Year One • August 1 - 31

Year One, August 1
May the LORD Establish His Word1
1 Samuel 1:19-28
The sacrifice was over, but god-fearing Elkanah and his family did not think of leaving Shiloh without bowing before the Lord one more time. They were not tired of worship, but having begun well they would finish well. There was one heart in the family which adored the Lord with a special joy. Hannah had come to the tabernacle “a woman troubled in spirit,” but that is not how she felt on her way home. How wonderful it is to leave our burdens behind us after we have joined in worship with the people of God. Is anyone among us troubled? May this time of devotion have the same calming effect on them that Hannah experienced.
19They rose early in the morning and worshipped before the LORD; then they went back to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her. 20And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, “I have asked for him from the LORD.”
How doubly precious a blessing is when it comes in answer to prayer. Have we nothing to ask for? Have we not also received special favors that were even sweeter because we “asked them from the Lord.”?
21The man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the LORD the yearly sacrifice and to pay his vow.
Parents must not neglect church services because of their children. When mothers must stay home with a child, the rest of the household must not make empty excuses for staying away too.
22But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, so that he may appear in the presence of the LORD and dwell there forever.” 23Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him; only, may the LORD establish his word.” (What a choice saying, “Only may the Lord establish his word.” Everything else must be less important than this. If God will just treat us according to his promise, other things do not matter much.) So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him.
24And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah2 of flour, and a skin of wine, and she brought him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh, And the child was young.
It was natural that the mother should be sorry to part with her dear boy. Yet grace had the victory over nature and she went to Shiloh with a glad heart even though she knew Samuel would not be returning home with her. She expressed her thankfulness for her son with an offering to the God who had answered her prayer. She returned the child which God had loaned to her without a second thought. Oh, that all our dear children may be the Lord’s. It is better to part with them to be God’s servants, than to keep them with us, and see them grow up graceless.
25Then they slaughtered the bull, and they brought the child to Eli. 26And she said, “Oh, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the LORD27For this child I prayed, and the LORD has granted me my petition that I made to him. 28Therefore I have lent him to the LORD. As long as he lives, he is lent to the LORD.” (She gave up this one child, and before long, the Lord sent her five others. The Lord takes care to be in no one’s debt. He generously rewards those who cheerfully make sacrifices for his cause.)
And he worshiped the LORD there. (Eli rejoiced in the good woman’s piety.3 All tender hearts are glad to see dedicated love to God in others. Perhaps, however, the text means that Samuel also worshiped the Lord there. How wonderful it is to see young children truly pray. Is there a little Samuel in this house who will worship the Lord now? Let us all aim to do so with our whole hearts.)
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1 1 Samuel 1:23
2 An ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 5 1/2 gallons.
3 piety - devotion, religion, holiness, godliness, reverence, faith, spirituality, religious zeal.


Year One, August 2
My Heart Exults In the LORD1
1 Samuel 2:1-11
1And Hannah prayed (Her prayer for a son was answered, but she did not stop praying. Rather, she prayed all the more. However, now her prayers were no longer salted with sorrow, but were sweetened with the spices of thankfulness. She ascended from prayer to praise.) and said,
“My heart exults in the LORD;”
Not in my child so much as in my God. God must always be our greatest joy.
“my strength is exalted in the LORD.”
Her reputation and her energy were raised, but she gave the Lord the glory for it.
“My mouth derides my enemies,
because I rejoice in your salvation.”
She understood her need of salvation and her faith found all that she wanted in the Lord her God.
2 “There is none holy like the LORD;
there is none besides you;
there is no rock like our God.”
Her joy was all in God; in his salvation, in his matchless holiness, and in his eternal strength. Her Samuel did not become her idol, she loved her God better than her boy. Woe to that mother who permits son or daughter to rival the Lord. God’s people must learn to feel and say, “There is none besides you, O Lord.”
3 “Talk no more so very proudly,
let not arrogance come from your mouth;
for the LORD is a God of knowledge,
and by him actions are weighed.”
God does not judge by appearances. His judgments call for a sincere heart and he will not be content without it.
4 “The bows of the mighty are broken,
but the feeble bind on strength.
5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger.
The barren has borne seven,
but she who has many children is forlorn.”
It is the Lord’s way to pull down the arrogant and lift up the humble. Those who are great and full of themselves he regards with scorn; but the poor and the empty he looks on with pity.
6 “The LORD kills and brings to life;
he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
7 The LORD makes poor and makes rich;
he brings low and he exalts.”
It is the Lord’s method to show his grace by humbling those whom he intends to exalt. None will ever be rich in Christ until they are made to feel that they are bankrupt in themselves.
8 “He raises up the poor from the dust,
he lifts the needy from the ash heap
to make them sit with princes
and inherit a seat of honor.
For the pillars of the earth are the LORD’s,
and on them he has set the world.”
The Lord alone is the Creator and he does as he wills with his creation. Who shall question his absolute right to do whatever he wishes?
9 “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones,
but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness,
for not by might shall a man prevail.
10 The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces;
against them he will thunder in heaven.
The LORD will judge the ends of the earth;
he will give strength to his king
and exalt the power of his anointed.”
This is a powerful song. It breathes not only warm devotion, but the true spirit of poetry. Hannah was a great original poetess and even the Virgin Mary’s sweet hymn of gratitude followed Hannah’s example. Even though no psalms had been written which Hannah could use as a model, her song is exquisitely composed, and has a delightful suggestion of spiritual religion about it. She is the first who sings of the “anointed” king, and as there was no king over Israel in her day, the words would seem to have a prophetic reference to Christ. He is the crown of all the saints’ joys, and their songs reach their highest notes when they sing of “the anointed.”
11Then Elkanah went home to Ramah. And the boy was ministering to the LORD in the presence of Eli the priest.
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1 1 Samuel 2:1


Year One, August 3
Discipline Your Son, and He Will Give You Rest1
1 Samuel 2:12-21; 23-26
12Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the LORD.
This is a sad thing to say about those who teach others. And it is sad for the people to have such ministers. Let our hearts go up to God in thankfulness for the great blessing of holy teachers who practice what they preach. Eli’s sons were worse than the worst, when they ought to have been better than the best of ordinary men.
13The custom of the priests with the people was that when any man offered sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come, while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand, 14and he would thrust it into the pan or kettle or cauldron or pot. All that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is what they did at Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there.
The divine law said that the thigh and the breast of the sacrifice were to be given to the priests2 and the remaining meat was for the person who made the offering. But these greedy priests took whatever they wanted and took it before the Lord’s portion had been burned on the altar.
15Moreover, before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give meat for the priest to roast, for he will not accept boiled meat from you but only raw.” 16And if the man said to him, “Let them burn the fat first, and then take as much as you wish,” he would say, “No, you must give it now, and if not, I will take it by force.” 17Thus the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the LORD, for the men treated the offering of the LORD with contempt.
Godly people were shocked by such irreverent greediness. And they were grieved by the rudeness of those who should have acted with holy courtesy. If ministers become proud, domineering, and self-seeking, the people will soon despise the worship. This was great sin on the part of Eli’s sons.
18Samuel was ministering before the LORD, a boy clothed with a linen ephod.
It must have been a lovely sight to see the young boy actively engaged in the service of God and wearing the style of clothing that our Great King would wear when he was on this earth.
19And his mother used to make for him a little robe and take it to him each year when she went up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. (Hannah understood that young Samuel would only be able to give limited help in maintaining the tabernacle. So she assumed the expense for the clothes he needed. In doing this, she showed her concern for the Lord’s house and her love for her dear boy.) 20Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, “May the LORD give you children by this woman for the petition she asked of the LORD.” So then they would return to their home.
21Indeed the LORD visited Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. And the young man Samuel grew in the presence of the LORD(But while this holy child was living near to God, Eli’s sons went from bad to worse, until at last Eli spoke to them about their great sins.)
23And he said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all these people. 24No, my sons; it is no good report that I hear the people of the LORD spreading abroad. 25If someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against the LORD, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the LORD to put them to death.
They had gone so far that the Lord decided to destroy them and therefore would not give them grace to repent. Eli should have put an end to their wickedness much sooner by using stronger actions. His mild rebuke, which came so late in the day, was of no use whatever. If he had chastened3 his sons earlier, he might have saved their characters and their lives. Children should be thankful for parents who will not let their sins go unpunished. It would be a terrible thing for a curse to come upon a family because the sons and daughters were not kept from sin. A dear little girl who died believing in Jesus, affectionately thanked her mother on her deathbed for all her tender love and then added, “But dear mother, I thank you most of all for having conquered my self-will.” Children sometimes think their parents are too strict, but when they grow up they will bless them for not allowing them to sin.
26Now the young man Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the LORD and also with man. (A sweet way of growing, but to do this a child must be gracious, obedient, and kind.)
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1 Proverbs 29:17
2 Leviticus 10:15
3 chastening or chastisement - The act of discipline which may include scolding, criticizing or pain inflicted for the purpose of correction or moral improvement.


Year One, August 4
Those Whom He Predestined He Also Called1
1 Samuel 3:1-18
1Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD in the presence Eli. (Josephus2 claimed that Samuel was about twelve years of age at this time, and so he was like our blessed Lord Jesus, who at that age said, “Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”3 How charming a sight it is to see a young child serving the Lord.) And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision. (The sin of the priests and the people had made prophetic visions very rare.)
2At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place. 3The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was.
4Then the LORD called Samuel, and he said, “Here I am!” (God calls his servants when he pleases, and it is well for them to be able to reply, “Here I am.” Whether it is for duty or suffering, the true child of God says, “Here I am.”) 5and ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down.
6And the LORD called again, “Samuel!” and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” 7Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him. (That is, Samuel was not a prophet yet and did not know the Lord with the clarity he would later receive. But without doubt, he was already a godly child.)
8And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” (Samuel’s behavior was lovely, honest and obedient. Do we not wish that all children were like this?) Then Eli perceived that the LORD was calling the boy. 9Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant hears.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10And the LORD came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.”
When God speaks to us, it is a great mercy to have a listening ear. But a deaf ear is a sad judgment against us.
11Then the LORD said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. 12On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. 14Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.” (Their day of grace was over and their doom was sealed. What a warning to those who do not respect holy things. These men used the grace of God as an excuse to act wickedly.)
15Samuel lay until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the LORD(He did not become arrogant because he had seen a vision. He went about his daily work, even as our Lord did when he returned from Jerusalem with Mary and Joseph, and was submissive to them. Holy children are always humble children.) And Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. 16But Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” And he said, “Here I am.” 17And Eli said, “What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.” (Eli’s conscience convicted him. The Lord had spoken and he was afraid that something terrible was going to happen.)
18So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. (This was a difficult order for Samuel, but grace made him do his duty.) And he said, “It is the LORD. Let him do what seems good to him.” (Eli was wrong with his sons, but he was right with God. We must admire the old man’s holy submission and imitate it.)
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1 Romans 8:30
2 Flavius Josephus was a first century Jewish historian.
3 Luke 2:49


Year One, August 5
Act Like Men, Be Strong1
1 Samuel 3:19-21
19And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. 20And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the LORD21And the LORD appeared again at Shiloh, for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh. (Samuel was faithful when God spoke to him the first time and therefore the Lord honored him again. May all young Christians be unwavering and true from the start and God will bless them. Meanwhile God was preparing terrible judgment for the wicked sons of Eli.)
  
