Podcasts about Philistines

Psalm 37:7 calls believers into a posture of stillness and trust when circumstances feel unjust or when others seem to undermine our plans. In this devotional, Jennifer Slattery reflects on the emotional turmoil that arises when people act against us—intentionally or otherwise—and how easily fear, anxiety, and anger can take over. Through the life of David, we see a powerful example of someone who endured prolonged opposition yet learned to rest in God’s sovereignty rather than react out of panic or revenge. Highlights Psalm 37:7 encourages stillness and patient trust in God’s timing. Opposition from others can trigger fear, anxiety, or anger if left unchecked. Emotional reactions often intensify situations rather than resolve them. David’s life shows both suffering and unwavering trust in God’s promises. God’s plans are not derailed by human sabotage or resistance. Waiting on God develops patience, perseverance, and spiritual maturity. God often works behind the scenes before His promises are visible. Believers are called to rest in God’s sovereignty rather than react in fear. Join the Conversation Have you experienced a time when God reminded you that He saw your pain, needs, or circumstances? How does knowing that God is El Roi—the God who sees you—change the way you approach difficult seasons? Continue the conversation with the Crosswalk community here: https://forums.crosswalk.com/ Do you want to listen ad-free? When you join Crosswalk Plus, you gain access to exclusive, in-depth Bible study guides, devotionals, sound biblical advice, and daily encouragement from trusted pastors and authors—resources designed to strengthen your faith and equip you to live it out boldly. PLUS ad free podcasts! Sign Up Today! Full Transcript Below: Trusting God's Plans to Prevail When Others Come Against Us By: Jennifer Slattery Bible Reading: Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. - Psalm 37:7 How do you typically respond when someone does something to sabotage your plans or goals, or in some way makes your life difficult? What if they do this intentionally? Do you feel vulnerable and like they hold power over some aspect of your life? Do you find your anxiety spiking? And if so, does your fear ever present as anger and hostility? Sadly, I’ve reacted to such situations in each of those ways, especially when I felt the other person held power over something I considered important. This never yielded the results I’d hoped for. Most often, in fact, my reactions only made things worse. In some instances, my dysregulated emotions and the behaviors they triggered hurt me more than the “offense.” Although I still have much room for growth, I’m learning to follow David’s example, not just in today’s verse, but throughout his life. (His near homicidal rage in 1 Samuel 24 and his treatment of Bathsheba, which many scholars call rape, notwithstanding.) If you’re familiar with Old Testament history, you may recognize his long, fearful, and discouraging journey to the throne. The most prominent prophet of his day anointed him as ancient Israel’s future king when David was a teenager. But he didn’t step into his calling for another decade and a half. He spent much of the time in between living as a fugitive, hiding in caves and enemy territory in fear for his life. He knew God had glorious plans for him. Although he wrote psalms in which he seemed to express some degree of doubt, he trusted the Lord to do for him all that He’d promised. This trust, and the relational intimacy that supported it, allowed him to remain his godly, spiritually mature self, even when experiencing relentless attack. This amazes me when I consider the emotional weight he carried. When we first meet him, he stepped into a heroic role that gained him access to Saul, the then-reigning king. Soon after, the young warrior moved into the palace, where he faithfully served. He also led the nation of Israel into numerous victories, including against one of their fiercest enemies, the Philistines. One might expect Saul to respond with gratitude. Instead, he became jealous. Feeling threatened, he spent the remainder of his life pursuing David in order to kill him. As a result, David found himself forced from his home and his wife when Saul sent men to stake out his house, again, to kill him. During his flight, he sought help from a priest, who gave him bread and a highly symbolic sword for self-defense. He soon learned, however, that Saul found out and sent one of his men to kill all the priests serving at that particular temple—and their families. Women and children were massacred because one man offered David aid. Understandably, he blamed himself for their deaths. Can you imagine how that must’ve felt? Around age 30, David became king and brought peace to His people. He likely wrote Psalm 37 sometime during this time. Reflecting on his life, his suffering, and how God remained faithful through it all, David confidently proclaimed, in essence, to whoever might listen, “Don’t stress about the actions of evil men. God’s got you. Relax and wait for Him to lead you to your best life.” Intersecting Life & Faith: When we feel under attack and tempted to immediately jump into “fix it” mode, may we instead intentionally still ourselves before the Lord, which implies being still in His presence. That’s where we’re most apt to receive His comfort and strength and hear His perfect wisdom regarding how to respond to our circumstances. Entrusting our situation to God can feel incredibly uncomfortable. It becomes easier, however, when we remember His heart toward us, His power consistently employed on our behalf, and His faithfulness. We can choose to quietly wait on Him to reveal our best path forward, knowing He’s never wrong or ill-informed. He's also never late, although in my experience, his interventions rarely arrive early. It certainly didn’t for David! Although the Lord remained with him at every step and often worked behind the scenes on the warrior’s behalf, it took Him years to fulfill the promise He made to youthful David. That long, painful delay required significant patience and perseverance through a rather exhausting delay. David understood how difficult it can feel to wait, which is why, years later, he could advise his people, us, and countless others besides, to patiently wait on God—trusting Him to make our circumstances right. Friend, wicked people might make your present situation more painful and difficult than it needs to be. But they cannot thwart God’s very good, hope-filled plans for you. Remember that the next time someone does something that leaves you feeling vulnerable and threatened. Remember that Christ Himself guards your path and invites you to follow His guidance as He leads you to the glorious destination He determined just for you. Further Reading:2 Samuel 22:3Psalm 18:1-6 Psalm 54:4 Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

The David Alliance TDAgiantSlayer@gmal.com Garth Heckman So what am I talking about today?  But we get our gifting, our passions our talents and our purpose all confused. What is what? Gifting is a natural ability. Athletics, singing, math, Art Passion is something we love doing. Performing, creating, teaching, playing Talents are typically something we have practiced to achieve.  And sometimes these all weave together for the perfect storm.    But none are the sum total of our purpose!    The Bible doesn't give just one single sentence for a person's purpose;  it unfolds it like a grand narrative with a few core pillars.    OT and NT a person's ultimate purpose is generally broken down into three main relationships:    -  your relationship with God,    -  your relationship with others,    -  and your relationship with the world around you.   1. To Know God and Bring Him Glory MGLG At the very foundation, the Bible states that humans were created by God and for God. Your primary purpose is to be in a relationship with Him and to reflect His character to the world.   Reflecting His Image: In Genesis 1:27, it says humans are made in the "image of God." Think of this like a mirror—our job is to reflect His love, justice, kindness, and creativity into the world. Bringing Him Glory: MGLG -The prophet Isaiah quotes God as saying, "Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made" (Isaiah 43:7). BOTTOM LINE: LOOK LIKE GOD AND MAKE HIM LOOK GOOD       2. The Twin Pillars: Love God, Love People When Jesus was asked what the most important commandment in the entire scripture was, He simplified the entire Old Testament law into two direct actions. This is often looked at as the "Ultimate Summary" of human purpose.   MATTHEW 22:37 The first commandment Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and spirit. Second greatest is to lover your neighbor as yourself.        3. Cultivate the World (The Cultural Mandate) Purpose in the Bible isn't just spiritual; it's also practical and action-oriented. Right at the beginning of the human story, God gave mankind a specific job description regarding the earth itself. In Genesis 1:28, humans are told to "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it." This is often called the Cultural Mandate. It means humans are designed to be stewards—caretakers of creation. Your purpose includes taking raw potential (whether that's land, a business, a family, or a talent) and cultivating or literally squeezing everything out of it to help life thrive. 4. Walking in Unique, Prepared Good Works   the Apostle Paul writes about how Gods purpose intertwines with our purpose which is good works.  We are uniquely crafted for specific contributions to this world.   "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." — Ephesians 2:10   The word used for "handiwork" or "workmanship" in the original Greek text is poiema (where we get our word poem). The Bible views your life as a unique masterpiece designed to carry out specific good deeds that match your exact strengths, personality, and experiences. Does "Handiwork" Tie into "Good Works"? Thematically yes, strongly: The verse's logic flows from identity (we are God's crafted masterpiece) to purpose (created for good works God pre-planned). Being God's poiema equips and orients us toward the erga agatha. Good works are the outworking and goal of His creative work in us—not the cause of salvation, but its fruit (tying back to vv. 8–9).   Picture this: His work in us, created us for his works through us to fulfill his purpose.      Handiwork vs. Good works in Eph. 2:8,9 Two different words. Gods work is a masterpiece Our work is a labor. ONE IS OUR IDENTITY THE OTHER IS OUR ACTIVITY     Life experiences we see in scripture and the real world.  Their life experiences were not random or wasted but formed the precise preparation, character development, skills, relationships, and credibility God used for their callings.** The Bible shows a consistent pattern: God shapes people through seasons of obscurity, suffering, failure, cultural exposure, and incremental faithfulness long before the "big moment." These experiences built humility, dependence on God, specific competencies, empathy, and strategic positioning.     David (1 Samuel 16 – 2 Samuel) **Key experiences**: Rejected by His father born illegitimate, Shepherd boy overlooked by family, given menial jobs, trials by lion/bear protecting sheep, anointed privately as future king, served Saul as musician/warrior, faced Goliath with past faithfulness as proof, 13 plus years as fugitive hiding in caves from Saul, attracted misfits and losers, forced to work with the Philistines his enemies.    - **How it prepared him**: Learned how to deal with rejection and turn to God. Shepherding taught leadership, courage, and reliance on God (Psalms reflect this). Defeating Goliath came from tested faith in small battles. Wilderness years forged trust in God's timing (refusing to kill Saul), developed military strategy, and created a loyal following. These equipped him to unite Israel, establish the kingdom, write worship that endures, and prepare the way for the temple/Solomon. His "rejection" years were kingship training.

Freedom doesn't begin when the addiction ends—it begins when repentance starts. In this powerful message, we discover that repentance is not about guilt, shame, or simply feeling sorry for our mistakes. Biblical repentance is a change of mind, a change of direction, and a return to God. Through the stories of the Prodigal Son and Israel's struggle with the Philistines, we learn that true freedom comes when we stop believing the lies that bind us and begin aligning our hearts and minds with God's truth. Whether you're battling addiction, strongholds, unhealthy habits, or spiritual complacency, this message reveals God's pathway to lasting freedom and restoration. Jesus came to set the captives free, and repentance is the first step on that journey.

2nd Samuel Series  Message: 07 Episode: 3 of 3 Broadcast: June 15, 2026 Key Verses: 2nd Samuel 5:17-6:23 In this episode of Walk in Truth, Pastor Michael Lantz teaches through 2 Samuel 5:17–6:23 in a message titled "The Ways of the Kingdom." As David seeks the Lord in battle, experiences victory over the Philistines, and later brings the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, this passage reveals that God's work must be done God's way. Through moments of triumph, correction, worship, and humility, we learn the importance of seeking God's guidance, honoring His holiness, and responding to His presence with wholehearted devotion. Pastor Michael unpacks these timeless truths to encourage believers to resist relying on their own understanding and instead walk in obedience to God's instructions. This powerful teaching will help equip you to navigate life as a Christian with wisdom, reverence, and joy, applying God's truth to your everyday decisions and learning to embrace the ways of His Kingdom above your own. Welcome to Walk in Truth! These are the Bible teachings of Pastor Michael Lantz. Equipping you to reach out with God's truth to all people. And how to apply that truth to today's issues, trends, and culture.  Leave your question or comment contact@walkintruth.com  

Join us for fantastic content on our Patreon website: https://www.patreon.com/c/EnlightenEdgeEDU . This week on Patreon we will look at a ton of maps, videos and pictures that will help you picture exactly where David fought Goliath, how he got down to the brook to get the stones and how the Philistines were caught by the Israelites. We have an intense amount of images for you on that, on the place where Saul was killed, and more. Join us and the scriptures will become even more real for you. Also, join us for a live recording event on July 8th in Lehi, where Andrew Skinner and Kerry will answer questions and teach a bit. Be part of the episode and part of the podcast, all for free. You can join via Zoom too. Just email me at TheScripturesAreReal@gmail.com. In this episode Kerry and Dr. Avram Shannon explore the life of David, and what we know about David and how we can learn from and about him. They look into many aspects of his life, delving into that which made David great, and the seeds of his later sins. Then Kerry and Dr. Richard Nietzel Holzapfel explore what the Davidic covenant is, how it differs from other covenants, and why it is important. We are grateful for our executive producers, P. Franzen, J. Parke, D. Watson, B. Van Blerkom, the Dawsons, M. Cannon, M. Rosema, B. Fisher, J. Beardall, D. Anderson, M. Zitar, J. Edwards, A. Dixon, T. Cottrell, and H. Umphlett, and for all our generous and loyal donors. We are also very grateful for all our Patreon members. We are so thankful for Beehive Broadcast for producing the podcast and for Rich Nicholls, who composed and plays the music for the podcast.

New Testament Sermons / Speaker:Berry Kercheville Strong Christians Have Close Relationships Introduction: In our men's weekend with Jacob Hudgins, he asked a very important question about Samson. The question was this: “Who were Samson's close friends?” It was a question that most, if not all of us had never considered. Samson not only did not have close friends, there is no evidence that he had anyone that could be considered a friend. Samson doesn't believe he needs anyone. He is a one man wrecking crew. From the very first, “Get her for me, she pleases me well,” to “…strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes,” Samson lived life his way.  Does that sound familiar? Do we really need anyone else to be very close to us? Oh sure, we can use some help from time to time, but we just take care of our responsibilities. Let's be honest, most of us have a very independent nature and can easily live independent lives. But that is far from what God has asked of us. When we read the book of Acts, we should suddenly be struck with three major messages, the growth of the kingdom of God, the persecution of Christians in the midst of a dark and idolatrous world, and the fact that everywhere the gospel is preached a church came into being—a group of Christians dedicated to working together and helping each other attain an eternal goal. And they weren't just a “group” holding “services” together, they were deeply interconnected.  In fact, when we consider the 27 writings of the NT, every single letter stresses the love and concern that is to be evident among brethren in each church. The letter that says it more than any other is 1 John. John's letter will be our primary text. Overall Context At the end of the first century, Christians were dealing with individuals in the churches that had turned aside from the teachings of the apostles and instead believed they received inspired messages from spiritual beings. Their claim of super knowledge led them to exalt themselves above other Christians, cause divisions by establishing new churches, and cause doubt among Christians who had not received these same “revelations.”  John defeated these teachings with the emphasis on three primary truths: Those who truly know God keep his commandments by following the teaching of the apostles.  Practicing sin is not living righteously, and one who practices sin is not of God. Those who exalted themselves above the brethren and “went out from us” based on their own teachings, do not love the brethren, nor do they love God.  Our concern will be the emphasis John puts on this last point. We might look at these three messages of John and give our attention more to “keeping the commandments of God” and refusing to “practice sin” than we do to “loving the brethren.” But you may be surprised that is not how John presents his message.  Before we read these verses, a reminder: You may be thinking, “We all know that we are to love each other, and we do love each other. Why this sermon?” Two reasons: We all have difficulty thinking of love much beyond how we feel about each other and our ability to be friendly with each other. What we are missing is that the slightest offense instantly destroys those kind, friendly feelings. That is obviously not the kind of love the Lord is talking about. Because we struggle to obtain and maintain the love defined by John in his letter, we easily retain a suspicion about each other: “Can I really trust you to be gentle, kind, and patient, and that my welfare is a top priority for you?” If you are honest, you know you cannot say that about just anyone, even those you say you love!  Highlighting John's Message of Love (1 John) 2:6-11 An old commandment that has now become new. 3:9-23  9-10: Loving one another is on the same plane as “practicing righteousness.” 14: “We have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers.” 16: “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.” Jesus defined love by lying down his life, which defines for us whether or not we are loving one another.  18-19: “Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him…” Our assurance of salvation has to do with whether or love goes beyond “word and talk.”  21-23: “Whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what is pleasing to him. And this is the commandment that…we love one another…”  4:7-8 Whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.  4:10-12 God's love is perfected in us when we love one another. It is the way the God who has not been seen, can now be seen.  4:17 “By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for he day of judgment…” 4:20-21 “…he who does not love is brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.”  5:1-2 “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.”  Throughout these texts we have seen time and again the absolute necessity of loving one another in the same way Jesus has love us if we expect to be saved. Serious historical problem among churches: stressing doctrinal correctness to the point that how we behave and whether we love each other as John has defined does not even enter the picture of our own salvation. That is a perfect description of the Pharisees!  Beyond “Feeling” Love: Deepening Our Connections We mentioned at the beginning of the lesson that a good test of love between one another is when suspicion is removed and trust is the foundation of the relationship. Consider Proverbs 17:17, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” Therefore, instead of asking, “Do you love the brethren,” ask, “Who do you know that will love at all times regardless of the challenges and difficulties? Who do you trust that will always “be there?”  Here's another challenge: “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5:16). Who could you confess your sins to? It is a matter of love and trust, isn't it? Hebrews 3:12-13 “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” Exhorting one another every day is the key to avoiding the deceitfulness of sin and an evil heart.  Hebrews 10:24-26 “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. For if we go on sinning deliberately…” Our assembling together is a matter of loving and protecting each other from slipping and falling in our faith. If we do not have love that trusts and lacks suspicion, we cannot obey this command.  The critical use of time to build trusting love: (Story of the El Cajon men who met once on Wednesday night after class) The love God expects of us that sacrifices self, protects and encourages, stirs up to more love and good works, is not attained simply by potlucks. There must be intentionality and purpose in the togetherness.  Examples: One couple together with another couple discussing marital and spiritual challenges in marriage and raising a family. A group of men discussing how we can enhance our love for our wives and our children. Mixed groups of singles and married discussing the spiritual needs of each and how we can help one another and make deeper connections. How can this happen? What are possible objections? “No one invites me.” — Do you respond to the invitations give to the whole church? Take advantage to what is already in place so that you are more visible and accepting. Create your own connection. Invite others.  Start small with a “safe” small group, or even just one person. Add to that and build on it. Step up to the plate as a shepherd/leader. All of us can find people we can mentor, show concern for, and be vulnerable with. Conclusion: The goal is deepening our love for someone else and their love for us. We need to be more than a family, we need to be God's family. You will be surprised that within a short time you can establish and trusting love with your brother and sister in Christ. Don't be a “Samson!” That's victory over the devil! Berry Kercheville The post 1 John: Strong Christians Have Close Relationships appeared first on Woodland Hills Church of Christ.

Text: 1 Samuel chapters 22-31 Supplemental Text: The Fourth Thousand Years chapter 3 BYU Lecture 27: King Saul, bitter and feeling rejected by nearly all he trusted, sought the life of David in a tirade. He calls on the prophet Ahimelech, accusing him of treason for siding with David. Saul has the prophet killed along with 85 temple priests. David and his army of 600 loyalists continually flee from Saul and his vast armies. At En-geti, David has the opportunity to kill Saul while asleep in the very cave David is hiding. Instead of killing the man who sought madly to take his life, David recognizes the divine anointing of Saul as King by the prophet Samuel and merely cuts off a piece of his cloak, showing he had power and opportunity to kill Saul, but chose not to. David uses this as a negotiation tactic to find peace with Saul. This works, but only for a short time. Saul again launches a new war on David. Marching his army and obsessed with the task of killing David, Saul is caught off guard when attacked by the Philistines. The war goes poorly for Israel, and Jonathan, Saul's son and beloved friend of David, is slain. When Saul realizes all is lost, he falls on his sword and takes his own life.

