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 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.