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 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.

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 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 5, Proverbs 13, Titus 2

Glory. Deborah took time after the victory to give the glory to God. But she also recognized that Israel won because "the people willingly offer[ed] themselves." And she chastised the tribes who didn't provide soldiers.

Surrender. Full surrender to whatever the Lord asks of us - "to the point of death" (v.18) - is required in order to see Him do mighty works through us. Otherwise, we end up on the sidelines watching the triumph of others.

Victory. A wise person, who lives and speaks and works with prudence, joins the victory parade and is satisfied.

Live it Out. Leaders rise to the top as they follow Christ, live pure lives, and teach others how to be like them. We are all trained and taught by the grace of God. When we follow Him, are 100% sold out to Him, it shows in the way we live and speak. That's when God does great things.

Joshua 22, Proverbs 6, 1 Timothy 5

Well-meaning intentions can easily be taken the wrong way. Caution on both sides is advised. The Israelites became so agitated over what they perceived as the motivation for the actions of the two-and-a-half tribes that they prepared for war. The two-and-a-half tribes should have stopped to think how their actions might be interpreted by the rest of the nation. A little communication before the deed would have gone a long way. If our actions might be seen as something sinful, it might be best to back up and trust God to take care of the situation. When we try to "help" God it can make His job caring for us more difficult!

Stop to think about the consequences of your actions before you act. Or in the case of the "sluggard," consider what will happen if you stay lazy. Every action does have a consequence. Satan's favorite ploy is to blind us to the truth by dangling pleasure before our eyes. Wise people see around the pretties to what lurks behind.

Actions have consequences. The church was charged with caring for "real" widows: those who had no husband or living children, who were over the age of sixty. Why the rules? Because of the sinful actions of some. Paul also gave more cautionary instructions about accusing an elder. Stop. Think.

If we will always follow this exhortation to stop and think before we act or speak, we'll avoid much heartache and make God's job easier!

Joshua 9, Psalm 143, Colossians 4

Because God is in charge, He accomplishes His plans. The deceit of the Gibeonites didn't stop the Israelites from taking over their land and the gullibility of Joshua and his leaders didn't mean defeat. It meant making slaves of the Gibeonites instead of killing them. Joshua could have told the Gibeonites he wasn't bound to his promise because they deceived him. But he chose the "high road" and lived out the nature of God before them by keeping his word. One can only wonder how many of those slaves came to trust the Lord as their God because Joshua kept his word.

David asked the Lord for guidance in his struggle to stay one step ahead of his enemies. He approached his situation the right way, by asking advice from God. This stands in contrast to Joshua and his leaders because, as Joshua 9:14 says, " . . . but they did not ask counsel of the Lord." We can learn from this to always seek counsel from the Lord, both when we're facing trouble and when things seem peaceful, because we always need wisdom, even when life seems easy.

"Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside . . ." Colossians 4:5. Seeking God's counsel provides us wisdom in our dealings with people. By treating others as we ought, we never know when we might have an opportunity to "speak the mystery of Christ" to them. (verse 3)