1 Samuel 4:1-11
1bNow Israel went out to battle against the Philistines. They encamped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines encamped at Aphek. 2The Philistines drew up in line against Israel, and when the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men on the field of battle. 3And when the troops came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD here from Shiloh, that it may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.” (The Israelites trusted in the ark instead of the God it represented. They forgot that the most holy symbols will not bring blessings to ungodly hearts. God shows us here that religion on the outside is worthless unless holiness is on the inside. It is pointless to trust in words and ceremonies. They cannot help us if the Lord is not with us. A cross hanging from our neck is worthless, but Christ in the heart is precious.)
4So the people sent to Shiloh and brought from there the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, who is enthroned on the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. (God had his own way to bring Eli’s sons to the battlefield where they were doomed to lose their guilty lives. God knows how to reach wicked people and deliver justice to them.)
5As soon as the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel gave a mighty shout, so that the earth resounded.
Overconfident people are always ready to shout, but before long they will have reason to weep and wail, just as these noisy boasters did. The law was in the ark, but what help could the law they had broken bring to them. Its very presence condemned them. Those who trust in the law face certain judgment.
6And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shouting, they said, “What does this great shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” And when they learned that the ark of the LORD had come to the camp, 7the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “A god has come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before. 8Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness. 9Take courage, and be men, O Philistines, lest you become slaves to the Hebrews as they have been to you; be men and fight.”
The Philistines were heathens and thought the ark was God himself. However, they were correct in thinking that if God was on Israel’s side, it would not go well with them. If they had understood that God is Almighty, they would not have attempted to fight against him. But they thought Jehovah was like their own god, Dagon, who had only limited powers. Therefore they showed their bravery by deciding to fight like true soldiers. If these Philistines could be so bold in what appeared to be a hopeless situation, how brave should we be who have the assurance of victory, because the Lord of hosts is with us? Our Lord says to us, “Take courage, and be men.” To be cowardly in the cause of Jesus would be disgraceful! Never let the fear of people have the slightest power over you. Do not doubt the reality of the power of your Lord.
10So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and they fled, every man to his home. And there was a very great slaughter, for thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell. 11And the ark of God was captured, (The ark was never captured until it was defended with physical weapons. True religion will always suffer when people try to defend it with force.) and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.
The Lord kept his word. He will be just as faithful to keep his threats as to he is to keep his promises. Woe to us if we continue in sin; because the Lord will certainly punish us. Are we all saved in Christ Jesus?
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1 1 Corinthians 16:13


Year One, August 6
For You Are the Glory Of Their Strength1
1 Samuel 4:12-18; 20-22
12A man of Benjamin ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh the same day, with his clothes torn and with dirt on his head. (Bad news is sure to find a messenger and a swift one. Sadly, the good news of the Gospel often remains untold.) 13When he arrived, Eli was sitting on his seat by the road watching, for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city and told the news, all the city cried out. (In this way, the prophecy that the judgments of the Lord on Eli’s sons was fulfilled and the two ears of everyone who heard of it tingled.2 Shiloh had been contaminated with sin, and as a result, the city was infected with sorrow.) 14When Eli heard the sound of the outcry, he said, “What is this uproar?” Then the man hurried and came and told Eli.
15Now Eli was ninety-eight years old and his eyes were set so that he could not see. 16And the man said to Eli, “I am he who has come from the battle; I fled from the battle today.” And he said, “How did it go, my son?” 17He who brought the news answered and said, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has also been a great defeat among the people. Your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured.”
The distinguished old priest, within two years of a century old, endured all the sad news patiently until the messenger came to the last item.
18As soon as he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell over backward from his seat by the side of the gate, and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy. He had judged Israel forty years. (First his heart was broken and then his neck. Eli fainted from grief and the fall caused his death. No sword of the Philistines could have killed him any more effectively than this terrible news that God’s ark was captured. Nothing affects good people as much as injury to the Church or dishonor brought upon the name of the Lord.)
The sad news that the ark was taken, and that her husband had been killed, caused the pregnant wife of Phinehas to go into labor and die right after the child was born.
20And about the time of her death the women attending her said to her, “Do not be afraid, for you have borne a son.” But she did not answer or pay attention. 21And she named the child Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel!” because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband. 22And she said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.” (She seems to have been a God-fearing woman, though her husband was a wicked man. Her faith led her to forget her own miseries, because the miseries of the Church of God were even greater. She named her child Ichabod, which means, “without honor” or, “where is the glory?” because honor and glory had been taken away from Israel. Her death was another strike against Eli’s house, but it was sent in love to her, because she was spared from seeing Israel’s sorrow.)
The sad story of the destruction of Eli’s family is a special warning to all parents to not allow sin to go unpunished in their households. Lack of discipline is lack of love. Let us see what Solomon says about it.
  
Proverbs 23:13-18
13 Do not withhold discipline from a child.
if you strike him with a rod, he will not die.
14 If you strike him with the rod,
you will save his soul from Sheol.
Charles Bridges3 in his “Exposition on the Book of Proverbs,” says, “Eli tried gentler means and the sad result is written for our instruction. Is it not cruel love that turns away from painful duty? To tolerate sin in a child is tantamount to hating him in our heart. Is it not better that the flesh should smart than that the soul should die? What if your child should rebuke you throughout eternity, for the neglect of that timely correction which might have saved his soul from hell.”
15 My son, if your heart is wise,
my heart too will be glad.
16 My inmost being will exult
when your lips speak what is right.
It is a father’s greatest happiness to have a son who is not only good himself, but the bold champion of goodness, speaking out bravely for right and truth and God.
17 Let not your heart envy sinners,
but continue in the fear of the LORD all the day.
18 Surely there is a future,
and your hope will not be cut off.
The trouble in this life will soon be over and then the godly will begin their best life. Their hope is a certain hope. May the Lord teach us as a family to serve him faithfully, so that we may be blessed both here and hereafter.
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1 Psalm 89:17
2 1 Samuel 3:11
3 Charles Bridges (1794-1869). An evangelical pastor and theologian in the Church of England.


Year One, August 7


For the LORD is a…Great King Above All Gods1
1 Samuel 5:1-4; 6-12
1When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside Dagon. 3And when the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the LORD(The true God would not tolerate having an idol standing upright in the same temple with his ark. Therefore, down it must go. The ark was brought into the house as a captive, but immediately became a conqueror. If the Lord, by his Spirit, comes into the human heart, sin soon falls before him.) So they took Dagon and put him back in his place. (It was a worthless god that needed help putting itself back in place. Idolatry makes people foolish. If it did not, they would see how irrational their behavior is.)
4But when they rose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the LORD, and the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off on the threshold. Only the trunk of Dagon was left to him. (The second fall was greater than the first, for the fish god was broken, and only his scaly tail remained. The head and hands which symbolized wisdom and power, were dashed to atoms. The ark in the pagan temple resulted in the destruction of Dagon. Grace in the heart destroys the power and energy of sin.)
6The hand of the LORD was heavy against the people of Ashdod, and he terrified and afflicted them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory. 7And when the men of Ashdod saw how things were, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for his hand is hard against us and against Dagon our god.” 8So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” They answered, “Let the ark of the God of Israel be brought around to Gath.” So they brought the ark of the God of Israel there. 9But after they had brought it around, the hand of the LORD was against the city, causing a very great panic, and he afflicted the men of the city, both young and old, so that tumors broke out on them.
10So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. But as soon as the ark of God came to Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, “They have brought around to us the ark of the God of Israel to kill us and our people. 11They sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, that it may not kill us and our people.” For there was a deathly panic throughout the whole city. The hand of God was very heavy there. 12The men who did not die were struck with tumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven. (This disease was not only extremely painful but was intended to embarrass the Philistines, because they dared to seize the ark of God and held it in contempt. How glad they would have been to get rid of their captive, who even in captivity achieved victory over them.)
We have a summary of this part of Israel’s history in the Psalms. Let us read it.
  
Psalm 78:58-66
58 For they provoked him to anger with their high places;
they moved him to jealousy with their idols.
59 When God heard, he was full of wrath,
and he utterly rejected Israel.
60 He forsook his dwelling at Shiloh,
the tent where he dwelt among mankind,
Shiloh was abandoned. The ark never returned to it. The place became a desert and no buildings remained standing. The lampstand of the Lord went out in Shiloh.
61 and (the Lord) delivered his power to captivity,
his glory to the hand of the foe.
62 He gave his people over to the sword
and vented his wrath on his heritage.
63 Fire devoured their young men,
and their young women had no marriage song.
64 Their priests fell by the sword,
and their widows made no lamentation.
The wife of Phinehas was so overcome with sorrow because the ark had been captured by the Philistines, that she was unable to grieve over the death of her husband.
65 Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,
like a strong man shouting because of wine.
66 And he put his adversaries to rout;
he put them to everlasting shame.
Wickedness will not win for long. God will always be victorious.
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1 From Psalm 95:3


