Category: wisdom

Trusting in the Guidance of the Lord

Old Testament: 1 Samuel 29-31

Poetry: Proverbs 16

New Testament: Acts 10

In the book of Proverbs, we find a treasure trove of wisdom that has the power to transform our lives. Chapter 16 is no exception, offering profound insights that speak directly to our hearts and the way we navigate this world. Today, let us take a closer look at verse 3, which encourages us to commit our work to the Lord, knowing that He is the one who establishes our plans.

In a society driven by achievement and self-reliance, it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that success is solely dependent on our own abilities and strategies. We may spend countless hours meticulously crafting our plans and pursuing our goals, forgetting that we are called to acknowledge God’s sovereignty and seek His guidance in all that we do. However, Proverbs reminds us that true success comes from surrendering our efforts to the Lord.

Committing our work to the Lord involves recognizing that He is the ultimate authority and the source of all wisdom and understanding. It requires us to approach our tasks, aspirations, and dreams with an attitude of humility, acknowledging that apart from Him, we can do nothing of lasting significance. We are called to submit our plans to His will, seeking His guidance and trusting that He will align our desires with His purposes.

By entrusting our work to God, we are liberated from the burden of self-reliance and the anxiety that often accompanies it. We can rest in the assurance that the Lord, in His infinite wisdom and love, will establish our plans. This does not mean that we will be exempt from challenges or difficulties along the way, but it does mean that God will faithfully guide us, direct our steps, and use our efforts for His glory.

When we commit our work to the Lord, we invite Him to be an active participant in every aspect of our lives. We open ourselves up to His guidance and leading, allowing Him to shape our plans according to His perfect will. Our work becomes an opportunity to partner with God, to be instruments through which His purposes are fulfilled in this world.

As we reflect on Proverbs chapter 16, may we be encouraged to surrender our ambitions, our dreams, and our work to the Lord. Let us seek His wisdom, trust in His guidance, and find peace in knowing that He is the one who establishes our plans. By entrusting ourselves to Him, we embark on a journey of purpose and fulfillment, where our lives become a testament to His grace and faithfulness.

-Austin Kizer

Reflection Questions

  1. In what areas of your life would it be wise to surrender your plans to the Lord? What does that look like? What thoughts and feelings does it create? Pray for help in doing so.
  2. What does true success look like? Is it possible apart from God and His plans?
  3. What will God reveal to you about Himself in your Bible reading today?
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Who You Walk With

Old Testament: 1 Samuel 23 & 24

*Poetry: Proverbs 13

New Testament: Acts 7

Proverbs 13:20 says, “The one who walks with the wise will become wise, but the one who associates with fools will suffer harm.”

Out of all the proverbs in this chapter, let’s ruminate on this one for a few minutes. The meaning of the proverb is simple enough on the surface: you become wise if you hang out with people who are “wise,” but you will suffer harm or get in trouble if you hang out with “fools.” Nevertheless, the depth of the meaning comes in understanding why the proverb is true, and also the difficulty it poses for actually applying it in our lives. What do I mean? I am saying that the proverb is simple in what it is stating, but the concept behind why what it says is true is very deep and rich.

This proverb touches on a reality of our lives that is so often overlooked or minimized, and that is, how other people can influence and change our behavior. One of the most powerful forces in the formation of human psychology and sociology is peers. The people our age that we spend the most time with are some of the most influential people in our lives. We tend to subconsciously adjust our ways of speaking, acting, and even preferences to align with what others around us are doing and think is “cool.”

The phrase “the one who walks with the wise” is an idiom that describes spending significant time with and to be in close association with a wise person. “Walking” together is a way of saying doing life together. And friends are definitely people that you “do” life with. But it is not just friends that the proverb has in mind, it is specifically a person who is “wise.” Wisdom comes with age, and so if you are relatively young, then a “wise” person is probably much older than you. And while older people might not rank high on the “cool” factor in the eyes of young people, they possess a vast amount of wisdom to young people in comparison.