Peter's 2nd Epistle, of which we read the first 2 chapters, is extremely challenging because it relates in several ways to the excessively ungodly atmosphere in which we live.  But first, we were fascinated by lessons in our O T readings.  Samson upset his parents because he “saw one of the daughters of the Philistines” and said to them” get her for me as my wife.”  His parents objected, but he insisted; then comes the comment, “His father and mother did not know it was from the LORD, for he was seeking an opportunity against the Philistines” [Judges 14 v.1-4]We perceive from this that God does not overrule human freewill; what he does is to weave it into his ongoing purpose in his oversight of human affairs especially those of his chosen people. We perceive the same principle in the life of Hezekiah that Isaiah writes about [ch.38]. The LORD told him to “set your house in order, for you shall die … Hezekiah wept bitterly” [v.1,2] and the LORD heeded his prayers, but the son that succeeded him, born during the 15 years added to his life, was a disaster, but the nation had not appreciated the blessings of Hezekiah's reign and the deliverance we read about yesterday, they ‘deserved' a bad king..In 2nd Peter we see that those in special service before God can, on occasion, be described as “angels”  In Matt. 11 v.10, John the Baptist is described as a “messenger” but in Gk the word is ‘aggelos'.  This word is used by Peter (2 v.4) saying “for if God did not spare the angels that sinned” referring, we conclude to some of the Levites who had the privilege of serving in the Tabernacle, see Numbers 16.   Also in Heb. 2 v.2, “the message declared by angels (‘aggelos')” is most likely a way of describing human prophets such as Isaiah, who declared God's message.Peter contrasts the judgement on “the angels that sinned” with the deliverance of Noah and Lot because of their righteousness (v.5-8)  He then makes the point that there will be no sparing by God of believers who become sinful in Peter's day.  “There will be false teachers among you … and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed” [2 v.1,2] Peter is very blunt about those who “have hearts trained in greed … forsaking the right way.” [v.14,15]  Let us hold fast to the right way – so that God will spare us from his judgements that will surely come on this godless world (see ch. 3) Let us live “lives of holiness and godliness” [3 v.11] 

2nd Samuel Series  Message: 07 Episode: 2 of 3 Broadcast: June 12, 2026 Key Verses: 2nd Samuel 5:17-6:23 In this episode of Walk in Truth, Pastor Michael Lantz teaches through 2 Samuel 5:17–6:23 in a message titled "The Ways of the Kingdom." As David seeks the Lord in battle, experiences victory over the Philistines, and later brings the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, this passage reveals that God's work must be done God's way. Through moments of triumph, correction, worship, and humility, we learn the importance of seeking God's guidance, honoring His holiness, and responding to His presence with wholehearted devotion. Pastor Michael unpacks these timeless truths to encourage believers to resist relying on their own understanding and instead walk in obedience to God's instructions. This powerful teaching will help equip you to navigate life as a Christian with wisdom, reverence, and joy, applying God's truth to your everyday decisions and learning to embrace the ways of His Kingdom above your own. Welcome to Walk in Truth! These are the Bible teachings of Pastor Michael Lantz. Equipping you to reach out with God's truth to all people. And how to apply that truth to today's issues, trends, and culture.  Leave your question or comment contact@walkintruth.com

→ Watch on YouTube → Detailed Show Notes(00:00) The story of David and Goliath. The Hebrew and Greek versions of 1 Samuel 17 render different accounts of Goliath's height. An overview of Goliath's weapons and armor.(05:10) Goliath as a symbol of the unconquerable foes that we all face. David employs six strategies to defeat Goliath that can also be applied to our challenges.(13:53) The sword of Goliath as an article of kingship and evidence that God is with us.(16:25) King Saul is jealous of David and is obsessed with killing him.(26:32) Jonathan is a true friend to David, even though he has reason to be jealous of his success.(29:56) David continues his quest of goodness, yet Jonathan is not threatened.(32:26) David has opportunity to kill Saul, but doesn’t.(32:55) Nabal rebuffs David and refuses to give him food. Abigail acts as a peacemaker, thus saving Nabal's life.(36:11) King Saul consults with the Witch of Endor for revelation. He interacts with the ghost of Samuel, who has died. This experience with the spiritualist medium destroys hope.(39:31) The Philistine leaders send David away during their attack on Saul's forces. David goes to Ziklag and finds that his city has been sacked by the Amalekites and his family has been taken captive. David rescues all the people and shares the spoils of war.(41:58) The Philistines defeat Israel. King Saul and his sons are slain.(43:19) The rise of King David in 2 Samuel.(46:47) Uzzah is smitten for steadying the Ark.(51:03) David acts as both king and priest in his return to Jerusalem. He wears the ephod and offers sacrifice.(53:50) David obtains the threshing floor, where the Ark will rest. The threshing floor can be seen as the foundation stone, the heart of the Holy of Holies and a symbol of Jesus Christ as Savior of the world.(55:43) David desires to build a temple for the Lord. Nathan prophesies that the House of David will continue forever. This prophecy finds fulfillment in Jesus Christ.(1:02:13) David is not to build the temple, but his son Solomon will built it. → For more of Bryce Dunford’s podcast classes, click here. → Enroll in Institute → YouTube → Apple Podcasts → Spotify → Amazon Music → Facebook The post Ep 376 | 1 Samuel 17-31, 2 Samuel 1-7, Come Follow Me 2026 (June 15-21) appeared first on LDS Scripture Teachings.

2nd Samuel Series  Message: 07 Episode: 1 of 3 Broadcast: June 11, 2026 Key Verses: 2nd Samuel 5:17-6:23 In this episode of Walk in Truth, Pastor Michael Lantz teaches through 2 Samuel 5:17–6:23 in a message titled "The Ways of the Kingdom." As David seeks the Lord in battle, experiences victory over the Philistines, and later brings the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, this passage reveals that God's work must be done God's way. Through moments of triumph, correction, worship, and humility, we learn the importance of seeking God's guidance, honoring His holiness, and responding to His presence with wholehearted devotion. Pastor Michael unpacks these timeless truths to encourage believers to resist relying on their own understanding and instead walk in obedience to God's instructions. This powerful teaching will help equip you to navigate life as a Christian with wisdom, reverence, and joy, applying God's truth to your everyday decisions and learning to embrace the ways of His Kingdom above your own. Welcome to Walk in Truth! These are the Bible teachings of Pastor Michael Lantz. Equipping you to reach out with God's truth to all people. And how to apply that truth to today's issues, trends, and culture.  Leave your question or comment contact@walkintruth.com

The entire conflict between Israel & the Philistines was to be determined by a single contest involving two men.  Israel's freedom was at and placed on the shoulders of a young man.  Probably some application there for our Young Men who are preparing for a mission. If you'd like to view the video that goes with the podcast, click here!

Pillars of Cloud and Fire17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.” 18 But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle. 19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph[a] had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones with you from here.” 20 And they moved on from Succoth and encamped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness. 21 And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. 22 The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.Crossing the Red Sea14.1 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea.3 For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, ‘They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.' 4 And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” 6 So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him, 7 and took six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. 8 And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel while the people of Israel were going out defiantly. 9 The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.10 When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. 11 They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians'? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”

Regardless of the era, Israel has been hated and warred against. History shows this during the biblical era of the Philistines, the Canaanites, the Midianites and the Amalekites. In modern times, anger against the Jewish nation has been fueled by the rampant spreading of antisemitism through entities such as Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, Turkey, or Islam. Did you know more resolutions against Israel have come before the United Nations than any other nation in the world? Did you know that the vast majority of the world's nations are regularly voting against Israel? This is a nation only the size of New Jersey, yet they've been despised and warred against throughout all of human history. Under such international pressure, it's truly a miracle that Israel has survived. Why all the hatred? Why have all these forces been unable to destroy Israel? The answer lies in the fact that this is not a battle of flesh and blood, but this is a spiritual battle that has ensued from the beginning ...

Regardless of the era, Israel has been hated and warred against. History shows this during the biblical era of the Philistines, the Canaanites, the Midianites and the Amalekites. In modern times, anger against the Jewish nation has been fueled by the rampant spreading of antisemitism through entities such as Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, Turkey, or Islam. Did you know more resolutions against Israel have come before the United Nations than any other nation in the world? Did you know that the vast majority of the world's nations are regularly voting against Israel? This is a nation only the size of New Jersey, yet they've been despised and warred against throughout all of human history. Under such international pressure, it's truly a miracle that Israel has survived. Why all the hatred? Why have all these forces been unable to destroy Israel? The answer lies in the fact that this is not a battle of flesh and blood, but this is a spiritual battle that has ensued from the beginning ...

The Philistines conquered Israel, who lost the Ark of the Covenant. Hemorrhoids, and strange offerings to try and make it …

This week, Pastor Jim walks us through 1 Samuel 27, 29, and 30, as David faces a season of uncertainty, difficult decisions, and unexpected setbacks. After seeking refuge among the Philistines, David finds himself in a complicated situation, yet God continues to guide and protect him. When disaster strikes at Ziklag, David responds by seeking the Lord and finding strength in Him before taking action. These chapters remind us that even in our lowest moments, God is faithful, and true strength is found by turning to Him first.Text: 1 Samuel 27, 29, 30 Recorded: May 31, 2026

Sing to the Lord a New Song Marshall Segal Download Psalm 98,Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things!His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.2 The Lord has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.3 He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel.All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.4 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!5 Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody!6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it!8 Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together9 before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth.He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.Last fall, my oldest son and I planted a couple hundred tulip bulbs in two front flower beds. My wife's from California, so we love spring and summer in our home. I mean everybody really loves spring and summer here, but some of us hate winter more than others. The Segals express that hatred with gardening. We spring really hard. We plant a couple hundred tulips — red and yellow and white, some white with red stripes, some purple double tulips. We also have about a dozen peonies, each with a dozen blooms. If you've ever seen peonies up close, they don't look real. They look like some fine cloth has been woven together and overstuffed. They're glorious. I love them, and I love them for the same reason Jesus loved them:“Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” (Matthew 6:28–30)Consider the lilies. Are you struggling with little faith? Stop and listen to the lilies. They're singing. And they call us to sing with them about God and his glory. That's what we see again at the end of this psalm. Verse 7:Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;the world and those who dwell in it!Let the rivers clap their hands;let the hills sing for joy together. . . .Creation is performing for us. Can you hear it? The seas, wide and deep, are roaring out the bass line. The hills are dancing and breaking into high harmonies. And the rivers are clapping along to all that beautiful music. My wife and I actually got to hear an orchestra on Friday in Downtown Minneapolis, and that's what's happening all around us all the time. And it's happening with even greater precision and purpose than all those violins and cellos and trombones, because God is conducting everything we see and hear and taste and touch. Psalm 98 reminds us that creation is singing for anyone who will listen, and so before we really even get into the psalm, let's go ahead and get to some application for us as a church: Don't squander creation's performance this summer. Don't Squander CreationWhen God's people needed strength to keep believing, keep obeying, keep singing, they deliberately went and looked at rivers and seas and hills. Do you do that? Remember God himself is telling you here that he made all this to help you worship. He knew it was going to be hard to keep going. He knew we'd be prone to wander and doubt. And so he made stuff — all kinds of crazy stuff. He made galaxies and galaxies of crazy stuff, more than we could ever find, much less analyze, so that we'd have all kinds of reminders and reasons to worship him. My kids were studying sperm whales this week. Did you know that sperm whales have the largest brain of any creature on earth? Why would God do that? Why would God make these mammoth whales, with these massive brains, who dive 3,000 miles down to eat giant squid? So that you would see a sperm whale and his big ol' brain, and marvel at the creativity and power and goodness of God — and then do psalm 98:“Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things!”I don't care what it looks like for you this summer. The Segals aren't big camping people, but we love flowers and long walks and new parks and the beach. Don't squander creation this summer. Get out there and look and listen and learn and worship. Let something God has made remind you to sing. And then go find something else tomorrow. And then something else the next day.1. Sing to the LordAlright, the main point of the psalm is that very first line:Oh sing to the LORD a new song,for he has done marvelous things!His right hand and his holy armhave worked salvation for him.We don't know who wrote this psalm, but it's one of a series of psalms here highlighting God as king. Verse 6 says,“With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD!”This psalm is calling people to sing because their King has saved them again.“His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.”We don't know what deliverance they're singing about. It could be the exodus out of Egypt, or the deliverance from the wilderness, or the conquest of Canaan, or victory over the Philistines, or the return from exile. We don't know. God delivered Israel a lot. Whatever deliverance it was, the psalmist saw what God had done and he said, we should sing. And people who have been saved by God should sing, right? Why do we sing? Why would the infinitely creative, infinitely powerful God alter our brains and vocal cords to give us the capacity to make melody and harmony? I think it's because some things in life are just too good to be said. For example, I can say, “I love Jesus.” I can say, “I really love Jesus,” and I do. I can say, “Jesus is my greatest Treasure,” and he is. I can say, “Jesus is the greatest, most trustworthy, most satisfying, most glorious Treasure in the world.” Can I get an amen? Or I could sing, “Hallelujah! All I have is Christ!” I don't even have to sing it well — and it still says more than words can say.God gave us singing because there's a joy greater than words. He didn't make all of this and us so that he could be understood and explained. God gave us singing because we were made to worship — to glorify him by enjoying him forever. It's not enough to know, study, or describe this God. To really know him is to enjoy him, to treasure him, to worship him. So, point one, sing to the Lord for who he is and what he's done for you.To Our MenAnd before I go to point two, I want to take Psalm 98 as an opportunity to rally our men in particular. Now, a lot of our men sing and sing loud. I love you and thank God for you, don't stop, abound all the more — and I'm not talking to you right now. No, I want to plead with the men we don't hear on Sunday morning. This text, and lots of other ones, teach us that a man isn't fully a man if he's not singing. Men, you weren't just made to work and protect and fix stuff. You were made to sing! You were made to sing, andwe need you to sing. I'm going to get to this in a minute, but Psalm 98 teaches us that one way we guard and provide for and build the church is to sing. You have no idea what impact it has when the people around you, especially all the young sons and daughters here, see grown men sing with all their hearts. I really think there are few things more captivating in our society than a man so filled with faith that he freely and enthusiastically sings — even when he can't sing. Especially when he can't sing. I could name some names here. Again, it's not ability. I personally think that's why the psalm says in verse 4:“Make a joyful noise to the LORD.”Sing! Shout! Make some kind of noise! If you can't carry a tune, if God gave you a bucket — then bang on the bucket. It doesn't have to sound good. It just needs to sound like joy. Grab a trumpet, grab a tambourine, grab a lyre (whatever that is). Clap your hands. If you have joy in the Lord, make it a loud joy. Don't cave to social pressure, put it under a basket, and make bad excuses for sitting out of the singing. We need to hear your joy in God. We need a song, and not just any song. We need a new song. 2. Sing a New SongWhen God calls the people to sing, he specifically says, “Oh sing to the LORD a new song!” Don't just keep singing the same songs. No, new deliverance calls for a new song. If God hears our prayers and fights for us, we're going to sing about it. This is one of the great lessons of the psalms, right? I mean we're in the process of walking through 150 songs. This is already our eighth summer in the psalms. We get the point by now, don't we?We were made for worship. Life is hard and confusing and painful, because of sin. But God still reigns (and creation testifies to that). God watches over his people, satisfies them with himself, and delivers them from every kind of enemy and trial. So trust in God, and worship him.Do we really need 150 versions of that? Oh my goodness, yes! Are you kidding me? We need 150 million songs to try and capture the glory of this God. This is why the 150 psalms keep telling us to sing even more new songs.Psalm 33:3,“Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.” Psalm 96:1,“Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth!”Psalm 149:1,“Praise the Lord! Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the godly!”When God's people experienced his salvation in some new way, they wanted a new song. We need a new way to express all the thanks and faith and joy we feel toward God right now. . . . Notice that there's nothing actually new in the psalm. Again, we can't even tell what event they were singing about. That's not the point of “new” here. New wasn't unveiling new information. No, it's rehearsing the same glorious realities about God with different words and melodies, because he deserves all the lyrics and melodies. We sing a new song because there will always be more to celebrate. I love how Psalm 40:5 unleashes this kind of worship:You have multiplied, O Lord my God,your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;none can compare with you!I will proclaim and tell of them,yet they are more than can be told.Do you hear that? God, I'll tell them everything you've done for me — all your wondrous deeds — yet they are more than can be told. If I tried to say it all, I'm going to run out of ink, breath, time, or all of the above.Our lead pastor is leading us well here. Pastor Jonathan wrote that first song we sang this morning — “I Am Free.” He's not rushing to tell you that, and I admire him for that. But that won't keep me from telling you.No more death, no debt is due,The blood of Christ has made me new!The curse undone, my heart is freeThe risen Son has rescued me!Amen! And may it be the first of dozens of new songs we sing together as a church. Now, we don't have to write every new song (a “new song” might just be new to us), but it's especially sweet when one of us pours their heart into lyrics and melody to say Jesus is real, his mercy met me at the cross, and he set me free. And if God keeps delivering us — and he will keep delivering us until he brings us safely home — then we'll need another song soon. So go ahead and sing a new song, and then another one, and then another one. You're not going to exhaust him and his salvation. And singing a new song will help you see more of him.3. Recruit the ChoirIn verses 1–3, Israel is singing a new song about the salvation God has worked for them. In verses 4–6, though, the psalm turns and invites the whole earth into the choir. Let's start in verse 3:The Lord has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulnessto the house of Israel.All the ends of the earth have seenthe salvation of our God.Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth;break forth into joyous song and sing praises! . . .Make a joyful noise,” verse 6, “before the King, the LORD!”All the ends of the earth have seen this salvation — they've seen God love and deliver this people from their enemies — so come and sing with us! You can be saved too, if you'll humble yourself and bow to the true King.Notice that we're not inviting the world with yelling. This feels relevant given what we've been enduring for months now. Lots of yelling. We're not yelling back, no we're inviting all the earth, even that little stretch of green across the street, with singing. And we're singing because we're not just inviting them to acknowledge the truth and bow to the King; we really are inviting them into our joy. World, you have seen and heard what he's done for us — “All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.” Jesus came and died and rose so that you don't have to die for your sins. You don't have to face the wrath of God. You don't have to settle for weak and fleeting pleasure here on earth. You can be saved! Get in on this! Come taste something so good you can't help but sing! He's looking out on all the earth — I'm thinking of the missionaries we prayed for a few weeks ago during global missions Sunday, they're saying to all the nations, billions of lost people, come join this choir. Far As The Curse Is FoundBut the choir doesn't stop there. Verses 4–6 call all the tongues, tribes, peoples, and nations into the choir room — all the earth, praise him. Come and have what we're having. Come and be saved by grace through faith. Look at verses 7–8 again, though. The psalm goes even farther…Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;the world and those who dwell in it!Let the rivers clap their hands;let the hills sing for joy together. . . .He wants the rivers and hills and oceans and whales to get in on this, too. Now, we already saw that they're singing — and they really are. But by verse 7, even creation is singing a new song. And we know that because of verses 9–10. I'll begin in verse 8 again:Let the rivers clap their hands;let the hills sing for joy togetherbefore the LORD, for he comesto judge the earth.He will judge the world with righteousness,and the peoples with equity.Why are the rivers clapping? Because God has come to judge the world. He's finally come to put an end to sin, to pour out justice on all who refuse to receive his mercy, and to make all things right again. This psalm tells us that creation isn't singing at full strength yet. And we know this at the Segal house. I told you about our peonies. Well, a couple days after our first one bloomed — big beautiful white blooms, with yellow inside and a bright red center — the rain came through and ripped all the pedals off. Every single one. It's a big green shrub of ugly little stumps. We had just a few glorious days, and now we're left waiting for another 362 days. What kind of deal is that? I told you we planted 200 tulips last fall. I didn't tell you that we only got to see a dozen or two, because deer came through and ate them all before they bloomed. What's the point? Creation's not singing at full strength yet. Consider the lilies — they're dying. They're getting eaten. They're all going to be buried in snow in six months. Creation is cursed because of sin.Strawberries get moldly before they make it to the fridge. Parasites wipe out crops and other animals. Wildfires break out and destroy communities. It gets brutally cold in Minnesota for half the year. And don't get me started on construction. That's our creation, not his, but man, it's good illustration of the curse under sin. Your normal street's totally dug up, you don't know which way to go, it takes twice as long to get there, and you just want to get home.The creation is beautiful and it is singing, but it's also cursed — for now. And when Christ comes to judge the world, there won't be any more construction (or disease or mold or cold).This is why I've come to love “Joy to the World” even more. Isaac Watts wrote the hymn in 1719, and it's based on this psalm. And while it's a great Christmas hymn, it's not only a Christmas hymn. This isn't only a Christmas hymn, listen:Joy to the world, the Lord is come; [That's Christmas. He has come.]Let earth receive her King!Let every heart prepare him room And heaven and nature sing!Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!Let men their songs employWhile fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains,Repeat the sounding joy!No more let sins and sorrows grow,Nor thorns infest the ground;He comes to make his blessings flowFar as the curse is found!That's not Christmas! It's not. When Jesus came the first time, and lived and died and rose and ascended, his blessings didn't flow far as the curse is found. If you don't believe me, just step outside and stand with our security guys for a few minutes. You don't even have to step outside, though. There's enough heartache inside this room to tell us this hasn't happened yet. But it will, he's coming again, and that's what Isaac Watts is singing about. Romans 8 says: “The creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.” (Romans 8:20–22)So, creation is singing, but it's also waiting, groaning, suffering. It's in bondage. This psalm looks back and celebrates past deliverance — his right hand and holy arm rescued us — and it's preparing for a final deliverance, when even the seas and hills and rivers are finally set free. Jesus is going to come again and save us, Cities Church! And that means we can sing even while we're waiting for justice and deliverance here. Can we sing songs like this in hard days? Of course we can. He has already delivered us. What more does he have to do? And he will deliver us again, and soon. And so we can sing right now, wherever we are in between. In fact, we must sing, because singing is one of the ways God delivers his people. That's why songs like Psalm 98 and “How Great Thou Art” and the song we're about to sing exist. Who knows how much God is saving us from while we sing these songs together each Sunday?His Right Hand and Holy ArmSo, sing a new song to the Lord. And how could we not when we have seen an even greater salvation? This brings us to the Table. We say these same words, verse 1:“His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.”But when we sing about “his holy arm,” we picture real arms stretched out wide, bloody and straining for air, on the cross. When we sing about “his right hand,” we see the nails in his hands, and the thorns in his head, and the spear in his side. Oh sing to the LORD a new song,for he has done marvelous things! [Hasn't he?]His right hand and his holy armhave worked salvation for him.The LORD has made known his salvation;he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.Yes, he has. That's what we remember with this meal. The King has come and worked salvation for us — he lived without sin, convicted without a crime, put to death without justice, and three days later, he rose from the dead. And he will come again to bring full and final salvation.