Year One, August 8
Nations Will Fear the Name of the LORD1
1 Samuel 6:1-10; 12-15; 19-21
1The ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months. 2And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us with what we shall send it to its place.” 3They said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but by all means return him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why his hand does not turn away from you.” (They were correct in believing that some acknowledgement of their fault must go with the ark when they returned it. If people want to be forgiven, they must use every possible way to right the wrongs they have committed. Even unbelievers understand this.)
4And they said, “What is the guilt offering that we shall return to him?” They answered, “Five golden tumors and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for the same plague was on all of you and on your lords. 5So you must make images of your tumors and images of your mice that ravage the land, and give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps he will lighten his hand from off you and your gods and your land. 6Why should you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he had dealt severely with them, did they not send the people away, and they departed? (It is likely that a plague of mice had been destroying their crops at the same time the tumors were tormenting their bodies. Therefore, they recognized that both judgments came from Jehovah.)
7“Now then, take and prepare a new cart and two milk cows on which there has never come a yoke, and yoke the cows to the cart, but take their calves home, away from them. 8And take the ark of the LORD and place it on the cart and put in a box at its side the figures of gold, which you are returning to him as a guilt offering. Then send it off and let it go its way 9and watch. If it goes up on the way to its own land, to Beth-shemesh, then it is he who has done us this great harm, but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that struck us; it happened to us by coincidence.”
10The men did so, and took two milk cows and yoked them to the cart and shut up the calves at home.
12And the cows went straight in the direction of Beth-shemesh along one highway, lowing as they went. They turned neither to the right nor to the left, and the lords of the Philistines went after them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh. (How wonderfully God guided these animals. Of their own accord they wandered away from their calves, lamenting them as they went along. Without a driver they chose the nearest road to the city of the Levites. God led the cows every step of the way.)
13Now the people of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley. And when they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, they rejoiced to see it. (They must have been shocked to see the ark returning to them without any human assistance. God wanted them to understand that this was completely his doing.) 14The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there. A great stone was there. And they split up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD15And the Levites took down the ark of the LORD and the box that was beside it, in which were the golden figures, and set them upon the great stone. And the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices on that day to the LORD.
19And he struck some of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they looked upon the ark of the LORD. He struck seventy men of them, and the people mourned because the LORD had struck the people with a great blow. (The God who judged his enemies for their blasphemy, also judges his own people for not obeying his law. He demands the deep respect of all who come near him. Let us never treat holy things lightly.) 20Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the LORD, this holy God? And to whom shall he go up away from us?” (Instead of confessing their own sin, they laid the blame at the door of God’s incomparable holiness. People have not changed. They still complain that God is too strict.)
21So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the LORD. Come down and take it up to you.”
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1 Psalm 102:15


Year One, August 9
Till Now the LORD Has Helped Us1
1 Samuel 7:1-13; 15-17
1And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took up the ark of the LORD and brought it to the house of Abinadab on the hill. And they consecrated his son Eleazar to have charge of the ark of the LORD(The ark of God was moved from Shiloh, but the light of God that it represented2 was even brighter than before.) 2From the day that the ark was lodged at Kiriath-jearim, a long time passed, some twenty years, and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD(This was a happy sorrow. They were full of regret because the Lord had left them. Whenever people seek God and mourn over their sin, he will soon make his presence known to them. Anyone who has not yet found Jesus, should sigh and cry after him. It will not be long before he looks on us in love. God had already come back to Israel when the people lamented after him. When a soul sighs for the Lord, the Lord is already with it.)
3And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” 4So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the LORD only. (Their repentance would not have been real if it did not change the way they lived. People cannot keep their sins and have their God. No one can serve two masters.)
5Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel at Mizpah, and I will pray to the LORD for you. 6So they gathered at Mizpah and drew water and poured it out before the LORD and fasted on that day and said there, “We have sinned against the LORD.” And Samuel judged the people of Israel at Mizpah. 7Now when the Philistines heard that the people of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the people of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. (Yet they had no cause for fear, because they were now reunited with God. The person who is at peace with God should be fearless.)
8And the people of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not cease to cry out to the LORD our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines.” (They spoke wisely, and showed that they had faith as well as fear. Faith in God gave them faith in the power of prayer.) 9So Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the LORD. And Samuel cried out to the LORD for Israel, and the LORD answered him.
True repentance, true prayer, and faith in the true Lamb of God, will win the day.
10As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. But the LORD thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel. 11And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them, as far as below Beth-car.
12Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer (or, stone of help), for he said, “Till now the LORD has helped us.” (Samuel won that battle on his knees. Then he placed a stone as a reminder to praise the Lord for answering prayer. Praying people are thankful people.) 13So the Philistines were subdued and did not again enter the territory of Israel. And the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.
15Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. (God does not abandon his faithful servants when they grow old. And they do not ask their Lord for permission to retire and stop serving him. To serve God from our childhood to our old age is an honor. May such grace be given to the young members of our family.) 16And he went on a circuit year by year to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah. And he judged Israel in all these places. 17Then he would return to Ramah, for his home was there, and there also he judged Israel. And he built there an altar to the LORD.
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1 1 Samuel 7:12
2 1 John 1:5 , “God is Light.”


Year One, August 10
Put Not Your Trust In Princes1
1 Samuel 8:1; 3-22
1When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel.
3Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice. (Grace cannot be passed down from generation to generation. An honored father may have disgraceful children. Perhaps Samuel was wrong in making his sons judges. We do not read that the Lord instructed him to appoint them. Great people should not injure the church or the state by  putting their children into offices that they are not qualified to fill.
4Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, 5and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” 6But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the LORD(This little sentence is most instructive. When we are perplexed or displeased, we should turn immediately to prayer. We continually read of the prayers of the Lord Jesus. We ought to imitate him in this. As the fish loves the stream, and the bird the branch, so the believer loves prayer.)
7And the LORD said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. 9Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.” (They wanted to do things their way and the Lord finally allowed them to have it. But they were to be warned of the consequences, so they would not be ignorant about the decision they were making. Many things that people’s hearts lust after will be their curse. God may allow them to have their heart’s desire, but he does it in anger and he knows it will bring them only limited satisfaction.)
10So Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking for a king from him. 11He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. 12And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. 13He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. 15He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. 16He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day.”
Under the government of God they had been free from taxes and demands of service. But if they chose to put their necks under the yoke of a king, they would have to keep them there. When Christians are free from the cares and worries of a complicated and strict form of church government, they are better off not changing things. Let us not run into spiritual bondage willingly. It is delightful to serve King Jesus, but it is hard to serve others, or live for self-promotion, wealth, or tradition.
19But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But there shall be a king over us, 20that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” 21And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the LORD22And the LORD said to Samuel, “Obey their voice and make them a king.” Samuel then said to the men of Israel, “Go every man to his city.” (May God save us from having our prayers answered like theirs were! Oh Lord, if we ask anything that is not according to your will, please have mercy on us and refuse our request.)
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1 Psalm 146:3


Year One, August 11
He Knows the Way That I Take1
1 Samuel 9:1-6; 14-21; 26-27
1There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish…a man of wealth. 2And he had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. (It would have been better if he had been godly as well as handsome.) There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.
3Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father, were lost. So Kish said to Saul his son, “Take one of the young men with you, and arise, go and look for the donkeys.” (A quaint writer2 says, “Saul’s obedience was a proper way to begin his reign as king. The job was not all that important for the son of a great man, yet, he does not refuse to go with his father’s servant on such a humble errand. The disobedient and scornful are good for nothing. They are not ready to be subjects or governors. Kish was a great man in his country, yet he was not above sending his son Saul on a simple errand; neither does Saul plead that it would disgrace him. Pride and love of pleasure have marred our times. Great parents count it a dishonor to employ their sons in honest labor, and their pampered children think it is shameful to do anything, and so they behave as if they considered it a glory to be idle or wicked.”)
4And he passed through the hill country of Ephraim and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they did not find them. And they passed through the land of Shaalim, but they were not there. Then they passed through the land of Benjamin, but did not find them.
5When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, “Come, let us go back, lest my father cease to care about the donkeys and become anxious about us.” 6But he said to him, “Behold, there is a man of God in this city, and he is a man who is held in honor; all that he says comes true. So now let us go there. Perhaps he can tell us the way we should go.” (They came to the man of God about donkeys, and learned something about a kingdom. Many go to hear preachers out of idle curiosity, but God leads them into the kingdom of his dear Son.)
14So they went up to the city. As they were entering the city, they saw Samuel coming out toward them on his way up to the high place.
15Now the day before Saul came, the LORD had revealed to Samuel: 16“Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have seen my people, because their cry has come to me.” 17When Samuel saw Saul, the LORD told him, “Here is the man of whom I spoke to you! He it is who shall restrain my people.” 18Then Saul approached Samuel in the gate and said, “Tell me where is the house of the seer?” 19Samuel answered Saul, “I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, for today you shall eat with me, and in the morning I will let you go and will tell you all that is on your mind. (That he did, and very much more. God’s ministers are enabled by his Spirit to expose the secrets of people’s hearts, and then they tell them about the kingdom of heaven.)
20As for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not set your mind on them, for they have been found. And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you and for all your father’s house?” (Who cares about finding donkeys when a kingdom is on the horizon? Who cares about earthly joys when heaven is nearby? How foolish are those who spend all their thoughts on this world’s stray donkeys, and lose the unfading crown of glory.) 21Saul answered, “Am I not a Benjaminite, from the least of the tribes of Israel? And is not my clan the humblest of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then have you spoken to me in this way?”
26Then at the break of dawn Samuel called to Saul on the roof, “Up, that I may send you on your way.” So Saul arose, and both he and Samuel went out into the street.
27As they were going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to pass on before us, and when he has passed on, stop here yourself for a while, that I may make known to you the word of God. (Today, let each of us do our best to have a little time for thought and prayer; while we keep these words in our hearts, “Stop here yourself for a while, that I may make known to you the word of God.”)
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1 Job 23:10
2 The original quote is found in a volume by Joseph Hall (circa 1650).


Year One, August 12
They Have Forsaken Me, the Fountain of Living Waters1
1 Samuel 10:1; 17-27
1aThen Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head and kissed [Saul] and said, “Has not the LORD anointed you to be prince over his people Israel? (It has been remarked that only a small bottle of oil was used and not a ram’s horn as in the case of David. This seemed to be a sign that Saul’s reign as king would be a short one and that the abundant grace of God was lacking in his life.)
17Now Samuel called the people together to the LORD at Mizpah. 18And he said to the people of Israel, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’ 19But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses, and you have said to him, ‘Set a king over us.’ Now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and by your thousands.”
The Lord’s people often refuse to walk by faith. This is just one example of an evil that is all too common among them. They are not spiritual enough to trust only in the invisible God. They want to depend on something they can see. They are not satisfied with the unseen hand of God helping them. They demand visible assistance. They cry out for help the same way the world does. The Lord often gives these people just what they ask for. However, it soon becomes more of a curse than a blessing—just as it was for Saul and Israel. When we pray we should always say, “Not as I will, but as you will.”2 If we pray thinking we know more about what is good for us than God does, he may answer our prayer in anger and the result will not be one that brings real happiness.
20Then Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. 21He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its clans, and the clan of the Matrites was taken by lot; and Saul the son of Kish was taken by lot. But when they sought him, he could not be found. (He knew the lot must fall on him because Samuel had already anointed him king. He may have thought the job was too big for him and was afraid he would be a failure. Crowns are heavy things and often give those who wear them headaches. Saul should not be blamed for hiding from such a difficult honor. If people understood the trials of the great, they would stop wanting to trade places with them.)
22So they inquired again of the LORD, “Is there a man still to come?” and the LORD said, Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage. (God knows where we are. Let us never dream of hiding from him. We are like bees in a glass hive. He sees everything we do.) 23Then they ran and took him from there. And when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. (Saul was the kind of man that most people would be impressed by and give their respect to. They looked up to him in more ways than one.) 24And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom the LORD has chosen? There is none like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”
25Then Samuel told the people the rights and duties of the kingship, and he wrote them in a book and laid it up before the LORD(The book was the nation’s law explaining how the king was to rule over his subjects. Saul was to be a king under God’s authority and to govern according to principles God had given to Israel.) Then Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his home. 26Saul also went to his home at Gibeah, and with him went men of valor whose hearts God had touched. (They saw God’s hand in choosing Saul and joined him.)
27But some worthless fellows said, “How can this man save us?” (No one can hope to please everybody. Even the man God himself selects is not approved by people who are never satisfied. Saul was from a good family, he had good character, he was humble, and he was pleasant. But these things did not count for anything with these troublemakers. May none of us ever belong to that evil class of people, who are always in opposition, always faultfinding, and never willing to work with anybody. This is not the mind of Christ, nor is it the fruit of the Spirit, which is always peaceable.) And they despised him and brought him no present. But he held his peace. (This was a very sensible thing to do. Those who can be quiet will defeat their enemies. Do not be quick to defend yourself, or answer those who lie about you. “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord.”3)
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1 Jeremiah 2:13
2 Matthew 26:39
3 Exodus 14:13


