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Jun 26, 2023 06:00am

The Bible Recap: Days 99-105

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(The following are reflections from the writer’s personal journey through The Bible Recap by Tara-Leigh Cobble – a Bible reading plan to read the Bible chronologically in one year. To learn more about The Bible Recap, visit thebiblerecap.com. Find more posts from this series at lifeword.org/thebiblerecap.)

Day 99: Read 1 Samuel Chapters 4-8

My Takeaways:

“They wanted to be like everyone else.”

That would be my title for today’s reading. The Israelites, since we have followed them, wanted to be like other nations instead of being holy, like their Father, set apart to look different than other nations.

They struggled with the Philistines much in today’s reading. Remember that command God gave to them to get rid of all Canaanites when they entered the promised land? Well, as you know, they didn’t. All those Philistines are still a problem now.

If we think of the Philistines as a symbol for a bad habit for sin, we can totally set into the sandals of these people because we can be the same way!

While the Israelites go to battle with the Philistines, they bring in the ark. This surely would bring them victory, right? They kind of treated it like a good luck charm. But, Scripture doesn’t ever say that they humbled themselves and worshipped God as a result.

This is so interesting—when the Philistines heard that the Israelites’ ark had just entered the camp, the fear of God hit them! They knew the stories about God rescuing them from Egypt! They knew the stories of God’s miracles in the desert! It’s so ironic that the enemy seem to remember more about God than God’s own people! In fact, they show fear of God more than the Israelites do!

And when the ark was captured by the Philistines, God continued to instill fear into them by plaguing them in such away, they wanted to get rid of that ark! (I had to chuckle at the part where their god, Dagon, would fall prostrate to the ark!)

I love what the enemy has to say about this:

“Give glory to Israel’s God, and perhaps he will stop oppressing you, your gods, and your land. Why harden in your hearts as the Egyptians and the Pharaoh hardened theirs? When he afflicted them, did they sent Israel away and Israel left?”
1 Samuel 6:5b-6

Again, the enemy remembers! And the enemy learns from past mistakes! There was such a fear of God, they made sure to honor the ark as they sent it on its way back to Israel so that the heavy hand of God would relent against them.

I did love how Samuel reiterated Moses’ words about returning back to the Lord with all their hearts and worship Him only. They fasted and mourned, and God showed up! He stepped into another title of His-the Lord of Armies. As a result, Samuel set up a reminder of God’s intervention.

Samuel’s sons, like Eli’s sons, do not walk in his ways and the people want a king to lead them. Though it feels like they are rejecting Samuel, God says they are rejecting Him. They want to be like other nations and have someone visible they can see.

For the first time in Scripture, they will get a king to rule over them. And, God warns them they won’t love it.

But, as usual, they don’t listen to God. And you know what? We can fall prey to this as well. We have that innate desire to look like everyone else. It’s something we, too, have to fight—in our words and in our actions. It’s so easy to point our finger at them and shake our heads, but they aren’t so different from us.

Day 100: Read 1 Samuel Chapters 9-12

My Takeaways:

Oh my word—we did it! We made it through 100 days of Scripture! Great job, friends! Has it changed your perspective or heart? Have you realized a deeper truth about God? Do you feel yourself drawn to your Bible each day?

Let’s settle in on today’s reading because God is giving His people what they want: a king. In fact, this king looks “kingly” and all warrior-ish because he is a head taller than everyone else!

But, this King Saul bears some similarities to our fellow Gideon.

He is from the smallest tribe and the least important clan.
He is hesitant to step into his role as king and stays quiet about it. (It reminds me how Gideon took down his father’s idols at night.)
He doesn’t come forward when called as king! This made me chuckle… he is the tallest guy there and he’s hiding behind suitcases!
And, when people doubt him as king, he says nothing to them… this reminds me of Gideon’s insecurity.
My favorite similarity is this: God gave signs to Saul to assure him of his kingship, just like He gave Gideon signs to encourage him to lead his people.

