March 31 Readings

You can also check out all these Reading Plans Blogs to go through the Bible in a year from Back to the Bible Reading Lists:the Chronological Reading Plan blog; OT and NT Together blog; Historical Readings blog; Blended Readings blog and Beginning to End blog In addition, there is the Theophilus1 blog in the One Year Bible format and The Daily Bible in Chronological Order

The Back to the Bible Beginning to End Reading Plan

Index of Beginning to End Readings

The Reign of Saul
Today's reading 1Samuel 15-17
King James Version with Web Encyclopedia Links: 1Samuel 15; 1Samuel 16; 1Samuel 17

1Samuel 15
In verses 1-3 Samuel told Saul that God wanted to punish the Amakelites for what they did to Israel when they attacked the Israelites when they came from Egypt. Saul was to totally destroy everything that belonged to them. Every living thing was to be killed. Saul and his army attacked the Amakelites and destroyed all the people EXCEPT for King Agag. in verse 9, Saul spared Agag and the BEST of the sheep and cattle. They were unwilling to destroy things that were good or of benefit to them but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed. God was grieved and told Samuel that He regretted having made Saul King because he did not follow out His instructions. Samuel was troubled and he cried to God all that night. Samuel was a man of prayer, he must have interceded for Saul. The next day, Saul saw Samuel and LIED and said that he had followed God's instructions. Samuel confronted Saul and said, 'What then is the bleating in my ears? What is the lowing of cattle that I hear?' Saul made up this excuse that the soldiers spared the best of the sheep and the cattle to sacrifice to the Lord. Samuel rebuked him that he, Saul was once small in his own eyes and now he is king of Israel. God gave him specific instructions to completely destroy all the wicked Amakelites. But he did not follow instructions. Saul denied that, he claimed that he followed God's instructions. Saul replied with this: 22 "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD , he has rejected you as king."
In verse 27, as Samuel turned to leave, Saul caught hold of the hem of his garment and it tore. Saul turned to him and said 28 "The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors-to one better than you. 29 He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a man, that he should change his mind."

Samuel put Agag to death. Samuel mourned for Saul and the Lord was grieved. What a tragedy for Saul. He had such a good start in the race of life but then he failed and his life ended as we see later in a downward spiral. How do you run the race of the Christian life? We have to keep on saying TRUST and OBEY!

DORE DEATH OF AGAG

In 1Samuel 16, God chose David the youngest of eight of Jesse's son. In verse 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

In Verse 14, the Spirit of God had left Saul and was replaced with an evil spirit. Saul was tormented by God. This was done to bring David to play the harp for Saul so that evil spirit would leave.

In Samuel 17 deals with the killing of Goilath by David. The spiritual lesson to be learnt here was that David went in the strength of the Lord. He had remembered what God did for him, delivering him form the paw of the lion, and the paw of the bear (v. 37). David reasoned with faith that God would deliver him from Goliath. Saul offered him his armor, but David was not used to wearing it. Instead, he used five smooth stones and a sling, and he approached Goliath in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel (v. 45). He struck Goliath on the forehead, he felled facedown, then he killed him with Goliath's sword. Spiritual lessons to be learnt? Having victory in the Christian Life is done BY GOD's WAY! God is the God of Surprises! David REMEMBERED what God had done for him and he applied that faith to the current situation. God used five small stones, a sling and a shpherd boy (foolish things) of the world to (confound the wise!) defeat Goliath! That day the Israelites had a major victory over the Philistines.

.

Oversize Picture of David and Goliath

1 Samuel 15, with Commentaries, verse by verse
1 Samuel 16, with Commentaries, verse by verse
1 Samuel 17, with Commentaries, verse by verse

Other Links
OT Gateway Links on 1 and 2 Samuel
Introduction to 1 Samuel by Malik
Malik Argument of 1Samuel
Deffinbaugh: A Study of 1 Samuel

Dr. Thomas Constable Study Notes is a PDF file, open with Adobe Acrobatic Reader
Pink on the Life of David
Spurgeon on 1Samuel
Biblebb.com Website
With the Word Commentary-Warren Wiersbe
Wycliffe Bible Commentary
Keil & Delitzsch Commentaries on the Old Testament
Expositor's Bible Commentary
Pulpit Bible Commentary
J. Vernon McGee Commentaries
Evangelical Commentary on the Old Testament
The Commentary Page
Study of the Life of David


Jesus Saves
This Posting is NOT a commentary of the passages read today but it is a devotional. Please send a comment if something spoke to you today from the passages, links or thoughts that I have shared with you.