The judge Samson is remembered for his supernatural strength. He tore apart a lion with his bare hands and killed 1,000 Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey. Yet despite his physical strength, Samson was spiritually weak. He struggled with the lust of the eyes, the desires of the flesh, and the pride of life.Today, we can be encouraged by this truth: where we are weak, Jesus is strong. His strength is made perfect in our weakness.Welcome to Antioch Georgetown! We are a church in Georgetown, TX, and our mission is simple--We lead people to follow Christ in a life-changing way.Get Connected:

When the storms of life hit, as they do, right, what we do is that instinctively we grab a life vest, we look for a lifeline here on earth, a worldly solution if you will … instead of turning to the One who can calm the storm. So, you have to ask yourself then, who exactly is the Lord of our lives?   Just Like the Rest Over these last few weeks we have been looking at what it means to get our feet back on solid ground in life. You know, when we are going through storms we are bobbing around like a tiny little boat floundering on an angry sea and sometimes we don't know which way to head – which way is up, which way is down. All we want to do is put our feet back on solid ground. And it turns out that you don't always find that solid ground exactly where you expect to find it. And we have been exploring this whole idea of getting our feet on solid ground through the story of a humble woman called Hannah who honoured God and turned to Him in the midst of her storm - and at completely the other end of the scale, a priest called Eli and his sons Hophni and Phinehas. They were evil guys and they got their just rewards and the nation of Israel who struggled with their God. If you've got a Bible, grab it and open it up. Over these last three weeks we have been looking at the first seven chapters of the Book of First Samuel. Now First Samuel appears about a third of the way through the Old Testament. We are going to finish off that series today with the crux of what this is all about. We are going to have a look at the decision that ultimately determines whether our feet are on solid ground or not. It's a decision between the obvious and the not so obvious. What is it that you and I can decide to do that will absolutely ensure that no matter what comes our way, our feet are on solid ground? Now the pivot of this whole story – the contrast of Hannah on the one hand and Hophni and Phinehas and their dad, Eli, on the other – happens, if you remember the verse – if you have been with us over these last few weeks – in First Samuel chapter 2, verse 30, where God says: Those who honour Me, I will honour but those who despise Me will be treated with contempt. We are going to pick up that story today. The priests are dead, they've got their just rewards, Hannah's son – she couldn't have a son remember, but she now has a son, he is grown up – Samuel is the judge and the prophet and the leader over all Israel. Now that's a really important concept – they didn't have a King. All the other nations had a King but Israel did not because Israel's system of government was a theocracy – that meant that God was their King. And God appointed judges and prophets to declare His Word over the people of Israel. So He administered justice – this was Samuel – he was a prophet who declared the will of God and God was the King to the people. Now that was unique among the nations and as we saw over the last few weeks, when they honoured God; when they obeyed Him, that nations' feet were on solid ground. Now the story takes an interesting twist. We are going to pick it up in chapter 8 of the Book of First Samuel. Here's how it goes: When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. The name of his first born son was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah and they were judges in Beer-sheba. Yet his sons didn't follow in his ways but turned aside after gain – they took bribes and perverted justice. Then all the elders of Israel came together and they came to Samuel at Ramah and they said to Samuel "You are old and your sons don't follow in your ways, appoint for us then, a King to govern over us like the other nations." But this displeased Samuel when they said "Give us a King to govern us. So Samuel prayed to the Lord and the Lord said to Samuel "Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being King over them. Just as they have done to Me from the day I brought them up out of Egypt to this day, forsaking Me, serving other gods so also they are doing to you. Now then, listen to their voice – only you shall solemnly warn them and show the ways of the King who shall reign over them." So Samuel reported all the words of God to the people who were asking him for a King. He said these will be the ways of the King who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horse men and to run before his chariots and he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties and some will plough his ground and reap his harvest and to make his implements of war and to make his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and your vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his courtiers. He will take one tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give them to his officers and his courtiers. He will take your male and female slaves and the best of your cattle and donkeys and put them to his work. He will take one tenth of your flocks and you shall be his slaves and in that day you will cry out because of your King whom you have chosen for yourselves but the Lord will not answer you in that day. But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel. They said "No, we are determined to have a King over us so that we may also be like the other nations and that our King may govern us and go out before us and fight our battles." Isn't that interesting? All this time you go right back to the slavery, when Israel was in slavery in Egypt and God released them through some major miracles and through the parting of the Red Sea and then into the Promised Land and they captured the Land, battle after battle. All this time it was a simple, simple principle that God honours those who honour Him. And God did and God won the battles for them and God delivered them. And now they reject their King, their God who is able and willing to bless them and to protect them. Why? Well, actually, first they blame Samuel's sons and no doubt there is something in that, but actually you find out the reason towards the end of that verse. Look again at the passage we have just read: verses 19 and 20 of chapter 8: But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel. They said "No, we are determined to have a King over us so that we also may be like other nations and that our King may govern us and go to battle and fight our battles for us." They wanted to be like all the other nations. Now, let's think about that. Israel is unique – God is their King, He promised them the Promised Land, He has the power to make it happen. Whenever they honour Him He does make it happen and yet they want to reject Him – why? So that they can be like all the other nations! Is that stupid or what? None of the other nations have an invincible god as their king so why do they want to be like the other nations? Because in the heat of the battle they want a king they can see – a king of flesh and blood! Their enemies have a king at the head of their army so they want one too and they are prepared to give up the perfect power of the King of Kings for a poor substitute so that they can have a king that they can see! How often do we do that? How often do we put our faith in things that we can see – in our investment portfolio to provide wealth is fine until the economy goes belly up, in our career, which is fine until our health fails, in other people, which is fine until they desert us or fail us? See when we hit a storm you know what we want to do? We want to reach out and put a life preserver on instead of go to the One who can stop the storm. We want something we can see and touch and feel, instead of putting our faith in the One whom we can't see. A favourite Scripture you hear people quote is Second Corinthians chapter 5, verse 7 that says "We walk by faith and not by sight" and that's great until the storm hits, when we will definitely go for something that we can see and touch and feel, ahead of someone we can only see by faith – we'll pick that anytime. And that's the point – when we step off solid ground onto a stormy ocean.   What's the Problem? Yea, just like Israel, we want to be just like everyone else some days; just normal, everyday people who put our faith in things that we can touch and feel. It is something the Apostle Paul rejected – have a listen – Second Corinthians chapter 5, beginning at verse 1. He says: We know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house, not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, if indeed, when we have taken it off, we will not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan under our burden because we wish not to be unclothed but to be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing, is God, who has given us His Spirit as a guarantee so we are always confident, even though we know that while we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith not by sight. Yes, we do have confidence and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. See, here Paul is talking about the struggle between the temporal and the eternal – between what we can see and what we can't see. And Paul is saying "Look, I have got a body; I've got a tent but one day that is going to pass away and my faith isn't in the "here and now" – my faith is in God – I walk by faith not by sight." It's about where he puts his confidence. Now, let me tell you how easy it is to appoint an earthly King, like what Israel was trying to do and to reject the King of Kings – even when we are out and about doing God's work. This ministry that I am involved in, Christianityworks, it has been going for fifty years out of Australia and yet when I took over four years ago, there were hardly any people supporting the ministry. It had almost no income, it was going broke, there were no programmes going to air. And four years ago – it's still pretty fresh – I remember the panic attacks over finances – you see the money dwindling away and wondering when we are going to go broke – not if but when. You see, what I was doing: I wanted a big bank balance – something that would provide security that I could see and I had to turn away from that. I had to put my trust in God alone and these days, sometimes, let me tell you, things are still very, very tight. And whilst I do my part in all of that, as a good steward of the money that supporters entrust to the ministry, over and over and over and over again, let me tell you, as we have done our best just to simply honour God in all that we do here in the ministry of Christianityworks, He has honoured us. It's as simple as that! Now, let's get back to the story and find out where the real problem was here with Israel and the Kingship of God. Well, Israel got its very first King like all the other nations and God, through the prophet Samuel, appointed Saul. Let's have a look at it in the first couple of verses of chapter 9 of the Book of First Samuel: There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish son Abiel son of Zeror son Becorath son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a man of wealth. He had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he – he stood head and shoulders above everyone else. So the prophet hears from God and God says "Saul is the King. If they want a King they are going to get Saul". And initially at least, after he is anointed, Saul has success because even though God was rejected by His people in favour of Saul, God is a God of grace and He continued to honour them and bless them even though He warned them of how the King would turn out. We saw that earlier. See, sometimes when we reject the Kingship of God in our lives and choose something else – career or wealth or whatever it is – initially we have some success but as we will see later, Saul ended up in abject failure. In fact, Saul (if you want to read it in First Samuel chapter 31) committed suicide in the middle of battle. It's easy for you and me to say "Well, what's the problem here? It's probably not a bad thing that they had a King to lead the nation. What's the problem? I do have to invest and plan for my retirement, sure, but do we do it under the Kingship of God?" When God is calling us to give a substantial amount of our money to let's say the poor, do we do that? Or do we sock it away for our retirement? Who or what do we put our trust in, who or what do we submit to? Listen again to what Samuel said to Israel – First Samuel chapter 10, beginning at verse 17: Samuel summoned the people to the Lord at Mizpah and he said to them "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, "I brought you up out of Egypt – I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you. But today, you have rejected your God, the God who saves you from all your calamities and all your distresses and you have said "No! but set a King over us." That's the problem – they rejected their God; they rejected the great Unseen for a King who was far inferior to God but whom they could see. See, despite all that they knew – they knew that God had brought them out of Egypt; they knew that He had rescued them from the Egyptians; they knew that He had rescued them from all their oppressors. God said "I did all that. Couldn't you see that I was your King? Couldn't you see that I am worthy of your trust? Couldn't you see that with Me you have your feet on solid ground? Couldn't you see that?" No, they couldn't see and no, some days we can't see it either. We are blinded by the dazzle of what this world has to offer. It never ceases to amaze me, you know, in times of economic prosperity, people behave as though there is no tomorrow. They put their faith in the money they are earning, their stock portfolio that is growing and the house that's mortgaged up to the hilt and the new car and all that stuff. But then, when the economy eventually takes a dive - as mind you, it always does – they cry out and scream at the price of petrol and the high interest rates and the risk of losing their home. Can I tell you something? You can't live a life of peace if you are putting your trust in an inferior king. You can't have security when you put your faith in those things that will fail. You can't! I can't! It just doesn't work.   Choose your King I want to take us right back now to the beginning of this series – to the first chapter of First Samuel. It's the story of a simple woman called Hannah - she was one of Elkanah's two wives. The other wife Peninnah had children, Hannah had none. And if you have ever been in that situation where you can't have kids or you know someone in that situation, you know how incredibly painful that is and to make it worse the other wife Peninnah, would give Hannah a hard time over this. Pretty tough! There is a real storm that was going on year after year after year – this pain of being childless. Now Hannah had a lot of choices in that space. She could have been angry, she could have lashed out or she could have withdrawn. Her husband didn't help her much so what does Hannah do? First Samuel chapter 1, verse 9: Once they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on a chair by the doorpost of the Lord's temple. In the bitterness of her soul, Hannah wept and prayed to the Lord and she made a vow. She said "Lord God Almighty, if You will only look upon Your servant's misery and remember me and do not forget Your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life and no razor will ever be used on his head. And as she kept praying to the Lord, Eli the priest, looked at her mouth – Hannah was praying in her heart – her lips were moving but her voice couldn't be heard. Now, Eli thought she was drunk and said to her "How long will you keep on getting drunk. Get rid of your wine." She said "Not so, my lord, I'm a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. (Isn't that beautiful?) Don't take your servant for a wicked woman. I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief." And Eli answered "Well, go in peace and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked for." She said "May your servant find favour in your eyes." Then she went away and she ate something and her face was no longer downcast. Now it turns out – see, Hannah was a "nobody", not like the priest – she wasn't a man in the social structure – she wasn't a priest, she was a "nobody". She just goes and pours out her heart to God amidst the bitterness of her soul. Turns out God honours those who honour Him, as she does have a son, she calls him Samuel. She gives him back to Eli; she gives him over to God as soon as he is weaned and he comes and serves as a priest in the temple, under Eli, whom she discovers later, is a bad dude. This priest is supposed to be a go-between between God and His people, yet he and his sons have no respect for God and His people at all, so Samuel is put there by faith by her. Now we have heard the story: Samuel grows up, he becomes a mighty man of God. Do you know why that happened? Because Hannah honoured God! And God says "I will honour those who honour Me but those who despise Me, will be treated with contempt". And that's what Eli and his sons Hophni and Phinehas found out when they died because they did not honour God. And then we saw how, because of them, Israel ends up rejecting God. And you know how that ends up? In defeat! Saul ends up committing suicide – you can look at it in chapter 31, the last chapter of the Book of First Samuel. Israel rejected God as its King and God said "Well ok, I am going to warn you – you're rejecting Me. I am going to give you a King but this is not going to go well for you." And because they wanted a King that they could see, they rejected God anyway, they chose Saul and it ended up not well for them. The Philistines defeated them, Saul died. The one who is honoured by God is the one who honoured Him! How did she do that? In her misery and her pain; in the bitterness of her soul – she didn't act up, she didn't complain, she didn't grumble – she put her trust simply in God. She poured her soul out to Him, God honoured her. Eli didn't, his sons didn't! At the end of the day, Saul didn't, Israel certainly didn't – the one who did was Hannah and God honoured her because she honoured Him. I want to lay a challenge before each one of us today through this story. We all go through times, you know, when we would like to have our feet on solid ground and yet we are all over the place and things don't seem to be working out and everyone is coming up against us. I want to lay a challenge before each one of us today – you and me – we have to choose our King – it's either God or it is something else we trust in. You can't have both – you can't serve two kings, you can't serve two masters. It's either going to be God, the great unseen reality; the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords or its going to be something we see – a life preserver that we can grab onto. Problem is, life preservers might stop us from sinking for a while but they can't stop the storm. Only God can stop the storm! There are people listening today and your life seems to be one endless storm. Maybe you are absolutely sick to death of being tossed around by angry waves; maybe you are in that boat today. Well, it is time to put your feet back on solid ground. It is time to say "You know something? I may be a nobody like Hannah, it may be that I am not an Eli, I'm not a Samuel, I'm not a David, I'm not some big person – I'm some little unknown person like Hannah, that may will be the case. And yet in this whole story she is the only one who received God's blessing because she is the only one who honoured God. She received her son Samuel who had such a mighty influence over the history of her nation." And Hannah was onto something! Maybe today is time to say "I choose my King". Either we are going to choose God or we are going to reject Him and choose something that we can feel or touch. I can choose a "Saul" in my life – you can choose a 'Saul' in your life and it may give us a sense of security for a little while. You know, when that boat is bobbing round the ocean, you grab for the life preserver – that's a pretty good thing. Probably a pretty good feeling but the life preserver doesn't get us out of the storm. It just keeps us floating there for a bit longer. Only One – the only One – that can get us out of the storm; the only One that can put our feet back on solid ground is our King, God. You want your feet on solid ground? This whole story that we have been looking at over the last four weeks in the first nine or ten chapters of First Samuel – this story is about the Kingship of God. And the story tells us very clearly – you want to put your feet on solid ground? Go honour God – go choose Him as your King – go submit to Him as your King! Let me ask you something – which one is going to work, the King of Kings or Saul? Which one is going to put your feet back on solid ground? Which King will you choose in your life?

Today, Pastor Jeff takes us to first Samuel seventeen. The entire Hebrew army was frozen in fear - of one Philistine Giant. Here we find a young man who would not even be old enough to join the military, yet he stepped out to fight the most feared man in the Philistine army. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/621/29?v=20251111

www.patreon.com/theconspiracypodcastThe Ark of the Covenant (Part 1)It's a box. Not a particularly big box — roughly four feet long, covered in gold, carried on poles, and missing for over 2,600 years. But according to three major world religions, it's the single most dangerous object that has ever existed on planet Earth. This week, Sean, Eric, and Jorge crack open one of the greatest mysteries in human history: the Ark of the Covenant.Before anyone can chase it, hide it, or die trying to touch it, you need to understand what this thing actually was. The boys walk through the full origin story — Moses on Mount Sinai, 40 days and 40 nights, a very specific divine blueprint, and a construction contract that made IKEA instructions look casual. God wanted acacia wood, exact cubit measurements, a solid gold lid hammered by hand, and two golden cherubim with wings arching inward. No substitutions. No pine. Acacia only, sir.Then the Ark starts doing things. Rivers stop flowing. City walls collapse. Seventy people drop dead just for looking inside it. A man named Uzzah reaches out to keep it from falling off a cart — trying to save it — and God strikes him down on the spot. The Philistines steal it, regret it immediately, and send it back with gold offerings and a full apology. It parts the Jordan River. It flattens the walls of Jericho without a single sword swung.And then, somewhere around 586 BC, it simply vanishes — so completely that even the Babylonian king who looted Jerusalem didn't bother writing it down.Where did it go? Is it buried under a church in Ethiopia? Was it hidden by priests who saw the invasion coming? Was it ever even a physical object at all? The boys lay the foundation this week so Part 2 can go full conspiracy. The mystery is just getting started.

