If you are following The Plan you should be through 1 Samuel 17.

Let's review a bit:  the Israelites have been led out of Egypt to the Land of Canaan.  Once there, despite some fairly easy to understand instructions, they failed to drive the Canaanite's (and others) from the land and fully claim their inheritance.   They are led by judges with varying degrees of success (and failure).  Enter the Book of Samuel.

Hannah gives birth to Samuel over some steep odds, takes him to Shiloh, and fulfills her promise to set him aside for the Lord (as a Nazirite).  This makes Samson and Samuel our only two Nazarites mentioned in the Bible so far.  She has one of the great prayers of the Bible in Ch.2, which includes this - "The LORD brings death and makes alive;  he brings down to the grave and raises up."  I like that "raises up" part.

The sons of Eli are running wild, abusing their position and "treating the Lord's offering with contempt."  Eli admonishes them with this - "If a man sins against another man, God may mediate for him; but if a man sins against the LORD, who will intercede for him?" but they don't listen and he doesn't really do anything else to stop them as they defile the temple.   The Lord speaks to Eli and says "Why do you honor your sons more than me."  Good question for Eli.  Good question for all of us.

Then the Philistine capture the Ark.  Let me say that again - THE PHILISTINES CAPTURE THE ARK OF THE COVENANT!  Oops. Now, perhaps you are thinking that you have had a bad day today - or yesterday - or some other day this week.   But you haven't.    Not unless you have allowed what you hold most holy and sacred to fall into the hands of the Philistines.   Eli's sons are killed in the battle and when Eli hears the news he falls out of his chair (literally) and breaks his neck.  BTW, the Ark is returned to Israel after the Philistines suffer from its possession.

And then, Israel asks for a king. 

Samuel is instructed to warn the Israelites what a King would mean (he would reign over you, take your sons and daughters, etc...).   Despite the warning they say,  "No!" they said. "We want a king over us."  So it goes...

Samuel anoints Saul as King.  The Bible actually records three difference accounts of this happening (ch9:17-10:8, ch 10:17-25, ch 11:14-15).  The first is private, the second is public, and the third is his installation at Gilgal.

As usual, things seem to go well at first.  The "spirit of God took control of him," and Saul set about doing what the various Judges could not - clearing the land of the Philistines, Canaanite's, Amelikites, Ammonites and various other *ites.  "Wherever he turned he caused havoc." 

But Saul lets being King go to his head a bit.  He decides to present offerings on his schedule, not Samuel's (which is God's).   But Jonathon's faithfulness and courage prevail.   And when Saul hears the command to "attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys," he decides there is some room for interpretation in this command, brings back as booty the best livestock and even King Agag of the Amelikites.  Samuel denounces Saul for not obeying God's command and to correct the error he "hacked Agag to pieces before the Lord at Gilgal."  So even for Samuel, if you wanted something done right you had to do it yourself. 

Then we are introduced to David, whom Samuel annoints and we read one of the most famous stories in the whole Bible - David vs. Goliath.  Now there is a lot to be said for this account (ch17, BTW).  But I like this part:  As Goliath is taunting Israel, David says,  "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?"

David gets it- that is, he understands.  And much of the next month we will be reading about David - a man after God's own heart.

Interesting.  The Israelites forsake God in the wilderness and ask to inherit the land they were promised.  God leads them into the land (well the second generation anyway) and they forsake God anyway.  They ask God to raise up leaders (Judges) from time to time, which He does.  And they forsake Him.   Now they ask for a King.  All throughout this history, God's commandments are clear to them and God remains faithful to them.   If they would simply obey those commandments then there would be no need for the promised land, judges, or a king. The have everything they need.  But they don't obey.  They lose faith.   They turn away from God and even worship the Baal's and Ashtoreths.  So maybe its not that simple. Not for them.  Not for us.   Maybe our sinful,  fallen nature prevents us from reconciling with God and living in obedience and humility before Him. 

Maybe we need something extraordinary to happen. 

But first, we will be taught this same lesson one more time - in epic proportions.

Blessings.

Keep Reading.

Pray.