The Lord Is My Shepherd – Psalm 23:1-6 “your rod and your staff, they comfort me.“ Most of the other images in this psalm make sense to us. While we might not anoint someone’s head with oil, we can understand a banquet table or dwelling in God’s house forever. We understand what it means to…
The Fall of Jerusalem – 2 Kings 25:1-30 If you’re anything like me, then sometimes we get the various exiles and captivities a little confused. We remember that the Kingdom divided into North (Israel) and South (Judah), and we know that there were other empires that God used to deliver judgment upon His people. But…
Elijah and the Prophets of Baal – 1 Kings 16:29 – 19:18 And after the fire came a gentle whisper. You’re almost half-way through the E100 campaign. How is it going for you? Are you finding time for silent reflection each day? Are you remembering to read formationally and not just informationally? Are your prayers…
Solomon’s Temple – 1 Kings 8:1 – 9:9 “But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!” – I Kings 8:27 Despite the grandeur of the temple and the pomp and circumstance of the occasion, Solomon realizes this important fact:…
King Solomon – 1 Kings 2:1 – 3:28 Adonijah shall be put to death today! Quite frankly, most of us would probably prefer to skip over 1 Kings chapter 2, and head right to chapter 3. After all, that chapter contains the familiar stories of Solomon asking for wisdom, and displaying that wisdom as he…
David and Bathsheba – 2 Samuel 11:1 – 12:25 But the thing David had done displeased the Lord. Back in Numbers 32, Moses had given the Israelites some instructions, telling them that if they failed to complete the instructions, that they would be sinning against God, and that they could be sure that their sin…
King David – 2 Samuel 5:1 – 7:29 David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating with all their might before the Lord, with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines, sistrums and cymbals. What a sight this must have been. Try as I might, I can’t really imagine what it must have been like…
David and Saul – 1 Samuel 23:7 – 24:22 May the Lord judge between you and me If only everyone would act with the same sort of noble dignity as David does in these passages! Instead of taking matters into his own hands, he demonstrates patience and integrity by allowing God to work things out…
David and Goliath – 1 Samuel 16:1 – 18:16 Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. One of the very first things I do every morning is to reach for my glasses. I’ve worn glasses since the 4th grade, and have had bifocals since the 5th grade. They’re the…
King Saul – 1 Samuel 8:1 – 10:27 Then we will be like all the other nations… “But Mom… Everyone ELSE is doing it!” The two quotes are not at all dissimilar, are they? The nation of Israel demands a king so they can be like all the other nations… and the petulant adolescent, demanding…