GOD in the Old Testament - 1 Kings - Part 1

1 Kings 1:16-18 

Bathsheba bowed down, prostrating herself before the king.

    "What is it you want?" the king asked.

    She said to him, "My lord, you yourself swore to me your servant by the LORD your God: 'Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne.' But now Adonijah has become king, and you, my lord the king do not know about it."

 

1 Kings 1:29-30  

    Then the king took an oath: "As surely as the LORD lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble, I will surely carry out this very day what I swore to you by the LORD, the God of Israel: Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place."

 

1 Kings 1:36-37  

    Benaiah son of Jehoiada answered the king, "Amen! May the LORD, the God of my lord the king, so declare it. As the LORD was with my lord the king, so may he be with Solomon to make his throne even greater than the throne of my lord King David!"

 

1 Kings 1:47-48  

"Also, the royal officials have come to congratulate our lord King David, saying, 'May your God make Solomon's name more famous than yours!' And the king bowed in worship on his bed and said, 'Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who has allowed my eyes to see a successor on my throne today.' "

(see all 1 Kings 1)

 

1 Kings 2:1-4  

    When the time drew near for David to die, he gave this charge to his son.

    "I am about to go the way of all the earth," he said. "So be strong, act like a man, and observe what the LORD your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go and that the LORD may keep his promise to me: 'If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.' "  

(see 2 Samuel 7:8-17)

 

1 Kings 2:23-24  

    Then King Solomon swore by the LORD: "May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if Adonijah does not pay with his life for this request! And now, as surely as the LORD lives--he who has established me securely on the throne of my father David and has founded a dynasty for me as he promised--Adonijah shall be put to death today!"

(see all 1 Kings 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 - 2 Samuel - Part 15

2 Samuel 22:7  (continued) 

    "In my distress I called to the LORD;

        I called out to my God.

    From his temple he heard my voice;

        my cry came to his ears."

 

2 Samuel 22:22  

    "For I have kept the ways of the LORD;

        I am not guilty of turning from my God."

 

2 Samuel 22:30-33  

    "With your help I can advance against a troop;

        with my God I can scale a wall." 

 

    "As for God his way is perfect:

        The LORD's word is flawless;

        he shields all who take refuge in him.

    For who is God besides the LORD?

        And who is the Rock except our God?

    It is God who arms me with strength

        and keeps my way secure."

 

2 Samuel 22:47-49  

    "The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock!

        Exalted be my God, the Rock, my Savior!

    He is the God who avenges me,

        who puts the nations under me,

        who sets me free from my enemies.

    You exalted me above my foes;

        from a violent man you rescued me."

(see all 2 Samuel 22)

 

2 Samuel 23:1  

    These are the last words of David:

 

    "The inspired utterance of David son of Jesse,

        the utterance of the man exalted by the Most High,

    the man anointed by the God of Jacob,

        the hero of Israel's songs: ...

 

2 Samuel 23:3-5  

    "The God of Israel spoke,

        the Rock of Israel said to me:

    'When one rules over people in righteousness,

        when he rules in the fear of God,

    he is like the light of morning at sunrise

        on a cloudless morning,

    like the brightness after rain

        that brings grass from the earth.'

 

    "If my house were not right with God,

        surely he would not have made with me an 

            everlasting covenant,

        arranged and secured every part;

    surely he would not bring to fruition my salvation

        and grant me my every desire."

(see all 2 Samuel 23)

 

2 Samuel 24:3  

    But Joab replied to the king, "May the LORD your God multiply the troops a hundred times over, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king want to do such a thing?"

 

2 Samuel 24:24  

    But the king replied to Araunah, "No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing."

(see all 2 Samuel 24) 

    

(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 - 2 Samuel - Part 14

2 Samuel 15:24-29  

    Zadok was there, too, and all the Levites who were with him were carrying the ark of the covenant of God. They set down the ark of God, and Abiathar offered sacrifices until all the people had finished leaving the city.

    Then the king said to Zadok, "Take the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the LORD's eyes, he will bring me back and let me see it and his dwelling place again. But if he says, 'I am not pleased with you,' then I am ready; let him do to me whatever seems good to him."

