GOD in the Old Testament - 1 Samuel - Part 4

1 Samuel 7:7-9

    When the Philistines heard that Israel had assembled at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines came up to attack them. When the Israelites heard of it, they were afraid because of the Philistines. They said to Samuel, "Do not stop crying out to the LORD our God for us, that he may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines." Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and sacrificed it as a whole burnt offering to the LORD. He cried out to the LORD on Israel's behalf, and the LORD answered him.

[see all 1 Samuel 7 - 8]

 

1 Samuel 9:5-10  

    When they reached the district of Zuph, Saul said to the servant who was with him, "Come, let's go back, or my father will stop thinking about the donkeys and start worrying about us."

    But the servant replied, "Look, in this town there is a man of God; he is highly respected, and everything he says comes true. Let's go there now. Perhaps he will tell us what way to take."

    Saul said to his servant, "If we go, what can we give the man? The food in our sacks is gone. We have no gift to take to the man of God. What do we have?"

    The servant answered him again. "Look," he said, "I have a quarter of a shekel of silver. I will give it to the man of God so that he will tell us what way to take." (Formerly, in Israel, if someone went to inquire of God, they would say, "Come, let us go the seer," because the prophet of today used to be called a seer.)

    "Good," Saul said to his servant. "Come, let us go." So they set out for the town where the man of God was.

1 Samuel 9:27  

As they were going down to the edge of the town, Samuel said to Saul, "Tell the servant to go on ahead of us"--and the servant did so--"but you stay here for awhile, so that I may give you a message from God."

[see all 1 Samuel 9]

 

1 Samuel 10:3-7  

    "Then you will go on from there until you reach the great tree of Tabor. Three men going up to worship God at Bethel will meet you there. One will be carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and another a skin of wine. They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from them.

     "After that you will go to Gibeah of God, where there is a Philistine outpost. As you approach the town, you will meet a procession of prophets coming down from the high place with lyres, timbrels, pipes and harps being played before them, and they will be prophesying. The Spirit of the LORD will come powerfully upon you and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person. Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you."

[1 Samuel 10 continues tomorrow] 

    

[brackets are mine]

 

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Limited to 15 verses per post.

GOD in the Old Testament - 1 Samuel - Part 3

1 Samuel 4:19-20  (continued)

    His daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and near the time of delivery. When she heard the news that the ark of God had been captured and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she went into labor and gave birth, but was overcome by her labor pains. As she was dying the women attending her said, "Don't despair; you have given birth to a son." But she did not respond or pay attention.

    She named the boy Ichabod ("no glory"), saying, "The Glory has departed from Israel"--because of the capture of the ark of God and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband. She said, "The Glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured."

(see all 1 Samuel 4)

 

1 Samuel 5:6-12  

    The LORD's hand was heavy on the people of Ashdod and its vicinity; he brought devastation on them and afflicted them with tumors. When the people of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, "The ark of the god of Israel must not stay here with us, because his hand is heavy on us and on Dagon our god." So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and asked them, "What shall we do with the ark of the god of Israel?"

    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 a great panic. He inflicted the people of the city, both young and old, with an outbreak of tumors. So they sent the ark of God to Ekron.

    As the ark of God was entering Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, "They have brought the 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 the 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; God's hand was very heavy on it. Those who did not die were afflicted with tumors, and the outcry of the city went up to heaven.

(see all 1 Samuel 5)

 

1 Samuel 6:5-6  

"Make models of the tumors and of the rats that are destroying the country and give glory 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 Pharaoh did? When Israel's god dealt harshly with them, did they not send the Israelites out so they could go on their way?"

 

1 Samuel 6:19-20  

    But God struck down some of the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh, putting seventy of them to death because they looked into the ark of the LORD. The people mourned because of the heavy blow the LORD had dealt them. And the people 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?"

(see all 1 Samuel 6) 

    

(parentheses are mine) 

 

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Limited to 15 verses per post.