Speaker: Pastor NickSynopsis: Today we continue in our series called "Sidekicks" where we look at some of overlooked characters of the Bible and see what we can learn from their ministries. We're studying 1 Samuel 14 today and the story of Jonathan and the Armor Bearer. This story represents one of the biggest military wins in Israel's war against the Philistines and a fantastic example of faithfulness and trust. We're going to dive into the story and did into whether we pursue faithfulness or famousness. Want to learn more? Stick around!Intro Music:     Inspire And Motivate by Mixaund | https://mixaund.bandcamp.com           Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comOutro Music:     Inspiring Beat by Alex Menco | https://alexmenco.net           Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com           Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported         https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en_US

Welcome to Day 2873 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom. Day 2873 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 132:6-12 Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2873 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2873 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. The title for today's Wisdom-Trek is: The Song of Ascent – The Enthronement of the Ark on the Holy Mountain In our previous episode on this grand expedition, we stepped onto the thirteenth ridge of our fifteen-part pilgrim journey through the Songs of Ascents. We explored the opening section of Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Two, verses one through five. We witnessed the unyielding, sleepless passion of King David. Even though he had a quiet, weaned soul within himself, he refused to enjoy the private luxury of his cedar palace while the Ark of the Covenant remained neglected in a temporary tent. We examined his solemn vow to the Mighty One of Jacob, a vow of deliberate restlessness, where he refused to sleep until he found a permanent, sacred space—a cosmic embassy—where the True King of heaven and earth could establish His earthly footstool. Today, we take our next historic step forward, continuing directly from that narrative. We are entering into the second movement of this grand, processional anthem, exploring Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Two, verses six through twelve, in the New Living Translation. The psalmist shifts our focus from David's private, intense vow, to the corporate, joyful experience of the entire nation as they actually locate, recover, and march with the symbol of God's presence up the mountain. Let us step onto the rugged trail, join the ancient procession, and watch the Divine Warrior ascend His throne. The first segment is:The Discovery and the Procession to the Footstool Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Two: verses six and seven. We heard that the Ark was in Ephrathah; then we found it in the distant countryside of Jaar. Let us go to the sanctuary of the Lord; let us worship at the footstool of his throne. The narrative transitions from David's intense, singular obsession, to the collective voice of the Israelite community, singing together on the road to Jerusalem. “We heard that the Ark was in Ephrathah; then we found it in the distant countryside of Jaar.” To fully appreciate the deep, emotional relief embedded in these two names—Ephrathah and Jaar—we must recall the tragic, historical backstory. Decades earlier, during the chaotic days of Eli the priest, the Israelites had foolishly treated the Ark of the Covenant like a magical good-luck charm, dragging it onto the battlefield against the Philistines. The rebel spiritual forces operating behind the Philistine armies achieved a temporary, mocking victory; the Ark was captured, and the glory of God seemed to depart from Israel. Even after the Philistines returned the Ark due to divine plagues, it sat neglected, stashed away in the obscure, overgrown, and wooded fields of Kiriath-jearim—which the psalmist poetically calls the “distant countryside of Jaar.” It was hidden in the brush, largely forgotten by the general public, while the nation drifted spiritually. But David mobilized the nation. The pilgrims recount the great rally: “Let us go to the sanctuary of the Lord; let us worship at the footstool of his throne.” We must view this through the profound lens of the Ancient Israelite Divine Council worldview, as masterfully taught by Doctor Michael S. Heiser. In the ancient Near East, a supreme monarch sat on a high, elevated throne, and his feet rested upon a beautifully crafted footstool. The footstool was the critical point of contact where the heavenly, royal realm physically touched the lower, earthly domain. In cosmic geography, the Ark of the Covenant, positioned inside the Holy of Holies beneath the outstretched wings of the golden cherubim, was recognized as the literal footstool of Yahweh's heavenly throne room. When the pilgrims say, “let us worship at the footstool of his throne,” they are not merely engaging in formal temple rituals. They are entering the earthly embassy of the Supreme Commander of the cosmos. They are stepping into the direct presence of the High King, joining the heavenly assembly of loyal angels, and declaring that Yahweh's authority completely eclipses the claims of the rebel spiritual principalities who rule over the surrounding, disinherited nations. The second segment is: The Divine Warrior Takes His Seat Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Two: verses eight through ten. Arise, O Lord, and enter your resting place, along with the Ark, the symbol of your power. May your priests be clothed in godliness; may your loyal servants sing for joy. For the sake of your servant David, do not reject the king you have anointed. The procession reaches its absolute climax as the Ark is physically carried up the slopes of Mount Zion. The king and the priests raise a dramatic, liturgical shout to the heavens: “Arise, O Lord, and enter your resting place, along with the Ark, the symbol of your power.” This phrase, “Arise, O Lord,” is a direct, intentional echo of the ancient wilderness battle cry recorded in Numbers, chapter ten. Whenever the Ark of the Covenant set out from the camp to lead the tribes through the desert, Moses would stand and shout, “Arise, O Lord, and let your enemies be scattered!” It was the invocation of Yahweh Sabaoth—the Lord of Hosts, the Commander of the heavenly armies. But notice the fascinating, beautiful shift in Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Two. The Divine Warrior is no longer marching out to do battle in the wilderness; He is marching in to take His seat. He is entering His “resting place.” In the Deuteronomy Thirty-Two framework, the rebel gods claimed ownership over the nations, but Yahweh has chosen Zion as His permanent, centralized cosmic mountain. By placing the Ark—the symbol of His power—on Mount Zion, Yahweh is establishing an unshakeable, eternal fortress. The warfare is completed; the King is officially taking His seat on the throne. This supreme, cosmic installation requires an entirely transformed community to serve the King. Verse nine petitions: “May your priests be clothed in godliness; may your loyal servants sing for joy.” The priests, who act as the human mediators between the heavenly council and the earthly congregation, must not wear the corrupt, manipulative garments of the pagan fertility cults. They must be literally wrapped, clothed, and saturated in tsedeq—true, uncompromised godliness and righteousness. When the leadership is holy, the entire community flourishes. The "loyal servants"—the hasidim, the covenant-keeping exiles—break out into uninhibited, roaring songs of joy. Their worship becomes a defensive shield, keeping the chaos of the world outside the walls of the sanctuary. The processional prayer concludes with a crucial plea for the continuation of the dynasty: “For the sake of your servant David, do not reject the king you have anointed.” The human king, the Mashiach, the anointed one, serves a vital function in the Divine Council worldview. He is designated as Yahweh's earthly vice-regent. He is the human representative who executes the justice, and the cosmic order of the High King, within the physical realm. The pilgrims pray that God will look at the faithful, historical sacrifices of David, and refuse to reject the current, fragile human king who sits on David's throne. They need the line of the vice-regent to remain unbroken, so that the connection to the cosmic mountain remains secure. The third segment is: The Reciprocal Oath of Eternity Psalm One Hundred Thirty-Two: verses eleven and twelve. The Lord swore an oath to David with a promise he will never take back: “I will place one of your descendants on your throne. If your descendants obey the terms of my covenant and the laws that I teach them, then your royal line will continue forever and ever.” In the final section of today's trail, the direction of the song flips completely. The pilgrims have finished speaking to God, and now, Yahweh speaks back to the pilgrims. He responds to David's historic, restless vow with a massive, unyielding oath of His own. “The Lord swore an oath to David with a promise he will never take back: ‘I will place one of your descendants on your throne.'” This is the beautiful, reciprocal irony of the Davidic covenant. In the first five verses of this psalm, David...

In this week's episode, I take a look at the movies and streaming shows I watched in Spring 2026, and rate them from least to most favorite. This coupon code will get you 25% off the ebooks in the Dragontiarna series at my Payhip store: DRAGONJUNE The coupon code is valid through June 15, 2026. So if you need a new ebook this summer, we've got you covered! TRANSCRIPT 00:00:00 Introduction and Writing Updates Hello, everyone. Welcome to Episode 305 of The Pulp Writer Show. My name is Jonathan Moeller. Today is May 29th, 2026 and today we'll be discussing my Spring Movie Review Roundup for 2026, where I discuss the movies and streaming shows I watched over the last few months. We will also have Coupon of the Week and a progress update on my current writing, publishing, and audiobook projects. So let's start off with Coupon of the Week. This week's coupon code will get you 25% off the ebooks in the Dragontiarna series at my Payhip store. That coupon code is DRAGONJUNE. And as always, you get the coupon code and the links in the show notes for this episode. This coupon code will be valid through June the 15th, 2026. So if you need a new ebook for this summer, we have got you covered. Now let's move on to my current writing, publishing, and audiobook projects. As I mentioned last week, Dragon-Mage is out and you can get it at Amazon and Kindle Unlimited and it's doing well, so thank you for that. My next main project is Blade of Thieves and as of this recording, I am on chapter 11 of 25, though that'll probably expand in the final draft, which puts me at 56,000 words in. So I'm almost halfway through. I think probably it's going to be the length of Blade of Wraiths or a little longer, but we'll see. I'm hoping to have it out towards the end of June, but depending on how June goes, that might slip till July. Hopefully we can avoid that. I'm also 5,000 words into Cloak of Frost and that will be my main project once Blade of Thieves is done. I'm hoping to have Cloak of Frost out towards the end of July, but depending on how June goes, it might slip to August. For audiobook projects, Blade of Wraiths is still processing at ACX, though I believe as of right now, you can get it at Google Play, Kobo, Spotify, and my own Payhip store. The other stores should be available within a few weeks. As of right now, I don't actually have any current audiobooks in production, though we have some scheduled for the future. Once Blade of Thieves is finally done, Brad Wills will record that for us. Hollis McCarthy is scheduled to record Cloak of Worlds in June, if all goes well. Leanne Woodward will be recording Dragon-Mage sometime in July, if all goes well. So that is where I'm at with my current writing, publishing, and audiobook projects. Hopefully we'll have new things for you to read and listen to before much longer. 00:02:32 Main Topic: Spring 2026 Movie Review Roundup Now without any further ado, let's move on to our main topic, my Spring 2026 Movie Review Roundup. It's time for the Spring 2026 Movie Review Roundup, where I review the movies and streaming shows I watched over the last few months. As always, they're listed from least favorite to most favorite. The grades are wholly subjective and based on nothing more than my own opinions and thoughts. With that disclaimer out of the way, let's go to the movies. First up is Kicking and Screaming, which came out in 2005. This is a family comedy with Will Ferrell and Robert Duvall. Pharrell plays Phil Weston, a mild mannered vitamin store owner and Duvall plays his father, Buck Weston, owner of a successful chain of sports equipment stores. Buck is one of those hyper competitive guys who has to win at everything and Phil has always rolled with it. But when Phil's son is a benchwarmer on the youth soccer team that Buck coaches, Phil's had enough and starts coaching a rival team to get his son into the game and to defeat his father. Along the way, of course, he descends into Will Ferrell style comedic lunacy, but the PG version since this is a PG movie. Mike Ditka was also hilarious as Phil's sidekick and assistant coach. It seemed like an '80s family movie. It was a sort of movie where you could have taken the entire family to the theater in 2005 and everyone would have been at least moderately entertained. Overall Grade: C Next up is the animated Lord of the Rings, which came out in 1978. As I mentioned, this was the animated version of Lord of the Rings from 1978. Extremely ambitious, but I think it's fair to say this landed in ambitious failure territory, but they tried the best they could given the constraints of the technology at the time and the actual available budget. They tried to pack the entirety of the Fellowship of the Ring and the first half of The Two Towers into about two hours and 20 minutes. I'm sorry to say it just didn't work. Like Dune, the Lord of the Rings is one of those books that requires like 10 hours of very expensive filmmaking to pull off properly. That said, I think it is fair to say that this stumbled so that the Peter Jackson live action trilogy could run. Adapting a book (especially a big book) into a movie is a challenge and I don't think this quite got there. Too much was cut out and if you hadn't read the book, you would probably have no idea what was happening or just been confused the entire time. Additionally, the movie relied heavily on rotoscoping and it didn't always quite work. Like the rotoscope Nazgul looked creepy and unsettling, so that worked for them. However, the rotoscoped orcs just looked bad. You know how in live theater stagehands will dress all in black? The orcs kind of looked like that, albeit they're wearing yellow ponchos over their black stagehand outfits, almost like the stagehands were expecting inclement weather backstage. That said, the vocal performances and the music were very good. So an ambitious and admirable failure. As I said, I think the filmmaker's vision exceeded the grasp of their budget and the available technology of the 1970s. Overall Grade: C Next up is Airplane!, which came out in 1980. It was interesting to watch this as a cultural artifact. It had the leisurely pace of an '80s movie, with far more absurdist humor. It was a parody of various airplane disaster movies from the 1970s. It's also interesting that this is remembered as a Leslie Nielsen movie nowadays, though Leslie Nielsen 's character is only a supporting character. For all that he's known for his absurdist humor these days from later movies, Nielsen plays his character stone cold dead straight, which makes him all the funnier, amazingly enough. Some of the jokes in this movie have aged very badly, but it's still worth watching as an interesting and amusing cultural artifact, given how it influenced the entire genre of comedy movies afterwards. There's also the obligatory three seconds of nudity that can get cut on cable TV broadcast. Overall Grade: B- Next up is the Thomas Crown Affair, which came out in 1999. This is an interesting remake of a movie from the 1960s. Pierce Brosnan plays Thomas Crown, a billionaire who has grown bored with his life, so he orchestrates the theft of a priceless Monet painting from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The heist goes off flawlessly and the museum's insurance company sends out investigator Catherine Banning (played by Renee Russo) to retrieve the painting and avoid a hundred million dollar insurance payout. Banning immediately intuits that Crown is the thief and sets about to find the painting. This investigation is complicated by the fact that Crown and Banning immediately develop a strong attraction and start an affair. It was interesting to watch since neither Crown nor Banning are particularly sympathetic characters. In 2026, the phrase "bored New York billionaire" has much more sinister connotations than it did in 1999 and Banning breaks all kinds of laws and sleeping with her target is not a particularly bright idea. That said, the opening heist was interesting and Crown's final gambit to return the painting was extremely clever and enjoyable to watch. So overall, I like the movie, but there's still way too much nudity. Cable broadcasts are probably like 10 minutes shorter than the actual runtime from cutting it all out. Overall Grade: B- Next up is Whiskey Galore, which came out in 2017 and this is a remake of the original Whiskey Galore from 1949. Honestly, this is exactly the same movie from 1949 that I watched in the Movie Review Roundup for Summer 2025, just updated with modern filmmaking techniques. If the movie makers in the '40s could have done it this way, they would have. Though I would recommend watching the 1949 one first and then the one from 2017. Overall Grade: B Next up is Super Mario Galaxy, which came out in 2026. And I have to admit, it felt a little strange to be the oldest person at the theater watching Super Mario Galaxy, but I've been playing Mario games since before any of these kids were born, so I think I had a right to be there. Anyway, I would say this movie is about 75% as good as the first one. It was a little overpacked and the plot wasn't quite as tight, but it's still fun to watch. The animation was excellent and I enjoyed all the callbacks to the various Mario games and since I haven't actually played all the Mario games (as a reminder, I played no console games of any kind between 1998 and 2019), I'm sure there were quite a few I missed. The plot is that Bowser Jr is coming to rescue his father, Bowser, who's been held captive since the end of the last movie. To power his doomsday weapon, Junior kidnaps Princess Rosalina and Princess Peach goes to rescue her while Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi stay to protect the Mushroom Kingdom. Their separate subplots will end up crossing when Bowser Jr. invades the Mushroom Kingdom to get Bowser. Glen Powell was an excellent choice to voice Fox McCloud. I'd say if you could imagine a movie that the audience would enjoy and the critics would hate, you'd end up with Super Mario Galaxy. Since that appears to be what happened to the tune of $970 million, it appears that metaphor was accurate. Also, to be less glib, "movies you can take your kids to" do serve a valuable social function (in my opinion). Overall Grade: B Next up is the Rise and Fall of Reggie Dinkins, which came out in 2026. This was a comedy with a fun premise. Reggie Dinkins (played by Tracy Morgan) was an elite NFL player who got bounced out of the league for placing bets on himself. Years later, he teams up with an indie filmmaker named Arthur Tobin (played by Daniel Radcliffe), to make a documentary to rehabilitate his image. However, Tobin has his own issues. He has an Oscar, but after the Oscar, he got hired to direct a Marvel movie and cracked under the pressure. He and Reggie have to go on a journey to recover their reputations. I thought this was a pretty funny sitcom. Tracy Morgan is a comedic natural, but Daniel Radcliffe turned out to be an excellent comedic actor as well. He was great in that Weird Al biopic a few years ago and he's very funny in this. Craig Robinson was also great as Jerry Basmati, Reggie's sleazy nemesis. Overall Grade: B+ Next up is The Mandalorian and Grogu, which came out in 2026. I enjoyed this. It was like three pretty good episodes of The Mandalorian show put together. The end result was an adventure movie that kind of reminded me of the best of 1980s fantasy and sci-fi movies with a lot of creature work and a lot of action scenes. For an extended stretch of the movie, Grogu takes over as the primary protagonist, and given that Grogu is a very expensive puppet, that's an impressive feat. The plot picks up from the end of The Mandalorian show. The Mandalorian and his adopted son Grogu are now working for the New Republic, helping to hunt down Imperial warlords. Mando gets assigned to hunt down in a mysterious Imperial warlord named Commander Coin, but the only people who have information on Coin's location are the Twins, a pair of Hutt crime lords and relatives of Jabba the Hutt from Return of the Jedi. The Twins are willing to give up Coin's location if Mando does a job for them, but as Han Solo could have warned Mando, working for the Hutts is not a good idea. I was surprised that the reviews for this movie were as mixed as they were, but I suspect that's a combination of three social factors: Number one, cumulative ill will towards Disney as a corporation, which has done numerous sketchy things in the 2020s. I think something similar happened with Microsoft and Starfield. Number two, the lingering bad aftertaste of the sequel trilogy and number three, the tendency of the hardcore Star Wars fandom to chronically overthink things. Overall Grade: B+ Next up is the animated Hobbit, which came out in 1977. Peter Jackson's Hobbit Trilogy from the 2010 famously stretched The Hobbit across three movies, which really didn't work and added a bunch of epic battle scenes, which was totally off for what was essentially a children's book. The animated 1977 version of The Hobbit, by contrast, went in a different direction, neatly adapting it down to 70 minutes or so, presumably because animation is very expensive. At the time, this got mixed reviews, but looking back nearly 50 years later, I think we can appreciate it more because of the sheer amount of work that goes into hand-drawn animation. Like computer-based animation is unquestionably a lot of work as well, but hand-drawn animation is on something of a higher level in terms of difficulty, in my opinion. That said, I think this adaptation did a better job of compressing the story down than the animated Lord of the Rings movie I mentioned earlier in this episode. There's also a lot of 1970s style folk singing-like a LOT. I suspect J.R.R. Tolkien would have hated every single adaptation ever made of any of his works (with perhaps the exception of the audiobooks), but he would have approved of the number of songs and poetry in this. Though it was amusing that the high elves in this movie sing in a '70s folk music style. It would be humorous if in the Silmarillion, Earnedil the Mariner had finally crossed the Sundering Seas to reach Valinor and appeal the aid of the Valar against Morgoth and his hordes, only to hear '70 style folk music echoing across the shining hills of the Undying Lands. Anyway, it's definitely worth watching this if you like The Hobbit or old style animation. Overall Grade: A- Next up is House of David Season 2, which came out in 2026. I wrestled with what grade to give this because it used a lot of AI for the big battle scene in episode one and as long time readers and listeners know, I do not generally approve of LLM generated slop. Ironically, I think episode one, the big battle sequence with all the AI, was definitely the weakest point of the entire second season. Everything else was better. That said, all the character drama and interactions and acting were really good, which amusingly shows that while LLM stuff can generate blurry scenes of mounted soldiers charging at night, the real human emotion comes from, well, real human emotion. Anyway, this picks right up from the end of Season 1, right after David kills Goliath, which means it takes place during most of the events with the third quarter of the book of 1 Samuel from the Bible. David becomes one of the chief commanders of King Saul, but David is secretly the anointed king of Israel. Saul's deteriorating mental state becomes threatening to David while Saul's children scheme for position (with the exception of Jonathan, who has accepted that God has chosen David as the next king of Israel) and the Philistines prepare for war against Israel. It is interesting how the show alternates between leaning into the Grimdark aspects of life in the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age and avoiding them. Like, constant warfare was a fact of life for a Mesopotamian king around 1000 BC. But the show also shows David as having passionate romantic love for Saul's daughter Michal and in the Bible, David ended up with at least eight wives that we know about (there were likely others) and an unnamed number of concubines. So late Bronze Age/early Iron Age monarchs were not likely to have been in the grips of fervent romantic love. Though based on the Psalms he wrote, David seems to have been a man who definitely was in touch with his emotions and quite possibly he would have passionately loved multiple women at the same time. Anyway, I enjoyed the show. While I am not an expert, I probably have a higher than average level of Old Testament knowledge. So when the show expanded on something from 1 Samuel (such as the role of Doeg, the murderous Edomite shepherd), I could see where they were coming from. Or the subplot where Jonathan falls in love with an Israelite woman since in the Bible, David took care of Jonathan's son, Mephibosheth, logically, Jonathan had a wife at some point. Related to that as Saul continues his descent, in a moment of rage in 1 Samuel, he calls Jonathan "the son of a perverse and rebellious woman" and the show has a subplot explaining how Saul came to see Queen Ahinoam as a "perverse and rebellious woman". So I enjoyed this and will definitely watch Season 3 when it comes along. That said, the opening battle with the AI generated battle scenes is still definitely the weakest part of the series, though. Overall Grade: A- Next up is Maul: Shadow Lord, which came out in 2026. And in my opinion, this was pretty good. I think he could call the plot Sith Noir. Maul, desiring vengeance against the Emperor for all the pain he has endured, has decided to rebuild his criminal syndicate (previously destroyed in the Clone Wars) and use it to bring down the Empire. Meanwhile, Captain Lawson, a detective on a minor world, is trying to rebuild his relationship with his teenage son and keep his career afloat. This becomes tricky when a pair of fugitive Jedi fleeing from the Inquisitors turn up on their world. But in the younger of the two Jedi, Maul sees a potential apprentice for himself, one he could corrupt to the dark side. The animation has improved by quantum leaps and bounds since the days of the Clone War show. The lighting and the shadows are excellent. Maul looks spooky and a little uncanny. The lightsaber fights are quick and fluid. No spoilers, but the final episode is absolutely excellent. I also think one of the best things about the Star Wars animation shows is how Maul's character has evolved from simply the cool swordsmen at the end of The Phantom Menace to a sympathetic yet still evil warrior-philosopher, a tragic figure whose every effort always contains the seeds of its own downfall. Overall Grade: A Next up is Emma, which came out in 2020. This is an excellent adaptation of the Jane Austen's novel. Good performances, good cinematography, and it captures the essence of the novel quite well and it's probably a must for Austen fans to see. I don't really have anything negative to say about it, say that it has the three seconds of unnecessary nudity that can be cut in cable broadcasts. Ironically, and quite amusingly, that three seconds of nudity is quite literally the only thing this movie has in common with Airplane!. Overall Grade: A Next up is No Packers, No Life, which came out in 2025. This was a fun documentary about a group of Japanese Green Bay Packers fans. Obviously, there are fairly large cultural and linguistic divides between the United States and Japan, so American football is not hugely popular in Japan. However, the Green Bay Packers are the only community owned team in the NFL to this day and so they're quite a bit more sympathetic than one that's owned by a faceless billionaire. Anyway, an American businessman goes to Japan and stumbles across a Japanese man wearing a Packers jersey at a bar. From there, he learns of a small club called the Japanese Packers Cheering Team that gathered to watch Packers games. This businessman in question happened to be from Wisconsin, so he befriended the Japanese Packers Cheering Team and invited them to Green Bay for a game. The invitation snowballed and so the entire club and their families arrived to watch the game. Sports fandom really isn't one of my interests, so it's always interesting to look at it from the outside. That said, this was an enjoyable documentary about cross-cultural communication at its best. Overall Grade: A Let's close out this episode with my favorite thing I saw in spring 2026, which was Project Hail Mary, which came out in 2026. This is another "science man solves space problem that saves the day with math and science", type science fiction adventure like The Martian, though some new twists on the formula. Dr. Ryland Grace wakes up alone on a spaceship with all the other crew dead and no memory of how he got there. Gradually, he partially remembers and works out that he is part of Project Hail Mary, a last ditch effort to stop Earth's sun from dimming due to an extremophile organism called the Astrophage. Only one other star in Earth's stellar neighborhood was showing no signs of Astrophage infection, so Grace's ship was sent there on a suicide mission to try and recover some means of defeating the Astrophage. While there, he encounters an alien ship with a sole survivor and he slowly works out how to communicate with the alien, who he dubs Rocky. It turns out Rocky's people sent him there on a mission to solve the Astrophage problem as well and together Grace and Rocky try to work out how to save their respective home worlds. Quite enjoyable and worth seeing. At the time I typed this in March of 2026, it was the highest-grossing movie of 2026 and I think it deserved that, though it did eventually get overtaken by Super Mario Galaxy. Overall Grade: A I suppose that was an eclectic range of movies, wasn't it? Interestingly, I actually saw three of them in theaters: Project Hail Mary, Super Mario Galaxy, and The Mandalorian and Grogu, so I went to the theater three times in three months. I think that's the most I've been to the movie theater in a single year in the entirety of the 2020s. So that is it for this week. Thank you for listening to The Pulp Writer Show. I hope you found the show interesting. A reminder that you can listen to all the back episodes at https://thepulpwritershow.com. If you enjoyed the podcast, please leave a review on your podcasting platform of choice. Stay safe and stay healthy and we'll see you all next week.  