If your friends exhibit godly speech and conduct in their lives, then that is part of wisdom, and they are exerting a positive influence on you, whether you consciously realize it or not. But if your friends talk behind peoples backs, rebel against authority, use vicious words to tear others down, steal, lie, or any other number of wicked patterns of behavior, then they are a “fool,” and they will likely either rub off on you or pressure you to be more like them (because they will ridicule you if you don’t or just stop hanging out with you because they think you are “lame”).

The apostle Paul mentions this principle in 1 Corinthians 15:33 when he writes, “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company corrupts good morals.’” His warning expresses the same wisdom as the second line of the proverb. If you associate yourself with “fools” you are bound to get corrupted and become like them. It only takes one bad apple to spoil the whole bunch.

Take a moment to think about if you are spending time with a “bad apple,” and if so, whether you notice how that relationship is negatively affecting you. Because one way or another, it is. If you find yourself thinking that you need more positive influences in your life, then maybe it is time to start walking with someone who is “wise” so that you too can become “wise.”

-Jerry Wierwille

Reflection Questions

  1. How would you honestly describe the people you spend the most time with? Take a moment to think about if you are spending time with someone who is negatively affecting you. What are your options? Which is the best one?
  2. Who do you know who is wiser than yourself? What can you do this week/month to spend more time with that person? Set it up.
  3. How can you be a wise friend to others rather than being a bad influence that leads them (and yourself) to harm?
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A Hot Head

Old Testament: 1 Samuel 21 & 22

* Poetry: Proverbs 12

New Testament: Acts 6

Proverbs chapter 12 has some very interesting proverbs that can walk us deeper into understanding the wisdom and knowledge that begins with the fear of Yahweh (cf. 1:7; 9:10). One of those proverbs is 12:16, which says, “The anger of a fool is known at once, but a prudent person conceals dishonor.”

Picking up on the conjunction “but” that connects the two lines together, this suggests that the parallelism in this proverb is likely antithetic, meaning the two lines are expressing opposing ideas. In the first line, the main idea is that the “anger of a fool” is readily apparent (i.e., “known at once”). The question we always need to ask ourselves when reading wisdom literature, especially Proverbs, is, “How is this proverb true?” In other words, “What circumstance could this proverb be accurately describing?”

Have you ever known someone who had a short temper? And what was the characteristic behavior of this individual that earned them this reputation? Probably they got angry easily, right? The first line is identifying that a fool is someone who has no control over their temper and quickly erupts at the smallest provocation. They are a “hot head” just waiting to blow. Given the wrong remark or facial expression from others, their attitude can turn sour in an instant and their anger flares up like a barrel fire.

On the contrary to this foolish behavior, the “prudent person,” who exercises self-control and discipline and has a “cool head” about them, “conceals dishonor.” Thus, unlike the fool that vents their anger immediately, unable to rule their emotions but makes an open show of their contempt, the “prudent person” covers over, overlooks, or does not give attention to the dishonorable actions of others. They do not respond in a like manner with unrestrained, emotionally charged reactions.

Thus, the point of the proverb is that a wise person recognizes the best way to handle criticisms or insults and does not react impulsively or irrationally by stooping to meet the fool at their level.

Have you ever just wanted to let someone have a “piece of your mind”? I sure have, and I bet you have too. But the self-restraint required to not vent one’s frustration or anger is part of living with wisdom. Did you know that learning how to rule over your emotions was exercising godly wisdom? It may not “feel” as good in the moment as it would if you yelled at the other person, but wisdom is not about what “feels” good—it is about what is good and right to do that glorifies Yahweh and aligns with his intention for how life is best lived. Therefore, the wise person must deny the temptation to give in to destructive emotions, like uncontrolled anger, that would inflict harm on others. Wisdom teaches how to build strong, healthy relationships and ways of interacting that promote peace and godliness. And that entails being able to keep one’s emotions in check.

-Jerry Wierwille

Reflection Questions:

  1. Give some examples of how temper can interfere with living a life that glorifies Yahweh. Any come to mind when you were the one with the hot head? How could it have played out differently with more self-control?
  2. How can you work on more self-control and discipline? Ask Yahweh, too.
  3. What does Yahweh value?
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Thought Provoking Proverbs

Old Testament: 1 Samuel 17 & 18

*Poetry: Proverbs 10

New Testament: Acts 4

Proverbs 10 begins a new section in the Book of Proverbs where the longer wisdom speeches of chapters 1-9 disappear, and the more traditionally recognized two-line couplets of Proverbs become the predominant form.