Spoiler alert: while Saul steps into the role of been King, it won’t end well… just like it didn’t end well for Gideon.

So, how was God revealed to you? I loved how it said that He heard His people’s cry about the Philistines, so He provided Saul!

He is the changer of hearts! He changed Saul’s heart and transformed him to take charge and step into the role of leader and king!

And we end with Samuel’s instructions for life:

Fear God.

Worship Him only.

Remember what He has done for you!

These instructions for life came from Moses and have to be repeated every generation to the Israelites…because they forget and want to be like everyone else. Remembering helps them stay connected to God!

The same goes for us… any time we are struggling, any time we can’t see God’s hand in our lives, think back… how has He helped you in the past? Because if He did it then, He’ll continue to do it for you in the future!

He is faithful!

Day 101: Read 1 Samuel Chapters 13-14

My Takeaways:

Disobedience and faith.

That’s my unofficial title for today! Saul is now king and though he is first a follower of Yahweh and should submit to Him, especially in battle, he acts of his own accord.

He gives way to fear (perhaps out of that same insecurity he had earlier) and wants to do things his way. And because of this, he loses the kingship from his family. That, my friends, has to be hard for him! That would warrant fasting and repentance, yet we don’t see it.

But, Saul’s son, Jonathan, fully trusts God and submits to Him…and wins battles. He represents a picture of what Saul should be!

Jonathan’s trust blows me away! He takes on 20 men with this thought: “Perhaps the Lord will help us. Nothing can keep the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.” (1 Samuel 14:6b)

Wow!

If only Saul had that faith when his men were deserting him! If only he would remember the stories in the past, like when Gideon’s army of 300 defeated an army of over a hundred thousand!

Jonathan has that childlike faith—and God empowers him to do the supernatural! Because of Jonathan’s willingness to face 20 men, he and his armor bearer defeat them, causing a chain reaction of confusion where the Philistines turn on each other! Jonathan’s faith gave the Israelites the upper hand as a result—how cool is this?!

All because one man chose to be strong and courageous and not be afraid for the Lord his God was with him—I love this!

When it’s hard to watch Saul unravel, Jonathan gives us a picture of trust and faith. It activates the power of God.

What are you up against? What are you struggling with? Let Jonathan’s example show you that when you submit to God, good things happen! And they happen in the most unusual ways!

Day 102: Read 1 Samuel Chapters 15-17

My Takeaways:

The heart of today’s reading was this: “The Lord sees the heart.”

I wonder, what do you think God sees when He looks at your heart?

With Hannah, He saw surrender.

With Samuel, He saw the fear of the Lord.

With Jonathan, He saw courageous faith.

With Saul, He saw a heart far from Him-He saw rebellion.

Because Saul gives way to his insecurity, he fears people more than he fears God. This is why he offered a sacrifice in Samuel’s place. This is why he makes a hasty vow about killing any soldier who would eat before the battle was over. This is why he didn’t kill all of the Amalekites. This is why he built a monument for himself on Mount Carmel. (Interesting, this place comes up later on in a showdown of idols vs God!)

And he still doesn’t see his disobedience when he argues with Samuel! Only when Samuel doled out the harsh punishment of Saul being rejected as king does the conviction hit him hard and opened his eyes to his fear of people and not God. Only then does he confess it. But, it’s not from a repentant heart….it’s still from a heart that fears people. After this, he begged Samuel to honor him before the elders and before the people.

He’s still concerned about himself.

No condemnation here, friends. I have been there and still can struggle with this. I have to choose to trust God in those moments and stand firm in doing the right thing, the godly thing.

I feel like Saul’s rejection of God looks sooooo much worse than mine. But, rejection is rejection, and if we put people’s opinions before God’s laws, we too are in the same boat with Saul. It really opens my eyes…eek! Permit me to use slang for a moment: Ain’t no one want to be like Saul!