Today we continue in our series, Who is King?, in 1 Samuel. In chapter 18, we see David and Jonathan's friendship blossom and Saul's first attempt to kill David. Despite the danger David finds himself in, God's favor is upon him and he prospers in all he does, including defeating 200 Philistines to secure his marriage to Saul's daughter Michal. Pastor Eric shares three points as we work through the text: 1) Friendship: Sacrificial connection reflects God's glory in friendship. 2) Favor: God's presence accomplishes God's purposes for God's glory. 3) Foe: Fearful hearts oppose God's glory and purpose.

We're so glad you are here! Thanks for checking out Sunday's message!-- SUNDAY'S NOTES --Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Romans 12:12 ESVContinue steadfastly in prayer. Colossians 4:2 ESVA relationship with God has multiple ingredients, but none is more important than prayer.May my prayer be set before you as incense, the raising of my hands as the evening offering. Psalm 141:2 CSBMeanwhile, the fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must never go out. Each morning the priest will add fresh wood to the fire and arrange the burnt offering on it. Leviticus 6:12 NLT The Alter Ignites. John answered them all, “I baptize you with water, but one who is more powerful than I am is coming. I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. Luke 3:16 CSBIt's hard to stay faithless or action-less when you pray.The Alter Separates. Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. Psalm 139:23-24 NLTEverything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible for me,” but I will not be mastered by anything. 1 Corinthians 6:12 CSBGrilled chicken salad isn't gonna snatch the snickers out of your stomach!?The word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, separating the soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 CSBWhat a waste when the things that matter a little keep us from giving our hearts to the things that matter most!Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. James 5:16 NLTThen Samuel said to all the people of Israel, “If you want to return to the LORD with all your hearts, get rid of your foreign gods and your images of Ashtoreth. Turn your hearts to the LORD and obey him alone; then he will rescue you from the Philistines.” So the Israelites got rid of their images of Baal and Ashtoreth and worshiped only the LORD. 1 Samuel 7:3-4 NLTThe Alter Settles it.Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear. Isaiah 65:24 NIVIn view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. Romans 12:1-2 CSBAt the altar of prayer, our hearts are reshaped until God's passion becomes our passion and His will becomes our will.-------------------------------------------------Download the 828 Church app!To view our latest e-newsletter, the Midweek Momentum, and subscribe to our weekly updates, go here! https://linktr.ee/828church

The Battle of Gibeon 12Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.13And Joab the son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. And they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool. 14And Abner said to Joab, Let the young men arise and compete before us. And Joab said, Let them arise. 15Then they arose and passed over by number, twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David. 16And each caught his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent's side, so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called Helkath-hazzurim, which is at Gibeon. 17And the battle was very fierce that day. And Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David. 18And the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was as swift of foot as a wild gazelle. 19And Asahel pursued Abner, and as he went, he turned neither to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner. 20Then Abner looked behind him and said, Is it you, Asahel? And he answered, It is I.21Abner said to him, Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and seize one of the young men and take his spoil. But Asahel would not turn aside from following him. 22And Abner said again to Asahel, Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I lift up my face to your brother Joab?23But he refused to turn aside. Therefore Abner struck him in the stomach with the butt of his spear, so that the spear came out at his back. And he fell there and died where he was. And all who came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died, stood still. 24But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. And as the sun was going down they came to the hill of Ammah, which lies before Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon.25And the people of Benjamin gathered themselves together behind Abner and became one group and took their stand on the top of a hill. 26Then Abner called to Joab, Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that the end will be bitter? How long will it be before you tell your people to turn from the pursuit of their brothers? 27And Joab said, As God lives, if you had not spoken, surely the men would not have given up the pursuit of their brothers until the morning. 28So Joab blew the trumpet, and all the men stopped and pursued Israel no more, nor did they fight anymore. 29And Abner and his men went all that night through the Arabah. They crossed the Jordan, and marching the whole morning, they came to Mahanaim. 30Joab returned from the pursuit of Abner. And when he had gathered all the people together, there were missing from David's servants nineteen men besides Asahel.31But the servants of David had struck down of Benjamin 360 of Abner's men. 32And they took up Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father, which was at Bethlehem. And Joab and his men marched all night, and the day broke upon them at Hebron. Abner Joins David 3There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. And David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul became weaker and weaker. 2And sons were born to David at Hebron: his firstborn was Amnon, of Ahinoam of Jezreel; 3and his second, Chileab, of Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel; and the third, Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; 4and the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital;5and the sixth, Ithream, of Eglah, David's wife. These were born to David in Hebron. 6While there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner was making himself strong in the house of Saul. 7Now Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. And Ish-bosheth said to Abner, Why have you gone in to my father's concubine? 8Then Abner was very angry over the words of Ish-bosheth and said, Am I a dog's head of Judah? To this day I keep showing steadfast love to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers, and to his friends, and have not given you into the hand of David. And yet you charge me today with a fault concerning a woman. 9God do so to Abner and more also, if I do not accomplish for David what the Lord has sworn to him,10to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan to Beersheba. 11And Ish-bosheth could not answer Abner another word, because he feared him. 12And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf,saying, To whom does the land belong? Make your covenant with me, and behold, my hand shall be with you to bring over all Israel to you. 13And he said, Good; I will make a covenant with you. But one thing I require of you; that is, you shall not see my face unless you first bring Michal, Saul's daughter, when you come to see my face. 14Then David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, saying, Give me my wife Michal, for whom I paid the bridal price of a hundred foreskins of the Philistines. 15And Ish-bosheth sent and took her from her husband Paltiel the son of Laish. 16But her husband went with her, weeping after her all the way to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, Go, return. And he returned. 17And Abner conferred with the elders of Israel, saying, For some time past you have been seeking David as king over you. 18Now then bring it about, for the Lordhas promised David, saying, By the hand of my servant David I will save my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines, and from the hand of all their enemies.19Abner also spoke to Benjamin. And then Abner went to tell David at Hebron all that Israel and the whole house of Benjamin thought good to do. 20When Abner came with twenty men to David at Hebron, David made a feast for Abner and the men who were with him. 21And Abner said to David, I will arise and go and will gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may reign over all that your heart desires. So David sent Abner away, and he went in peace. 22Just then the servants of David arrived with Joab from a raid, bringing much spoil with them. But Abner was not with David at Hebron, for he had sent him away, and he had gone in peace. 23When Joab and all the army that was with him came, it was told Joab, Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he has let him go, and he has gone in peace. 24Then Joab went to the king and said, What have you done? Behold, Abner came to you. Why is it that you have sent him away, so that he is gone?25You know that Abner the son of Ner came to deceive you and to know your going out and your coming in, and to know all that you are doing. Joab Murders Abner 26When Joab came out from David's presence, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the cistern of Sirah. But David did not know about it. 27And when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the midst of the gate to speak with him privately, and there he struck him in the stomach, so that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother.28Afterward, when David heard of it, he said, I and my kingdom are forever guiltless before the Lord for the blood of Abner the son of Ner. 29May it fall upon the head of Joab and upon all his father's house, and may the house of Joab never be without one who has a discharge or who is leprous or who holds a spindle or who falls by the sword or who lacks bread! 30So Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner, because he had put their brother Asahel to death in the battle at Gibeon. David Mourns Abner 31Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, Tear your clothes and put on sackcloth and mourn before Abner. And King David followed the bier. 32They buried Abner at Hebron. And the king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner, and all the people wept. 33And the king lamented for Abner, saying, Should Abner die as a fool dies?34Your hands were not bound;your feet were not fettered;as one falls before the wickedyou have fallen. And all the people wept again over him. 35Then all the people came to persuade David to eat bread while it was yet day. But David swore, saying, God do so to me and more also, if I taste bread or anything else till the sun goes down! 36And all the people took notice of it, and it pleased them, as everything that the king did pleased all the people. 37So all the people and all Israel understood that day that it had not been the king's will to put to death Abner the son of Ner. 38And the king said to his servants, Do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel? 39And I was gentle today, though anointed king. These men, the sons of Zeruiah, are more severe than I. The Lord repay the evildoer according to his wickedness!

