Psalm 61 has been described as a Psalm of Desperation by many commentators.2 Desperation means, “Not having hope, filled with despair, a situation of urgency in which a person does not know what to do”.
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There are many difficult aspects of following God. It is difficult to trust him when your world is falling apart. It is difficult to hear his voice amidst all the noise of this life. It is also difficult to discern what God wants for us when we are faced with deciding between two equally good options.
Continue readingAs we come to our passage this morning, we need to note that we are nearly halfway through our study of 1st Samuel. The general arch of the storyline is that Israel is coming out of the period of the judges where everyone dishonored God by doing what was right in their own eyes instead of living in obedience to God’s commands (Judges 2:11 – 23; 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25).
Continue readingThe book of 1 Samuel is a great case study for those who want to become godly leaders. Through all the ups and downs in the story, we can observe godly leaders contrasted with ungodly leaders. We can see this contrast loud and clear in chapters 13 – 15 where – as one commentator notes – Saul, an ungodly leader, is constantly caught up by contrast with godly leaders like the prophet Samuel and his very own son, Jonathan.2
Continue readingReading this passage kind of leaves you feeling a little yucky does it not? It is kind of like watching a movie go from bad to worse, or maybe it is more like watching a movie that you know has a sad ending while hoping the ending has changed somehow.
Continue readingThe passage we are looking at today comes right on the heels of last week’s passage where we observed Israel’s victory over their Ammonite enemies who had been threatening to render a portion of Israel ineffective in war as well as to enslave them to a life of forced labor.
Continue readingI often argue for the wartime mentality of the Christian life. Numerous New Testament passages deal with the themes of making war against our ancient enemies, Satan, Sin, and Death through the power of Jesus who is our crucified, risen, and returning Savior.
Continue readingAs we dive back into our study of 1 Samuel today, I want to set the table for us and orient our minds around some of the central characters, the plot line, and some of the central themes so that we can rightly interpret and apply the text to our lives.
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Well, here we are! Today is Resurrection Sunday! Historically, this is the day that the church celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. For thousands of years, the church all over the world has set aside this day to intentionally highlight and celebrate the victory of the empty tomb of Jesus.
Continue readingGood Friday is typically much different than a normal Sunday gathering. This once-a-year gathering is designed to be very short, very somber, and very dark. It is designed to be short, somber and dark because it is the night that we observe and think deeply about the events leading up to and culminating in the death of Jesus as our perfect, innocent, substitute on the cross of Calvary so that we might find forgiveness for our sins. The events of this night, a few thousand years ago, were more brutal than most of us can imagine.
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