Bible in a Year Blog

1 Samuel 18:5-19:24 + John 8:31-59 + Psalm 112:1-10 + Proverbs 15:12-14
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Old Testament – This is a powerful verse in First Samuel 18:14 today: “David continued to succeed in everything he did, for the LORD was with him.” I think that is so important to know – David succeeded in all he did because God was with him.  And I believe this applies to us today as well.  We will succeed in all we do if God is with us.  Now – don’t get me wrong – when I say succeed, I do not mean “succeed” as the world might define this word.  I mean we will succeed spiritually in all we do if we are in a loving and growing and obedient relationship with God the Father through Jesus the Son (who is God).  This success might mean that we actually become “poor” in the world’s eyes and serve overseas or in our own town in a ministry that won’t make us a million.  But – if we are living in right relationship with God than we have truly succeeded in life.  Nothing else matters.  Below’s an image of a young David succeeding in saving a lamb from the jaws of a lion and offering up praise to God for the success!

It is great to see Jonathan asking his father Saul to not murder David in First Samuel chapter 19.  I read a commentary that said Jonathan had really been won over by David after David killed Goliath.  It is thought that perhaps David shared with Saul and Jonathan his faith in God and why he was fearless of Goliath early in chapter 18 or late in chapter 17 (in yesterday’s readings), and that Jonathan believed David’s faith was true.  In any case, we do see in chapter 18 verses 3 & 4 these words: “And Jonathan made a special vow to be David’s friend, and he sealed the pact by giving him his robe, tunic, sword, bow, and belt.”  Jonathan is obviously living up to this pact here in chapter 19. (the images above and below are really from yesterday’s readings, but I thought they were both quite good pictures of David – and Jonathan below. Oh, and Goliath too… 🙂

An image by Gustave Dore is below for First Samuel 18 verses 10 & 11: “The very next day, in fact, a tormenting spirit from God overwhelmed Saul, and he began to rave like a madman. David began to play the harp, as he did whenever this happened. But Saul, who had a spear in his hand, suddenly hurled it at David, intending to pin him to the wall. But David jumped aside and escaped.”

Bible.org’s commentary on our First Samuel readings today titled “David Joins Saul’s Family” is at this link and commentary titled “David’s Divine Deliverance” is at this link.

New Testament – John chapter 8 verses 34 through 36 are such powerful teachings for each of us to recognize – “Jesus replied, “I assure you that everyone who sins is a slave of sin. A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will indeed be free.”  Do you believe it is possible to be a slave of sin?  Do you believe Jesus can set us free from the slavery of sin?  Are you free?

I believe verse 58 is one of the most powerful statements Jesus makes in the Gospels – “Jesus answered, “The truth is, I existed before Abraham was even born!””  Or the NIV of this verse is –  “”I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”  Jesus is quoting Exodus 3:14 here when Moses asks God who he should say sent him to free the Israelites from Egypt and God says – “I AM.  Tell them I AM sent you.”  Jesus here knows what he is doing when he says that even before Abraham was born, I AM.  Jesus is saying he is God.  And He is.  But, to the religious leaders at this time, this was blasphemy to their ears.  And hence, they attempted to stone Jesus in the very next verse.  Do you believe Jesus when he says, “before Abraham was born, I AM”?

Bible.org’s commentary on our John chapter 8 readings today titled “Like Father, Like Son” is at this link.

Psalms – Psalm 112 is a great look at a godly person’s life.   Today in verse 1 we read: “Blessed is the person who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands.” Is fear of the Lord healthy? Why or why not? Is fear of the Lord the beginning of wisdom? Are you blessed if you fear the Lord? Do you find great delight in God’s commands? What are God’s commands?

Verse 4 stands out – “When darkness overtakes the godly, light will come bursting in.” This is encouraging.  When darkness overtakes us, if we stay true to God and Christ and faith, light will come “bursting in”!  I like that…  Know that the light is coming…  Below is a fresco from 1517 by Raphael of God separating the light from the darkness –

And verse 9 is a great reminder – “They give generously to those in need.”  Are you doing something in your life to serve the poorest of the poor?   There are 1.2 billion people living in our world today on less than $1 per day.  Is there something you can do to give generously to those in need?  Below is an oil on canvas painting from 1611 by Bartolomeo Schedoni titled “The Charity” –

Proverbs – Proverbs 15 verse 14 is so powerful – “A wise person is hungry for truth, while the fool feeds on trash.” I will humbly submit that since YOU are going through the One Year Bible, you are a wise person who is hungry for truth!  🙂  Well, really, I mean it.  The Bible is the best place to find Truth.  And trash?  Well, interestingly I was having a conversation with 3 friends recently – 2 of whom participated in this One Year Bible with us last year – and we were discussing how each of us don’t watch TV.  We didn’t quite use the word “trash” when discussing TV, but I think the term can fit… 

Worship Video: Today’s Psalm & Proverb reminded me of Casting Crowns’ song “American Dream:”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DumlIIHSrsQ

Are you chasing the American Dream? Click here and surrender to Jesus!

Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today: “Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.” John 8:34 NIV

Prayer Point: Pray that you are not a slave to sin. Pray that Jesus has set you free from slavery to sin, and that you are free indeed! Pray for your friends and family that are enslaved to sin that they will be freed through faith in Jesus and repentance of their sins.

Comments from You & Questions of the Day:  Can you imagine living your life feeding only on TV?  Yikes…   So, really, when you look at how you invest your time are you hungry and feeding on truth or perhaps are you feeding on some trash?  Will you throw that trash away?  Also, what verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings?  Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!

God bless,
Mike

p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our Bible readings at this link.

p.s. #2 – Download a schedule of our Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.

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BLOG READERS HISTORICAL COMMUNITY COMMENTS:
(our Group Bible Study is below! : )

======= Ramona:

1 Samuel 18:5-19:24
We have already been given the clues and keys to success when we read the Book of Joshua [This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. (1:8)] So it should not be a surprise to anyone when the young man David, who will come to be know as the Sweet Psalmist of Israel, is a success everywhere he goes.

Sin has crouched at the door of Saul’s heart and Saul has let him in just like Cain before him (Genesis 4:7). If Saul had done what was right, even with sin hanging around outside, God would have accepted him. Knowing that God had taken the Kingdome away from him (1 Sam 13:14), Saul makes no effort to “clean” up the condition of his heart, but spends time and energy trying to “take-out” a person of more noble character than he. This futile exercise is done daily all around us and some of it is committed by Christians. We slander and assassinate the character of others so we will look good, or so we think.

As we pursue what we falsely perceive as the enemy we sink deeper into a life of madness just like Saul. Declaring that the “other” is really our problem when the true culprit is that man or woman in the mirror.

I am intrigued by Saul’s run in with the Spirit of God that causes him to prophesy, even take off his clothes while he is doing what may appear on the outside to be some religious acts. I’m intrigued because Saul has no relationship with God, yet God’s Spirit comes upon him to keep him from killing David. This same thing happened to the troops he had sent previously to take David out. So a “religious” experience may not be a sign of a changed heart, in reality we are told to look for spiritual fruit not religious fervor, because it may just be a means of stopping a killer from pursuing his or her intended victim. This is a possibility I must give further thought too.
John 8:31-59

Verse thirty-two, 32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free,” is quoted and misquoted by believers and non-believers alike. The truth that sets one free, according to Jesus, is the truth that comes when one obeys Jesus’ teachings. Since Jesus is Truth, our freedom can only come in conjunction with our relationship with Him.

Jesus’ exchange with the religious leaders in this passage proves the above point. Although confronted with the truth about themselves, they failed to hear it because their alliance was not with Jesus but with their father the Devil, the father of all lies.

It is in this eighth chapter that Jesus begins to frequently use the words, truth, truly and true however those He speaks to cannot handle the truth.

In the Book of Job there is a passage that quotes Job as saying, “Does not the ear test words as the tongue tastes food?” Job 12:11). This says to me we know truth when we hear it, but sadly we reject it because it does not fit our agendas. Yet, the sin we so love to chase after, binds us with cords entangling us so that we drown in our own sin. The sin we so love doesn’t love us back; in truth it mocks and then kills us.

Psalm 112:1-10

9 They give generously to those in need.
Their good deeds will never be forgotten.
They will have influence and honor.

10 The wicked will be infuriated when they see this.
They will grind their teeth in anger;
they will slink away, their hopes thwarted.

These two verses seem to describe Saul. No matter what he tried to do to get David killed, he was “thwarted.”

The continuity of God’s message to us seamlessly threads its way through time and writers from different backgrounds and education never losing the gravity of its Words or significance. Wow, Only God can do that.

Proverbs 15:12-14

If a wise person is hungry for truth, and Jesus is
Truth then the wise person can only be satisfied by Jesus.