Year One, August 13
The LORD Will Not Forsake His People1
1 Samuel 12
Saul proved his courage and bravery by defeating Nahash, king of the Ammonites when he and his army surrounded the city of Jabesh and made demands of their citizens. After his victory, the people of Israel gathered to show their complete support for Saul as their king. Samuel took advantage of this occasion by announcing that the time of his life as their judge was at an end and to warn the people one more time.
1And Samuel said to all Israel, “Behold, I have obeyed your voice in all that you have said to me and have made a king over you. 2And now, behold, the king walks before you, and I am old and gray, and behold, my sons are with you. I have walked before you from my youth until this day. 3Here I am; testify against me before the LORD and before his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Or whose donkey have I taken? Or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed? Or from whose hand have I taken a bribe to blind my eyes with it? Testify against me and I will restore it to you.”
4They said, “You have not defrauded us or oppressed us or taken anything from any man’s hand.” 5And he said to them, “The LORD is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand.” And they said, “He is witness.”
6And Samuel said to the people, “The LORD is witness, who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. 7Now therefore stand still that I may plead with you before the LORD concerning all the righteous deeds of the LORD that he performed for you and for your fathers. 8When Jacob went into Egypt, and the Egyptians oppressed them, then your fathers cried out to the LORD and the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt and made them dwell in this place. 9But they forgot the LORD their God. And he sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab. And they fought against them. 10And they cried out to the LORD and said, ‘We have sinned, because we have forsaken the LORD and have served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. But now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, that we may serve you.’ 11And the LORD sent Jerubbaal and Barak and Jephthah and Samuel and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and you lived in safety.
12And when you saw that Nahash the king of the Ammonites came against you, you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ when the LORD your God was your king. 13And now behold the king whom you have chosen, for whom you have asked; behold, the LORD has set a king over you. 14If you will fear the LORD and serve him and obey his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, and if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the LORD your God, it will be well. 15But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then the hand of the LORD will be against you and your king. 16Now therefore stand still and see this great thing that the LORD will do before your eyes. 17Is it not wheat harvest today? I will call upon the LORD, that he may send thunder and rain. And you shall know and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking for yourselves a king.” 18So Samuel called upon the LORD, and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day, and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel. (It seldom or never rains at that time of year in Palestine. Samuel’s prayers were as mighty as those of Elijah.)
19And all the people said to Samuel, “Pray for your servants to the LORD your God, that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask for ourselves a king.” 20And Samuel said to the people, “Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. 21And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty. 22For the LORD will not forsake his people, for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you a people for himself.”
These are very precious verses. God guarantees his unchanging love to those he elects, but no one can give a reason why he elects them.
23“Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and the right way. 24Only fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you. 25But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king.”
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1 Psalm 94:14


Year One, August 14
To Obey is Better Than Sacrifice1
1 Samuel 13:1-14
1Saul reigned one year (No one found fault with Saul during his first year as king. However, he was like the short winded runner who starts well, but cannot finish the race.) and when he had reigned two years over Israel,2 2Saul chose three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent home, every man to his tent. 3Jonathan defeated the garrison of the Philistines that was at Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. (After the Philistines had defeated Israel, they placed soldiers in the region’s forts to keep the people under their control. Saul’s son, Jonathan, began Israel’s march to victory by destroying one of these groups of soldiers.) And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear.” (This was the normal Hebrew call to war. The blast of the trumpet was followed by fires lit from hill to hill and the country immediately banded together to fight against the Philistines.)

4And all Israel heard it said that Saul had defeated the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel had become a stench to the Philistines. And the people were called out to join Saul at Gilgal.
5And the Philistines mustered to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen and troops like the sand on the seashore in multitude. They came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of Beth-aven. (The Philistines were determined to put down Israel’s revolt as quickly as possible. They called on other nations to join them against Israel. The huge army terrified Israel and many people deserted Saul. Even his regular army of 3,000 was reduced to 700 men.) 6When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble (for the people were hard pressed), the people hid themselves in caves and in holes and in rocks and in tombs and in cisterns, 7and some Hebrews crossed the fords of the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul was still at Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. (Those who did stay with Saul were losing hope. They did not think there was much chance they could succeed against the huge army the Philistines had brought together.)
8He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him. 9So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. (King Saul had no right to do this. Only the priests were permitted to make the burnt offering. Saul was supposed to be a king who was under the authority of the Lord. He should have waited for instructions from the Lord through Samuel. Instead, in his self-will, he acted as though God’s rules did not apply to him. His impatience cost him his kingdom.)
10As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him and greet him. 11Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, 12I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the LORD.’ So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.”
He was a hypocrite.3 He tried to cover his rebellious act by pretending to be very eager to keep the outward form of religion.
13And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the LORD your God, with which he commanded you. For then the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought out a man after his own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.”
At first sight Saul’s wrongdoing appears small, but no sin is little, because there is no little God to sin against. He had rejected Jehovah’s supremacy, and therefore the Lord would no longer allow his family to rule over Israel.
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1 1 Samuel 15:22
2 We have used verse one from the New King James Version. According to some, the number ”one” is missing in the Hebrew and many translators believe another number (perhaps thirty or forty) precedes the number “two”. Matthew Henry understands the text to read, “Saul was the son of one year,” which he understood to mean, “Saul reigned one year.”
3 hypocrite - a pretender, deceiver, phony, fraud, fake. It is from a Latin word which means “a stage actor.”


Year One, August 15
If You Love Me, You Will Keep My Commandments1
1 Samuel 15:1-3; 9-11; 13-23
1And Samuel said to Saul, “The LORD sent me to anoint you king over his people Israel; now therefore listen to the words of the LORD2Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘I have noted what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt. 3Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”
The Amalekites were a nomadic people who traveled from place to place to find food for their livestock. They had violently attacked the Israelites in the desert. It was a cowardly attack. It was a sin committed by all of them and God had kept a record against them for a long time. They were a cruel and violent race of thieves who presented an extreme danger to their neighbors and any cities close to where they took their flocks and herds. The time had come for divine justice; their punishment was well deserved. Therefore, God sent Saul to be the executioner and commanded him to do his work thoroughly.
9But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction. (This was half-obedience, which is whole rebellion. Many are ready to give up sins that might give them a bad reputation, but not the ones that the world views as popular and acceptable.)
10The word of the LORD came to Samuel: 11“I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments.” And Samuel was angry, and he cried to the LORD all night. (The rejection of sinners is a great grief to saints. The word translated “anger” can also mean  “grieve.” We can see from 1 Samuel 16:1 that Samuel’s anger included grief over Saul’s actions.2 God has no pleasure in the death of sinners, nor do his people.)
13And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed be you to the LORD. I have performed the commandment of the LORD.”
The person who brags the most, usually has the most to be ashamed of.
14And Samuel said, What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?” 15Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the LORD your God, and the rest we have devoted to destruction.” (First he blamed others and then claims they did it with good intentions. Neither one was an acceptable excuse.) 16Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop! I will tell you what the LORD said to me this night.” And he said to him, “Speak.”
17And Samuel said, “Though you are little in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel. 18And the LORD sent you on a mission and said, ‘Go, devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ 19Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? Why did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the LORD?” 20And Saul said to Samuel, “I have obeyed the voice of the LORD. I have gone on the mission on which the LORD sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. 21But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal.” 22And Samuel said,
“Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
as in obeying the voice of the LORD?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
and to listen than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of divination,
and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the LORD,
he has also rejected you from being king.”
Nothing can make up for disobeying God’s will. We may pretend to be very zealous for God’s glory, but intentionally disobeying his commands will condemn us. Being religious on the outside is not a substitute for holiness. Saul put to death those who practiced witchcraft, but as long as he would not obey the Lord, he was as guilty as the fake witches he had executed. Idolatry was an obvious sin against Jehovah, but stubbornly disobeying his law was just as much a form of evil rebellion. May the Holy Spirit cause us to be obedient down to the last detail. Nothing short of this will prove that we are the true servants of the Lord.
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1 John 14:15
2 1 Samuel 16:1, “The LORD said to Samuel, ‘How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel?’”


Year One, August 16
Rend Your Hearts and Not Your Garments1
Saul claimed that he had kept the best of the livestock to sacrifice to the Lord, but the Lord had clearly told him to destroy all of them. This reminds us of the thoughtlessness of those who imagine that true religion is made up of outward ceremonies and rituals, and forget that it is really a matter of the heart. This is the kind of person the Lord spoke to by the mouth of his servant Isaiah, who said:
  
Isaiah 1:10-20
10 Hear the word of the LORD,
you rulers of Sodom!
Give ear to the teaching of our God,
you people of Gomorrah!
Sodom and Gomorrah are mentioned to warn them of the certain punishment of their crimes. They assumed that their ceremonies and style of worship would make them the favorites of heaven, but because of their hypocrisy they were compared to the despicable people of those accursed cities.
11 “What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?
says the LORD;
I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
and the fat of well-fed beasts;
I do not delight in the blood of bulls,
or of lambs, or of goats.”
They stopped at the outward shell of religion and never got to the kernel of real love to God. That is why their religion was useless.
12 “When you come to appear before me,
who has required of you
this trampling of my courts?”
God does not want superstitious people to adore him. He has never invited them to worship him. He looks for those who worship him in spirit and in truth, not those who think true religion means only keeping traditions.
13 “Bring no more vain offerings;
incense is an abomination to me.
New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations--
I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.
14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts
my soul hates;
they have become a burden to me;
I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you spread out your hands,
I will hide my eyes from you;
even though you make many prayers,
I will not listen;
your hands are full of blood.”
As long as they were cruel and brutal, it was useless for them to offer complicated ceremonies, holy looking poses, holy days and many prayers, because God is disgusted with heartless worship. People who do not really believe in the Lord Jesus and obey the Lord’s will might just as well save themselves the trouble of attending these kinds of church services. They only make their case worse, and add to their sins.
16 “Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes;
cease to do evil,
17 learn to do good;
seek justice,
correct oppression;
bring justice to the fatherless,
plead the widow’s cause.”
Our great gospel requires real and complete repentance. A grain of it is better than a ton of ceremonies.
18 “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient,
you shall eat the good of the land;
20 but if you refuse and rebel,
you shall be eaten by the sword;
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
Stop bragging about your empty religious practices. Instead, worship the Lord with your heart and spirit. Come to the Lord with a humble heart and ask for his mercy. He is ready to give it. The most appalling and shocking sins can be put away by the blood of Jesus, but mere ceremonies count for nothing.
The same lesson is taught in that wonderful passage in the book of Micah.
  