The couplet form of most proverbs in chapter 10 and onward is based primarily on the Hebrew poetry structure of parallelism, where two (or sometimes more) lines are related to each other in a particular way. The three dominant types of parallelism are: synonymous, antithetic, and synthetic. The simple way to view these parallelisms is that in synonymous parallelism, the lines are usually saying the same/similar idea in just two different ways; in antithetic parallelism, the lines are usually saying opposing ideas of each other (not necessarily just the opposite); and in synthetic parallelism, the lines function together to present the whole idea of the proverb, where any one line by itself is insufficient to understand the point that the proverb is trying to make.

While the proverbs that are collected in chapter 10 and following rarely have any direct connection from one to the next, something important to note is that certain themes or subjects resurface in various places. So to get an understanding of what Proverbs has to say about a specific topic often requires searching and collecting scattered verses throughout the book and then viewing them together to get an overall picture of what sort of wisdom Proverbs contains on it. But that then becomes the trick with Proverbs, figuring out what they are trying to say.

For example, in Proverbs 10:10, “The one winking his eye causes pain, and the one who is foolish with his lips will come to ruin.” It is not readily apparent what “winking” the eye has to do with causing “pain.” Unless the reader understands that there is an implicit context that must be discerned, they might just walk away scratching their head. We have to ask ourselves, “In what situation would this proverb prove true?” Our basic assumption is that the wisdom of Proverbs is true wisdom, therefore, there must be a context in which the wisdom of the proverb proves to be true. The task of us as readers is to decipher what that context might be. And this is the beauty of wisdom literature like Proverbs, it is very thought provoking, requiring a person to carefully deliberate on it for a while.

To answer the question of what does “winking his eye causes pain” mean in Proverbs 10:10, we must first understand that within the biblical culture, “winking” (or “squinting”) of the eyes represents hostile or mischievous behavior. This sort of gesture is associated with wickedness and is indicative of a person’s evil and malicious intent. Thus, to “wink” indicates that the person is conniving and plotting something deceitful which would bring harm to the unsuspecting victim, and they would not see it coming until it was too late.

-Jerry Wierwille

Reflection Questions

  1. Pick two of the verses in Proverbs 10. Which type of parallelism is each an example of?
  2. What can be learned from today’s proverbs? Did any stand out as something you specifically need to work on or need to remember more often?
  3. Are there any that don’t seem to make sense to you at first? If so, take a little time to do some research on the meaning of this proverb.
  4. Why do you think God included these Proverbs in His Holy Scriptures? What do we learn about God in our Bible reading today?
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Will you Accept her Dinner Invitation?

Old Testament: 1 Samuel 15 & 16

* Poetry: Proverbs 9

New Testament: Acts 3

An interesting comparison is made in Proverbs 9 between two personified figures called “Lady Wisdom” (v. 1) and “Lady Folly” (v. 13). An elaborate scene is painted where Lady Wisdom is said to have prepared a great feast and is inviting everyone in the town to come eat her delicious food. Part of her invitation to dine with her involves exhorting people to leave behind their “naïve ways” so that they can live. If they come and eat with her, they will gain understanding.

The first questions that one might ask are, “Why is Lady Wisdom throwing a party? And what does eating at someone’s house have to do with learning to make good choices in life?” Those are great questions! The answer is that the first part of the chapter where Lady Wisdom is inviting people to come dine with her is an ancient custom where someone who accepts an invitation to a meal is agreeing to be associated with that person and also open to their company and influence in their life. Essentially, Lady Wisdom is asking you to welcome and embrace her as a friend and a trusted counselor by coming to dine at her table.

Secondly, if you want someone to lend you their ear and hear what you have to say, what better way to do that than to throw a party and have everyone come over. Now, the whole scene of going to the house of Lady Wisdom for dinner is clearly a metaphor for going to her and allowing her to feed you with her wisdom so that you will become wise.