Grace and peace,
Ramona

======= Anka:

Jonathan is a good example of one who put the kingdom of God before any earthly kingdom.He should have been next in line to Saul yet he knew David would be the next king.He saw David as a brother in faith and loved him,nothing else mattered…he supported David to his own hurt.
A messianic Jew once told me that the word “I am”is not used at all in hebrew out of respect for God.For example if one had to say “I am going somewhere”they’d say “I going somewhere”just so they wouldn’t pronounce the same words God used to introduce himself.Jesus must have really made some jews mad when he didn’t hesitate to use I am…here he makes it so clear that he really meant “I AM”.Even today few people acknowledge Jesus as deity.I pray we who know can always be a light that beckons to those who don’t know Jesus as “I AM”.

Household gods….I just couldn’t help noticing the issue of household gods.When Michal was Saul’s house maybe Saul wasn’t a godly enough man(nor a good father)to make sure there was no other god except God in his home…Wonder if David ever knew there was a household god..or if he cared what his wife was doing.It does say Michal was in love with David,never says David returned her affection…Anyway,it seems Israel would sing praises to God for victory in battles but still kept their household gods…and to them that was ok.I pray God reveals our own security blankets(household gods)to us and gives us faith to look only to Him.

God bless you all
Anka

====== Sue:

======= Jim:

Don’t be surprised when insecure people are fearful and jealous of your successes, if not downright hostile. David’s successes brought popular approval when many must have already begun to lose confidence in the erratic rule of Saul. Twice Saul hurls scepters at David in fits of anger after hearing the songs of praise for David, and then he gives David a dangerous military command and further asks for a hundred tokens of dead Philistines (with David bringing twice that many) that only makes things worse. Saul finally starts to openly try to kill David even though Jonathan affects a brief reconciliation until David’s next victory in battle and God has to twice intervene. In David’s times of troubles, it was vital to have a real and tested friend in Jonathon. Likewise after three years in ministry and even after his resurrection, Christ speaks to only 500 during his sermon from the mount – during which He tells them to wait for the Holy Spirit. Then only a few weeks later at Pentecost, only 120 remained. In friendship it is better to go for quality rather than quantity.
Note: do not think that a dowry suggested that women were sold as property. The dowry was part of an elaborate pre-nuptial agreement where the husband generally agreed to continue support in the case of divorce (besides the woman keeping the dowry). Thus, the exchange of gifts showed that both the parents and groom valued the woman and that marriage was not to be taken lightly. Saul’s daughter loved David (and lied to help him escape), but her sinful father violated her trust and never considered her feelings in giving her to David. Years later, David will demand the return of his wife, but only for political reasons (2 Sam 3:13-16) and so will likewise violate her trust. She will show her bitterness at such repeated unfair treatment when she sees David praising God ecstatically (2 Sam 6), demonstrating that she had likewise failed to seek comfort in God. Let me repeat that if you ever read a biblical story and consider anyone other than God to be the hero, you should immediately reread the story.
The true test of Christian character is if you continue to obey Christ’s commandments (see John 14:21 and 2 John 1:6). A new Christian just converted by a single sermon should not have too much confidence in their feelings. Do not repress your love and joy for the Lord, but your faith has not been tried yet. I find the two biggest hurdles for Christians are at 2 months (where 50% are lost – for a total of 10 million Americans who have made a commitment to Christ but were without a relationship with any church within 2 months) and at two years when we our early overly high expectations in fellow Christians meets head on with reality (in much the same way a child must face deficiencies in parents). But, the service of God (not Christians) will free you from the slavery of evil passions, corrupt propensities, degrading vices, and groveling views.
“We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man!” This is a most obvious lie – the descendants of Abraham, or their fathers, had been slaves in Egypt. In addition, their nation had been enslaved in Babylon, repeatedly been subject to the Assyrians, was enslaved by Herod the Great, and was at that very moment under the grievous bondage of the Romans. The condition of a sinner, however, being captive to sin, is to avoid and oppose the truth, be subject to irrational passions, and have little regard for what is said. Jesus was right when he said in John 8:44, “You are of your father the devil; he is a liar, and the father of it.
Jesus emphasizes earlier that He did not mean political bondage but slavery to evil desires and rebellion, but every slave knows that a disobedient slave is quickly sold or discarded. A harsh reminder that they could lose the special privileges and status of being the people of God – that they could be cast off like an unfaithful slave without accepting the Gospel (and a warning for every Christian: Hebrews 6:4-8 – “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame”). Pretending as if not to understand Him, they boasted again that Abraham was their father and made into an offense his suggestion they were the offspring of anyone else.
They sought to kill the Messiah because there was no room for Him, being so filled with pride, prejudice, and false notions. He tells them such was not an act of Abraham and repeats the charge that their deeds are of their father (at this time had still not yet named Satan, preferring that they should infer whom He meant). They still profess to not understand Him and suggest that He was calling them of mixed blood and thusly outside the covenant (“we are not born of fornication”). And He tells them again, “If God was your father, you would love me hear God’s words.” Sinners cannot tolerate (as back in v 6:60) true biblical doctrines and form an obstinate purpose that it shall not be applied to them. The Samaritans were deemed as schismatic (and they had long debated which worshiped God correctly) and so why they call Christ one and then they say He had a devil since He called them of Satan (sort of like, “we know you are, but what are we”).
If we have examined ourselves and are left in good conscience, we should not consider it dishonorable to be under reproach, believing that God will in due time avenge us and bring forth “our righteousness as the light and our judgment as the noonday” (Psalm 37:6). Where ever the disciples went, people spoke against them. Christ says, however, “If I honor myself, my honor is nothing.” They had enough, though, when He claimed that He had come before Abraham and picked up stones to kill Him, but he was able to quickly hide himself (was he miraculously invisible and just so common looking that He could get lost in the multitude?). Today’s Psalm provides a vivid contrast of a good man in verse 5 in strong black and white terms against the wicked described in Psalm 109. The desire of the righteous will prevail while the desire of the wicked will perish. The horn is a symbol of power that speaks of prominence and a lasting sense of worth. This is again one of the nine acrostic (where each subsequent line begins with successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet) verses: 9, 10, 25, 34, 37, 111, 112, 119, and 145.
Jim