Micah 6:6-8
6 “With what shall I come before the LORD,
and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
8 He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness
and to walk humbly with your God?
The true proof of godliness is not expensive rituals, but wholehearted obedience; not a showy profession of faith, but holy living; not in giving large amounts of money, but a surrendering of the heart. Do we have this all important godliness? Has the Holy Spirit made a change in our hearts?
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1 Joel 2:13


Year One, August 17
The LORD Looks on the Heart1
1 Samuel 16:1; 4-14; 22-23
1The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” (It was both natural and right for the prophet to mourn over Saul’s sin, but he must not be upset because the Lord punished him. Instead, he must continue with the work God has for him. In this case that meant a journey to anoint a better king who would one day prove to be a great blessing to Israel. We should grieve for any who sin in such a way that God becomes angry against them. But we must not rebel because of his judgments on them. “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?”2 When the wicked are thrown into hell, the saints in heaven do not complain to God because they feel sorry for the convicted sinners. They respect and support the wisdom of the most Holy God and worship him with admiration and awe.)
4aSamuel did what the LORD commanded and came to Bethlehem.
5bAnd he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

6When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the the LORD’s anointed is before him.” (Even prophets make mistakes when they judge by appearances. People are not to be valued by their looks but by their hearts.) 7But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” 8Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.” 9Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.” 10And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen these.”
11Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” (He who was humble and God-fearing was not appreciated very much by his family. Parents make great mistakes when they undervalue good children who are not brilliant or self-assertive. Those who are looked down on by others should remember that the Lord knows all about them and take comfort. He will bring them forward at the proper time. Many are last who will be first.312And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the LORD said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” 13Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. (The horn of oil was a sign of great grace. We all need the power of the Holy Spirit. May he live in us fully and then we shall be kings and priests for God.) And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.
14Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the LORD tormented him. (We have seen what divine love did for David. We now learn what divine anger did for Saul. The one thing needed above all others, is the favor of the Lord. Have that, and we are blessed; be without it, and we are miserable.)
22And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Let David remain in my service, for he has found favor in my sight.” 23And whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him. (Saul was probably overcome with a guilty conscience and needed music to calm his mind. Even in this life, sinful behavior is the cause of countless problems. How much happier was the shepherd youth who had music in his heart and was filled with the good Spirit. God grant that we may live in the fear of God and thereby enjoy lasting peace.)

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1 1 Samuel 16:7
2 Genesis 18:25
3 A reference to Matthew 20:16


Year One, August 18
He Must Reign1
In the Psalms, the Holy Spirit has spoken about the election of David more than once. One of these in found in
  
Psalm 78:67-72
67 He rejected the tent of Joseph;
he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,
The ark of the covenant had been at Shiloh for a long time. But the tribe of Ephraim was no longer qualified to lead Israel and therefore the symbol of God’s presence was moved.
68 but he chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion, which he loves.
69 He built his sanctuary like the high heavens,
like the earth, which he has founded forever.
70 He chose David his servant
and took him from the sheepfolds;
71 from following the nursing ewes he brought him
to shepherd Jacob his people,
Israel his inheritance.
Part of David’s job as a shepherd was to follow the ewes as they wandered about and watch for and care for the young lambs that were born. The tenderness and patience he learned from doing this would help to build the characteristics a king should have. God was preparing David to shepherd people. When the time was right, the Lord made him king and the skills he learned as a shepherd proved very helpful. It is delightful to see how God, in his wisdom, often uses the early and hidden parts of a life as a school for preparing for a more active and useful future.
72 With upright heart he shepherded them
and guided them with his skillful hand.
During David’s reign the people were peaceful and prosperous. No better king ever sat on the throne of Israel.
We will now read a passage in which our Lord Jesus is spoken of as Israel’s king and his reign is described.
  
Isaiah 11:1-10
1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
2 And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD.
Our Lord knows those who really have a holy fear of him. He is very quick to recognize their heart’s desire and the inward pain they feel when they fall short in trying to please him. He delights in those who seek after God, even though their efforts may seem weak.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
His gospel destroys evil and his last judgment will send the wicked to eternal death.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,
and faithfulness the belt of his loins.
6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;
and a little child shall lead them.
7 The cow and the bear shall graze;
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,
and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den.
In his own good time, Jesus will deliver this earth from the curse of the fall and restore it to the purity and peace of the garden of Eden. By his power, even the animals will be raised to a new level. The “creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.”2
9 They shall not hurt or destroy
in all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD
as the waters cover the sea.
10In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples--of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious. (Christ is the rallying point for mankind. He draws all people to himself. All people will offer him their loyalty. The place where he lives will be glorious. What can this place be except his church, of which he said, “This is my resting place forever.”3)
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1 1 Corinthians 15:25
2 Romans 8:21
3 Psalm 132:14


Year One, August 19

Salvation Belongs to the LORD1
1 Samuel 17:1-12; 14-18
1aNow the Philistines gathered their armies for battle. And they were gathered at Socoh, which belongs to Judah.
Israel had sinned and king Saul was no longer loyal to Jehovah. The Lord’s severe rebuke is coming. God has the hearts of the wicked Philistines in his hands and can use them to be a source of great suffering to his offending people.
2And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered, and encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in line of battle against the Philistines. 3And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with a valley between them. (They had been like this for forty days. If Israel had been faithful to her God, she would have been victorious long before now; because God’s promise to them would have been fulfilled: “Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall chase ten thousand, and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.”2 When God departs, the strongest are as weak as water.)
4And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span (about 10 feet)5He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze (about 125 pounds)6And he had bronze armor on his legs, and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. 7The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron (about 15 pounds). And his shield-bearer went before him. 8He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. 9If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.” 10And the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may fight together.” (Goliath is called ‘the champion,” or, in the Hebrew, the middleman or Mediator. He is a picture of our great enemy, Satan. Where could we have found another Mediator to confront him if the Son of David had not taken our place?)
11When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. (There had been a time when Saul, who was himself gigantic, would have accepted the challenge, but when God departs from someone they become a coward. The words of Jesus, “apart from me you can do nothing,”3 are a great truth. Many have learned it the hard way.)
12Now David was the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, named Jesse, who had eight sons. In the days of Saul the man was already old and advanced in years.
When old age has made us weak, it is a great blessing to have strong and healthy sons to take our place in the Lord’s army. Young men! Fill the places of your godly fathers.
14David was the youngest. The three eldest followed Saul,15but David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.
David had probably left the courts of king Saul long ago and gone back to the quiet pastures he loved so well; just as our Lord spent time in the temple and then went back to Nazareth with his parents and was submissive to them.4
16For forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand, morning and evening.
Even as for forty days Satan tempted our Lord.
17And Jesse said to David his son, “Take for your brothers an ephah (or about five gallons) of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers. 18Also take these ten cheeses to the commander of their thousand. See if your brothers are well and bring some token from them.” (The greater Son of David visited his brothers here on earth, with heavenly food and messages of love sent by his Father. Sadly, like David, he met with an unfriendly reception, “he came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.”5 May the Lord grant that Jesus will always be welcome in our hearts.)
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1 Psalm 3:8
2 Leviticus 26:8
3 John 15:5
4 Luke 2:51
5 John 1:11


Year One, August 20
He Has Delivered Us…and He Will Deliver Us1
1 Samuel 17:20-37
20And David rose early in the morning and left the sheep with a keeper and took the provisions and went, as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the encampment as the host was going out to the battle line, shouting the war cry. (David was a good shepherd. He did not leave his sheep without someone to watch over them. In this he is a picture of the great Shepherd and Overseer of souls.) 21And Israel and the Philistines drew up for battle, army against army. 22And David left the things in charge of the keeper of the baggage and ran to the ranks and went and greeted his brothers. 23As he talked with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him.
24All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid. 25And the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel. And the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father’s house free in Israel.”
The Church, the bride of Christ, was offered to our champion the Lord Jesus. “All glorious is the princess,”2 was to be the reward of his battle.
26And David said to the men who stood by him, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” 27And the people answered him in the same way, “So shall it be done to the man who kills him.”
28Now Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spoke to the men. And Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said, “Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption and the evil of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.” 29And David said, “What have I done now? Was it not but a word?” (Brave men may expect to be misunderstood and charged with self-promotion. It will be to their honor if they bear it patiently and continue on. Our Lord was rejected by his brothers, but he did not stop from his work of love, or answer them roughly. If we can conquer our own spirits we shall be able to conquer others.) 30And he turned away from him toward another, and spoke in the same way, and the people answered him again as before.
31When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul, and he sent for him. (Saul was at his wit’s end and therefore jumped at any opportunity to fix his desperate situation. Sometimes people are driven to Jesus because everything else they have tried has failed to save them.) 32And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 33And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.” (Saul despised David because he did not believe he could save him. The Jewish nation did not think our Lord could save them and they despised him too. Nevertheless, David won the victory over the enemy Goliath and our Lord won the victory over our fearful enemy Satan.)
34But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, 35I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. (Christ also delivers his own sheep out of the power of him who prowls around like a roaring lion.3 The Psalmist says of Christ: “You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.”4)
36Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37And David said, “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you!”
Wisdom teaches us that what God has done for us once, he can and will do again. We have an unchanging helper to depend on and therefore we may depend on his continual help.
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1 2 Corinthians 1:10
2 Psalm 45:13
3 1 Peter 5:8
4 Psalm 91:13


Year One, August 21
I Will Go in the Strength of the Lord GOD1
1 Samuel 17:38-51
38Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail, 39and David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” So David put them off. (The usual weapons of war were not used by the man who depended on the Lord. Neither did our Lord think they were appropriate. When his disciples offered swords to him, he turned them down.2 To this day our Lord’s battles are not fought with the weapons of human force, but with those of spiritual energy. His warriors do not wear chain-mail armor, but the armor of righteousness.) 40Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine.
These were the right weapons for a shepherd, because he was used to them. They were also reasonable and practical weapons. They were not shiny and showy, but just right for a shepherd. Brave and believing men and women act as carefully in the choice of weapons as if everything depended on them, and then trust completely in the Lord, because they know their success depends on him alone.
The scene before us is a wonderful picture of Jesus, the great Shepherd. We see him with the pastoral staff in his hand, going forth to sling the smooth stones of the word of God at the head of the deadly enemy of his people. Glorious hero, we bless you!
41And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. 42And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. 43And the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.”
Bragging words are worth little.
45Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47and that all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give you into our hand.” (This was not boasting, but faith speaking firmly and bravely.)
48When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine.
His actions matched his words. He was a doer as well as a speaker. Our Lord was a prophet, mighty in his actions as well as his words.
49And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground. (How are the mighty fallen! The giant was struck down by the hand of a despised and ridiculed youth! And by the foolishness of preaching, the Lord wins the battle against Satan.)
50So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David. (He did not need a sword until now. But faith had led him to face Goliath without one, so it was certain that his God would supply his need now. If we will only trust God, everything will be supplied as we need it.) 51Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. (Augustine3 beautifully says, “Our David has cast down our adversary, and cut off his head with his own sword,” because “by death he destroyed him that had the power of death, that is the devil.” The crucifixion of our Lord was the execution of sin. God’s enemies provide the weapons for their own destruction.) When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.
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1 Psalm 71:16 NKJV
2 Luke 22:38
3 Augustine was a theologian and bishop in Africa during the late fourth and early fifth centuries.