Group Guide Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.Additional context: Watch the theology teaching video, What is the Bible? 2 Samuel 15 Mike Goble Download TranscriptAll right, so Chet and Spencer are away. Let's get down to business. No, no, no, no, no. My name is Mike. I'm an elder in training here. Last week at the end of the sermon, I had three people come up to me and say that I reminded them of Absalom.I had one person come up and tell me I reminded them of Abimelech and I reminded them that that's not what the story was about and that was Raz. So when they told me that I reminded them of Absalom, I said, "Oh, of course, the striking good looks." And they all pretty intentionally clarified, "No, that is not why. it is because you have long hair and you are trying to convince people to leave this church and go out with you to plant another church. And so that brings me to my first point today. Oak Ridge Church in Lexington will be meeting sometime in January of 2027. Now this is not an infomercial for our church plant, even though we are very excited about that.We're going to be today in 2 Samuel. We're going to be in chapter 15. This is going to be on page 304 of the Bibles that are at your seats. We would ask if you'd consider not using an electronic Bible if you're willing and instead maybe pick one of those Bibles up and we're going to read the Bible together. And we think that's a helpful thing. Before we get started in our text, I'm going to pray for us. Father, we thank you for being our God, for being our salvation.We thank you for your good scripture that teaches us about you. Please Lord, may the Spirit work in our hearts through the foolishness of preaching that we would be changed to be more like your Son in Jesus' name. Amen. All right. Last week we saw that David permitted Absalom to return back to Jerusalem after he initially spent three years in exile after murdering his brother Amnon after Amnon's sin with Tamar. But even though Absalom was back in Jerusalem, he was not allowed to be in the king's presence.And after about two years, he kind of forces himself back into the king's presence by burning down Joab's field. Now, Joab is one of David's nephews. He is the son of David's sister. And he's one of the commanders of David's army. So, Absalom burns down the field, gets his attention, and Joab tells David, and David lets Absalom back into his presence. And then Absalom goes and spends the next four years positioning himself daily at the city gate, rendering judgments and manipulating the people, stealing their hearts is what it says. He is taking them away from their loyalty and their allegiance to King David.He then travels down to Hebron, which is about 18 miles or so south of Jerusalem. And he's got a large group of followers with him. And guys, remember Hebron is actually a pretty significant place. It's significant that he goes down there. So Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the patriarchs, the men from which all of Israel descended, are buried.They're all buried in Hebron. And David himself was was anointed king down in Hebron. So this is a pretty significant place. And now we see Absalom is down there and he's proclaimed as king, but he's not anointed. He's taking it by manipulation. And we're going to see taking it by force.This is the beginning of a full-scale rebellion. And today we're actually gonna look at how David responds and how the people around David respond to what's going on here in Israel. We pick up in verse 13 of chapter 15. And a messenger came to David saying, "The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom." Then David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, "Arise and let us flee, or else there will be no escape for us from Absalom," "Go quickly, lest he overtake us quickly and bring down ruin on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword."And the king's servant said to the king, "Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my Lord, the king, decides." So the king went out and all his household after him. And the king left 10 concubines to keep the house. And the king went out and all the people after him and they halted at the last house. All right.So a messenger comes in and tells David, hey, Israel is going to follow Absalom. So through his manipulation over the last four years, he has won over a significant portion of people that this messenger comes right in and says, "Hey, is the hearts of the men of Israel, they're gone. And they're not just gone from you. They've gone to your son Absalom." Meaning Absalom has the loyalty of these people. So David responds by saying to all his servants that are still in Jerusalem that they need to flee because if they stay, they will not escape from Absalom and he will come quickly and violently and he will ruin them.And so his servants get up with him and they get ready to flee and they leave behind the 10 concubines to maintain the house. And now they're going. And this is a pretty high pressure moment in this story. And we've we've kind of seen stuff like this play out in stories before, right? You know, you know the story the the tale of the prince who his uncle wanted to become king. And so he convinces the prince that the prince killed his dad.And the prince gets so overwhelmed and so scared that he flees. And he leaves Pride Rock. And Zazu and Rafiki have no idea what they're going to do. And we see stories like this in our entertainment. But guys, this happens a lot and it has happened a lot in history.There are so many coups in history from the murder of Julius Caesar to Napoleon taking over France to Castro and the Cuban Revolution. Did you know that in 2024 there was a coup in South Korea where the president of South Korea decided he was going to declare martial law so the legislature you know they couldn't meet or do anything and then well the legislature met anyway and 11 days later he was impeached and then put on trial. That was two years ago. This kind of stuff has been happening forever throughout history. And honestly, when I think about that, I can't help but think back to 1 Samuel chapter 8, where Israel is demanding that they have a king so they can be like all the other nations.And David, their king, is now here fleeing Jerusalem because his son is coming to overthrow him just like so many other nations before them and so many other nations that will come after them. What do you think was on David's mind? What do you think he was thinking about here? You know, the text doesn't directly say, but do you remember what the Lord said through the prophet Nathan in chapter 12? In chapter 12, when Nathan is pronouncing his judgment from God on David for his sin, the Lord says to David that the sword will not depart from your house. And then right after in chapter 13, we find out Absalom kills his brother Amnon.So, one of David's sons kills the other. And now David suspects Absalom is coming for him. So his plan is to flee. And it might be because he's afraid of Absalom. It might be because he wants to avoid conflict with his own son. It might also be acceptance of the judgment of God.And I actually think that the rest of what we're going to look at today supports that idea. Supports that David has accepted what God has planned for him no matter what. All right. So, David's servants are ready to go and they begin leaving Jerusalem together. And let's pick up verse 18. And all his servants pass by him.And all the Cherethites and all the Pelethites and all the 600 Gittites who had followed him from Gath passed on before the king. Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, "Why do you also go with us? Go back and stay with the king, for you are a foreigner, and also in exile from your home. You came only yesterday. And shall I today make you wander about with us, since I go, I know not where? Go back, take your brothers with you.And may the Lord show steadfast love and faithfulness to you." But Ittai answered the king, "As the Lord lives and as my Lord the king lives, wherever my Lord the king shall be, whether for death or for life, there also will be your servant." And David said to Ittai, "Go then, pass on." So Ittai the Gittite passed on with all his men and all the little ones who were with him. And all the land wept aloud as all the people passed by and the king crossed the brook Kedron and all the people passed on toward the wilderness. Okay, so David's leaving and as he's leaving he passes by different people that are highlighted for us here in the text.First there's the Cherethites, the Pelethites and the Gittites. So the Cherethites and the Pelethites are part of the royal bodyguard. So these are warriors who protect David and they go with him. And the Gittites and their leader Ittai are originally from Gath, we're told. And that's a a Philistine city. And the reason that we're told that is because back in 1 Samuel, David when he was originally fleeing Israel, fleeing from Saul when Saul wanted him dead, lived in Gath.And these men followed him when he returned back to Israel. And so he gives Ittai the option. He says, "Go back. You can just go back and align yourself with Absalom. You do not have to come with me." He says, "There's not really a reason for you, Ittai, to go ahead and get caught up in this problem.I'm releasing you from that." And Ittai refuses and he says, "He's going to stay with David even to death." And that is pretty awesome. There's something in us that just kind of loves a display of loyalty and a display of friendship like that. If you remember the famous book series that was adapted into the blockbuster movies, The Lord of the Rings, the whole series, the whole journey, the main character is trying to destroy this ring that he has to carry. And right when he's at the end, right when he's just feet almost steps from being able to do so, he runs out of strength and and by his side with him the whole time is his friend, his best friend that he's known his whole life.And his friend looks at him and says, "I can't carry it for you." And that's the ring, "But I can carry you." And when you watch that in the theater or maybe at your house, you're like, "Yeah, and I can carry it for you, too." You just like get so swept up in it, it's really cool. And your wife says pipe down, but you're like, "No, this is this is awesome." And so we see that and that strikes a chord within our hearts because we love that display of loyalty and friendship.We want to be a part of that display of loyalty and friendship. And so I think that's a really noteworthy thing and I think it's included in that in who he passes by on his way out of town because we get to see that exceptional display of friendship and loyalty to David. So, he's got this large group of faithful friends who in his darkest hour are leaving Jerusalem with him and they're all together and it says that they're weeping and that they're headed into the wilderness. Verse 24, and Abiathar came up, and behold, Zadok came also with all the Levites bearing the ark of the covenant of God.And they set down the ark of God until the people had all passed out of the city. Then the king said to Zadok, "carry the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me back and let me see both it and his dwelling place. But if he says, I have no pleasure in you, behold, here I am, let him do to me what seems good to him." The king also said to Zadok the priest, "Are you not a seer? Go back to the city in peace with your two sons, Ahimeaz, your son, and Jonathan, the son of Abiathar.See, I will wait at the fords of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me." So Zadok and Abiathar carried the ark of God back to Jerusalem, and they remain there. But David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, barefoot and with his head covered. And all the people who were with him covered their heads and they went up weeping as they went. And it was told David, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, "O Lord, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness."All right. Now we are going to get into David's response to the situation that he's in. So Abiathar and Zadok, who are they? They are the chief priests. They are part of the Levites and they carry the ark of the covenant. And the ark of the covenant represents God's presence with his people.What does David say? He tells them, "Take it back to Jerusalem." Why? Why would David say that? Part of the answer to that question is because he says, "Zadok, aren't you a Aren't you a seer? Aren't you a prophet?" maybe David thinks, well, if he's back there, he can he can get some information out to me while I'm out here in the wilderness.It might be good to have him back there. And that is part of it. However, I think the main answer, the main reason that David tells him to take the ark, tells them to take the ark of the covenant back, is because he is accepting of the sovereign will of God. And he's doing it with humility. David's response is to essentially resign himself to the will of God. And if he sees the ark again, he knows God has looked favorably on him.And if not, then may God do what seems good to him. In the 1600s, German theology professor Samuel Rodegast wrote a song for his friend who was dying. And the song is called Was Gott tut das ist wohlgetan. Do you got I'll translate that for you for those of you who don't speak German. Whatever my God ordains is right. And one of the verses in this song goes, "Whatever my God ordains is right, he never will deceive me.He leads me by the proper path, I know he will not leave me. I take content what he has sent. His hand can turn my griefs away, and patiently I wait his day." So David resolutely accepts the will of God and he ascends the Mount of Olives weeping and here we see the second aspect of his response. We first see the humble acceptance of the divine will and after that we see him pray. What does he pray?He asks God to make the counsel of Ahithophel foolish. Now, Ahithophel was once David's advisor, but he turned his allegiance toward Absalom. And David here, powerless from a position of humility, asks the Lord to make whatever Ahithophel advises Absalom to be foolish. And we're actually going to see later on that God is going to answer this prayer. But something I want to see is that the two aspects of the response are actually linked together, require each other.Because intrinsic to prayer is humility. It's recognizing that the greatest thing you can possibly do is acknowledge the will of God and the fact that he is ordaining all things. And when you do that, you are going to pray. No, you are. You pray. When you have a heart posture like that, what comes out of it from within you is prayer.Because you finally understand how insignificant you are in affecting outcomes on this earth and you realize that God is sovereign and that God is ordaining all things and you are not God. What happened in Israel when they decided to accomplish their own will? Sexual sin, murder, treachery, it doesn't really go well. And the world around us doesn't really understand this, right? Because what happens when we see tragedies and things like that and people say, "Well, you know, our thoughts and prayers are are with the victims and and the things that have happened, right?" And people just don't like that.They sort of respond back with, "Well, we don't want that. We would rather you do something. We would rather see action. But if you know God and you know your relationship to him and you understand in your heart that what he ordains is right, that what he is doing has a purpose, then you know that the greatest thing you possibly could do would be to pray and to ask him, hey, if it could work out this way, would you change the counsel of Ahithophel to be foolishness? Right? And to commune with God from a position of humility is a really powerful thing.Let's pick back up in verse 32. While David was coming to the summit where God was worshiped, behold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat torn and dirt on his head. David said to him, "If you go on with me, you will be a burden to me. But if you return to the city and say to Absalom,"I will be your servant, O king, as I have been your father's servant in time past, so now I will be your servant. Then you will defeat for me the counsel of Ahithophel."Are not Zadok and Abiathar the priests with you there? So whatever you hear from the king's house, tell it to Zadok and Abiathar, the priests. Behold, their two sons are with them. Ahimeaz Zadok's son and Jonathan Abiathar's son. And by them you shall send to me everything you hear. So Hushai, David's friend, came into the city just as Absalom was entering Jerusalem.Okay. Here, David tells Hushai, another one of his close friends and counselors, to go back to Jerusalem and act as a spy, essentially to feed information to Zadok and Abiathar, who will through their sons get that information out into the wilderness to David. And so now we finish chapter 15 with David on his way out of Jerusalem. And we begin chapter 16. And as David is out of Jerusalem, Absalom has now entered Jerusalem. Chapter 16 starts, "When David had passed a little beyond the summit, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him with a couple of donkeys saddled bearing 200 loaves of bread, a hundred bunches of raisins, a hundred of summer fruits, and a skin of wine."And the king said to Ziba, "Why have you brought these?" Ziba answered, "The donkeys are for the king's household to ride on, the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine for those who faint in the wilderness to drink." And the king said, "And where is your master's son?" That's Mephibosheth. "Where is your master's son?" Ziba said to the king, "Behold, he remains in Jerusalem, for he said, Today the house of Israel will give me back the kingdom of my father." Then the king said to Ziba, "Behold, all that belonged to Mephibosheth is now yours."And Ziba said, "I pay homage. Let me ever find favor in your sight, my Lord the king." Okay, so back in 2 Samuel 9, we see the first interaction of David with Ziba. And what's happening there is remember David wanted to honor someone of the lineage of his friend Jonathan. And so he wants to find someone of the lineage of Saul. Jonathan was Saul's son.And he wants to honor him. And Ziba says, "Well, actually, Jonathan's son, Mephibosheth, is here." And David says, "Okay, bring him to me." And he brings him and he honors him. And he says, "You're going to always eat at the king's table." And Ziba then after that is made the servant of Mephibosheth.And now where we are, we've got Ziba coming to tell David, "Hey, just so you know, as you were leaving back in Jerusalem, Mephibosheth went ahead and said, "Awesome. Now I'm going to get the kingdom back because David's gone." Like as if the house of Saul is going to now take back the kingdom. And David kind of takes this just at face value. And I don't know if it's because maybe things have not been working out super well for David. So, you know, when you're not having the greatest of time and you hear a piece of information that's not that great, you're like, "Of course, yeah, that's going wrong, too.The car is broken as well." You know, it's that kind of thing where, yeah, Mephibosheth thinks he's going to be king. I guess that's what he wanted all along. I don't know if that's exactly what David's thinking, but he responds by giving what he had originally given to Mephibosheth over to Ziba. But later on, and we're not going to unpack this as much today, in chapter 19, Mephibosheth is going to dispute this.And we're not actually sure if this is what happened. But from David's perspective, he thinks Mephibosheth has also sort of abandoned him and is looking to gain his own kingdom. And he thinks that's another person who probably is not on his side anymore. Verse 5. When King David came to Bahurim, there came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera. And as he came, he cursed continually. And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David.And all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. And Shimei said as he cursed, "Get out. Get out. You man of blood, you worthless man. The Lord has avenged on you all the blood of the house of Saul in whose place you have reigned. And the Lord has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom.See, your evil is on you, for you are a man of blood. So Shimei, who is one of Saul's relatives, sees things aren't going very well for David. And as David and his guard and all his people with him are are passing by, he starts flinging stones at him and saying a curse at him. And the text sort of reads this as one man just out there flinging rocks into a crowd of hundreds, thousands at David and cursing at him. And we're told he does this because he resents David for what happened to Saul. In verse 9, you see, then Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, said to the king, "Why should this dead dog curse my Lord the king?Let me go over and take off his head." But the king said, "What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the Lord has said to him, "Curse David, who then shall say, why have you done so?" And David said to Abishai and to all his servants, "Behold, my own son seeks my life. How much more now may this Benjaminite? Leave him alone and let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. It may be that the Lord will look on the wrong done to me, and that the Lord will repay me with good for his cursing today."So David and his men went on the road while Shimei went along on the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went and threw stones at him and flung dust. And the king and all his people who were with him arrived weary at the Jordan and there he refreshed himself. Okay. So Abishai is Joab, the guy who we talked about from last time whose field was burned. He's his brother. So this is another one of David's nephews, one of the children of David's sister.And Abishai, he is not liking this. He does not like what he sees here. This is like, you know, if you're like in high school and maybe you're like having a feud with another person and so like all your friends, they're like shooting that other person dirty looks. Maybe that person's having a party and they're like, "Well, we're not going to go because, you know, our friends are feuding with each other. we're not going to go support that. And then your friend kind of comes up to you and he says, "Look over there at that dead dog. How about I just go bring his head to you?"And you're like, "Whoa." Love the zeal, but no. And so David here tells Abishai, "No." But this isn't the first time that's had to happen because actually back in 1 Samuel, Abishai is with David when David is in the camp of Saul when Saul wants to kill him and Saul is sleeping and David and Abishai are there and see him and Abishai goes let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of the spear and David tells him no and he tells him here no again. So he's being cursed and mocked by Shimei and Abishai will not stand for that.And in his zeal he wants to go kill him. And you know David could have just been like yeah I am so tired of this. I am so sick of this. Go over there and bring me his head. But he does not.Instead, he says, "Let him curse because if God told him to curse, then who are we to question that? And perhaps one day God will look favorably upon it for me." This is David again accepting God's will humbly. He rejects the opportunity to control the outcome by manipulating the circumstances and instead he resigns himself to the will of God. I think that's really hard. And I know some of you feel like you're in the same boat, right?Maybe your mind is three steps ahead of everyone else and you're always trying to engineer the best outcome for yourself, especially if things haven't been going well lately. And so seeing David do this this act of humility is impressive and it's really challenging. We're going to bring our time together with this story to a close today. I want us to look back through some of those themes that we stopped to talk about. You know, we're not kings and queens. We probably will never flee our own homes on foot because of a coup.But a lot of these are reflections of what goes on in people's hearts. And I think some of these things go on in our hearts. First, I want us to reflect on Israel's desire for the king. Their desire to be just like everyone else around them. You know, this was a rejection of God as their king. And we talked about this in 1 Samuel, but now here they are just like everyone else.Because murder and sexual sin and treachery are all just glimpses of what life choosing your own sin and choosing your own will can lead to. And it doesn't ever seem like that. Nobody ever says we want a king and is thinking about a military coup. But yes, sin can take us to the place that we never think we'll go. So where are you tempted to believe these things?Where are you tempted to say that you know better that you desire a king even though that's not what God wants? I mean, I know I'm not supposed to sleep with my boyfriend or girlfriend before we're married, but what's the big deal? I mean, it's just so impractical in this economy anyway to not live together. I mean, I understand that God says I shouldn't lie, but really, honestly, taxes are crazy high, and I don't really believe in them anyway. So, what's a big deal if I count that as a deduction? Where do you think you know better than God?And where will it take you today? Reflect on that and turn from it. You can do it. You can turn from it. You can reject it and obey God, but not in your own willpower. But Romans tells us that we were once slaves to sin, but from a changed heart, we can now obey.You can obey if you have repented of sin and put faith in the gospel because your heart is changed. And only from a changed heart can we obey God. Second, I want us to see the beauty of friendship and the beauty of loyalty. David in one of his darkest hours is surrounded by men who refuse to leave him. So where do we need to be a friend like Ittai the Gittite?Where do we need to say that wherever you will be, I will be, good or bad? Are you sticking it out with your friends? Are you showing it up? Are you showing up when they need you or are you just busy? What do you need to remove from your life so that you can have the space to be there for other people? Some of you have been in rough situations in your life.Some of you are in rough situations and some of you can think of people who have showed up. Some of those people are sitting nearby you in this room. Rejoice in that because guys, you know that's a reflection of God. You know in the book of Hebrews it says that God will never leave us or forsake us. Why? Because he forsook Jesus.And so we are welcomed in a relationship with God that even death cannot sever. And we should reflect that to the friends around us that God has brought in our path. Thirdly, I want us to see David's humble contentment with God's will. We see it in his posture toward the ark of the covenant and in the cursing from Shimei. David accepts whatever God has ordained. And the temptation in times when you're walking a dark road can be to look up at God and say, "No, I am the master of my fate.I am the captain of my soul." And so I ask you today, where are you discontent with what God has sent? work, family, dating, children, health. Remind yourself of his goodness and entrust yourself to him. David ascends the Mount of Olives, weeping, resolved to God's will. And about a thousand years later, a descendant of David will sit at the base of the Mount of Olives in the Garden of Gethsemane. And in grief, he is going to call out to God and say, "Let this cup pass from me."Yet, not as I will, but as you will. And that's Jesus. And that's David's descendant who humbly accepts the will of God and goes to the cross and is punished for sin and he dies and he's buried and he rises again. And because of that, because Jesus has humbly accepted the will of the Father and was crushed, you can humbly accept the will of the Father and live. And the band is going to come back up and we are going to close this morning reflecting on Jesus, on the freedom he brings from our own sinful will and desire, on the relationships that he makes possible for us to have with God and on the example of humble acceptance of the will of God that he showed us on the cross that allows us to accept whatever comes our way.

It's so easy to look at God and come to the conclusion, well I want that part of Him – but not that part. And definitely not that bit. It seems that all too often, we want Him on our terms rather than His. But God just doesn't work that way.   Take it Back Have you ever wanted something in life – I mean really, really, really wanted it and then when you finally get it, you just want to give it back? I think we have all experienced that at some point and you know, I think that for some people, it can be the case with God. I know people, lots of people, who hunger to be close to God. I know there are people listening today – maybe you are one of them – and all their lives they have wanted God – whatever that means. But can I tell you something? Even something really good – I mean really, really good like God, well, it can be a shock to the system and the reason is that we have these idealised, unrealistic notions of what that good thing will be like. Take the young woman who wants more than anything else, to be married and she meets her knight in shining armour, she marries him and a year later she is wondering, "What happened to all my ideas of romance 24/7?" Today on the programme we are going to take a look at some people who got God and couldn't wait to give Him back. Now over these last few weeks we have been working our way through the story of Hannah and Eli and his sons in the Book of First Samuel. And the crux of it is that Hannah honours God but Eli and his sons don't and the turning point of the whole story comes in the verse First Samuel – if you have a Bible, grab it, open it up here in First Samuel chapter 2, verse 30. God says: I will honour those who honour Me but those who despise Me, will be treated with contempt. And we have seen how the central reality of that verse has played itself out in the lives of Hannah, who was blessed when she couldn't have a son and she honoured God and God gave her a son Samuel and the opposite is Eli and his sons Hophni and Phinehas who didn't honour God and were greatly punished, in fact they lost their lives because of that. This story plays its self out in the storms of life. I mean Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, they were the priests; they should have been bringing God's people close to God yet they were living life of Riley, as we saw last week on the programme. And God had them killed. They're job was to bring people close to God and yet they were not honouring Him. Instead they had led Israel to a place of defeat. We saw last week in First Samuel chapter 4 where the Philistines attacked, Israel thinks "Oh well, God is always on our side – we will go to battle" and they had a huge defeat – thirty thousand of their soldiers were killed. The Ark of the Covenant, the presence of God itself, was captured by the Philistines. See the Ark of the Covenant was where God actually sat in the midst of His people. You see that in the journey through the Exodus – forty years in the Tent of the Meeting and later on in the temple. The Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies; it is the very presence of God. And strangely, you know, when the Philistines are close to capturing the Ark they kind of realise, with a sense of foreboding, what this is about. It says in First Samuel that: When they learned that the Ark of the Lord had entered the camp of the Israelites, the Philistines were afraid. "A god has come into their camp" they said "we are in trouble. Nothing like that has ever happened before. Woe to us. Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods?" And so it goes on … Well, it turns out that they should have followed their instincts. Today we are going to look and see what happens to the Philistines and to the Israelites when the presence of God comes close to them. Let's have a look at it. If you've got a Bible, open it up at First Samuel chapter 5, we are going to begin the story at verse 1. After the Philistines had captured the Ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. Then they carried the Ark into Dagon's temple and set it beside Dagon. When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, their god, who had fallen flat on his face on the ground before the Ark of the Lord. They took Dagon and put him back in his place. The following morning when they rose, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the Ark of the Lord. His head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold – only his body remained. That is why to this very day, neither the priests of Dagon or any of the others who enter Dagon's temple in Ashdod, step on the threshold. The Lord's hand was heavy upon the people of Ashdod and its vicinity. He brought devastation upon them and afflicted them with tumours. When the men of Ashdod saw what was happening they said "The Ark of the God of Israel mustn't stay here with us because His hand is heavy upon us and upon Dagon our god." So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and ask them "What are we going to do with this Ark of the God of Israel?" And they answered "Have the Ark of the God of Israel moved to Gath." So they moved the Ark of the God of Israel but after they had moved it, the Lord's hand was against that city, throwing it into great panic. He afflicted the people of the city, both young and old, with an outbreak of tumours so they sent the Ark of God on to Ekron. As the Ark of God was entering Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out "They have brought that Ark of the God of Israel around to kill us and our people." So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and said "Send that Ark of the God of Israel away. Let it go back to its own place or it will kill us and our people," for death had filled the city with panic and God's hand was very heavy upon it. Those who did not die were afflicted with tumours and the outcry of the city went up to heaven. Do you see? The Philistines looked like they had won and yet they take the presence of God; the Ark of the Covenant, they put it in their temple next to their god and Dagon falls down, face down in front of the God of Israel. And the second time his head and his hands are cut off and then wherever they took the Ark of the Covenant, the impact of God, as a captive in their midst, was devastating – they got tumours, we will see later, there were plagues of mice. They had captured God – in human terms, they had won but you know what they had forgotten, in fact they had never realised it in the first place? God is not subject to people – God is not someone you can capture and stick in your temple. He is not someone you can tame and subdue. Why are we talking about this stuff today? Because you and I, deep down, we try and tame and subdue God – we try and swing Him around to our way of thinking; to meet our needs. We put Him in the temple of our choice; we put Him in the town and the city of our choice. You know what happens when we try to do that? We discover exactly what the Philistines discovered – we discover that God is not someone you can push around. "Well, I'll just take this God and He'll bless me whenever I want Him to." Ok, we can't see Him! Our present circumstances perhaps, appear much more powerful than Him but if we want to have our feet on solid ground, amidst the storms of life, (that's what we have been talking about over these last few weeks) we look at this maelstrom of the storm; the battle between the Philistines and the Israelites – thirty thousand Israelites killed because they didn't honour their God. Who appeared to win? Who should have been, according to our simple human expectations, on solid ground? The Philistines – they won the war. They captured Israel's God but who they captured was the God who created the entire universe – not some idol; not some tin pot little god. They captured God and He wrought destruction upon them because they tried to subdue God. So much so they couldn't wait to get rid of Him. Do you get it? When we try to take God by force – force of argument, force of opinion, force of anything – anything that doesn't recognise Him for who He is – watch out! There are so many people playing "church". There are so many people playing at being Christians; playing at religion, putting God here, putting God there. That's not what it is about. As Dagon found out, the only way you honour God is when you bow down before Him because of who He is – the sovereign God, above every name and every power and every authority in heaven and earth. That's what Hannah discovered; that's what Eli discovered; that's what Israel discovered and that's what the Philistines discovered, the hard way. You can't have God on your own terms. You can only have Him on His terms.   We Don't Want Him Well, the Philistines finally came to their senses. They realised they couldn't have God on their terms. They had a choice – you either accept God on His terms or you get rid of Him. So they decided to send Him back from whence He came. Now, let's have a look at how they did that. We are going to pick this up in First Samuel – grab your Bible – First Samuel chapter 6, beginning at verse 1 – it's a great story. When the Ark of the Lord had been with the Philistines for seven months, they called for the priests and the diviners and they said "What are we going to do with this Ark of the Lord? Tell us how we should send it back to its place." They answered "If you return the Ark of the God of Israel, don't send it away empty, but by all means, send a guilt offering to Him then you will be healed and you will know why His hand has not been lifted from you." The Philistines ask "What guilt offering should we send Him?" and they replied "Five gold tumours and five gold rats, according to the number of Philistine rulers because the same plague has struck both you and your rulers. Make models of the tumours and of the rats that are destroying the country and pay honour to Israel's God. Perhaps He will lift His hand from you and your gods and your land. Why do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and the Pharaoh did when He treated them harshly, didn't they send the Israelites out so that they could go their way? Now then, get a new cart ready with two cows that have just calved and have never been yoked. Hitch the cows to the cart but take their calves away and pen them up. Take the Ark of the Lord and put it on the cart and in a chest beside it put the gold objects you are sending back to Him as a guilt offering. Send it on its way but keep watching it. If it goes up to its own territory towards Beth-shemesh then the Lord has brought this great disaster on us. But if it doesn't then we will know that it was not His hand that struck us but all this happened just by chance. So they did that – they took two such cows, hitched them to the cart, penned up their calves. They placed the Ark of the Lord on the cart, along with the chest containing the gold rats and the models of the tumours. Then the cows went straight up towards Beth-shemesh, keeping on the road, lowing all the way. They didn't turn to the right or to the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh It is fascinating stuff! See, these people didn't know God – they got their own pagan spiritual leaders to advise them. Now their system of faith was not one God; that's called mono-theism. No, they believed in many gods; they were poly-theistic. And so they see the God of Israel as just another god on their list who may or may not have power. Now, He clearly does because He has brought all of this destruction on the Philistines. So they devise a test for this God. They get these two milk cows, with their calves. You see there is no way two cows that have just calved are going to leave their calves and these cows have never been yoked. So only God could cause them to go back to Israel, away from their young and that is exactly what ends up happening. They don't turn to the right or the left – they are lowing all the way. They don't want to go but they go and clearly this is an act of God. That's how the Philistines saw it. This is a story about so many people in this world who don't know God. See, they hear about God – it's amazing, God is still speaking. The number of times that I have had a letter or an email that says "You know something – I just happened to flick on the radio or turn to a channel and your programme was on and God spoke to me and changed my life." I'm going to share one of those at the end of this programme – an amazing story of a rebel fighter in Africa who laid down his arms. See, God is still speaking today, all over the place, and He reaches out to us and He ends up in our midst, one way or another, as He did with the Philistines. Remember back, how did the presence of God, the Ark of the Covenant, come to be in the midst of the Philistines? The Philistines fought Israel, Israel hadn't honoured their God – they got defeated by the Philistines big time. Eli the priest and his sons, Hophni and Phinehas were killed in that battle. They expected God to show up like He always did, but He didn't. And it was a sovereign act of the sovereign God to allow defeat to come upon Israel and to allow His presence, the Ark of the Covenant to be captured by the Philistines. God's own decision was to be in the midst of the Philistines those seven months. And they discover that you can't have Him on your own terms, so they give Him back – they send Him packing. That's what I did for many, many years of my life. Every now and then I encountered God. And you see I had my own agenda for my life; I had my own plans. God didn't fit so I would send Him packing. And it seemed like He would like to cause me grief and pain; want me to give up things I didn't want to give up. And time and time again I'd want to hang onto Him on my terms. Let me tell you something – it never, never, never worked so I sent Him packing. I rejected Him like the Philistines. I wonder if that has ever happened in your life. Come on, how much do we want God, but on our terms? Well, I believe this about abortion or I believe that about sexuality or I believe this about the different roles of men and women and when I discover what God has to say about those I say to myself "Well, I can't believe that! No, either I have God on my terms or not at all." Come on, there is a reason that God went to the trouble of recording this story about the Philistines and the Ark of the Covenant and then preserving it for a few thousand years and then broadcasting it on this radio station today. There is a reason! He is speaking to us through His story today. To all those people who would have God on their own terms, He is saying "No, you can't have Me on your terms. You can't capture Me and stick Me in your temple. You can only have Me on My terms." And as we are going to see soon, this problem was not reserved for the Philistines – it's not just for the people who didn't really know God but it was also for God's own people – God's own people who would push Him away. This series that we are going through is called "On Solid Ground". We need solid ground beneath our feet and we are going to discover next, exactly how to get it.   When Will We Learn? As I said earlier, the problem wasn't just restricted to the Philistines, sending God packing with those cows with the Ark of the Covenant in tow – it was also a problem that happened with the Israelites. Let's see what happened when the Ark of the Covenant arrives back with Israel - First Samuel chapter 6, beginning at verse 19. The Ark has just wandered down the road with the cows and this is what happened: God struck down some of the men of Beth-shemesh, putting seventy of them to death because they had looked into the Ark of the Lord. The people mourned because of the heavy blow the Lord had dealt them and the men of Beth-shemesh asked "Who can stand in the presence of the Lord, this holy God? To whom will the Ark go up from here?" Then they sent messengers to the people of Kiriath-jearim, saying "The Philistines have returned the Ark of the Lord, come down and take it up to your place." So the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took up the Ark of the Lord. They took it to Abinadab's house on the hill and consecrated Eleazar, the son to guard the Ark of the Lord. See, God is a sovereign God. We get Him on His terms and not ours. And the Israelites dealt casually with God's presence when He came back – they looked upon Him. Now God says "You can't look upon Me and live." How often do we treat the mighty sovereign casually? You and I – we take on God. Can I tell you who is going to win? Not us! Israel was God's people – they should have known better but they didn't. So what was their reaction? The same as the Philistines – "Who can stand in front of this sovereign God. Where are we going to send Him?" They sent God packing and it's a pattern repeated over and over and over again. So what is the answer? What these people needed was some solid ground beneath their feet. What you and I need is some solid ground beneath our feet. Well, that comes next in this story – it's exactly what happened. First Samuel chapter 7, verse 2: It was a long time, twenty years in all, that the Ark remained a Kiriath-jearim and all the people of Israel mourned and sought after the Lord and Samuel the prophet, said to the whole house of Israel "If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the Lord and serve Him alone and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines. So the Israelites put away their Baals and their Ashtoreths and they served the Lord alone. And then Samuel said "Assemble all Israel at Mizpah and I will intercede with the Lord for you." When they had assembled at Mizpah they drew water and poured it out before the Lord. On that day they fasted and they confessed "We have sinned against the Lord." And Samuel was the leader of Israel at Mizpah. When the Philistines heard that Israel had assembled at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines came up to attack them and when the Israelites heard of it they were afraid because of the Philistines. They said to Samuel "Don't stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, that He may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines." So Samuel took a suckling lamb, offering it up as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. He cried out to the Lord on Israel's behalf and the Lord answered him. Whilst Samuel was still sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle but that day the Lord thundered with a loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before Israel. The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a point below Beth-car. Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and he named it Ebenezer, saying "Thus far the Lord has helped us." So the Philistines were subdued and did not invade Israelite territory again. Throughout Samuel's lifetime, the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines. From the towns of Ekron to Gath – that the Philistines had captured from Israel - they were restored to Israel and Israel delivered the neighbouring territory from the power of the Philistines and there was peace between Israel and the Amorites. First Samuel chapter 2, verse 30 says this: I will honour those who honour Me but those who despise Me will be treated with contempt. See, that's the place of solid ground – Israel finally got it right here! See, before they had had priests who were sleeping around with prostitutes, priests who were dishonouring God, priests who were plundering the sacrifices of the people to God and God said, "You know something? If your leaders are going to be doing that I am not going to bless you." So Israel fights the Philistines and Israel loses. And so the Ark of the Covenant of God goes to the Philistines and there is devastation there because of the presence of God and they send it back to Israel. And there is devastation there because of the presence of God because everyone was trying to have God on their own terms. Here is the place of solid ground: If you want to return to the Lord with all your heart, put away all your foreign gods. And that is God's Word for you and me today. Put away all your foreign gods – all the other things that you put before God – all the other things that you and I worship – put them away and worship God alone. Come to God on His terms, not ours, because He is the sovereign God. He is the God of the whole universe. He is the God – not just one other god amongst many – He is THE God; the only God and He calls us to worship Him and Him alone. So the people did that and right at the moment they did that, the Philistines were going to attack them again, but this time, the moment they began to honour their God – this verse First Samuel chapter 2, verse 30 – came into their experience. I will honour those who honour Me, but those who despise Me will be treated with contempt. People – that is the place of solid ground. It is the only place of solid ground. God is a sovereign God. He is not my performing puppy and He is not your performing puppy. He is not there to do tricks on our command. He is above us and we are His people and God is calling us today to accept Him on His terms as the sovereign God – just the way Samuel told the people. Samuel said to them "You have got to accept God on His terms" – they did and immediately, when a storm arose, God blessed His people. And that blessing went on for many, many years and their feet were on solid ground.