    The king also said to Zadok the priest, "Do you understand? Go back to the city with my blessing. Take your son Ahimaaz with you, and also Abiathar's son Jonathan. You and Abiathar return with your two sons. I will wait at the fords in the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me." So Zadok and Abiathar took the ark of God back to Jerusalem and stayed there. 

(see all 2 Samuel 15)

 

2 Samuel 16:23  

    Now in those days the advice Ahithophel gave was like that of one who inquires of God. That was how both David and Absalom regarded all of Ahithophel's advice. 

(see all 2 Samuel 16 - 17)

 

2 Samuel 18:28  

    Then Ahimaaz called out to the king. "All is well!" He bowed down before the king with his face to the ground and said, "Praise be to the LORD your God! He has delivered up those who lifted their hands against my lord the king."

(see all 2 Samuel 18)

 

2 Samuel 19:26-27  

    He said, "My lord the king, since I your servant am lame, I said, 'I will have my donkey saddled and will ride on it, so I can go with the king.' But Ziba my servant betrayed me. And he has slandered your servant to my lord the king. My lord the king is like an angel of God; so do whatever you wish."

(see all 2 Samuel 19 - 20)

 

2 Samuel 21:14  

    They buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the tomb of Saul's father Kish, at Zela in Benjamin, and did everything the king commanded. After that God answered prayer in behalf of the land.

(see all 2 Samuel 21)

 

2 Samuel 22:1-3  

    David sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:

    "The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;

        my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,

        my shield and the horn of my salvation. 

    He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior--

        from violent people you save me."

(2 Samuel 22 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 - 2 Samuel - Part 13

2 Samuel 9:3  

    The king asked, "Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God's kindness?"

    Ziba answered the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan; he is lame in both feet."

(see all 2 Samuel 9 - 11)

 

2 Samuel 12:7  

    Then Nathan said, "You are the man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.' "

 

2 Samuel 12:15-16  

    After Nathan had gone home, the LORD struck the child that Uriah's wife had borne to David, and he became ill. David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and spent the nights lying in sackcloth on the ground.

(see all 2 Samuel 12 - 13)

 

2 Samuel 14:11-14  

    She said, "Then let the king invoke the LORD his God to prevent the avenger of blood from adding to the destruction, so that my son will not be destroyed."

    "As surely as the LORD lives, not one hair of your son's head will fall to the ground."

    Then the woman said, "Let your servant speak a word to my lord the king."

    "Speak," he replied.

    The woman said, "Then why have you devised a thing like this against the people of God? When the king says this does he not convict himself, for the king has not brought back his banished son? Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But that is not what God desires; rather, he devises ways so that a banished person does not remain banished from him."

 

2 Samuel 14:16-17  

"Perhaps the king will agree to deliver his servant from the hand of the man who is trying to cut off both me and my son from God's inheritance."

    "And now your servant says, 'May the word of my lord the king secure my inheritance, for my lord the king is like an angel of God in discerning good and evil. May the LORD your God be with you.' "

 

2 Samuel 14:20  

"Your servant Joab did this to change the present situation. My lord has wisdom like that of an angel of God--he knows everything that happens in the land."

(see all 2 Samuel 14) 

    

(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 - 2 Samuel - Part 12

2 Samuel 6:2-4  

He and all his men went to Baalah in Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name, the name of the LORD Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim on the ark. They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart with the ark of God on it, and Ahio was walking in front of it.

 

2 Samuel 6:6-7  

    When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out his hand and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. The LORD's anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down, and he died there beside the ark of God.

 

2 Samuel 6:12  

    Now King David was told, "The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God." So David went up to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing.

(see all 2 Samuel 6)

 

2 Samuel 7:22-24  

    "How great you are, Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. And who is like your people Israel--the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for himself, and to make a name for himself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt? You have established your people Israel as your very own forever, and you, LORD, have become their God."

 

2 Samuel 7:25-26  

    "And now, LORD God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised so that your name will be great forever. Then people will say, 'The LORD Almighty is God over Israel!' And the house of your servant David will be established in your sight." 

 

2 Samuel 7:27-29  

    "LORD Almighty, God of Israel, you have revealed this to your servant, saying, 'I will build a house for you.' So your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. Sovereign LORD, you are God! Your covenant is trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant. Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, Sovereign LORD, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever."