One of the most important proverbs of all is 9:10, “The fear of Yahweh is the starting point of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is the starting point of understanding.” This is an incredibly simple but profound statement: “fear of Yahweh is the starting point of wisdom”. Wisdom begins with the “fear of Yahweh,” and if wisdom begins with the “fear of Yahweh,” then everything else builds from there.

The Hebrew word translated “fear” can mean “to be afraid,” (i.e., terrified), but it can also mean to have “reverence” or “respect” for someone or something. The “fear of Yahweh” mentioned in the Proverbs 9:10 is the second definition and refers to living with a proper awareness and mindfulness of the reality of Yahweh’s rule over all creation, which includes his authority and power to not only govern the universe and all things that happen within the cosmos, but also as the owner of all truth and understanding about life. Yahweh is the source of all knowledge, and no right understanding about how to best live can be attained apart from him. Only when we live with the “fear of Yahweh” can we begin to understand wisdom and knowledge, for only when our hearts are properly oriented toward Yahweh will we be able to receive his grace in sharing with us the wisdom and knowledge that only he can bestow.

            But there is another dimension to the “fear of Yahweh,” and that is that it also entails the idea of loyalty and faithfulness. Living with the “fear of Yahweh” involves adjusting our lives so that we are in a right relationship with Yahweh; it means to understand life and all knowledge through that covenant relationship. Fearing Yahweh (i.e., showing reverence) is demonstrated by loyalty and faithfulness through loving him and obeying him by living according to his commandments and statutes. Thus, by submitting to Yahweh and abiding in a covenant relationship with him, we prove that we honor, love, and revere him.

Are you willing to dine with Lady Wisdom and learn the “fear of Yahweh” and be on the road to living with wisdom? I hope so, it is going to be the beginning of the greatest adventure you will ever have.

-Jerry Wierwille

Reflection Questions

  1. Are you willing to dine with Lady Wisdom and learn the “fear of Yahweh” and be on the road to living with wisdom?
  2. Do you “fear” – revere and respect Yahweh enough? What is the danger in not fearing Him? What can you do to show more reverence and respect?
  3. What can you learn about Yahweh in today’s reading?
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The Successful Approach to Life

Old Testament: 1 Samuel 13 & 14

*Poetry: Proverbs 8

New Testament: Acts 2

Proverbs chapter 8 is an extended poem on Wisdom. The chapter is filled with personification where Wisdom is described as being alive and “calling out” to people (v. 4), and “uttering” words of truth and righteousness (v. 7). Also, Wisdom is described as something that is extremely valuable. In fact, she is elevated above any costly material such as silver, gold, and precious gems (vv. 10-11). Nothing can be compared to her. She is the most important treasure that could ever be found.

Why is it that wisdom is so valuable? Everyone knows that it is better to be wise than to be foolish. But what does having wisdom in life actually do for you? Wisdom is more like an outlook and mode of operating than a formula or blueprint. When you have wisdom, you look at life differently, which in turn, causes you to think differently, and thus, act differently. The choices you make in life will be different when you have wisdom. But what is the real difference, you might ask? The difference is that living with wisdom points you in the direction of Yahweh and builds a habit in your life of looking at things from Yahweh’s perspective rather than just our own.

You can think of having wisdom as having the ability to make the right choice and act in the right way in any given situation. Now, that might sound like wisdom is just a bunch of “rule following.” But that can’t be farther from the truth. Wisdom is not about “rules” but about perspective and patterns of thinking and acting. If you want to be successful in school, if you want to find a good spouse, if you want to get a promotion at work, if you want to have money, if you want to know how to deal with difficult people, and so many other aspects of life, wisdom teaches us the way to develop an approach to life that can yield joy, success, and prosperity.

You might be thinking, “Now hold on…are you saying that Wisdom guarantees that I will marry the person of my dreams, be successful, and have lots of money?” The answer is “no.” Wisdom doesn’t automatically yield these things in your life. In vv. 17-19, it says, “I [Wisdom] love those who love me, and those who desire me will find me. 18Riches and glory are with me, enduring prosperity, and righteousness. 19My fruit is better than gold, even better than refined gold, and my gain is better than silver.” If you want to have a good romantic relationship with someone, if you want to have money, and if you want to be successful in life, wisdom prepares and teaches us the principles that can help get us there. There is no guarantee in life that things will go your way if you live with wisdom. But I can guarantee that they will definitely not go your way if you are a fool.