======= Vance:

I like the verses that Mike quoted from yesterday’s reading:
I Samuel 18 (NKJV)
3
Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.
4
And Jonathan took off the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, even to his sword and his bow and his belt.
COVENANT is a very powerful thing. If we give up God and lose the idea of the sacrifice of Jesus for us, we will lose the idea of covenant. If there is no God, there is no absolute truth—simply one person’s opinion and the power to enforce that opinion.
God is a God of covenant, and He always keeps His covenant.
Note how Jonathan made covenant with David: When he gave David his robe, armor, sword, bow, and belt. In effect, Jonathan was saying, “I will always honor you and—if necessary—I will give my life to protect yours.” David also made a reciprocal covenant with Jonathan.
Similarly, if there is no covenant, there is nothing binding a person to keep his or her word. Again, if there is no God, there is no binding agreements—only fickle human emotions.
John 8 (NKJV)
31
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.
32
And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
Again, Jesus’ Word is His covenant. Jesus’ very life, death, and resurrection were part of a living covenant with God and man. When Jesus died on the Cross, He died as our substitute—in our place—taking our punishment for sins in our place.
However, there is something more to this: When Jesus died on the Cross, He died as our REPRESENTATIVE. Thus, when Jesus died to sin—WE DIED TO SIN. When Jesus rose from the dead—WE ROSE VICTORIOUS OVER SIN. When Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father—JESUS TOOK US WITH HIM, and IN CHRIST WE ALSO ASCENDED NEXT TO THE FATHER.
May I—may we—truly abide in the Living Word—the Lord Jesus—by abiding in the Written Word in order that the Spirit of God may manifest through us the Life of the Word of God in and through us.
This is where meditation comes in. Meditation on the word—continually thinking, praying, pondering, speaking, believing, receiving—is very important.
Psalm 111 (NKJV)
1
Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2
But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.
3
He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.
Psalm 86 (NKJV)
11
Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name.
12
I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And I will glorify Your name forevermore.
Vance

======= Ramona:

1 Samuel 18:5-19:24
The relationship Saul had with David can be seen in thousands and thousands of homes, workplaces, and sadly families and churches. Insecure people trying to “puff” themselves up in mainly their own eyes; insecure people who are afraid that the façade they have placed around themselves is showing, which it either will eventually and will give them away. There is always a love/hate relationship at the core, but that love is based on the desire to benefit themselves as the expense of others, which is a lust.
Either thinking that God is ineffective and senile or either God is bypassing them because of their shortcomings, they need the people they despise to make them look good, but hate them because they fear they will be shown up by success that is not theirs to call their own. .
I think that tormenting spirit from God is because of the absence of a godly spirit within Saul. If a space is empty, in this case Saul’s heart, then what is “no good” will fill it. There is a law in Physics that states, two things cannot occupy the same space, it has to be one or the other. For me reading this brings back that Proverb I have mentioned that has spoken so powerfully to me and continues to speak.
He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls. (Proverbs 25:28 KJVR)
Self-discipline is a fruit of the Sprit and without that Spirit, any and all controls are external not internal. Once the external controls fall or fail, which they will, then anything can come in and everything is going out.
But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge]. (Galatians 5:22-23 AMP)
The question is begged again, What is in control me? Is it the Holy Spirit or is it some external rules and regulations, is it peer pressure to behave? The Ten Commandments are great but if they are only external restraints’ and not written upon my heart, my controls will be lost.
Grace and peace,
Ramona

======= John:

John 8:31-59
Random notes:
In Chapter 6 Jesus in the “Bread of Life discourse showed himself to be greater than Moses. Now here in Chapter 8 Jesus shows himself greater than Abraham.
vs 31-32 (Young’s Literal Translation) “Jesus, therefore, said unto the Jews who believed in him, `If ye may remain in my word, truly my disciples ye are, and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’”
There are disciples and there are “true” disciples. Seems these Jews believed, but they had not yet received Christ into their lives. If you stay in his word (logos), you are in Him and He is in you – that is the mark of a true disciple – ‘believing AND receiving’. When you do both you will know the truth (Jesus) and you will be free from the bondage of sin and the sting of death.
THE SAD THING: There are a lot of people who believe in Christ, but have never received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. They acnowledge Jesus is who He says He is in the Bible. They believe in what he says regarding salvation. But in the end they do not know Jesus (Matt 7:23), and that lack of the extra step – trusting Jesus to abide in you and run your life – well, it is an eternal mistake.
======================================================
vs 33. Two views
1)Never been slaves of anyone? Egypt, Babylon, Assyria, not to mention slaves of sin. The disagreement is getting heated and words are being thrown out without thought of their veracity.
2)Jews knew exactly what Jesus was talking about and as far as religion went they felt they had never not practiced Judaism. Although it is conveniant to forget that as a nation they often practiced idolatry along with worshipping the True God.
v. 44 Here personal pronouns are used, a time frame is given, a personal attribute (liar) is applied to the devil (Gk. Diablos) – seems apparent to me the Devil is a real entity.
Vs.56 Whether Abraham actually saw the day, or saw it in a dream, or metaphorically saw it when through his faith he was justified – I don’t believe is as important as ‘Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing this day’. These physical descendants of Abraham did not rejoice when it was actually happening before their eyes.
v. 58 Once again even if one does not want to admit what the declaration of “I AM” means (see Anka’s comment) just LOOK at the reaction it causes amongst the people.
John

====== John:

Sauls’ Insecurity
I now wonder about Saul’s supposed humility and hiding behind the baggage before his anointing as king. Perhaps this was not humility as much as Saul did not really want or think he should be king. He was so insecure and had no relationship with God – he probably thought he was in over his head.
======================================================
God’s spirit came upon Saul at different times to accomplish tasks – but he never had or has a relationship with God. We never see him throw himself down and trust in, depend on, rely on God. God, on the other hand, will use Saul as a vehicle in His Divine Plan, but God will not force a relationship with Saul.
Nor will God force a relationship with us today – we must come to Him. God will not force us to love and adore Him – that is not love (when it is co-erced).
======================================================
Fits of anger, lying, using others (even third parties – Philistines) to try and rid himself of David, jealousy over David’s relationship and favor with God —–
All point to his insecurity. Saul is not secure because he is not whole. Saul is not whole because he never believed in and trusted in the Lord. When you are in that condition you have no roots, no backbone, no ultimate moral authority to conduct your life – and it is easy pickings for Satan to lead you down the path of anger, jealousy, lying, doubt, etc.
John

====== Edward:

This is my second go with OYB, and I really enjoy it. Today you talk about Truth and Trash. Very appropriate in today’s political climate where politicians lie like a rug. You mention that you do not watch TV, and that may be good so as to not waste time; however, one still needs to be aware of what is going on around us. While some of the media is totally TRASH, a couple do make an attempt to have some semblance of TRUTH and to provide some semblance of clarity to issues that affect all of us daily. Knowing that helps me direct my prayer to a specific target vs throw prayer at the wall to see what sticks. Don’t waste time on the daytime talk shows. Those are all babbling heads talking over each other. Cheers.
Edward