DAY 101: JOURNEY THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR – 1 SAMUEL 21-25

April 9, 2024

1 SAMUEL 21-25
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DAY 101: JOURNEY THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR

Our journey today through 1 Samuel 21-25, finds King Saul, the King of Israel, struggling against the will of God. We find the future king, David, struggling with self-will and God’s will.

Take some time with God to ask for His perfect understanding of His word as we continue our journey through 1 Samuel today. Read 1 Samuel 21-25. Let’s journey!

The books of First and Second Samuel were originally one book, that was later split in two due to its length. Before the start of this book, Israel had resided in the Promised Land for some time, and we saw their continued moral decline under the rule of judges. The books of Samuel are books of transition. In these books, the 12 Tribes of Israel are united into one nation under one king. First and Second Samuel is a character-driven story, with the three main characters of Samuel, Saul, and David. These men, especially Saul and David, have their own character strengths and weaknesses. We are going to study these as we journey through their lives.

1 Samuel 21-25: Our first four chapters today, contrast David and King Saul. David was trying to serve God, doing so by serving God’s anointed, King Saul, and relying on God’s direction and strength. King Saul, who knew David was to replace him as king, chose to try to alter the course of events as God determined them. King Saul was jealous of David. David was God’s servant pursuing God’s will regardless of the personal cost. King Saul was so concerned about himself and his legacy that he had Ahimelek and his clan executed for seeking God on David’s behalf. In our final chapter today, we see that David was not perfect, as he did not always seek the Lord before he acted. After David’s men were refused provisions by Nabal, David, along with 400 of his men, set out to avenge this injustice by shedding the blood of Nabal and all his men. They were stopped by Nabal’s wife who reminded David of who he was and that God is man’s avenger. Throughout his life, David shed much blood. The shepherd boy David, wasn’t perfect, none of us are, but the shepherd boy David was a man after the Lord’s heart. (1 Samuel 21:1-25:44)

After reading chapters 21 through 25, consider the following: What strengths and weaknesses did you observe in the people in today’s reading? Did you see yourself in any of the characters you read about today? How so? What can you learn about your character from today’s reading? Reflect on your own character, is it all pleasing to the Lord?

Godspeace!