Category: Devotionals

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…

The emphasis on David’s weakness, and the lack of emphasis on the actual battle, shows the emphasis should go on God, not David. Not us. God gave the victory, the battle belonged to him. Israel could not save themselves. Israel needed a saviour to fight on their behalf, and defeat God’s foe. That saviour, for…

There is a clear contrast here between the secular, worldly way of Saul, and the way of David. Saul sought to mould David into a champion after his ideals, David rested in God’s moulding of him in the fields looking after his sheep.

The David and Goliath story is not about us defeating our enemies. It is about God defeating his enemies, looking forward to Jesus defeating sin at the Cross. In the first section of this story, we are introduced to David and Goliath, to the weakness of a king who seeks to act in his own…

Sometimes it is hard to see in the moment why certain events happen in life. Certain doors open, others seemingly slam shut in our face unexpectedly. While we usually throw the phrase “everything happens for a reason” around, or perhaps acknowledge God’s mysterious and sovereign hand, it is often not until later on that we…

David’s anointing shows that the leadership qualities we look to when choosing leaders, whether in politics or business, or even sometimes the Church, are not the qualities God looks for. Everyone’s ideas, even Samuel’s, were wrong.  What set David apart was what was in his heart. Our text does not say here, but it was…

This passage shows us that true repentance for sin is not based on words or formulae, but sorrow and a move of the heart. It does not excuse itself by blaming others, and the focus is on the offence caused to God, not the harm that the judgement will have on us.