Year One, August 22
My Soul Keeps Your Testimonies1
1 Samuel 17:55-58
55As soon as Saul saw David go out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this youth?” And Abner said, “As your soul lives, O king, I do not know. 56And the king said, “Inquire whose son the boy is.” (Saul should have recognized the young man who played music to calm his nerves. Great people usually have bad memories when it comes to those who serve them. David’s appearance may have changed and the king was almost insane the last time he saw him. Perhaps this is why he did not remember David. To this day the Jews cannot answer that question concerning Christ “Whose son is he?” The blind world looks for an outward glory and does not recognize the Son of the Highest.)
57And as soon as David returned from the striking down of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. 58And Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” And David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.” (It is difficult to be honored for such a victory and still remain humble. David showed his greatness as much after the fight as he did before and during it. Saul was not a man of integrity. If he had been, he would have given the youthful hero his daughter’s hand in marriage and every other reward within his power.)
  
1 Samuel 18:6-16; 28-30
6As they were coming home, when David returned from striking down the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with songs of joy, and with musical instruments. 7And the women sang to one another as they celebrated,
“Saul has struck down his thousands,
and David his ten thousands.”
When our Lord returned victorious over death and hell, and leading a host of captives,2 the heavenly angels praised him in their songs. Do not our hearts also rejoice in the victories of Immanuel our King?
8And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands, and what more can he have but the kingdom?” 9And Saul eyed David from that day on. (Envy, first-born of hell, whom will you not attack? David’s modest behavior should have protected him from Saul’s bitterness. We should not be surprised that Saul was again struck with his old mental illness. Those who allow an evil temper into their heart, should not be astonished when a gloomy spirit comes along with it to haunt their deepest thoughts.)
10The next day a harmful spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he raved within his house while David was playing the lyre, as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand. 11And Saul hurled the spear, for he thought, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David evaded him twice.
12Saul was afraid of David because the LORD was with him but had departed from Saul. 13So Saul removed him from his presence and made him a commander of a thousand. And he went out and came in before the people. 14And David had success in all his undertakings, for the LORD was with him. 15And when Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in fearful awe of him.
We might have expected to find David afraid of his powerful enemy, but it was just the opposite. “The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.”3
16But all Israel and Judah loved David, for he went out and came in before them.
The more they saw him, the better they loved him. He was an active leader and always ready to serve. Persistence and steadfastness earn the respect of the wise.
28But when Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David, and that Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him, 29Saul was even more afraid of David. So Saul was David’s enemy continually.
30Then the commanders of the Philistines came out to battle, and as often as they came out David had more success than all the servants of Saul, so that his name was highly esteemed. (Good conduct is the great thing in life. May the Lord make us followers of him who was greater than David, of whom it was said, “He has done all things well.”4 Holy Spirit, form us in the image of our Lord, that he may be glorified in us.)
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1 Psalm 119:167
2 A reference to Ephesians 4:8 where Paul quotes Psalm 68:18
3 Proverbs 28:1
4 Mark 7:37


Year One, August 23
The LORD Preserves the Simple1
Saul’s fierce hostility was a painful trial for David. But the Lord comforted David even within the king’s family, because both his eldest son Jonathan and his daughter Michal—whom Saul had given to David for a wife—loved him.
  
1 Samuel 18:3-4
3Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul.
Jonathan loved him even though he knew David was going to be king and that he himself would never wear the crown. How beautiful to see pure love; love that does not have personal gain as a motive. Our love for Jesus should be the same. A love for our Lord because of who he is, not for what we hope to get from the relationship.
4And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt. (We should delight to give all we have for Jesus. Let him have everything, because he deserves everything.)
  
1 Samuel 19:1; 4-18
1And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David. But Jonathan, Saul’s son, delighted much in David.
Saul was now worse than ever, or else he would not have asked others to help him in a wicked and cruel murder. When God leaves a person, the devil comes to them.
4And Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, “Let not the king sin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds have brought good to you. 5For he took his life in his hand and he struck down the Philistine, and the LORD worked a great salvation for all Israel. You saw it, and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood by killing David without cause?” (Here Jonathan proved himself a real friend. We should always be ready to speak up for those who are falsely accused.)
6And Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan. Saul swore, “As the LORD lives, he shall not be put to death.” (His oath, however, only lasted a short time. Saul was never in a good state of mind for very long. Envy cannot hold still.) 7And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan reported to him all these things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before.
8And there was war again. And David went out and fought with the Philistines and struck them with a great blow, so that they fled before him. 9Then a harmful spirit from the LORD came upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David was playing the lyre. 10And Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he eluded Saul, so that he struck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.
“Not a single [arrow] can hit,
Till the God of love thinks fits.”2
We are safe anywhere while the Lord has work for us to do. If our role in life is to have a harp in our hand, praising God and blessing others, then we will be kept safe from the javelins of our enemies.
11Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him, that he might kill him in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, told him, “If you do not escape with your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.” 12So Michal let David down through the window, and he fled away and escaped. 13Michal took an image and laid it on the bed and put a pillow of goats’ hair at its head and covered it with the clothes. 14And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, “He is sick.” 15Then Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him.” 16And when the messengers came in, behold, the image was in the bed, with the pillow of goats’ hair at its head. (We cannot admire Michal’s deceit or her having idols in her house. She was Saul’s daughter and was not raised properly. God will use even Michal’s misguided love to arrange for David’s escape. He will keep his own safe.)
17Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me thus and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?” And Michal answered Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go. Why should I kill you?’”
18Now David fled and escaped, and he came to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and lived at Naioth.
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1 Psalm 116:6
2 This appears to be from a hymn found in a compilation of hymns published by S. B. Haslam in 1824.


Year One, August 24
The LORD Has Become My Stronghold1
This Psalm is called A Golden Psalm of David.
WHEN SAUL SENT MEN TO WATCH HIS HOUSE IN ORDER TO KILL HIM.
  
Psalm 59
1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
protect me from those who rise up against me;
They had the house surrounded, they were armed with orders from the king and they had enough soldiers to capture him. Yet David had enough faith to pray and to not be discouraged and give up. God has ways for his birds of paradise to escape, even when the most expert hunters are trying to catch them.
2 deliver me from those who work evil,
and save me from bloodthirsty men.
When a house is surrounded by thieves, the good man of the house sounds the alarm. We hear it sounded loudly in these verses: “Deliver me,” “protect me,” “deliver me,” “save me.” David could not be defeated by Saul while he prayed this way.
3 For behold, they lie in wait for my life;
fierce men stir up strife against me.
For no transgression or sin of mine, O LORD,
4 for no fault of mine, they run and make ready.
Awake, come to meet me, and see!
5 You, LORD God of hosts, are God of Israel.
Rouse yourself to punish all the nations;
spare none of those who treacherously plot evil.     Selah
Be merciful to them as humans, but not as lawbreakers. Mercy to such criminals would be cruelty to those who do not break the law.
6 Each evening they come back,
howling like dogs
and prowling about the city
7 There they are, bellowing with their mouths
with swords in their lips--
for “Who,” they think, “will hear us?”
The most brutal and out of control people are those who think that God has deserted the world and no longer pays attention to what people say or do.
8 But you, O LORD, laugh at them;
you hold all the nations in derision.
9 O my Strength, I will watch for you,
for you, O God are my fortress.
Is the person who persecutes me strong? Then for this very reason, my God, I will pray to you and leave the entire situation in your hand. We are wise to realize that the greater our difficulties are, the more reason we have for trusting ourselves to the Lord.
10 My God in his steadfast love will meet me;
God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.
11 Kill them not, lest my people forget;
make them totter by your power and bring them down,
O Lord, our shield!
Enemies help to keep God’s servants alert. Therefore let them live, but let them have no power to do the evil they desire.
12 For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips,
let them be trapped in their pride
For the cursing and lies that they utter,
Those who curse and swear are usually liars.
13 consume them in wrath;
consume them till they are no more,
that they may know that God rules over Jacob
to the ends of the earth.     Selah
14 Each evening they come back,
howling like dogs
and prowling about the city.
15 They wander about for food
and growl if they do not get their fill.
David is speaking here as a prophet and not as an unforgiving spirit seeking revenge. This is not the character of the man who often spared his enemies when he had the power to harm them. His only vengeance was his overwhelming kindness to them. These passages should be read as predictions rather than wishes.
16 But I will sing of your strength;
I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning.
For you have been to me a fortress
and a refuge in the day of my distress.
17 O my Strength, I will sing praises to you,
for you, O God, are my fortress,
the God who shows me steadfast love.
David felt sure he would escape, because he believed his prayer was approved by God. Then he began to sing to his Deliverer. This was not easy to do. What would we have done if we were in David’s place? Furious murderers were in the street around the house, thirsting for the good man’s blood, and yet his faith enabled him to sing praises to God. Oh that we could believe in God like David did!
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1 Psalm 94:22


Year One, August 25
Keep Watch Over the Door Of My Lips!1
1 Samuel 21:1-3; 6-7
1Then David came to Nob to Ahimelech the priest. (Saul drove David away from the prophet Samuel, so David escaped to the priests. He loved the servants of God and wanted to be with them.) And Ahimelech came to meet David trembling and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one with you?” (Seeing David alone, and obviously in distress, Ahimelech suspected something was wrong.) 2And David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has charged me with a matter and said to me, ‘Let no one know anything of the matter about which I send you, and with which I have charged you.’ I have made an appointment with the young men for such and such a place.”
David spoke falsely and his error is not written here to his honor, but for our warning. This sad falsehood led to terrible results. Oh that good people could always trust in the Lord.
3“Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever is here.”
6So the priest gave him the holy bread, for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence, which is removed from before the LORD, to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away.
This act was a violation of the ceremonial law, but because it was an emergency, the priest okayed it. The Lord loves mercy better than sacrifice.
7Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the LORD. His name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul’s herdsmen.
Doeg hated the priests and hurried to Saul to accuse them of giving help to a traitor.
  
1 Samuel 22:9-23
9Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who stood by the servants of Saul, “I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, 10and he inquired of the LORD for him and gave him provisions and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”
11Then the king sent to summon Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s house, the priests who were at Nob, and all of them came to the king. 12And Saul said, “Hear now, son of Ahitub.” And he answered, “Here I am, my lord.” 13And Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword and have inquired of God for him, so that he has risen against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?”
14And Ahimelech answered the king, “And who among all your servants is so faithful as David, who is the king’s son-in-law, and captain over your bodyguard, and honored in your house? 15Is today the first time that I have inquired of God for him? No! Let not the king impute anything to his servant or to all the house of my father, for your servant has known nothing of all this, much or little.” (The high priest was blameless, even though he may have lacked good sense. He did not know about the quarrel between Saul and David. David had lied to him and Doeg knew it, but did not mention that to Saul. When we tell about something that has happened, we must be completely truthful. If we hide something, those who are the most innocent may look guilty.)
16And the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house.” 17And the king said to the guard who stood about him, “Turn and kill the priests of the LORD, because their hand also is with David, and they knew that he fled and did not disclose it to me.” But the servants of the king would not put out their hand to strike the priests of the LORD18Then the king said to Doeg, “You turn and strike the priests.” And Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down the priests, and he killed on that day eighty-five persons who wore the linen ephod. (The Israelite guards refused to obey Saul’s command, but this foreigner was more than willing to carry out this cruel order. The Lord once again carried out his threat against the house of Eli, for Ahimelech was his great-grandson.2 However, that in no way excused that worthless Doeg’s one-sided story that caused so many murders or the hateful king who commanded the slaughter.)
19And Nob, the city of the priests, he put to the sword; both man and woman, child and infant, ox, donkey and sheep, he put to the sword.
20But one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. 21And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the LORD22And David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have occasioned the death of all the persons of your father’s house. 23Stay with me; do not be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life. With me you shall be in safekeeping.” (David must have been cut to the heart when he saw the result of his falsehood. The Lord keep each of us true in every word we speak.)
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1 Psalm 141:3
2 1 Samuel 3:11-14


Year One, August 26
I Will Thank You Forever1
At this time, David wrote a psalm, which is titled:
TO THE CHOIRMASTER. A MASKIL2 OF DAVID, WHEN DOEGTHE EDOMITE, CAME AND TOLD SAUL, "DAVID HAS COME TO THE HOUSE OF AHIMELECH."
  
Psalm 52
1 Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man?
Doeg did not have any reason for bragging. He had killed a group of defenseless people who never drew a sword. This coward should have been ashamed instead of proud. David might be talking about Saul here. If that is the case, his words are just as true. How could a man who had once been a heroic soldier rejoice in the murder of helpless victims?
The steadfast love of God endures all the day.
Priests may be killed, but their Master lives forever. God’s kingdom lives on, even though good people may be hunted down.
2 Your tongue plots destruction,
like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit.
In eastern countries, barbers are known for using the razor so well that a man barely knows that his hair is being cut. And clever, scheming, evil men injure the servants of God almost before they know what has happened. Doeg’s tongue with its soft but sharp speeches, cut off the priests of the Lord. May the Lord save us from those who tell lies to hurt us.
3 You love evil more than good,
and lying more than speaking what is right.     Selah
Some can go so low that they actually love telling lies more than speaking the truth. It is a sign of the most hurtful character when someone prefers dishonesty to justice.
4 You love all words that devour,
O deceitful tongue.
Some people are so evil that they are never more pleased than when they hurt someone who is better than they are. Stay away from them. Above all, never fall into their sin.
5 But God will break you down forever;
he will snatch and tear you from your tent;
he will uproot you from the land of the living.     Selah
One day, God will pay back those who hurt other people with their words. He will pull them up like weeds and throw them into the fire. A terrible fate is coming for all liars. They will not let others live, and God will not let them live.
6 The righteous shall see and fear,
and shall laugh at him, saying,
7 “See the man who would not make
God his refuge,
but trusted in the abundance of his riches
and sought refuge in his own destruction!”
Good people will look down on schemers and liars with the utmost contempt. The Lord will give them a good reason for doing so, as they see them being caught in their own trap and being destroyed by their own cleverness. Persecutors may be rich, but their wealth will not save them. Justice has ways and methods for bringing the great ones of the earth to its courtroom. God is a judge who cannot be bribed. Those who lie about his servants will be found guilty and quickly sentenced accordingly. Therefore let us patiently endure all types of verbal abuse for Christ’s sake.
8 But I am like a green olive tree
in the house of God.
I trust in the steadfast love of God
forever and ever.
David received a great deal of abuse and hate. But he was not captured or destroyed like his enemies were. He was a member of the divine family and found himself in God’s household wherever he was. More than that; he was like an evergreen olive plant that is fresh and growing during all the seasons of its life. Some think that Nob, where David fled to Ahimelech, is located on the Mount of Olives. If this is true, we can understand why the psalmist compared himself to “a green olive tree.” The olive trees were still alive even though Nob was gone. David continued to live even though Saul hated him and wanted him dead. The psalmist’s faith is like an olive tree. Its leaf did not fade nor did it stop bearing fruit. David’s faith grew every day and possessed a sacred immortality. He knew that God’s mercy was forever and he trusted in that. What a rock to build on! What a fortress to hide in!
9 I will thank you forever,
because you have done it.
I will wait for your name, for it is good,
in the presence of the godly.
David’s thankfulness was always there, just like the mercy he rejoiced in. He looked on God’s punishment of his enemies as if it had already happened: “You have done it.” Therefore he waited patiently until the bright days should dawn for himself and the persecuted church. He believed, as we also should, that he should wait quietly for the Lord to act in his own good time. It is good for the Lord’s saints to act this way. It is also a good way to encourage our fellow believers. Patiently waiting on the Lord helps us to keep our souls at peace.
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1 Psalm 52:9
2 Probably a musical or liturgical term


Year One, August 27
When I am Afraid, I Put My Trust in You1
After David had obtained food from the priests, he fled from the country in fear.
  
1 Samuel 21:10-15
10And David rose and fled that day from Saul and went to Achish the king of Gath. (There is something very wrong when an Israelite flees to the Philistine. When the man of God associates with heathen,2 there is bound to be trouble.) 11And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another of him in dances,
‘Saul has struck down his thousands,
and David his ten thousands’?”
12And David took these words to heart and was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. 13So he changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hands and made marks on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard. 14Then Achish said to his servants, “Behold, you see the man is mad. Why then have you brought him to me? 15Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to behave as a madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?”
David did escape, but his plan was both embarrassing and unacceptable. When we leave the clear path of faith, there is no telling on what road we will end up. The Holy Spirit is faithful to record the mistakes of the man after God’s own heart. We should pay attention to this warning.
In the book of Psalms we find a reminder of the danger David placed himself in and his deliverance.
  
Psalm 56
TO THE CHOIRMASTER: ACCORDING TO THE DOVE ON FAR-OFF TEREBINTHS (or the silent doves among strangers). A MIKTAM 3 OF DAVID, WHEN THE PHILISTINES SEIZED HIM IN GATH.
1 Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me;
all day long an attacker oppresses me;
Saul was always hunting for David to kill him. David told his Lord about his trouble and distress; which was a far better reaction than running to Achish in Gath. But his narrow escape taught him wisdom.
2 my enemies trample on me all day long,
for many attack me proudly.
3 When I am afraid,
I put my trust in you.
Those who trust in God when they are afraid, will soon learn to trust and not be afraid. To trust in God when there is no reason to be afraid is not real faith. True faith is seen in God’s elect when there is real danger.
4 In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can flesh do to me?
A believer’s faith may grow dim, but it blazes up again. See how strong David’s trust in God became.
5 All day long they injure my cause,
all their thoughts are against me for evil.
6 They stir up strife, they lurk;
they watch my steps,
as they have waited for my life.
7 For their crime will they escape?
In wrath cast down the peoples, O God!
8 You have kept count of my tossings;
put my tears in your bottle.
Are they not in your book?
9 Then my enemies will turn back
in the day when I call.
This I know, that God is for me.
10 In God, whose word I praise,
in the LORD, whose word I praise,
11 in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can man do to me?
David had been afraid. Therefore he decides to trust in the Lord all the more in the future. Good people see their faults and choose to stay away from them.
12 I must perform my vows to you, O God;
I will render thank offerings to you.
He had probably made a solemn promise when he was in danger and says he will now make good on that vow. We should be true to any promises we have made to the Lord. His Spirit will help us to do this.
13 For you have delivered my soul from death,
yes, my feet from falling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of life.
David knew he had fallen and this led him to ask God for grace to keep him from falling again. Let us now confess our own failings, and ask the Lord to deliver our feet from falling in the future.
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1 Psalm 56:3
2 heathen - Means an unbeliever. It is often used as a synonym for pagan, infidel, idolater, heretic, skeptic, agnostic or atheist.
3 Probably a musical or liturgical term


Year One, August 28
Keep Your Tongue from Evil1
OF DAVID, WHEN HE CHANGED HIS BEHAVIOR BEFORE ABIMELECHSO THAT HE DROVE HIM OUTAND HE WENT AWAY.
  
