Learning to know God’s voice – Samuel called (1 Sam 3:1-14)
1 Sam 3:1-14 My husband told me a few times that when he is finishing off projector duty at the end of a church service, he can often pick out my voice in the entrance hall from the din of…
Tolerating sin – Eli confronted (1 Sam 2:22-36)
1 Sam 2:22-36 Many Christian parents know the sadness that comes from having children who do not follow the Lord. We can’t help but ask searching questions. Why did they choose the path they did? Where did we go wrong?…
An abuse of power – Eli’s sons (1 Sam 2:12-21)
1 Sam 2:12-21 Early in the film, The Lord of the Rings, Gandalf, the wizard talks to Frodo about the ring the latter inherited, a ring that is capable of wielding incredible power. The original owner of the ring, the…
Hannah’s Song (1 Sam 2:1-10)
1 Sam 2:1-10 Hannah’s Song, which reads like a psalm, may remind us of the Beatitudes about the blessedness of those who are poor, who weep, who hunger and the reversal that comes in their receiving the kingdom of God,…
A prayer answered, a vow fulfilled (1 Sam 1:9-28)
1 Sam 1:9-28 As we consider power and powerlessness in Hannah’s story, we may wonder about the difference between appropriate persistence or the kind of grasping that God condemns. After all, did not God close Hannah’s womb (1 Sam 1:5-6)?…
Hannah prays for a son (1 Sam 1:1-11)
1 Sam 1:1-11 While COVID is raging around the world, so many of us feel powerless to shake the fears, the health concerns, the blues that come from being limited in our social interactions. We may also be powerless to…
Introduction to 1 Samuel
The Book of Samuel tells how Israel became a monarchy and the story of its first two kings, Saul and David (1 Samuel ends with Saul’s death and opens the way for David to become king in 2 Samuel). Along…
Enduring hope (Psalm 31)
Ps 31:1-24 It is a well-known fact that overcoming difficulties that are major but short-term are psychologically easier than dealing with lesser but ongoing challenges that weaken one’s resistance over time. COVID, of course, is on everyone’s minds these days…
You shall not covet (Exod 20:17)
Exod 20:17 There is a certain progression in these last five commandments we covered going from actions (murder, adultery, stealing) to words (false witness) and then inward desires, the latter in turn giving rise to actions and words prohibited before.[1]…
You shall not bear false witness (Exod 20:16)
Exod 20:16 This commandment is primarily concerned with false testimony in court and therefore with justice through telling the truth. The law elsewhere expands on this and warns against lying to one another and slandering a neighbour (Lev 19:11, 16).…