In the closing part of the chapter, Wisdom says that those who follow her teachings (i.e., “keep her ways”) are “blessed” and will “find life” and “obtain favor” from Yahweh. That alone is a good reason to listen to Wisdom!

-Jerry Wierwille

Reflection Questions

  1. Who is one of the wisest persons you know? Describe them. Do any parts of Proverbs 8 remind you of this person?
  2. What are some of the wisest choices you have made? What was the result of each decision? What foolish choices have you made? What were the results of those choices? What upcoming decision do you have to make? How can you work at making a wise decision?
  3. What is your favorite verse(s) in Proverbs 8? Write it out and keep it somewhere you will see often this week. Pray for wisdom.
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A Heart that Desires Wisdom

Old Testament: 1 Samuel 11 & 12

*Poetry: Proverbs 7

New Testament: Acts 1

Proverbs 7 is a warning to young men and women about the dangers of sexual desires when they are not pursued properly within God’s intended design, which is within the covenant of marriage. It is written from the viewpoint of a father warning his son about not being enticed by women and drawn away after them. There is an assumption in the text that the young man is marriage, and the warning is about being lured into an adulterous affair with a woman who is not his wife, referred to as the “strange” or “foreign” woman because she is “strange” or “foreign” to his covenant of marriage—she is an outsider.

While this extended speech in Proverbs 7 is aimed at marriage faithfulness and loyalty, its application extends beyond that. Faithfulness and loyalty are not necessary in just a marriage relationship, they are necessary in any relationship, whether it is a family relationship, friendship, or even professional relationship. Anyone will quickly come to learn the importance of faithfulness and loyalty if they betray a relationship and break that bond of trust and commitment. In a family, privileges might be taken away from you. In a friendship, the other person may not confide in you any longer. In a professional relationship, you might lose responsibility, or worse, lose your job entirely.

In Proverbs 7:1-4, the father is telling his son to hold on to his teaching and instruction. The metaphor that he uses is to “bind” them on your fingers,” and “write them on the tablet of your heart.” Furthermore, the son is to treat Wisdom as like a sibling—someone who is part of your family. The purpose for this figurative language is to reinforce the attitude that the son is supposed to have toward Wisdom and living with the fear of Yahweh. Not only that, but the admonition of the father is to also build desire for Wisdom. And the explicit purpose is “in order to keep you from the strange woman, from the foreign woman who flatters with her words” (v. 5).

I think that having a heart that desires Wisdom is vitally important for young people to develop. The world is filled with foolishness, especially in regard to sexuality. It implicitly condones a “do whatever feels good” mindset that is completely opposed to God’s intended way for humans to view sex and to enjoy it. But if a young person doesn’t listen to Wisdom, but follows the ways of the world and allows themselves to be enticed and led astray into sexual passions, they will inevitably suffer and learn the hard way that the world’s way of living is not what produces healthy, loving relationships that lead to the life-long commitment of marriage where sex is intended to be fully explored and enjoyed as God designed for it to be.

-Jerry Wierwille

Reflection Questions

  1. What dangers are warned of in Proverbs 7?
  2. What are some examples of worldly foolishness in the area of sexuality? Why are these problems?
  3. How can you increase your faithfulness and loyalty?
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Think About It

Old Testament: 1 Samuel 5 & 6

Poetry: Proverbs 4

New Testament: Luke 23

Things don’t always go as planned. The Israelites thought taking the ark of the covenant with them into battle against the Philistines would cause them to win, except the ark was captured and taken by their enemies!  For 7 months the ark remained with them. They said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for His hand is harsh toward us and Dagon our god.” (1 Samuel 5:7) God sent deadly destruction in their cities and plagues of tumors. The Philistines sent the ark back on a cart. It was the wheat harvest when the people of Bet-Shemesh rejoiced to see the ark’s return. EXCEPT, the LORD struck many who looked inside to see what was in the ark of the covenant. And the men of Bet-Shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God? And to whom shall it go up from us?” (6:20) Thus the Israelites in Bet-Shemesh were ready to depart with it also! God is all powerful and holy and should be treated as such.