In this sermon, Pastor Steven explores the pivotal transition from the era of the judges to the rise of Israel's monarchy. Through Israel's repentance at Mizpah, Samuel's victory over the Philistines, and the raising of the Ebenezer stone, we see a God who remains faithful to His people despite their weakness and wandering. Yet as Israel demands a king “like the nations,” this message reveals both the danger of rejecting God's rule and the hope of a greater King whom God would provide in His mercy. Ultimately, the story points us to Christ, the faithful King who accomplishes God's good purposes even through human failure. 

→ Watch on YouTube → Detailed Show Notes → Timestamps: (00:00) Ruth, a Moabite, becomes a central character in Israel's history as the great-grandmother of King David, through whose line comes Jesus Christ. Her story shows that God is the God of the whole world.(10:52) After becoming a widow, Ruth goes to Bethlehem and gleans in the fields of Boaz. The Law commanded that owners “not reap the corners of their fields,” thus providing for the poor.(13:53) How Boaz symbolizes Christ and how Ruth represents all of us coming unto him to be redeemed.(23:15) Ruth proposes marriage to Boaz. The threshing floor as a symbol for covenants and the temple. Jesus says “I will gather my people as a man gathereth his sheaves into the floor.”(29:46) The other kinsman that has claim upon Ruth can be seen as a symbol of Jesus reconciling and paying our debts for the things that have claim on us. God will compensate us for the difficult times in our lives.(33:03) All the characters in the story of Ruth are demonstrating hesed, or covenant love. The image of the circle and square coming together as a symbol for the union of heaven and earth.(38:46) In the Book of Samuel, Hannah comes to the tabernacle at Shiloh to pray for God to give her a son. Like Hannah, all of us experience times of deprivation, even when it is a righteous desire we seek.(43:02) Hannah's prayer led to the birth of Samuel and then an even more abundant blessing of many children. God is bounteous in his loving kindness.(45:39) The Song of Hannah as a triumphant song of praise and overcoming adversity. It gives reference to the King, but there is no monarchy yet. This song can be seen as a prophecy of the Savior and contains temple imagery.(49:13) Eli's sons reject the Lord, so Samuel will take their place as High Priest.(50:08) The Lord calls young Samuel to be a prophet, but he doesn't immediately understand. Eli helps him open his ears. Sometimes we brush off impressions as coincidence, but oftentimes they are revelation.(54:32) Samuel is recognized as a prophet. Prophets advise Israel's kings and when they listen to the prophet they are blessed.(57:42) The Israelites are defeated by the Philistines. Eli and his sons die. Samuel exhorts Israel to serve the Lord and the Philistines are subdued. → For more of Bryce Dunford’s podcast classes, click here. → Enroll in Institute → YouTube → Apple Podcasts → Spotify → Amazon Music → Facebook The post Ep 374 | Ruth; 1 Samuel 1-7, Come Follow Me 2026 (June 1-7) appeared first on LDS Scripture Teachings.

The David Alliance TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com Garth Heckman VERY FAMILIAR STORY -   *TIED TO MY NOTES TODAY   THE BUILD UP and DEMISE OF ISRAEL    THE PEOPLE WANTED A MAN OVER GOD (They wanted a King)… Here is an old quote: when more than one votes… you can assure its the wrong decision. It wasn't a King that was truly the problem -  BUT RATHER following a man, that was the problem. It was the peoples desire to follow a King over a prophet who followed God.      ***No one voted a prophet in.         ****People choose a King, God chooses a prophet.    Saul offers false sacrifices Saul chooses to disobey Gods orders to wipe out the Amakalites  Saul becomes erratic and tormented by demonic spirits  Saul now operates out of fear  *Israel and the army now saw their enemies the way their leader did - IN FEAR.   The battle of David and Goliath was never really about David and Goliath. It was the culmination of Israel's spiritual decline under Saul, and the first visible sign that God had already been at work preparing a different kind of leader — one after His own heart.       1 Samuel 17 41 Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him, 42 sneering in contempt at this ruddy-faced boy. 43 “Am I a dog,” he roared at David, “that you come at me with a stick?” And he cursed David by the names of his gods. 44 “Come over here, and I'll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals!” Goliath yelled. 45 David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven's Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! 47 And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord's battle, and he will give you to us!”     David's arrival on the battlefield was jarring precisely because of the contrast. He was young, unarmored, and inexperienced — but he carried something the entire army had lost: a reference point for who God was.         David doesn't call out the enemy, he calls out his tactics… His weapons of choice.  WHY?      In 1 Samuel 17:45, David identifies a three-fold physical threat.  In John 10:10, Jesus identifies a three-fold spiritual threat. They map onto each other in a way that shows how the enemy operates:   | Goliath's Arsenal (1 Samuel 17:45) | The Thief's Mission (John 10:10) | The Spiritual Parallel    -  The Sword.  |  To Steal   | Goliath relied on his sword to strip Israel of their land, their freedom, and their identity. The enemy wants to rob you of your peace and purpose.    The Spear.  |   To Kill | A spear is designed for a direct, fatal strike. Goliath's   Literal goal was to end David's life; the thief's goal is total spiritual death.   The Javelin   |   To Destroy   |  A javelin is thrown from a distance, bringing unexpected, widespread ruin. The enemy aims for complete devastation of your life and relationships.    The Core Contrast: Flesh vs. Spirit The real tie-in between these two passages is the **source of victory** that both David and Jesus point to. Both stories set up a stark contrast between reliance on worldly power and reliance on divine power.    * **David's Answer:** Right after naming Goliath's weapons, David says, *"But I come to you in the name of the Lord of Hosts."* He acknowledges the physical threat but completely bypasses it by relying on God's authority.    * **Jesus' Answer:** Right after naming the thief's three-fold threat, Jesus says, *"I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."*     Bears and Lions can't call you out. They can't mock you, cast verbal jabs and doubt at you.      Historical Context His defiance of Israel's armies was also a taunt against their God. Your problems, issues, fears, is a taunt against God!   Goliath's relys on human technology, political position and physical power.   David invokes God's character and power, not his own resources. This echoes the idea that God's name represents His active intervention (similar to Exodus 3 or the Psalms).     It wasn't the weapon David had it was the Worship.  Slingers were common;   -  Tribe of Benjamin 700 warriors ambidextrous        -    Sling a stone up to 95 MPH              -   At over 200 yards…  They were so confident they would inscribe words on their stones… MINE WOULD BE “ROCK ON”      David contrasts Goliath's weapons with the invisible but superior heavenly host. This title appears frequently in prophetic books but here underscores early recognition of God's military sovereignty. "Whom you have defied [cheraf-ta]": The verb charaf means to reproach, taunt, or blaspheme. Goliath's challenge is personal against Israel's God, making this a theological battle, not just military. YOUR PROBLEMS ARE A THEOLOGICAL PROBLEM…  i.e. Your problems are a “who is your God Problem”       Do you know who my father is?   - a. No   - b. Yes and I don't care   - c. Yes and I will leave you alone BUT WHAT IF THE QUESTION WAS THIS IN THAT SITUATION… “I wonder who my father is?”     Jehovah Jireh (יְהוָה יִרְאֶה) "The LORD will provide" — revealed when God provided a ram as Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac. Genesis 22:14. Jehovah Rapha (יְהוָה רָפָא) "The LORD who heals" — revealed after God sweetened the bitter waters of Marah for Israel in the wilderness. Exodus 15:26. Covers physical, emotional, and spiritual healing. Jehovah Nissi (יְהוָה נִסִּי) "The LORD is my banner" — declared by Moses after Israel's victory over the Amalekites. A banner was a military standard — the rallying point in battle. Exodus 17:15. God Himself is the flag Israel fights under. Jehovah Shalom (יְהוָה שָׁלוֹם) "The LORD is peace" — spoken by Gideon after encountering the angel of the Lord and fearing he would die. Shalom is not just the absence of conflict but wholeness, completeness, and flourishing. Judges 6:24. Jehovah Rohi (יְהוָה רֹעִי) "The LORD is my shepherd" — the opening of Psalm 23. One of the most intimate names — depicting God as the one who leads, feeds, protects, and restores. Jehovah Tsidkenu (יְהוָה צִדְקֵנוּ) "The LORD our righteousness" — a prophetic name pointing to the coming Messiah who would be the righteousness of His people. Jeremiah 23:6. Deeply connected to the New Testament doctrine of justification. Jehovah Shammah (יְהוָה שָׁמָּה) "The LORD is there" — the name given to the restored Jerusalem in Ezekiel's vision. Ezekiel 48:35. God's presence dwelling permanently with His people — echoed in Revelation 21 with the New Jerusalem. Jehovah Sabaoth (יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת) "The LORD of Hosts" or "The LORD of Armies" — one of the most frequently used names in the prophets. It pictures God as the commander of vast heavenly armies. Used powerfully in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Malachi. Jehovah Mekoddishkem (יְהוָה מְקַדִּשְׁכֶם) "The LORD who sanctifies you" — Exodus 31:13. God as the one who sets His people apart and makes them holy. Sanctification as His work, not ours alone. Jehovah Gmolah (יְהוָה גְּמֻלּוֹת) "The LORD of recompense" or "The God of vengeance" — Jeremiah 51:56. God as the one who repays — both in justice against enemies and in vindication of His people.   The Compound El Names El Shaddai (אֵל שַׁדַּי) "God Almighty" or literally "God of the mountains" or "the all-sufficient one." First used with Abraham in Genesis 17:1 when God renewed His covenant. It speaks of God's absolute sufficiency — He is enough for every need. El Elyon (אֵל עֶלְיוֹן) "God Most High" — used by Melchizedek blessing Abraham in Genesis 14. It emphasizes God's supremacy above all other powers, rulers, and so-called gods. El Olam (אֵל עוֹלָם) "The Everlasting God" or "God of eternity" — Genesis 21:33. He has no beginning and no end. Time exists within Him, not the other way around. El Roi (אֵל רֳאִי) "The God who sees me" — spoken by Hagar in the wilderness after she fled from Sarah. Genesis 16:13. One of the most tender names — God seeing the forgotten, the marginalized, the one who thinks they are invisible. El Gibhor (אֵל גִּבּוֹר) "Mighty God" — Isaiah 9:6, in the famous messianic prophecy. One of the titles given to the coming Messiah — pointing directly to Christ. El Hannun (אֵל חַנּוּן) "The gracious God" — Nehemiah 9:31. God whose grace prevents Him from completely destroying even a rebellious people.   New Testament  Abba (אַבָּא) "Father" — an Aramaic term of deep intimacy, closer to "Daddy" than formal address. Jesus used it in Gethsemane. Paul says believers are given the Spirit of adoption by which they cry "Abba, Father." Romans 8:15. Emmanuel (עִמָּנוּאֵל) "God with us" — Isaiah 7:14, fulfilled in Matthew 1:23 with the birth of Jesus. Perhaps the most staggering name of all — the eternal God choosing to be with humanity in flesh.     Why This Matters Each name was not invented by theologians — it was revealed in a moment.  God didn't introduce Himself as Jehovah Rapha in a lecture. He revealed it when Israel was thirsty and the water was bitter. He revealed Jehovah Jireh when a father was about to lose his son on an altar. The pattern is consistent throughout Scripture: Every name of God was born out of a human crisis that God personally entered. That means the names are not just theological categories — they are a record of God showing up. And for anyone studying or teaching these names, the invitation is not just to know them but to discover which name corresponds to the specific place of need you are standing in right now.       Lets end on this:  1 Sam. 17:40 40 He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd's bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd's staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine. WHY FIVE STONES? Because Goliath had 4 brothers!  Ishbi-Benob, Saph, Lahmi AND SIX FINGER FRANK     …THERE WILL ALWAYS BE GIANTS… But who is your God? He is the one who crushed satans head and gives us the victory!    CALL ON HIS NAME AND HE SHALL ANSWER. 

When we last left King Saul, he had consulted a medium when he didn't hear from the Lord, where he learns that he and sons will die the following day. David almost joins the Philistine forces in the impending war against Saul, but the commanders don't trust David like King Achish does. Returning to their settlement at Ziklag, they find their territory decimated and their families taken captive. After consulting the Lord, they pursue the Amalekites. On the way, David and his men redeem the life of a servant who had been discarded by his Amalekite master, and he returns their kindness by directing them toward the Amalekites. Later, Saul goes to battle against the Philistines along with his sons, where they meet a devastating end. 1 Samuel 29 - 1:02 .  1 Samuel 30 - 3:34 .  1 Samuel 31 - 9:35 .  Psalm 92 - 12:04 .  :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible.facebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

Today, Saul sets his sights on David once more, bringing three thousand men with him, but David again has compassion on him. David and his men defect from Israel and escape to Philistine territory, where Achish, the king of the Philistines gives David the city of Ziklag. Later, as Saul faces the Philistine armies, he becomes fearful and tries to consult the Lord, but God does not respond. Being more concerned for himself than for God's glory, Saul consults a spiritual medium, and in a totally backwards way, attempts to consult the the spirit of the man of God who had anointed him as Israel's king so many years ago. 1 Samuel 26 - 1:02 .  1 Samuel 27 - 6:52 .  1 Samuel 28 - 5:46 .  :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible.facebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

Learn about how God defends his honor without help from anyone and how manipulating him is not an option, even for his own people. Support us on Patreon for Member access to our special podcast series where we go in depth on books of the Bible. Ongoing season: Hebrews. You will also gain access to the entire archive of Season 1: The Gospel of John and Season 2: The Book of Exodus Apply for Saint Paul's House of Formation Email us Music by Richard Proulx and the Cathedral Singers from Sublime Chant. Copyright GIA Publications Word & Table Episode Index

TDAgiantslayer@Gmail.com The David Alliance  Garth Heckman The battle of David and Goliath was never really about David and Goliath. It was the culmination of Israel's spiritual decline under Saul, and the first visible sign that God had already been at work preparing a different kind of leader — one after His own heart.       1 Samuel 17 41 Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him, 42 sneering in contempt at this ruddy-faced boy. 43 “Am I a dog,” he roared at David, “that you come at me with a stick?” And he cursed David by the names of his gods. 44 “Come over here, and I'll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals!” Goliath yelled. 45 David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven's Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! 47 And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord's battle, and he will give you to us!”     David's arrival on the battlefield was jarring precisely because of the contrast. He was young, unarmored, and inexperienced — but he carried something the entire army had lost: a reference point for who God was.         David doesn't call out the enemy, he calls out his tactics… His weapons of choice.  WHY?      In 1 Samuel 17:45, David identifies a three-fold physical threat.  In John 10:10, Jesus identifies a three-fold spiritual threat. They map onto each other in a way that shows how the enemy operates:   | Goliath's Arsenal (1 Samuel 17:45) | The Thief's Mission (John 10:10) | The Spiritual Parallel    -  The Sword.  |  To Steal   | Goliath relied on his sword to strip Israel of their land, their freedom, and their identity. The enemy wants to rob you of your peace and purpose.    The Spear.  |   To Kill | A spear is designed for a direct, fatal strike. Goliath's   Literal goal was to end David's life; the thief's goal is total spiritual death.   The Javelin   |   To Destroy   |  A javelin is thrown from a distance, bringing unexpected, widespread ruin. The enemy aims for complete devastation of your life and relationships.    The Core Contrast: Flesh vs. Spirit The real tie-in between these two passages is the **source of victory** that both David and Jesus point to. Both stories set up a stark contrast between reliance on worldly power and reliance on divine power.    * **David's Answer:** Right after naming Goliath's weapons, David says, *"But I come to you in the name of the Lord of Hosts."* He acknowledges the physical threat but completely bypasses it by relying on God's authority.    * **Jesus' Answer:** Right after naming the thief's three-fold threat, Jesus says, *"I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."*

TDAgiantSlayer@Gmail.com  The David Alliance Garth Heckman VERY FAMILIAR STORY -   *TIED TO MY NOTES TODAY   THE BUILD UP and DEMISE OF ISRAEL    THE PEOPLE WANTED A MAN OVER GOD (They wanted a King)… Here is an old quote: when more than one votes… you can assure its the wrong decision. It wasn't a King that was truly the problem -  BUT RATHER following a man, that was the problem. It was the peoples desire to follow a King over a prophet who followed God.      ***No one voted a prophet in.         ****People choose a King, God chooses a prophet.    Saul offers false sacrifices Saul chooses to disobey Gods orders to wipe out the Amakalites  Saul becomes erratic and tormented by demonic spirits  Saul now operates out of fear  *Israel and the army now saw their enemies the way their leader did - IN FEAR.   The battle of David and Goliath was never really about David and Goliath. It was the culmination of Israel's spiritual decline under Saul, and the first visible sign that God had already been at work preparing a different kind of leader — one after His own heart.       1 Samuel 17 41 Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him, 42 sneering in contempt at this ruddy-faced boy. 43 “Am I a dog,” he roared at David, “that you come at me with a stick?” And he cursed David by the names of his gods. 44 “Come over here, and I'll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals!” Goliath yelled. 45 David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven's Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! 47 And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord's battle, and he will give you to us!”

