Monthly Archives: March 2020

Daily Bible Study

April 1, 2020 Bible Study — Seeking Rescue From Someone Other Than God

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 1 Samuel 11-13.

Yesterday’s passage indicated that not all of the Israelites agreed with the idea of making Saul king.  In light of the thoughts I expressed about the government, or lack thereof, of Israel before they had a king, I suspect they disagreed with the idea of appointing a king, of establishing a government.  Also, in Samuel’s address to Israel after Saul’s victory Samuel puts the Israelites request for a king in a different light than yesterday’s account of it.  Samuel says that the Israelites requested a king because they were afraid of Nahash, king of the Ammon.  Samuel spells out for them what their request for a king really meant.  Previously, when oppressors threatened the people of Israel, God raised up someone to lead them through the crisis.  This time they did not wish to wait for God to act  They wanted someone to take charge and rescue them immediately.  We too are often like that when we are frightened about the future we often seek someone, or something, to rescue us rather than waiting for God to deliver us in His time.

Daily Bible Study

March 31, 2020 Bible Study — Wanting a King Who Will “Do Something”

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 1 Samuel 8-10.

Usually when I read this passage I think about what it says about Saul.  However, today I felt compelled to write about the warning Samuel gave the Israelites about their desire for a king.  When we read what Samuel said that a king would do it reads very much like what every government does.  I realized today that until Saul was anointed king, Israel had no government.  When the Israelites asked Samuel to give them a king, they were asking him to give them a formalized government.  They asked for a king because that was the only type of government they knew.  God’s response to Samuel’s request for guidance gives us a clear insight into God’s preferred form of governance.  By seeking a king, seeking a government, the Israelites admitted that they were unwilling, or unable, to obey God without the threat of force.  They were unwilling to wait for God to deal with those who chose to violate His commands and thus disrupted the peace of the land.  The Israelites wanted a king who could “do something” about the problems they faced instead of needing to put their faith in God.  In the same way, many people today want the government to “do something” about the problems we face rather than put their trust in God.

Daily Bible Study

March 30, 2020 Bible Study — God Does Not Come To Our Call, We Must Come To His Call

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 1 Samuel 4-7.

This passage shows us that it is not sufficient to call on God in our times of trouble.  We must also stop calling on other gods and serve only the Lord.  At the beginning of this passage the Israelites called on God and thought that by bringing the Ark of the Covenant into the battle God would have to give them victory.  However, it does not work that way.  We cannot force God to act according to our desires, we must act according to His will.  The Philistines learned a lesson we need to learn as well: just because we are successful does not mean we are doing the right thing.  The Philistines thought that capturing the Ark of the Covenant meant that their god(s) were more powerful than God.  God quickly disabused them of this notion.  After the return of the Ark to Israel, Samuel called on them to give up their idols and worship only the Lord.  The Israelites followed Samuel’s direction and he led them to victory over the Philistines.  We should note that while Samuel united the Israelites to follow God and to fight against the Philistines, he does not appear to have been their military leader.

Daily Bible Study

March 29, 2020 Bible Study — God Provides Rescue to Desperate People Who Turn To Him

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 1 Samuel 1-3.

When I am doing these daily Bible studies I don’t usually get much out of the various songs recorded in what are otherwise prose passages (I’m not sure why).  However, today, in light of what is going on in the world, Hannah’s prayer of praise jumped out to me.  I want to focus on Hannah’s praise of God and her gratefulness to Him.  First, Hannah acknowledges that her strength comes from God.  In these trying times let us turn to God for the strength to get through them.  If we attempt to rely on our own strength, we will fail.  God will shelter us in ways that no one and nothing else can.  God will be our rock, our shelter, if we trust in Him.  We need to stop acting proud and haughty.  Instead, we need to put our faith in God, for it is He who gives both life and death.  We cannot defeat the trials we face by strength alone and if we fight against God we will be destroyed no matter what we bring to the fight.  If you are experiencing desperation, reach out to God as Hannah did in this passage and dedicate yourself to serving Him.

Daily Bible Study

March 28, 2020 Bible Study — Studying Boaz

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Ruth 1-4.

It is easy to forget how short the Book of Ruth is because each chapter is like a scene from a play.  Each chapter can be expounded upon with a lesson about how we should live.  Most of the time we focus on Ruth’s actions, and rightfully so.  In a previous year, I pointed out what a wonderful woman of faith Naomi must have been in order to inspire Ruth to make the commitment which she made.  Today, I want to focus on Boaz.  The first thing we learn about Boaz is that he was a wealthy landowner.  As we read the entire passage the details suggest that he was a highly eligible bachelor.  We see that he treated his workers well and held God in high esteem.  He knew the women working for him well enough to immediately recognize that Ruth was someone new.  I always wonder, did Boaz treat Ruth so well because he treated everyone that way, or because he was attracted to her?  We have a few clues about the answer.  We learn from Naomi’s reaction to learning that Ruth was working his fields that Boaz had a reputation for keeping the young men working for him from mistreating the women who followed behind the harvesters.  And yet for all of that, Ruth needed to take the initiative before Boaz made a move towards marrying her.  Ultimately, it was Ruth who chose Boaz, not Boaz who chose Ruth.