GOD in the Old Testament - 1 Samuel - Part 2

1 Samuel 3:3-4  

The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the LORD, where the ark of God was. Then the LORD called Samuel.

    Samuel answered, "Here I am." 

 

1 Samuel 3:10-14  

    The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!"

    Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."

    And the LORD said to Samuel: "See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle. At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family--from beginning to end. For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God, and he failed to restrain them. Therefore I swore to the house of Eli, 'The guilt of Eli's house will never be atoned for by sacrifices or offering.'" 

 

1 Samuel 3:17-18  

    "What is it he said to you?" Eli asked. "Do not hide it from me. May God deal with you, be it ever so severely, if you hide from me anything he told you." So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. Then Eli said, "He is the LORD; let him do what is good in his eyes."

(see all 1 Samuel 3)

 

1 Samuel 4:4  

    So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the LORD Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim. And Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. 

 

1 Samuel 4:10-11  

    So the Philistines fought, and the Israelites were defeated and every man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great; Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers. The ark of God was captured, and Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died. 

 

1 Samuel 4:13  

When he arrived, there was Eli sitting on his chair by the side of the road, watching, because his heart feared for the ark of God. When the man entered the town and told what had happened, the whole town sent up a cry.

 

1 Samuel 4:17-18  

    The man who brought the news replied, "Israel fled before the Philistines, and the army has suffered heavy losses. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured." 

    When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backward off his chair by the side of the gate. His neck was broken and he died, for he was an old man, and he was heavy. He had led Israel forty years.

(1 Samuel 4 continues tomorrow) 

    

(parentheses are mine) 

 

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Limited to 15 verses per post.

GOD in the Old Testament - 1 Samuel - Part 1

1 Samuel 1:12-17

    As she kept on praying to the LORD, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk and said to her, "How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine."

    "Not so, my lord," Hannah replied, "I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the LORD. Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief."

    Eli answered, "Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him."

(see all 1 Samuel 1) 

 

1 Samuel 2:1-3  

    Then Hannah prayed and said:

 

    "My heart rejoices in the LORD;

        in the LORD my horn (strength) is lifted high.

    My mouth boasts over my enemies,

        for I delight in your deliverance.

 

    "There is no one holy like the LORD;

        there is no one besides you;

        there is no Rock like our God.

 

    "Do not keep talking so proudly

        or let your mouth speak such arrogance,

    for the LORD is a God who knows,

        and by him deeds are weighed."

 

1 Samuel 2:22-25  

    Now Eli, who was very old, heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how they slept with women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting. So he said to them, "Why do you do such things? I hear from all the people about these wicked deeds of yours. No, my sons; the report I hear spreading among the LORD's people is not good. If one person sins against another, God may mediate for the offender; but if anyone sins against the LORD, who will intercede for them?" His sons, however, did not listen to their father's rebuke, for it was the LORD's will to put them to death.

 

1 Samuel 2:27-30  

    Now a man of God came to Eli and said to him, "This is what the LORD says: 'Did I not clearly reveal myself to your ancestor's family when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh? I chose your ancestor out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in my presence. I also gave your ancestor's family all the food offerings presented by the Israelites. Why do you scorn my sacrifice and offering that I prescribed for my dwelling? Why do you honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel?'

    "Therefore, the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: 'I promised that members of your family would minister before me forever.' But now the LORD declares: 'Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained.' " 

(see all 1 Samuel 2) 

    

(parentheses are mine) 

 

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Limited to 15 verses per post.

GOD in the Old Testament - Ruth - Part 1

Ruth 1:14-18

    At this they wept aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her.

    "Look," said Naomi, "your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her."

    But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where  you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me." When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her. 

(see all Ruth 1)

 

Ruth 2:8-13  

    So Boaz said to Ruth, "My daughter, listen to me. Don't go and glean in another field and don't go away from here. Stay here with the women who work for me. Watch the field where the men are harvesting, and follow along after the women. I  have told them not to lay a hand on you. And whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars the men have filled."

