I Corinthians 2 Devotional by Pastor Mark Hudson             There is a way to share the gospel in a way that robs the gospel of its power.  We can publicly speak in a way that draws attention to ourselves and therefore away from Christ.  We cannot make Christ mighty to save and ourselves wise and important at the same time.  This chapter cautions all who speak for God to speak in a spiritually manner and…

 1 Corinthians 1 Devotional by Pastor Lawrence The apostle Paul first visited the City of Corinth on his Second Missionary journey.  After he was persecuted in Macedonia and discounted in the city of Athens, he was well received by the Corinthians and spent about eighteen months with the believers there in the year 50-51 AD because many Jews and Gentiles had come to faith in Christ.  He later would return again to the city briefly…

1 Samuel 31 by Pastor David Groendyk The build-up for this Philistine war has gone on for three chapters, and now the action finally swings back to Saul to tell us what happens. All this talk of war, and the whole thing is over in verse 1: “The men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa.” This chapter is less about the war itself and more about what happens to…

I Samuel 30 Devotional by Pastor Mark Hudson                        David and his men return to find their “hometown” burned and everyone gone.  Everyone gone.  We are told they killed no one in v. 2 but David’s men don’t know that yet.  Can you imagine the scene: confusion, anger, feelings of revenge, utter disappointment, and tragic loss?  Will they ever recover or is this the end?  While the men blame David, David knows he must get…

1 Samuel 29 Devotional by Pastor Lawrence            To escape the wrath of King Saul, David had left the land of Israel and settled among the Philistines for over a year in the city of Ziklag, which was given to him by king Achish, one of the five lords of the Philistines.  David had won the favor of Achish by raiding surrounding villages and giving the spoil to the king.  However, he told the king…

1 Samuel 28 by Pastor David Groendyk If there’s one word to summarize this chapter it’s ‘dilemma’. David, through all of his deceptive maneuvering, has put himself in good graces with the Philistine king, and now he’s expected to go to war against Israel fighting side-by-side with the Philistines (vv. 1–2). Surely that’s not the position David wants to be in. Maybe David shouldn’t have been so quick to compromise his loyalty. How’s he going…

1 Samuel 26 Devotional by Pastor Lawrence             This is now the second time that the Ziphites have given away David’s location to King Saul, but after this information is given, they are never heard from again in Scripture.  And, once again, King Saul gathers three thousand of his chosen men to try to capture and kill David.  For some reason, Saul is still trusting in numbers rather than in the name of the Lord,…

1 Samuel 25 by Pastor David Groendyk This chapter seems like it might be a bizarre interlude between episodes of David running away from Saul, but it actually teaches us something very important about David. Apparently, the future king has a good history with this man Nabal (or at least his employees), and now he’s looking for a little bit of relief for him and his men. But just the man’s name should be evidence…

I Samuel 24 Devotional by Pastor Mark Hudson                        If a person was chasing you, trying to kill you, and attempted to kill you previously, and then you had a chance to kill that person to save your life, wouldn’t you?  I think most people would.  However, I Samuel 24 is not that simple.  David had just escaped a near miss in 23:16ff.  What pressure that must have put on David.  He knew some people…

1 Samuel 23 Devotional by Pastor Lawrence            There is no superscript given for Psalm 124 to show the backstory for the song, but it could easily have been written at the conclusion of the events transpiring in the twenty-third chapter of 1st Samuel.  In the psalm David says, “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side…when people rose up against us, then they would have swallowed us up alive, when…

1 Samuel 22 by Pastor David Groendyk Certainly it’s been easy to see how Saul and David are two very different men in this book, and their differences are on display again in this chapter. Remember, David is still on the run from Saul and had made a pass through Nob on his way to Philistia, and now he makes stops in Adullam, Moab, and Hereth. Saul keeps chasing but still can’t catch him. After…

I Samuel 21 Devotional by Pastor Mark Hudson                        This chapter belongs with the next chapter, but we will try to stay on chapter 21.  Jonathan and the readers know from chapter 20 that Saul wants to kill David.  So, the anointed but not-yet-king is on the run from Saul, the current king.   David is running for his life. In 21, David first goes to Nob, a city a few miles from Jerusalem.  Nob is…

1 Samuel 20 Devotional by Pastor Lawrence             As God had promised back in the Garden of Eden, the seed of the serpent would continue to strike at the heel of the seed of the woman, so King Saul is maneuvering to strike David, God’s anointed one.  Even though he supposedly repented of his actions previously against David, his pride will not allow him to accept that David would replace him as king nor that…

1 Samuel 19 by Pastor David Groendyk To say nothing else of this chapter, it’s an awkward position that Saul is putting his children in. Both Jonathan and Michal have made covenants with David, and their father now expects both of them to help kill David. It’s not exactly model parenting. More than that, this chapter kicks off a lengthy section where David is on the run from Saul as Saul’s jealousy of David continues…

I Samuel 18 Devotional by Pastor Mark Hudson             Coming off the victory over Goliath, we see two different reactions from the same family.  In 18:1-5, Jonathan loves David and esteems him.  Saul, in vs. 6-9 is jealous of David.  Jonathan may have known what Samuel said to Saul (13:14).  Jonathan loved David, a verb that will be repeated in this chapter, and did the most surprising thing: He made a covenant with David.  That…

1 Samuel 16 by Pastor David Groendyk Today’s chapter marks a turning point in the book of 1 Samuel. From this point forward, the focus is upon David and his preparation for kingship. In some ways, the anointing of David mirrors the anointing of Saul, but there is one crucial difference—David is chosen by God whereas Saul had been chosen by man. Even more so than their own hearts, the most important difference between David…

I Samuel 15 Devotional by Pastor Mark Hudson             In chapter 15, we have a clear command to Saul and the reasons given.  This age-old hostility will be dealt with by Saul.  As uncomfortable for us to read v. 3, the Biblical authors offer nary a word of justification.  This refers to what Amalek did to Israel recorded in Exodus 17:8-14 and Deuteronomy 25:17-19 .  The command in verse 3 is crystal clear.  The word…

1 Sam 14 Devotional by Pastor Lawrence             The contrast between King Saul and his son Jonathan is one of the primary themes in this chapter along with Saul’s continual decline as a leader in Israel.  While Saul is hiding in a cave from the threat of the nearby Philistines, Jonathan is looking for an opportunity to confront the Philistines on their own turf.  Even though Saul got the credit for the victory over the…

Romans 4 Devotional by Pastor Mark Hudson             After Paul discussed the grace of God in the gospel at the end of chapter 3,  he stated that God’s righteousness is apart from the law.  Paul even posed the question in 3:31, “Do we then overthrow the law by this faith?” Paul may feel a need to explain how a person is justified.  Paul uses Abraham, the great patriarch of Genesis.  He is clearly counted as…

1 Samuel 13 by Pastor David Groendyk The people of Israel have finally recognized their foolishness in desiring a king for themselves (12:19), and it’s not long before the damning cracks start forming in their brand new king, thus leading God to reject Saul as king over Israel. Saul will win more battles as his time goes on, but from this point onward, he’s a lame duck king who has irrevocably lost God’s favor. Right…

I Samuel 12 Devotional by Pastor Mark Hudson             Samuel’s farewell address is deeply personal and theological.  He begins in vs. 1-5 declaring his innocence before all Israel and asking them to respond.  They respond that Samuel has been not stolen from them, defrauded them, or oppressed them nor has he accepted any bribe.             Samuel then provides a summary of their history from Egypt to the present.  This is a selective summary.  In fact,…