Daily Bible Study

March 27, 2020 Bible Study — Every One Did What Seemed Right In Their Own Eyes

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Judges 20-21.

After the incident with the Levite and his concubine recounted in yesterday’s passage the people of Israel, except for those of the tribe of Benjamin, gathered in anger.  Yesterday’s passage implies that the tribe of Benjamin received the same summons as the other tribes.  Today’s passage suggests that they did not realize the other tribes were gathering until they received word of the gathering.  In either case, rather than acting to bring the guilty men of Gibeah to justice, the tribe of Benjamin chose to defend them.  Reading the account today about the forces of Benjamin I realized why the men of Gibeah felt empowered to act as they did (and why they were allowed to get away with it for so long).  The account tells us that 700 of Benjamin’s elite warriors lived in Gibeah.  So, at least some of the troublemakers in Gibeah were probably drawn from among those 700 elite warriors.  There were probably enough elite warriors among the troublemakers that any one or two of the other elite warriors who attempted to hold them to account would have been overwhelmed.  There was no established government with the ability to organize enough of the rest of the elite warriors to hold these troublemakers to account until they went so far that the rest of the people of the nation rose up to put a stop to it.  In such a situation, every person does what seems right in their own eyes…and what seems right is what is in their own interest.

Daily Bible Study

March 26, 2020 Bible Study

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Judges 17-19.

OK, I don’t know where I am going with this today.  I noticed for the first time that the men from the tribe of Dan in this passage are from the same town/area as Samson was.  I am not sure that that is significant, but Samson was the last judge of Israel before this.  The people of Israel turned to Samson for judgement because of his fighting prowess, not because of his wisdom.  In this story, we see warriors from the tribe of Dan steal the idols from a fellow Israelite feeling justified because he was not a member of their tribe.  Today’s passage ends with troublemakers from Gibeah feeling safe to terrorize a Levite travelling through because he was not part of their tribe.  The behavior of the man who sheltered the Levite indicates that this was not the first time they behaved this way.

Daily Bible Study

March 25, 2020 Bible Study — Samson Allowed His Sexual Desires to Rule His Life

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Judges 14-16.

If you were raised on Bible stories as I was you know that Samson was incredibly strong.  However, the account of the riddle he told at his wedding suggests that he was also smart.  What Samson lacked was wisdom, at least when it came to women.  We know from yesterday’s passage that Samson’s parents were older when he was born.  They had begun to think they would never have children.  As a result, they appear to have never learned how to tell him “No”.  He chose poorly when he chose to take a Philistine woman as his wife.  He reacted badly when she told his secret to her countrymen.  Then later in life he chose poorly when he chose to take up with Delilah, even after she attempted to worm out of him the secret of his strength and use it against him.  Like many people, Samson allowed his sexual desires to rule his life to his sorrow.

Daily Bible Study

March 24, 2020 Bible Study — Judging Potential Leaders By Why People Follow Them

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Judges 11-13.

Yesterday we looked at the story of Abimelech becoming ruler over part of Israel  Today we have the story of Jephthah becoming ruler over another part of Israel.  Both men were estranged from their brothers.  In Abimelech’s case, he appears to have chosen to go out from among his brothers and seek the support of his mother’s people against them.  In Jephthah’s case, his brothers drove him out and he had no one to turn to for help.  Both men acquired followers who were little more than thugs.  However, I think the difference in the way they acquired those followers is telling.  Abimelech took the money which the people of Shechem gave him and hired some thugs to do his bidding.  Jephthah. on the other hand, attracted followers as he made his way in the world.  We have no reason to believe that Jephthah’s followers were any less thugs than Abimelech’s, but Jephthah’s followers followed him because of his leadership qualities while Abimelech’s followed him because he gave them money.

Daily Bible Study

March 23, 2020 Bible Study — Choosing Our Leaders Wisely

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Judges 9-10.

There is a saying, “Blood is thinker than water” which people often use to explain, or justify, giving preferential treatment to relatives.  At some point after the death of Gideon the leaders of Shechem decided that backing the son of Gideon whose mother was from Shechem would lead to advantages for themselves.  Unfortunately, they did not think things through.  They supported Gideon’s son Abimelech to become king over them and others because he was related to them, even after he killed all but one of his brothers.  So, they thought he would favor them because they were related, yet he had just killed his brothers who were more closely related to him than they were.  I could go about this in many different ways, but the people of Shechem chose Abimelech as their leader on the basis of two things: he was Gideon’s son, and he was their relative.  Up until this point, Abimelech had shown no leadership traits.  He had not solved any problems for the people of Shechem.  He had no followers until the people of Shechem gave him money to hire some.  The end result was that Abimelech was a bad ruler and the people of Shechem soon rebelled against him, leading to the death of many of them.