Category: 1 Samuel

Sometimes God sends encouragement just at the right time. A shot in the arm, so to speak, before we face another trouble. Words of encouragement that build us up, when doubts have started creeping in. Timed so well, because they allow us to look to God and his provision in the difficulties that then come.

While God was clearly protecting David, David was aware that Saul was actively seeking his life. As David hid in the wilderness of Ziph, he would have dealt with the same fears, worries, and doubts that we all deal with in times of difficulty and trial. Would God truly preserve him? Would God keep his…

Life offers up difficult situations where we are unsure of what to do. We may struggle with questions of relationships, jobs, where to live, and wonder how to glorify God. When these situations arise, as believers one of our natural inclinations is to seek God’s guidance in what to do. But where do we go…

Just as the Devil seeks to destroy the Church today, so too in the past he has sought to try and snuff out God’s People. Here, the Devil worked through the hand of Saul and Doeg the Edomite to attack God’s very representatives and mediators, the priests.

With Saul’s murderous intent clear, David had desperately fled Saul’s immediate reach. He had acquired food and weapons, and fled outside of King Saul’s realm looking for sanctuary. Unfortunately there he was recognised and had to pretend madness to escape Philistine vengeance. In these acts, we see a man acting out of desperation and not…

In Chapter 20, David knew that his time in Saul’s presence had come to an end. Saul wanted David dead. He recognised a rival to his throne, to his dynasty, and wanted it dispatched. God had protected David in the past, but now there was nothing more that his wife or his covenant brother could…

In 1 Samuel 20, David faced the prospect that he was an enemy of Israel’s king. At the same time, while driven by fear, he was comforted by the covenant between himself and Jonathan. Jonathan’s actions show the faithfulness of a covenant keeper in this chapter. It points us to our own way to thread…

In 1 Samuel 19, Saul’s envy came to a head. Multiple times, he sought to kill David, or have him killed. But in all these times God protected his anointed one from harm, showing that Saul’s efforts would come to nothing compared to God’s power. This reminds us that Jesus was also protected by God…

We often think that God’s goodness must mean miraculous intervention, as sometimes happened in the Old Testament or the Gospels. Yet just as often, God’s goodness is demonstrated by a quiet working away. How is he protecting us today? One to ponder, and give thanks for…

After God’s victory of Goliath, through the hands of his faithful servant David, David’s star rose to shine brightly in Israel’s skies. His feat certainly caught the attention of the calculating King Saul, but it also caught the attention of Saul’s son, Jonathan. While Saul’s acts were calculating, Jonathan’s acts expressed a man of faith…