    At this she bowed down with her face to the ground. She asked him, "Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me--a foreigner?"

    Boaz replied, "I've been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband--how you left father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge." 

    "May I continue to find favor in your eyes, my lord," she said. "You have put me at ease by speaking kindly to your servant--though I do not have the standing of one of your servants."

(see all Ruth 2 - 3)

 

Ruth 4:13  

    So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the LORD enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son.

 

Ruth 4:15-17  

"He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth." 

    Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. The women living there said, "Naomi has a son!" And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. 

(see all Ruth 4) 

 

(parentheses are mine) 

 

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Limited to 15 verses per post.

GOD in the Old Testament - Judges - Part 7

Judges 20:1-2

    Then all Israel from Dan to Beersheba and from the land of Gilead came together as one and assembled before the LORD at Mizpah. The leaders of all the people of the tribes of Israel took their places in the assembly of God's people, four hundred thousand men armed with swords.

 

Judges 20:18  

    The Israelites went up to Bethel and inquired of God. They said, "Who of us is to go up first to fight against the Benjamites?"

    The LORD replied, "Judah shall go first."

 

Judges 20:26-29  

    Then all the Isrealites, the whole army, went up to Bethel, and there they sat weeping before the LORD. They fasted that day until evening and presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the LORD. And the Israelites inquired of the LORD. (In those days the ark of the covenant of God was there, with Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, ministering before it.) They asked, "Shall we go up again to fight against the Benjamites, our fellow Israelites, or not?"

    The LORD responded, "Go, for tomorrow I will give them into your hands."

    Then Israel set an ambush around Gibeah.

    [see all Judges 19-20] 

 

Judges 21:1-3  

    The men of Israel had taken an oath at Mizpah: "Not one of us will give his daughter in marriage to a Benjamite."

    The people went to Bethel, where they sat before God until evening, raising their voices and weeping bitterly. "LORD, God of Israel," they cried, "why has this happened to Israel? Why should one tribe be missing from Israel today?"

 

Judges 21:25  

    In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.

    [see all Judges 21] 

 

[brackets are mine]

 

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Limited to 15 verses per post.

GOD in the Old Testament - Judges - Part 6

Judges 15:18-19

    Because he was very thirsty, he cried out to the LORD, "You have given your servant this great victory. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?" Then God opened up the hollow place in Lehi, and water came out of it. When Samson drank, his strength returned and he revived. So the spring was called En Hakkore ("caller's spring"), and it is still there in Lehi. 

(see all Judges 15)

 

Judges 16:17  

    So he told her everything. "No razor has ever been used on my head," he said, "because I have been a Nazarite dedicated to God from my mother's womb. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man."

 

Judges 16:28-30  

Then Samson prayed to the LORD, "Please, God, strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes." Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other, Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines!" Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived.

(see all Judges 16 - 17)

 

Judges 18:1-6  

    In those days Israel had no king. And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking a place of their own where they might settle, because they had not yet come into an inheritance among the tribes if Israel. So the Danites sent five of their leading men from Zorah and Eshtaol to spy out the land and explore it. These men represented all the Danites. They told them, "Go, explore the land."

    So they entered the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah, where they spent the night. When they were near Micah's house, they recognized the voice of the young Levite; so they turned in there and asked him, "Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? Why are you here?"

    He told them what Micah had done for him, and said, "He has hired me and I am his priest."

    Then they said to him, "Please inquire of God to learn whether our journey will be successful."

    The priest answered them, "Go in peace. Your journey has the LORD's approval." 

 

Judges 18:9-10  

    They answered, "Come on, let's attack them! We have seen the land, and it is very good. Aren't you going to do something? Don't hesitate to go there and take it over. When you get there, you will find an unsuspecting people and a spacious land that God has put into your hands, a land that lacks nothing whatever."

 

Judges 18:31  

They continued to use the idol Micah had made, all the time the house of God was in Shiloh.

(see all Judges 18) 

      

 

(parentheses are mine) 

 

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Limited to 15 verses per post.