The price of trusting our perspective – Samuel warns against a king (1 Sam 8:10-22)
1 Sam 8:10-22 The church I attended in Hungary as a young Christian had a connection to a Dutch Reformed church, so that a group from Holland came over to Hungary and later some of us returned the visit. Unfortunately,…
Craving security – Israel wants a king (1 Sam 8:1-9)
1 Sam 8:1-9 Depending on personality, we all crave different things and are driven to achieve them. We tend to develop behaviours to escape our worst fears and meet our deepest needs and while many of those needs are legitimate…
The power of prayer – a God worth trusting (1 Sam 7:7-17)
1 Sam 7:7-17 It never fails to amaze and encourage me when I see God’s answer to prayer in my own life or in those of others. We have an ally greater than any power on earth who takes the…
Divided loyalties and its remedy (1 Sam 7:2-6)
1 Sam 7:2-6 Problems may be divided into three categories. Some are only distant dots on the horizon, minor irritants that are too small to worry about. Others are big enough to notice, but not to move us to action.…
The discomfort of living with God – the ark sent away (1 Sam 6:13-7:1)
1 Sam 6:13-21; 7:1 As Christians, we think of God’s presence as a comfort and a blessing and His absence as distressing, but today’s reading highlights that sometimes God can be uncomfortable to have around. I am reminded of the…
Know that I am God – the ark returned (1 Sam 6:1-12)
1 Sam 6:1-12 In primary school, a classmate taunted me with the command ‘Tell God to appear here for me and I will believe in Him’. Adults tend not to display such naked arrogance, but many will effectively believe the…
God’s presence as judgment – the Philistines encounter God (1 Sam 5:6-12)
1 Sam 5:6-12 In his book, The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis describes an excursion into Heaven by people who live in Hell or Purgatory. As they arrive, they see the most beautiful place imaginable, nevertheless, they experience it as unpleasant…
The God who confounds expectations – Dagon falls down (1 Sam 5:1-5)
1 Sam 5:1-5 Our last reading finished on a defeatist note: the ark was captured, the glory departed from Israel. To God’s people their tragic loss seemed like the end of hope and the end of their God. In the…
The ark captured – the glory gone (1 Sam 4:12-22)
1 Sam 4:12-22 A young woman I met was excited and looking forward to serving the Lord with a mission organisation when her father suddenly died. She broke off all communication with the mission, did not reply to anyone’s emails…
Israel’s defeat and God’s presence (1 Sam 4:1-11)
1 Sam 4:1-11 One of the things that distinguished Israel when God claimed them as His people in the exodus was His presence with them. He sent the plagues, protected them from the pursuing Egyptians, guided them and fought on…