(see all 2 Samuel 7 - 8) 

    

(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 - 2 Samuel - Part 11

2 Samuel 2:26-28  

    Abner called out to Joab, "Must the sword devour forever? Don't you realize that this will end in bitterness? How long before you order your men to stop pursuing their fellow Israelites?"

    Joab answered, "As surely as God lives, if you had not spoken, the men would have continued pursuing them until morning."

    So Joab blew the trumpet, and all the troops came to a halt; they no longer pursued Israel, nor did they fight anymore. 

(see all 2 Samuel 1 - 2)

 

2 Samuel 3:8-11  

    Abner was very angry because of what Ish-Bosheth said. So he answered, "Am I a dog's head--on Judah's side? This very day I am loyal to the house of your father Saul and to his family and friends. I haven't handed you over to David. Yet you accuse me of an offense involving this woman! May God deal with Abner, be it ever so severely, if I do not do for David what the LORD promised him on oath and transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and establish David's throne over Israel and Judah from Dan to Beersheba." Ish-Bosheth did not dare to say another word to Abner, because he was afraid of him.

 

2 Samuel 3:33-35  

    The king sang this lament for Abner:

 

    "Should Abner have died as the lawless die?

        Your hands were not bound,

        your feet were not fettered.

    You fell as one falls before the wicked." 

 

    And all the people wept over him again.

    Then they all came and urged David to eat something while it was still day; but David took an oath, saying, "May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun sets!"

(see all 2 Samuel 3 - 4)

 

2 Samuel 5:9-10  

    David took residence in the fortress and called it the City of David. He built up the area around it, from the terrace inward. And he became more and more powerful, because the LORD God Almighty was with him.

(see all 2 Samuel 5) 

    

(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 10

1 Samuel 29:8-9  

    "But what have I done?" asked David. "What have you found against your servant from the day I came to you until now? Why can't I go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?"

    Achish answered, "I know that you have been as pleasing in my eyes as an angel of God; nevertheless, the Philistine commanders have said, 'He must not go up with us into battle.'"

(see all 1 Samuel 29) 

 

1 Samuel 30:6-8 

David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God.

    Then David said to Abiathar the  priest, the son of Ahimelek. "Bring me the ephod." Abiathar brought it to him, and David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?"

    "Pursue them," he answered. "You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue."

 

1 Samuel 30:25-19  

    David asked him, "Can you lead me down to this raiding party?"

    He answered, "Swear to me before God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them."

    He led David down, and there they were, scattered over the countryside, eating and drinking and reveling because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah. David fought them from dusk until the evening of the next day, and none of them got away, except four hundred young men who rode off on camels and fled. David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives. Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back.

(see all 1 Samuel 1:30 - 31) 

    

(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 9

1 Samuel 25:26-27  

"And now, my lord, as surely as the LORD your God lives and as you live, since the LORD has kept you from bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hands, may your enemies and all who are intent on harming my lord be like Nabal. And let this gift, which your servant has brought to my lord, be given to the men who follow you."

 

1 Samuel 25:28-29  

    "Please forgive your servant's presumption. The LORD your God will certainly make a lasting dynasty for my lord, because you fight the LORD's battles, and no wrongdoing will be found in you as long as you live. Even if someone is pursuing you to take your life, the life of my lord will be bound securely in the bundle of the living by the LORD your God, but the lives of your enemies he will hurl away as from the pocket of a sling."

 

1 Samuel 25:30-31  

"When the LORD has fulfilled for my lord every good thing he promised concerning him and has appointed him ruler over Israel, my lord will not have on his conscience the staggering burden of needless bloodshed or of having avenged himself. And when the LORD your God has brought my lord success, remember your servant."

 

1 Samuel 25:32-34  

    David said to Abigail, "Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me. May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands. Otherwise, as surely as the LORD, the God of Israel lives, who has kept me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, not one male belonging to Nabal would have been left alive by daybreak."

(see all 1 Samuel 25)

 

1 Samuel 26:7-9  

    So David went to the army by night, and there was Saul, lying asleep inside the camp with his spear stuck in the ground near his head. Abner and the soldiers were lying around him.

    Abishai said to David, "Today God has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of the spear; I won't strike him twice."

    But David said to Abishai, "Don't destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the LORD's anointed and be guiltless!"

(see all 1 Samuel 26 - 27)

 

1 Samuel 28:15-17  

    Samuel said to Saul, "Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?"

