Category: Digging in Deeper

Digging in Deeper: 1 Samuel 9:2

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“And he had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man.  There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he.  From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

Saul looked the part of a king. Think about that in light of the initial reception on the part of both Samuel and God to their request to have one. Samuel was hurt and God was disappointed. But then God goes out and finds a king who looks the part in every way. He gives them exactly what they wanted. What gives? Read the rest…

Digging in Deeper: 1 Samuel 8:4-5

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“Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah and said to him, ‘Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways.  Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.'”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

These two verses mark the end of the era of the judges in the history of Israel and the beginning of the era of the monarchy. This is both a sad and an interesting transition. It gives us an object lesson in how God can use our failings and still accomplish His plans in spite of them. In fact, He can even incorporate our failures into His plans such that it appears later they were always part of them even though they weren’t. Let’s look at how this is. Read the rest…

Digging in Deeper: Matthew 10:17-18

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“Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles.”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

Jesus was nothing if not a realist when it came to the kind of reception His followers should expect when they set out to advance the kingdom by proclaiming the Gospel to the unbelieving world. He made this abundantly clear: We should expect trouble. In these couple of verses He makes clear we should expect three different kinds of persecution. Read the rest…

Digging in Deeper: 1 Samuel 4:3

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“And when the people came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, ‘Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines?  Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord here from Shiloh, that it may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.'”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

Have you ever been to a magic show? I’ve seen a few live, but I’ve watched plenty of them on TV. I love magic shows. I enjoy trying to figure out the tricks, but I enjoy even more being completely stumped. The best magic tricks always leave you feeling a bit like the magician has some kind of power over the natural world. He can make things happen that aren’t supposed to happen naturally. This is the connection modern magicians have with their more ancient counterparts. Read the rest…

Digging in Deeper: 1 Samuel 2:5

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“Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger.  The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children is forlorn.”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

Put yourself in Hannah’s shoes for a moment. If you are a woman there is a chance you can. She had been barren for years. In spite of much effort, childbearing remained painfully elusive. Meanwhile the woman she was forced to be with all the time seemed to be able to get pregnant at the drop of a hat. They each had the thing the other desired most, though: Peninnah, children, and Hannah, Elkhanah’s heart. Peninnah could at least take solace in her many children. Hannah merely endured the constant scorn of her rival and wondered why God hated her so much. And then she was pregnant. Read the rest…