And then enters a shepherd boy named David. What does God see when he looks at David?

Well, simply put: He saw a heart of faith, a courageous faith (like Jonathan).

How in the world does one have the heart of this type of faith?!

David remembered.

David looked back and remembered how God helped him as a shepherd any time a lion or bear would attack his sheep. He remembered how God helped him rescue the lamb from the lion’s or bear’s mouth! Friends, David grabbed these lions and bears by their fur and would kill them! With his hands!

And if God helped him then, he knew God would help him do it again. He knew God’s faithfulness!

And I love that he called God the “Lord of Armies”!! Hannah said this. First Samuel 4:4 refers to God as the “Lord of Armies.” This is how God reveals Himself to His people often: through battle!

So, our faith-filled David grabbed 5 smooth stones and a sling and ran quickly to Goliath with a cry of faith: “I come against you in the name of the Lord of Armies” and prophesied what he would do to Goliath! And it all came to pass!

Are you fighting a battle? Cry out to the Lord of Armies and face it in faith! Recount how He has intervened in the past for you and remember this: if He did it then, He will do it again! He is faithful!

But remember: You have to face your “Goliath” and not back down. In fact, we are called to run at our Goliaths armed in faith.

Because that, friends, activates the power of God and He will fight for you and through you!

Day 103: Read 1 Samuel Chapters 18-20, Psalm Chapters 11 & 25

My Takeaways:

The theme of our reading stood out to me in Psalm 25: “Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am alone and afflicted.” (Psalm 25:17)

All throughout our reading, Saul was jealous of David and plotted against him.

And the thing we don’t see as much in 1 Samuel 18-20 that we do see in Psalm 11 and 25 was this:

David was grieved. David felt betrayed. David felt alone. David felt afflicted and attacked. David felt disgraced.

And the thing is this: David had done nothing to earn all this backlash! He followed God. He fought the Lord’s battles. He followed the lead of God’s chosen king, Saul.

And yet, he faced the toughest of battles not against the Philistines, but against his own people-Saul.

For anyone who has had the toughest and most heartbreaking of battles, take hope in David’s psalms!

In Psalm 11, David remind himself that God sees the righteous… He loves the righteous…and the righteous will see His face! He also reminds reminds himself that God hates the wicked and calls upon God to punish them.

Interesting, David never lashes back against Saul. He trusts God to fight his battles for him.

In Psalm 25 (one of my fav psalms!), David preaches to himself—he needs it. He is on the run and is totally dependent upon God.

He declares his trust in God.

He surrenders his battles and enemies to God.

He begs God for justice.

He asks God to guide him.

He waits upon God.

He reminds God of his character traits of faithful love and compassion.

He asks for forgiveness for his sins—he acknowledges it was great.

He acknowledges that those who fear the Lord will receive God’s secret counsel and protection.

And then he ends with his petitions:

Turn to me.

I am alone and afflicted.

My heart is distressed—bring me out of this suffering!

Guard me and fight for me.

Help me continue to do the right thing….

I will wait on you.

If you, too, are suffering, facing tremendous odds, betrayal of any kind, loneliness, worry, fear—you name it—take hope from David! He did too.

Take note from his prayer: he preaches the truth of God…to himself:

He praises God, he reminds God of His character traits, he asks forgives from his sin, he lets God deal with his enemies and relies upon His justice, and he waits for God to help him.

We need truth in these testing moments of life!

It’s a prayer of trust and surrender. Though it may feel he is a punching bag for Saul, David trusts God to fight for him and deal with him.

Oh, friends, I have heard of many people who memorize this psalm and say it daily as a prayer in their most desperate times in life! If you are there, I encourage you to pray it, memorize it, say it back to God and remind Him of what He has done for you in the past…

Because if He did it then, He will do it again.