Today we continue in our series, Who is King?, in 1 Samuel. In chapter 17, we see David defeat Goliath during Israel's battle against the Philistines. Pastor Eric shares four points as we work through the text: 1) Fearful battles reveal powerless people (vs. 1-24). 2) God defeats the enemy through His chosen King (vs. 25-58). 3) Jesus is the greater and better David. 4) Jesus' victory produces courageous faith.

Welcome to Day 2867 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom. Day 2867 – Wisdom Nuggets – Psalm 129:1-8 Daily Wisdom Wisdom-Trek Podcast Script - Day 2867 Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2867 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. The title for Today's Wisdom-Trek is: The Song of Ascent – The Scars of Survival and the Broken Cords In our previous episode on this grand journey, we rested in the warm, beautiful, and deeply comforting sanctuary of the family hearth. We explored Psalm One Hundred Twenty-Eight, which painted a magnificent picture of domestic Shalom. We saw the profound blessing of a life that fears the Lord, where our daily labor is protected, our marriages flourish like fruitful grapevines, and our children grow like vigorous young olive trees around our tables. We celebrated the multi-generational peace that cascades directly down from the cosmic summit of Mount Zion, anchoring our families to the eternal timeline of God's grace. But as any seasoned traveler knows, the pilgrim trail does not stay in the safety of the cozy home forever. The road of faith is a rugged mountain pass, and it frequently cuts through dangerous, hostile territory. Today, we are stepping onto the next section of the trail, exploring the tenth song in this ancient collection: Psalm One Hundred Twenty-Nine, verses one through eight, in the New Living Translation. The psalmist abruptly shifts our focus away from the peaceful agricultural blessing of a fruitful home, and forces us to confront a shocking, highly painful agricultural metaphor. We are moving from the shade of the olive tree, directly onto the blood-soaked soil of a battlefield, learning what it means to carry the deep scars of survival, while trusting in the ultimate justice of the King. Let us step onto the path, and listen to the resilient song of the survivor. The first segment is: The History of Pain and the Plowman's Furrows Psalm One Hundred Twenty-Nine: verses one through three. From my earliest youth my enemies have persecuted me— let all Israel repeat this. From my earliest youth my enemies have persecuted me, but they have never defeated me. My back is covered with furrows, as if a plowman had plowed long trenches. The song opens with a raw, collective cry that echoes down through the centuries. The psalmist demands that the entire gathered community join in a corporate chant of survival: "From my earliest youth my enemies have persecuted me—let all Israel repeat this." When the psalm speaks of "earliest youth," it is not referring to the childhood of an individual writer; it is describing the corporate infancy of the nation of Israel. The historical memory of this people is deeply saturated with trauma. From the moment they were born as a distinct community, down in the brick-making tyranny of Egypt, they were hunted. They were oppressed by the Amalekites in the wilderness, harassed by the Philistines during the era of the Judges, assaulted by the superpower of Assyria, and ultimately, violently dragged away into the crushing captivity of Babylon. Suffering is woven directly into the fabric of Israel's historical identity. To truly understand why this tiny nation has faced such a relentless, systemic, and multi-generational hatred, we must look through the lens of cosmic geography, and the Divine Council worldview, as taught by Dr. Michael S. Heiser. In the Deuteronomy Thirty-Two worldview, when the Most High divided the nations at the Tower of Babel, He allocated them to the oversight of lesser spiritual beings—the sons of God. These territorial elohim subsequently rebelled, becoming corrupt, and demanding worship for themselves. But Yahweh set apart Jacob—the people of Israel—as His own personal, treasured allotment. Israel was designed to be the beachhead of the true Kingdom of God on earth, the line through which the Messiah would eventually come to reclaim the entire planet. Therefore, the rebel spiritual principalities have a deeply rooted, cosmic grudge against Israel. The surrounding pagan nations are their earthly proxies, moving under their dark inspiration, constantly attempting to crush, assimilate, or entirely erase the people of Yahweh from the face of the earth. The persecution is not a series of random political misunderstandings; it is a calculated, supernatural conspiracy to thwart the redemptive plan of the Creator. The sheer brutality of this cosmic assault is revealed in the shocking, graphic metaphor of verse three: "My back is covered with furrows, as if a plowman had plowed long trenches." Imagine the horrifying visual. The back of the nation is treated like an open, empty field. The enemies of God do not just strike them; they drive a heavy, iron-tipped agricultural plow right across their flesh. The lash of the oppressor cuts deep, tearing open long, bloody trenches of pain, leaving permanent, raised scars of trauma across generations. It speaks of systemic, agonizing abuse. Yet, even with their backs plowed open, verse two contains a stunning, defiant pivot that shatters the power of the enemy: "...but they have never defeated me." The scars are real, the pain is undeniable, and the trenches are deep—but the survival is absolute. The rebel gods bared their fangs, and deployed their massive empires, but they could not finish the job. The covenant community still stands, stubbornly breathing, and singing on the trail to Jerusalem. The second segment is: The Righteous Deliverer and the Severed Harness Psalm One Hundred Twenty-Nine: verse four. But the Lord is good; he has cut the cords that bound me to the wicked. After staring directly into the graphic trauma of the plowman's trenches, the psalmist introduces the ultimate reason for Israel's miraculous survival. "But the Lord is good; he has cut the cords that bound me to the wicked." Other translations render the opening phrase as, "The Lord is righteous." This is a crucial theological distinction in the cosmic courtroom. Yahweh is not an indifferent spectator, watching the abuse from a safe distance. He is the perfectly just, Sovereign Commander. He looks down at the field of pain, sees the wicked driving their heavy plow across the backs of His people, and He decides that the legal boundaries of the covenant have been violated. To understand the imagery of cutting the cords, we must examine ancient agricultural technology. An ox was attached to the heavy wooden or iron plow by a complex system of thick leather cords, ropes, and harnesses. If those cords remained intact, the plowman could keep driving the beast forward, forcing the plowshare deeper into the dirt, tearing up the field indefinitely. The wicked, and the dark spiritual principalities behind them, intended to keep plowing Israel's back forever. They wanted permanent, eternal enslavement. But the Righteous Judge steps directly onto the field. With one swift, authoritative, and supernatural stroke, He slices the leather harnesses in half. He cuts the cords! The connection between the driving beast and the weapon of oppression is instantly severed. The plow stops dead in its tracks. The mechanism of slavery is completely shattered. This is a magnificent declaration of cosmic liberation. When God cuts the cords, the human oppressors lose their leverage, and the rebel spiritual forces lose their grip. Think about the Exodus from Egypt—God cut the cords of Pharaoh's chariots. Think about the return from Babylon—He snapped the iron chains of the empire. The survivor does not escape through their own cleverness, or their own military might; they walk free simply because the razor-sharp justice of Yahweh sliced through the ropes that bound them to the darkness. The third segment is: The Helpless Doom of the Haters of Zion Psalm One Hundred Twenty-Nine: verses five through eight. May all who hate Jerusalem be turned back in shameful defeat. May they be as helpless as grass growing on a roof, withering before it can grow. It can't be harvested by the reaper or bound into sheaves by the harvester. May those who pass by refuse to say to them, “The blessing of the Lord be upon you; we bless you in the name of the Lord.” Having celebrated the broken cords of the past, the psalmist turns his attention to the final destiny of those who continue to oppose the kingdom of light. He issues a prophetic, imprecatory prayer: "May all who hate...

Today, Saul set his sights on David once more, bringing three thousand men with him, but David again has compassion on him. David and his men defect from Israel and escape to Philistine territory, where the king gives him the city of Ziklag. Later, as Saul faces the Philistine armies, he becomes fearful and tries to consult the Lord, but God does not respond. Being more concerned for himself than for God's glory, Saul consults a medium, and in a totally backwards way, attempts to consult the man of God who had anointed him as Israel's king so many years ago. In the end, the Philistines claim victory over Saul and his sons, and after being mortally wounded, Saul takes his own life. 1 Samuel 26 - 1:12 .  1 Samuel 27 - 7:12 .  1 Samuel 28 - 10:39 .  1 Samuel 29 - 16:05 .  1 Samuel 30 - 18:34 .  1 Samuel 31 - 24:44 .  Proverbs 30:18 - 27:19 .  :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by Bobby Brown, Katelyn Pridgen, Eric Williamson & the Christian Standard Biblefacebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

In this sermon, Pastor Steven walks through one of the darkest moments in Israel's history—the defeat by the Philistines, the capture of the ark, and the death of Eli and his sons. As Israel treats the presence of God like a tool to control rather than a holy reality to worship, the story reveals both the depth of the nation's spiritual decline and the danger of trying to use God for our own purposes.Yet even in judgment and apparent defeat, God shows His absolute power and sovereignty. From the fall of Dagon before the ark to the return of the ark without Israel lifting a sword, this message reminds us that God cannot be manipulated, defeated, or contained—and that even in the darkest seasons, He remains fully in control of His people's story.

Dr. Lori Denning turns to two of Israel's most complicated judges, Gideon and Samson, and shows how gifted, Spirit-empowered men and women can unravel under the weight of pride and broken covenants, and why their stories are less a museum exhibit than a mirror.YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/dOm_VzXsybcFREE PDF DOWNLOADS OF followHIM QUOTE BOOKSNew Testament: https://tinyurl.com/PodcastNTBookOld Testament: https://tinyurl.com/PodcastOTBookBook of Mormon: https://tinyurl.com/PodcastBMBook WEEKLY NEWSLETTERhttps://tinyurl.com/followHIMnewsletter SOCIAL MEDIAInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/followHIMpodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/followhimpodcastTIMECODE00:00 - Part 2 - Dr. Lori Denning02:29 Gideon tears down his father's idol at night03:31 Joash steps into the gap to defend his son and a twin story06:36 The significance of Joash and Jael as additional helpers07:11 Signs that confirm faith vs. create it–The Fleece10:44 Applying the fleece12:09 Gideon's downfall–pride, the ephod, and the parallels15:32 Absolute power corrupts absolutely17:02 Sampson's introduction and the repeating cycle18:42 Monoah's unnamed wife–the elements of birth type scene22:28 The Nazarite vow and Samson as symbol of covenant Israel25:23 Samson's mother lives the Nazarite vow and Minoah's slowness27:38 Parataxis–Minoah's reaction vs his wife's recognition of the angel33:28 Anonymity in scripture as universality35:09 Sampson as cautionary tale and failure to repent36:41 Samson's first words, “I saw, I took.”40:32 The Philistine wife story: The riddle, the betrayal, and the burning42:57 Transition to Delilah, Samson is already corrupt44:02 “Fell in love” as covenant language and Delilah as anti-mother45:48 The 4 rounds with Delilah and secret of his hair48:10 Samson chained, blinded, only prayer for personal vengeance50:12 “Everyone did what was right in their own eyes”51:00 Closing reflection: Hope, warning signs, Jesus as true king53:42 Women in Judges as covenant markers, and final testimony of Jesus Christ58:14 End of Part 2 - Dr. Lori DenningThanks to the followHIM team:Steve & Shannon Sorensen: Cofounder, Executive Producer, SponsorDavid & Verla Sorensen: SponsorsDr. Hank Smith: Co-hostJohn Bytheway: Co-hostDavid Perry: ProducerKyle Nelson: Marketing, SponsorLisa Spice: Client Relations, Editor, Show NotesWill Stoughton: Video EditorKrystal Roberts: Translation Team, English & French Transcripts, WebsiteAriel Cuadra: Spanish TranscriptsAmelia Kabwika: Portuguese TranscriptsHeather Barlow: Communications DirectorSydney Smith: Social Media, Graphic Design "Let Zion in Her Beauty Rise" by Marshall McDonaldhttps://www.marshallmcdonaldmusic.com

In our last episode, King Saul's jealousy and hatred for David began to grow as David successfully conquered the Philistines in battle time after time. Saul began plotting David's demise, but his plans to see him killed were all foiled. Today, Saul's rage becomes clear to everyone, and David flees from the king's presence. As he takes shelter in a distant cave, his family catches word and they join him, along with other men who seek escape from Saul's reign. Later, Saul starts to crack under pressure and he begins to imagine that David could strike at any moment. In a rage, he puts a city of priests and their family to the sword. 1 Samuel 19 - 1:10 .  1 Samuel 20 - 5:50 .  1 Samuel 21 - 15:10 .  1 Samuel 22 - 18:18 .  Proverbs 29:15 - 24:43 .  :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by Bobby Brown, Katelyn Pridgen, Eric Williamson & the Christian Standard Biblefacebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

In this Bible Story, we learn about David returning the Ark of the Covenant home to the people of Israel. However the revelry was quickly replaced by fear as Uzzah was struck down when he touched the ark. When the ark finally returned to Israel, David leaped for joy and danced among the people. He took off his kingly robes, which angers his wife. However David would not be embarrassed to show his love for God. This story is inspired by 2 Samuel 6 & 1 Chronicles 13, 15-17. Go to https://www.BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.Today's Bible verse is 2 Samuel 6:16 from the King James Version.Episode 99: With the battles of the Philistines now won, David sought to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Judah. Uzzah and Ahio carried the Ark on an ox-driven cart. But as they were on their way, the cart hit a bump and the Ark almost fell. Uzzah instinctively reached out to catch it, but this was not for him to do and so he died. David, furious and confused, kept the Ark at the home of Obed-Edom for three months. Then David sought again to move the Ark to Jerusalem, this time seeking God and offering sacrifices as he went. As the Ark entered the gates, all of Israel celebrated with loud shouts and dancing! All except Michal.Hear the Bible come to life as Pastor Jack Graham leads you through the official BibleinaYear.com podcast. This Biblical Audio Experience will help you master wisdom from the world's greatest book. In each episode, you will learn to apply Biblical principles to everyday life. Now understanding the Bible is easier than ever before; enjoy a cinematic audio experience full of inspirational storytelling, orchestral music, and profound commentary from world-renowned Pastor Jack Graham.Also, you can download the Pray.com app for more Christian content, including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories.Visit JackGraham.org for more resources on how to tap into God's power for successful Christian living.This episode is sponsored by Medi-Share, an innovative health care solution for Christians to save money without sacrificing quality.Pray.com is the digital destination of faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store.Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max BardProducer: Ben GammonHosted by: Pastor Jack GrahamMusic by: Andrew Morgan SmithBible Story narration by: Todd Haberkorn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this Bible Story, we meet the mighty men of David. Their character, skill and devotion separate them from the rest of the soldiers of Israel, and David relies on them as he takes back Israel from the Philistines. This story is inspired by 2 Samuel 5, 23:13-23 & 1 Chronicles 11. Go to https://www.BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.Today's Bible verse is 2 Samuel 5:8 from the King James Version.Episode 98: David was now King over all Israel, but he did not govern the people alone. He had thirty mighty men who supported him, three of which he appointed as governors over the land. These three Jashobeam, Eleazar, and Shama were loyal men of renown standing fierce against the Philistines and standing firm for the good of the people. These mighty men risked their lives for their King and for their fellow man. They are examples for us of what it means to be men of valor.Hear the Bible come to life as Pastor Jack Graham leads you through the official BibleinaYear.com podcast. This Biblical Audio Experience will help you master wisdom from the world's greatest book. In each episode, you will learn to apply Biblical principles to everyday life. Now understanding the Bible is easier than ever before; enjoy a cinematic audio experience full of inspirational storytelling, orchestral music, and profound commentary from world-renowned Pastor Jack Graham.Also, you can download the Pray.com app for more Christian content, including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories.Visit JackGraham.org for more resources on how to tap into God's power for successful Christian living.This episode is sponsored by Medi-Share, an innovative health care solution for Christians to save money without sacrificing quality.Pray.com is the digital destination of faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store.Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max BardProducer: Ben GammonHosted by: Pastor Jack GrahamMusic by: Andrew Morgan SmithBible Story narration by: Todd Haberkorn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this Bible Story, Saul and Jonathan pass and their deaths signify the ending to David's exile. Now a new era of Israel can emerge to the glory of God. This story is inspired by 1 Samuel 31 & 1 Chronicles 10. Go to https://www.BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.Today's Bible verse is 1 Samuel 31:4 from the King James Version.Episode 95: The battle at Mount Gilboa was brutal and intense, and though filled with vigor, Jonathan was defeated, as were his brothers and his father, Saul. As he lay there dying he begged his armor bearer to take his life, but like David, he would not. So Saul released him and fell on his own sword to escape the shame of the Philistines. When the men of Israel saw this, they fled, and the Philistines overtook the cities of Israel.Hear the Bible come to life as Pastor Jack Graham leads you through the official BibleinaYear.com podcast. This Biblical Audio Experience will help you master wisdom from the world's greatest book. In each episode, you will learn to apply Biblical principles to everyday life. Now understanding the Bible is easier than ever before; enjoy a cinematic audio experience full of inspirational storytelling, orchestral music, and profound commentary from world-renowned Pastor Jack Graham.Also, you can download the Pray.com app for more Christian content, including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories.Visit JackGraham.org for more resources on how to tap into God's power for successful Christian living.This episode is sponsored by Medi-Share, an innovative health care solution for Christians to save money without sacrificing quality.Pray.com is the digital destination of faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store.Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max BardProducer: Ben GammonHosted by: Pastor Jack GrahamMusic by: Andrew Morgan SmithBible Story narration by: Todd Haberkorn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this Bible Story, David plays the part of loyal servant to Achish the Philistine king, but remains loyal to Israel. When the Amalekites raid David's town and steal all their families, David's heroic spirit is rekindled, and he mounts a rescue mission. This story is inspired by 1 Samuel 28. Go to https://www.BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.Today's Bible verse is 1 Samuel 28:7 from the King James Version.Episode 94: Dark days were at hand for Israel and the Philistines, and battle after battle began to wear on the hearts of both nations. Saul was now without David, without Samuel, without God, and without peace. He begged God to speak to him, sought prophets, and waited for dreams but God was silent towards him. Desperate, he went to Endor and sought the medium that lived there in hopes of bringing the spirit of Samuel up from the dead. God allowed this to happen but instead of hearing words of hope, Samuel told Saul that tomorrow he and his sons would die in battle.Hear the Bible come to life as Pastor Jack Graham leads you through the official BibleinaYear.com podcast. This Biblical Audio Experience will help you master wisdom from the world's greatest book. In each episode, you will learn to apply Biblical principles to everyday life. Now understanding the Bible is easier than ever before; enjoy a cinematic audio experience full of inspirational storytelling, orchestral music, and profound commentary from world-renowned Pastor Jack Graham.Also, you can download the Pray.com app for more Christian content, including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories.Visit JackGraham.org for more resources on how to tap into God's power for successful Christian living.This episode is sponsored by Medi-Share, an innovative health care solution for Christians to save money without sacrificing quality.Pray.com is the digital destination of faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store.Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max BardProducer: Ben GammonHosted by: Pastor Jack GrahamMusic by: Andrew Morgan SmithBible Story narration by: Todd Haberkorn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices