The Blog.

God of All Circumstances

When we look at 1 Samuel 16, we see the hand of God preparing a young man for his calling. He is, after all, the God of all circumstances. But

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Moving on From Saul

The Bible doesn’t tell us how long, but Samuel mourned for Saul long enough that God had to tell him it was time to move on. Then another matter kept

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A Dramatic End

Samuel’s relationship with Saul came to a dramatic end.  He had high expectations for this tall, handsome son of Kish. The prophet had heard God’s word to his heart concerning

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Character Flaws

Saul, not unlike many, had one major character flaw — self worship. Without the presence of the Holy Spirit to guide and confront the errors within him, he was left

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God Regrets Choosing Saul

God regretted making Saul king. This story explains why. When God delivered the Israelites from Egypt, the Amalekites attacked their rear, taking out the stragglers when they were tired and

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Saul Speaks Rashly

Saul’s disobedience in 1 Samuel 13 resulted in losing the kingdom he could have had. Now God would look for another with a heart like His own. Saul’s life unraveled.

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Jonathan

King Saul had a son, Jonathan. In 1 Samuel 14, we get a glimpse of his character. While his father sat under a pomegranate tree with his 600 men, Jonathan,

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Defenseless? Not!

Were the Israelites defenseless?  1 Samuel 13:16-23 is a passage which highlights the deficiencies of the Israelite army. While the Philistines had the upper hand, the Israelites cowered and trembled

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Saul Disobeyed

King Saul faced a formidable foe. The Philistine army had 30,000 chariots, 6,000 men and multitudes of people. Israel had 3,000 men divided between Saul (2,000) and Johnathan (1,000). Jonathan

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Samuel Challenges the People

Samuel, in the last section of his coronation address, challenged the people of Israel. Their desire for a king displeased not only Samuel, but God as well. They rejected the

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God Sets A King In Place

God sets a king in place and Samuel addressed the crowd. Part one of Samuel’s convocation address dealt with his credentials. The second part deals with what God had done

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A Voice to Trust

The cacophony of the world makes finding the voice to trust increasingly difficult. Whether wanting a reliable news station or a pastor who does more than tickle the ears. The

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Saul’s First Battle

Saul has been anointed, and proclaimed king, but has yet to prove his metal. He already has loyal allies and haters. In 1 Samuel 11, we read the story of

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King Saul

God had chosen Saul to be the first king of Israel. Samuel, in obedience to God anointed him, and the time came to proclaim him the King of Israel. Samuel

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Anointed

Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it over Saul’s head. Then he kissed him and said, “I am doing this because the LORD has appointed you to be

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Lost Donkeys

Saul was only following his father’s commands when he set out. The donkeys were lost and needed to be found. Though his mission was unsuccessful, it led him to the

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Desiring A King

The Israelites looked to the nations around and desired a king. Samuel was offended. He had judged the nation for many years, and as he aged, he appointed his oldest

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Ebenezer

Ebenezer is a strange word that we encounter in the hymn Come thou fount of every Blessing. Here is the story behind it. The Ark of the Covenant now rested

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Alive

Jesus, after His resurrection, appeared in His earthly body to His disciples, alive. The gospels of John and Luke tell the stories. Mary Magdalene thought He was the gardener until

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A Willing Sacrifice

The Old Testament scriptures point to the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, a willing sacrifice. Among them is the beautifully written passage of the suffering servant found in Isaiah 53

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The King Arrives

“Rejoice greatly! Shout O daughter of Jerusalem!” The words of the prophet Zechariah ring through the ages. To a nation suffering the ups and downs of a tormented history, waiting

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The Ark in the Enemy’s Camp

The ark of the covenant represented God to the Israelites. They believed it would bring them victory over their Philistine oppressors, but, it was captured by them. The ark was

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Fulfilled

The first message God delivered to Samuel was of events that would tingle the ears of all who had heard. He was a boy, frightened by what he had heard

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Credibility

When surfing social media, the gift of discernment is crucial. Credibility is often lacking in the written word as well as the images displayed. Before the days of social media,

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Building A Prophet

King solomon wrote, “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he won’t depart from it.” But what goes into building a prophet?

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