knew Naomi's love for her and chose to obey the voice of love. Sometimes our decisions must be made solely in obedience to our Lord's voice of love.

Advice. King Lemuel's mother was concerned about two things. One, that Lemuel would stay away from women he wasn't married to, and two, that he stayed away from wine. She spends a little time dispensing wisdom on each subject before devoting great detail to qualities he should look for in a wife. Any ordinary woman wouldn't do for her son!

Example. The woman Lemuel chose to marry should be a hard worker and wise business person. Verse 18 may indicate spiritual provision rather than actual food. Either way, she is kind and generous. She reminds one of Ruth.

The final quality of a virtuous woman is the "bridled" tongue James describes. Controlled speech. Wise.

Ruth, the virtuous wife, and the person James describes together present a picture of the kind of woman I want to be.

Ruth 2, Proverbs 30, James 2

It seems that Ruth knew who Boaz was in a general way, but not that he was a close relative. It was appropriate for her to seek help from Naomi's family for the two of them. The heart of Ruth is revealed in three ways:
1. How she worked hard to gather enough not just for herself, but Naomi, too
2. Her respectful attitude toward Boaz
3. Her generosity in keeping enough dinner leftovers to take to Naomi.
This is the picture of a quality young woman. The kind God just can't wait to use for a grand purpose.

Proverbs 30 is completely different from the rest of the book. Agur is unknown to us, as are Ithiel and Ucal. But Agur's desire to know God is evident, as well as his acknowledgment that wisdom comes from knowing God. His observations are astute because he knows where to look for answers--God's word. (v.5)

Ruth's character, and Agur's understanding, came from God. But had Naomi shown partiality and refused to love, accept, and teach Ruth, and had Boaz rejected her because of prejudice, God would not have worked his marvelous plan to create Obed and the family line to Jesus Christ. Agur believed (had faith) and in faith wrote words that speak truth thousands of years later.

All these people lived out their faith--made it evident--by the things they did. Because faith without works is dead.

Ruth 1, Proverbs 29, James 1

Why did Ruth stay with Naomi? The love between the girls and their mother-in-law is demonstrated by their tears at the thought of leaving her. Why did Ruth choose Naomi's God? Because Naomi introduced Him to her and lived out her faith and His love. She didn't have to. In legal and religious terms, her sons had disobeyed by marrying foreign women. Instead of judging them, Naomi loved them.

The wicked and the foolish are both contrasted with the righteous and wise. And no matter if a person is poor or a king, the Lord metes out justice. He is love, but He does judge sin. The blood of Christ covers our sins at salvation, so whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe. This was the ultimate decision of Ruth -- to trust in the One True God.

Proverbs 29 and James 1 say many of the same things. The wise person is slow to speak. God is the source of wisdom and love. The rich and poor are the same before the Lord. And keeping oneself "unspotted from the world" by righteous living pleases God.

Naomi must have lived a wise and righteous life to have such an impact on Ruth.

Do others see the difference in my life?

Judges 20, Proverbs 28, Hebrews 13

The end result of sin is always death. Romans 6:23 says, "The wages of sin is death." Thousands of men and an unrecorded number of women and children died in the war between the tribes of Israel. The culprits in the sin died as well as by-standers who, up until that day, refused to speak out and condemn the behavior around them. The entire tribe of Benjamin suffered the consequences of a sin allowed to continue in their midst.

The contrast between the wicked and the righteous, the greedy and the wise, is stark. Verse 13 says, "He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy." No one is perfect; we all sin. But when we confess and then change our behavior, God forgives. Israel stood before God and confessed. The tribe of Benjamin did not.

While Paul's focus was on eternity in heaven, he ended his letter to the Hebrews with practical advice. Live a moral life. Stay true to the doctrine of Jesus Christ. Share what you have with others. Be submissive to the pastor (v.17). Pray for his (Paul's) release.

Making an effort to live a life free from sin, and confessing when we do sin, keeps us unencumbered and able to focus on the kingdom that awaits us.

Judges 19, Proverbs 27, Hebrews 12

One thing leads to another. The depth of depravity described here didn't get that way overnight. It crept up like a cat stalking a mouse. The nation of Israel, tribe by tribe and city by city, rejected God. They turned to idols and did whatever they wanted. Today we might call it a progressive society. In this case, we mean one that progresses away from any religious or moral underpinnings. The word "freedom" might be invoked, misused to mean everybody can do their own thing without regard for the consequences to anyone else.

Chapter 19 presents a stark picture, but we must face it full-on if we're to avoid repeating it.

Solomon wanted his son to learn and be wise. Verse 11 speaks to the son, telling him so. Solomon has learned that it's important for a king to make sure he has good friends and keeps them because family will try to take the throne away. Solomon saw this happen when his brother, Absalom, stirred up a coup against their father, David. Solomon also teaches his son how to keep the kingdom strong in verses 23-27.

Even though we aren't kings, the same wise principles apply to us. Friends are priceless and prudence preserves our resources.

The lynch pin holding all three chapters in Judges, Proverbs, and Hebrews together today is the discipline we read about in Hebrews 12. If we reverence God and persevere with the goal of heaven in mind, if we endure, if we maintain an accurate mental image of our God, we will avoid sin and be wise.

Judges 18, Proverbs 26, Hebrews 11

The people of the tribe of Dan were evil. They not only invaded and destroyed a peaceful, hamless country. They also stole Micah's idols and his priest. His priest wan't exactly loyal, since he followed the most money and influence, but the treachery of the Danites is inescapable. A striking fact is that they remained idolaters down through the years to the Babylonian captivity. When the tabernacle resided at Shiloh, they still refused to turn from their sin.

Humans would have given up  on them. But we know that through seventy years of captivity, the hearts of the people turned back to the Lord. He kept His covenant even when the Danites broke it. God never gives up on us.

The  foolish, lazy, and dishonest will reap what they sow. A wise person stays far away from them.

The contrast between the "heroes of faith" and the Danite tribe, along with fools, the lazy and dishonest, is stark. The chooice is ours to make and the consequences are clear.

I say, with Joshua, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."