And one more thing…. David may not have realized it, but God had allowed all of these things to happen (and didn’t answer David’s prayer immediately) in order to chisel the character at the future king of Israel, a godly King.

And He does the same thing with us in our own hard circumstances… He sometimes allows them to happen in order to get us to turn to Him and be completely dependent upon Him. To unearth something that needed to be unearthed. To strengthen our walk with Him as followers of Yahweh.

To get us to look more like Him.

To be surrendered.

And that surrender seems to activate the intervention and power of God.

Let us be people of love, trust, and surrender…let us be people who fear the Lord….and let us be people who look to God to fight our battles. Let us be people who will wait on God to do it.

Day 104: Read 1 Samuel 21-24

My Takeaways:

God’s providence. That is what stood out to me in today’s reading!

Though God allows David to be hunted time and time again in these chapters, He takes care of him!

He protects David in the hunt.
He provides for David while he is on the run.
He sends people to follow David and fight with him.
He sends Jonathan to encourage David—he reaffirms his covenant with David and reaffirms God’s call on David’s life.
He sends David’s family to David.
He warns David about those who would betray him.
And, He disciplines David when David steps out of line and cuts off Saul’s robe.

God is faithful to David amid all of this! He never promised David it would be easy, but God is there with David every step of the way.

And, sometimes, he allows bad things to happen to seemingly good people, like the priests’ slaughter in Nob. (That part always gets me.) We know God is just, but that part doesn’t feel just. So, what do we take from it?

I think God allows us to see evil for what it is. The fact that Saul ordered the priests’ deaths shows his wicked heart.

And the fact that David doesn’t kill Saul when he gets the chance, shows he has a heart that fears God. We know by now that hearts that fear God are blessed.

When things don’t make sense, feel right, or look bad, we must go back to the truth of God’s character—who He is in Scripture. Just like David did in Psalm 25, we must preach the truth to ourselves about God…because our feelings can lie to us all the time.

Let today be a reminder of this:

Though we have a real enemy who throws his darts and distractions our way, we have a God who provides for us in that struggle, protects us, strengthens us, and empowers us to face these times. If anything, these times can send us to our knees relying upon the Lord rather than us.

Paul said it best when he said this in 2 Corinthians 12:10:

“That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Day 105: Read Psalm Chapters 7, 27, 31, 34, & 52

My Takeaways:

Oh, these psalms are good for the heart!

David connects to all of us in these psalms. Here are a few common themes:

Rise up, Lord, and fight for me!

David appeals to God’s justness several times because he is on the run from Saul. He wants God to judge those who have done him wrong, lied about him, and schemed against him.

Save me, Lord.

He cries out to God to be his shield and protector—his rock.

Don’t be afraid.

He reminds himself that God is his light and salvation—his stronghold for life. He tells himself: “My heart will not be afraid… I will still be confident”! Again, David says these things because he probably feels fear and anxiety, but he preaches to himself that God will intervene on his behalf.

I need you, Lord.

David acknowledges that God is his helper—that He is there even if his parents abandon or reject him. He seeks God and pleas for Him to not turn away from him. He asks God to show him the way to go and lead him.

Wait on the Lord.

At the end of Psalm 27, he tells himself: “Wait on the Lord, be strong, and let your heart be courageous. Wait on the Lord!”

I am sure David’s plan was never to be on the run for months and years, but that is where he was and he knew it would lead to a good place.

I trust in you.

David declares “You are my God. The course of my life is in your hands.” He trusts in God’s faithful love and praises Him for what He has done. He puts his hope in God.

What I especially love about these psalms is that they are messages not just for David but for all of us! We all can connect to feeling overwhelmed, beaten down, and lonely—like the odds are stacked against us. David reminds us all that God is faithful and He will fight for us. That He is our judge who calls us to release our anger and bitterness to Him and let Him deal with our adversaries. That He is good to those who fear Him. That He is our courage and the best thing we can do is trust Him in the waiting seasons of life and hope in Him!