Psalm 34
1 I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul makes its boast in the LORD;
let the humble hear and be glad.
This is the only kind of boasting that humble people can tolerate. We may boast in the Lord as much as we want and never say anything untrue or have anyone hurt by our words. We have good reasons to boast in the Lord. Let us not rob him of glory.
3 Oh, magnify the LORD with me,
and let us exalt his name together!
4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
We too, may seek the Lord and find answers and deliverance. Why do we wallow in our fears when prayer is a certain cure for them? Do we have any troubles at this time? Then let us tell them all to our heavenly Father.
5 Those who look to him are radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed.
David was not the only person full of joy. Anyone who has looked to the Lord has found help.
6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him
and saved him out of all his troubles.
David describes himself as a poor man, and so he was, because he had been driven from his home and his country. His prayer was only a cry, and yet the Lord answered him, and all his troubles disappeared. Let the poor in spirit, and the poor in pocket, try the psalmist’s plan, and they will soon sing as David did.
7 The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him and delivers them.
8 Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
No one knows how sweet honey is until they taste it. True religion is like honey. Its sweetness cannot be learned by only hearing about it. We must try it for ourselves. Oh Lord, help all in this family prove the power of faith in Jesus and the effectiveness of praying to God.
9 Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints,
for those who fear him have no lack!
10 The young lions suffer want and hunger;
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
Lions are strong, fierce, and cunning, yet they hunger. Those of the world are also very cunning and full of self confidence; yet, like the lion, they are not satisfied. But believers who are humble and often weak are blessed with every necessary blessing even though the world thinks they are very foolish. Our God is a gracious God.
11 Come, O children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
When David was in the city of Gath, even the children in the streets laughed at him. Therefore, when he came back to his own people, he wanted to do good to the little ones as a way to make up for the mischief he had done when he was there.
12 What man is there who desires life
and loves many days, that he may see good?
13 Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking deceit.
14 Turn away from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
Seek after peace. If it flies away from you, chase after it. Be zealous; be eager to recommend love over hate to those around you. The way to be happy in this life is to love and strive for peace.
15 The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous
and his ears toward their cry.
16 The face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
17 When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.
What a blessing to have a heartfelt understanding of our sin. We have heard of people dying of a broken heart, but if repentance2 breaks our hearts we will live eternally.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the LORD delivers him out of them all.
20 He keeps all his bones;
not one of them is broken.
21 Affliction will slay the wicked
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
22 The LORD redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.
Faith is the most important thing. To trust the Lord is more important than anything else. Beloved ones, are we all trusting in the Lord? May the Lord lead us all to do so at this very hour. It would be terrible and dreadful to die in unbelief.
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1 Psalm 34:13
2 repentance - The act of feeling remorse, regret, or sorrow for, and being ashamed because of, our sin.


Year One, August 29
This Man Receives Sinners1
David realized that living among the Philistines put him in great danger, so he returned to his own country, which he never should have left.
  
1 Samuel 22:1-2
1David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. (These were huge caverns which could be used as shelter and hiding places for several hundred people. David was now back where he belonged and could expect the Lord to bless him. He had separated himself from the world of the Philistines, which is exactly what he should have done.) And when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. 2And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, gathered to him. And he became captain over them. And there were with him about four hundred men.
By doing this, David became a type of our Lord Jesus, of whom it was said, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”2 The men who followed David had been losing hope because Saul had persecuted them as well. They were bold warriors, but they do not appear to have been evil men. They sympathized with David and may have been the best men in the kingdom. Like their captain, their difficulties were the result of Saul’s spiteful actions against them. Those who follow Jesus must expect to be treated like he was. If this drives us into closer fellowship with our despised and rejected Lord, so much the better.
It was at this time that some of his most courageous followers joined him.
  
1 Chronicles 11:15-19
15Three of the thirty chief men went down to the rock to David at the cave of Adullam, when the army of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. 16David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem. 17And David said longingly, “Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!” 18Then the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate and took it and brought it to David. But David would not drink it. He poured it out to the LORD 19and said, “Far be it from me before my God that I should do this. Shall I drink the lifeblood of these men? For at the risk of their lives they brought it.” Therefore he would not drink it. These things did the three mighty men. (This brave act showed the enthusiastic devotion of David’s warriors. There were willing to risk their lives to satisfy even his smallest wish. We should serve the Lord Jesus with the same spirit. David showed his tenderness for human life when he refused to drink the water. His refusal also revealed one of the reasons he had so much influence over his men. Our great Captain is even more considerate and compassionate. Oh may we love him even more!)
  
1 Chronicles 11:10-14
Several other brave men joined David during this time. Some of their feats have been included in the inspired history.
10Now these are the chiefs of David’s mighty men, who gave him strong support in his kingdom, together with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of the LORD concerning Israel. 11This is an account of David’s mighty men: Jashobeam, a Hachmonite, was chief of the three. He wielded his spear against 300 whom he killed at one time.
12And next to him among the three mighty men was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite. 13He was with David at Pas-dammim when the Philistines were gathered there for battle. There was a plot of ground full of barley, and the men fled from the Philistines. 14But he took his stand in the midst of the plot and defended it and killed the Philistines. And the LORD saved them by a great victory.
The honors of Christ’s kingdom are for those who can fight and suffer, not for lazy people who only pretend to be Christians. The wonders that these men performed were the result of divine power. That same holy strength is ready to help us in all holy struggles and activities. In the end, the highest of all honors will be being associated with the Lord Jesus in his shame and disgrace. Who will join Christ in this evil generation? Who will “go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured?”3 Whose name shall the recording angel write down on the roll today? Who in this house will be a warrior for Jesus?
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1 Luke 15:2
2 Luke 15:2
3 Hebrews 13:13


Year One, August 30
You Are My Refuge1
David has told us about some of his experiences in Gath in his sacred psalms. We will now read two of the psalms he wrote while living in the cave of Adullam. Many life stories are just a list of one complaint and violent act after another. David’s gives his history in hymns and prayers.
  
Psalm 142
A MASKIL2 OF DAVID, WHEN HE WAS IN THE CAVE. A PRAYER.
1 With my voice I cry out to the LORD;
with my voice I plead for mercy to the LORD.
2 I pour out my complaint before him;
I tell my trouble before him.
In his lonely travels he made the forests and caverns echo with his prayers.
“The calm retreat, the silent shade,
With prayer and praise agree,
And seem by thy kind bounty made
For those who worship thee.”3
3 When my spirit faints within me,
you know my way!
In the path where I walk
they have hidden a trap for me.
But God knew his path, so he was not captured in their traps. We owe eternal praises to the Lord for keeping us out of the hands of our enemies.
4 Look to the right and see:
there is none who takes notice of me;
no refuge remains to me;
no one cares for my soul.
5 I cry to you, O LORD;
I say, “You are my refuge,
my portion in the land of the living.”
6 Attend to my cry,
for I am brought very low!
Deliver me from my persecutors,
for they are too strong for me!
Even in the worst times, everything is all right if we do not lose our faith in the Lord. No matter how powerful our enemies, we will overcome if we hold the divine arm tightly.
7 Bring me out of prison,
that I may give thanks to your name!
The righteous will surround me,
for you will deal bountifully with me.
Within a short time, good and honest men came in great numbers and placed themselves under David’s authority. He was no longer alone, but became a powerful leader. The Lord can find us friends when we are friendless.
Let us now read:
  
Psalm 141
A Psalm of David.
1 LORD, I call upon you; hasten to me!
Give ear to my voice when I call to you!
2 Let my prayer be counted as incense before you,
and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!
David could not go to the tabernacle to offer sacrifices and burn incense, but he felt that his prayers would be accepted instead. If we are forced to stay at home on the Lord’s day we should still worship the Lord in our hearts. God does not accept our prayer and praise depending on where we are. True spiritual worship, even in a cave, is far better than the most wonderful ceremonies offered in a cathedral.
3 Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth;
keep watch over the door of my lips!
4 Do not let my heart incline to any evil,
to busy myself with wicked deeds
in company with men who work iniquity,
and let me not eat of their delicacies!
 Even at his lowest point, David had no desire to be with wicked men who seemed to enjoy the best things in life.
5 Let a righteous man strike me--it is a kindness;
let him rebuke me--it is oil for my head;
let my head not refuse it.
Yet my prayer is continually against their evil deeds.
It requires great grace to rebuke someone correctly. It takes even more grace to receive a rebuke with the proper attitude. Wise people are thankful when their errors are pointed out to them. Unfortunately, there are very few wise people.
6 When their judges are thrown over the cliff,
then they shall hear my words, for they are pleasant.
When the world resents us, the word of God brings joy. Those who do not like us now, may be glad to have us comfort them when they are suffering.
7 As when one plows and breaks up the earth,
so shall our bones be scattered at the mouth of Sheol.
David was like wood cut and split for the fire. He felt that he and his followers were sentenced to die, yet he turned to God with hope.
8 But my eyes are toward you, O GOD, my Lord;
in you I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless!
9 Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me
and from the snares of evildoers!
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
while I pass by safely.
God heard David’s prayer and protected him. He protects all believers who trust their souls to his faithfulness. All is well if faith is unmoved.
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1 Psalm 142:5
2 Probably a musical or liturgical term
3 A verse from the poem Retirement by William Cowper (1731-1800)



Year One, August 31
You Guide Me With Your Counsel1
In today’s passage, we see an example of David’s patriotism. Although he was persecuted in his own country, he did not stop loving his nation. He took a deep interest in everything concerning it. When he found out that the Philistines were robbing the grain storehouses of Keilah, he marched against them with his little army.
  
1 Samuel 23:1-13
1Now they told David, “Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are robbing the threshing floors.” 2Therefore David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” And the LORD said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.”
Here we see David’s deep commitment to the Lord. He would do nothing until he asked God for guidance. Oh for more of this holy caution.
3But David’s men said to him, “Behold, we are afraid here in Judah; how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines? (These were brave men, but they still thought fighting in Keilah was a reckless move. They would not only have the Philistines to contend with, but Saul’s soldiers, too. David listened to their advice, but did not let them make up his mind for him. He again turned to God for guidance.) 4Then David inquired of the LORD again. And the LORD answered him, “Arise, go down to Keilah, for I will give the Philistines into your hand.” 5And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines and brought away their livestock and struck them with a great blow. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah. (This was a bold action and as their reward they kept the property of the Philistines. But the people David rescued from their enemies betrayed him. This shows how disgraceful and deceitful human nature can be.)
6When Abiathar the son of Ahimelech had fled to David to Keilah, he had come down with an ephod in his hand.
David has been banished and was no longer able to worship at the tabernacle. But that did not keep the exiled hero from having spiritual comfort. He had the high priest himself along with the breastplate of righteousness.2 See how God provides for the faithful!
7Now it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah. And Saul said, “God has given him into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars.” 8And Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men. (He should have honored David for the distinguished service he provided to the state of Israel. Instead, Saul’s evil intentions were like a hungry wolf craving for the blood of its prey)
9David knew that Saul was plotting harm against him. And he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.” 10Then David said, “O LORD, the God of Israel, your servant has surely heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah, to destroy the city on my account. (David was more concerned for the city than for himself. Saul had destroyed the city of Nob for protecting David, and he might do the same to Keilah. Unselfish spirits cannot bear to have a part in bringing evil upon others.) 11Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O LORD, the God of Israel, please tell your servant.” And the LORD said, “He will come down. 12Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?” And the LORD said, “They will surrender you.”
God knows people so well, that he can not only tell what they will do, but what they will do under certain conditions. He knows us better than we know ourselves. Let us always ask for his wisdom for all occasions. We will not make mistakes when we follow his directions.
13Then David and his men, who were about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah, and they went wherever they could go. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up the expedition.
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1 Psalm 73:24
2 From Ephesians 6:14. The breastplate was attached to the high priest’s ephod and may signify the protection of God. The ephod held the Urim and Thummim which were somehow used in determining God’s will.

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