Here is a picture of Bill teaching students (20+ yrs. ago;) on Bet-Shemesh with the valley in the background where the ark of the covenant would’ve come up from the Philistines. Also, one can see how there would’ve been wheat fields nearby. (The hometown of Samson is on the hill in the distance). It’s so neat how most of the biblical sites still hold their same name today, 1,000s of years later! It’s evidence to show these are real events that occurred.

Some of these rarer Bible stories are found in the Arch Book children’s series, and they’re even written in rhythm. There are 134 different volumes. I don’t have all of them but many over the years. They can make nice gifts to family or friends. 😊

“Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; keep her, for she is your life.

Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evil.”

(Proverbs 4:13,14)

“My son, give attention to my words: incline your ear to my sayings.

Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart.

For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh.

Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it flows the springs of life.”

(Proverbs 4:20-23)

 -Stephanie Schlegel

Reflection Questions:

  1. Are their areas of our lives we need to reexamine that we’ve slacked off on?
  2. Maybe certain instructions we’ve slowly been letting go of that we need to take ahold of again?
  3. Are their others we need to forgive that we haven’t? On the cross Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” (Luke 23:34)
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The Beginning of Knowledge

Old Testament: 1 & 2 Samuel Intro Below

Poetry: Proverbs 1

New Testament: Luke 20

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”  (Proverbs 1:7) This seems like such a simple verse, and yet how I misunderstood it for so long as I didn’t think of the LORD as the Father alone. It’s so important to first fear and love the LORD/YHVH, and yet so many believe in a twisted version like I did.  I recently read the golden calf incident to our grandkids and was reminded that they called the golden calf, YHVH! And as the rest of the verse says, “fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Many don’t want to be corrected for being wrong, I know I sure didn’t want to be at first. ☹ Fearing YHVH is just the BEGINNING of knowledge! We should continually be willing to learn wisdom and gain instruction no matter our age. “Fools hate knowledge.” (1:22)

“Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, but they will not find me because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD.” (1:28,29)

We must continue to choose to fear the LORD and not despise knowledge.  I am encouraged in reading the Scriptures how it helps us by continually pointing us in the right direction. 

Jesus’s goal was to fear the LORD. The chief priests and scribes sought to destroy him. “They watched him and even sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on his words, in order to deliver him to the power and the authority of the governor.”  (Luke 20:20) 

Jesus walked about in the streets of Jerusalem and here I am some years ago doing just that. All of our 5 children were born in Israel, four in Jerusalem and our first in Bethlehem (like Ruth’s first;).

“They could not catch him in his words in the presence of the people.” (Luke 20:26) “He taught the way of God in truth.” (20:21) Such fear of God he had, giving us an example and thus providing wisdom and instruction. How can we fear God more in our daily lives? And be more open for wisdom and instruction?

-Stephanie Schlegel

Reflection Questions

  1. How can we fear God more in our daily lives? And be more open for wisdom and instruction?
  2. In Jesus’ example and in his teaching how did he display and teach fearing God?
  3. In order to have a proper fear of the LORD we need to have an understanding of who He is, what He does, what He desires so we don’t end up calling something the LORD/YHVH that isn’t. What do we learn about God in today’s passages? Why is the Bible the perfect place to find out who He is? What else is the Bible useful for?

1st & 2nd Samuel Introduction

The books of First and Second Samuel are named after the man Samuel – the last judge of Israel (1 Samuel 7:15), a prophet (1 Samuel 9:9), priest (1 Samuel 3:1), and kingmaker (1 Samuel 10:1; 1Samuel 16:13).  Samuel oversaw the transition from Israel’s being ruled by Judges to it’s being ruled by a king.  As a prophet, priest, and ruler, the man Samuel was a foreshadowing of Christ. 

We don’t know who wrote the books of First and Second Samuel.  But whoever wrote them clearly had inside information about Samuel, and Kings Saul and David, since the books record such detailed information about each, including what they were thinking, in addition to what they did and said.

From the time of Moses until Samuel, Israel was a theocracy – a nation ruled by God.  1 Samuel 8 details Israel’s rejection of God as king, when they wanted a king to lead them “like all the other nations have” (1 Samuel 8:5).  God let them go their sinful way by telling Samuel in 1 Samuel 8:7, “…Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.”  God then led Samuel to anoint Saul as King.  He was tall and strong – impressive from any human standpoint, and was just the type of king the people wanted.  Unfortunately, he didn’t follow God wholeheartedly.

It wasn’t that God didn’t want Israel to have a king, it was just that the timing wasn’t right.  God eventually directed Samuel to Jesse’s family to anoint the next king to replace Saul.  1 Samuel 16:6-7 records, “When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.’ But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’”  God then directed Samuel to anoint David, a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14), to be the next king over Israel.

Some of the more familiar passages in 1 & 2 Samuel include:

1 Samuel 3 – God calling Samuel

1 Samuel 17 – David and Goliath

1 Samuel 28 – Saul and the Witch of Endor

2 Samuel 7 – God’s promise to establish an eternal dynasty for David

2 Samuel 11 – David and Bathsheba

2 Samuel 15 – Absalom’s conspiracy

2 Samuel 22 – David’s song of praise

Even though David wasn’t sinless (e.g. David and Bathsheba), he was called a man after God’s own heart because he put God first and sought to live for God.  I challenge you to live your life like David, who was able to say in 2 Samuel 22:21-25, “The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me. For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I am not guilty of turning from my God. All his laws are before me; I have not turned away from his decrees.  I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin. The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in his sight.”

-Steve Mattison

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Which are You?

Old Testament Reading: Leviticus 3 & 4
Psalms Reading: Psalm 48
New Testament Reading: 1 Corinthians 1

Let’s play a quick game together, shall we? I’m going to give you two separate lists to study, each with a dozen synonymic adjectives, and then ask you questions about them. 

List 1: idiotic, half-witted, brainless, imprudent, ill-advised, senseless, reckless, foolhardy, lunatic, absurd, unwise, nonsensical

List 2: sage, clever, informed, astute, sensible, prudent, judicious, discerning, insightful, perspicacious, sharp-witted, enlightened

Who is the first person to pop into your head when you see each respective list? 


Which list best describes you currently?

Which list would you rather have read about you at your funeral? 

The first set of words contains synonyms for the word “foolish”, and the second one lists synonyms for “wise”. The end of I Corinthians 1 is contrasting foolishness and wisdom as it relates to God vs. man, and how God empowers us to do His work. Paul writes beginning in verse 25 (ESV), “For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For consider your calling, brothers; not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.'”

This verse causes me to bubble over with inspiration and gratitude every time I read it! I take great joy in reading accounts of the underdogs in the Bible whom God used to do great things, and in believing that He can do the same with me. Moses had a speech impediment, but God used him to speak with Pharoah and deliver the Isaelites from slavery. Rahab was a prostitute, but God designated her to save His spies and she was then in the lineage of Jesus. David was only a grungy, petite shepherd, but God used him to defeat Goliath. (David later served God as a great King of Israel, despite being a murderer and adulterer.) Gideon, who was the least important of his family (which was the weakest of his tribe), was hiding when an angel sent from God called him “Mighty Warrior”, but God led him to defeat the Midianite army with nothing but a miniscule army and God’s power. 

BUT GOD. 

BUT GOD. 

BUT GOD throughout history has called people to do great things through his power. Most of them were not already rich or famous or powerful, but when God gave them His power, He did mighty things through them! Even in the New Testament, we read in Acts 4:13 that people were amazed that Peter and John were “unschooled, ordinary men.” 

God is still active and working today. He wants us to strive for wisdom and seek Him. God wants to use you to do great things for Him! God is still using his people in big ways to impact their communities and the world. No matter your history, education level, age, job, or any other excuse you might share for why God can’t use you, remember… He loves to use imperfect people for His glory. 

-Rachel Cain

Reflection:

*What is your excuse for why God shouldn’t use you? Pray for Him to show you the way He sees you and give you His power. 

*What is God calling you to do that might be scary or out of your comfort zone? Pray about that situation and ask Him to fill you with His power! 

*What has God revealed about Himself today?

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