    "I am in great distress," Saul said. "The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has departed from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do."

    Samuel said, "Why do you consult me, now that the LORD has departed from you and become your enemy? The LORD has done what he predicted through me. The LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors--to David."

(see all 1 Samuel 28) 

    

(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 8

1 Samuel 20:12-13

    Then Jonathan said to David, "I swear by the LORD, the God of Israel, that I will surely sound out my father by this time the day after tomorrow! If he is favorably disposed toward you, will I not send you word and let you know? But if my father intends to harm you, may the LORD deal with Jonathan, be it ever so severely, if I do not let you know and send you away in peace. May the LORD be with you as he has been with my father."

(see all 1 Samuel 20 - 21)

 

1 Samuel 22:13-15  

    Saul said to him, "Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, giving him bread and a sword and inquiring of God for him, so that he has rebelled against me and lies in wait for me, as he does today?"

    Ahimelek answered the king, "Who of all your servants is as loyal as David, the king's son-in-law, captain of your bodyguard and highly respected in your household? Was that day the first time I inquired of God for him? Of course not! Let not the king accuse your servant or any of his father's family, for your servant knows nothing at all about this whole affair."

(see all 1 Samuel 22)

 

1 Samuel 23:7  

    Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah, and he said, "God has delivered him into my hands, for David has imprisoned himself by entering a town with gates and bars." 

 

 1 Samuel 23:9-11  

    When David learned that Saul was plotting against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring me the ephod." David said, "LORD, God of Israel, your servant has heard definitely that Saul plans to come to Keilah and destroy the town on account of me. Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me to him? Will Saul come down as your servant has heard? LORD, God of Israel, tell your servant."

    And the LORD said, "He will."

 

1 Samuel 23:14-16  

    David stayed in the wilderness strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph. Day after day Saul searched for him, but God did not give David into his hands.

    While David was at Horesh in the Desert of Ziph, he learned that Saul had come out to take his life. And Saul's son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God. 

(see all 1 Samuel 23 - 24)

 

1 Samuel 25:20-22  

    As she (Abigail) came riding her donkey into a mountain ravine, there were David and his men descending toward her, and she met them. David had just said, "It's been useless--all my watching over this fellow's property in the wilderness so that nothing of his was missing. He has paid me back evil for good. May God deal with David, be it ever so severely, if by morning I leave alive one male of all who belong to him!" 

(1 Samuel 25 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 7

1 Samuel 16:15-16

    Saul's attendants said to him, "See, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. Let our lord command his servants here to search for someone who can play the lyre. He will play when the evil spirit from God comes on you, and you will feel better."

 

1 Samuel 16:23  

    Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would take up his lyre and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him. 

(see all 1 Samuel 16)

 

1 Samuel 17:26  

    David asked the men standing near him, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?"

 

1 Samuel 17:36  

"Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God."

 

1 Samuel 17:45-47  

    David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you into our hands."

(see all 1 Samuel 17)

 

1 Samuel 18:10-11  

    The next day an evil spirit from God came forcefully on Saul. He was prophesying in his house while David was playing the lyre, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand and he hurled it, saying to himself, "I'll pin David to the wall." But David eluded him twice. 

(see all 1 Samuel 18)

 

1 Samuel 19:18-21  

    When David had fled and made his escape, he went to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went to Naioth and stayed there. Word came to Saul: "David is in Naioth at Ramah"; so he sent men to capture him. But when they saw a group of prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing there as their leader, the Spirit of God came on Saul's men and they also prophesied. Saul was told about it, and he sent more men, and they prophesied too. Saul sent men a third time, and they also prophesied.

 

1 Samuel 19:23  

    So Saul went to Naioth at Ramah. But the Spirit of God came even on him, and he walked along prophesying until he came to Naioth.

(see all 1 Samuel 19) 

    

(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 6

1 Samuel 13:13-14

    "You have done a foolish thing," Samuel said. "You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. but now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the LORD's command."

[see all 1 Samuel 13] 

 

1 Samuel 14:15  

    Then panic struck the whole [Philistine] army--those in the camp and field, and those in the outposts and raiding parties--and the ground shook. It was a panic sent by God.

 

1 Samuel 14:18  

    Saul said to Ahijah, "Bring the ark of God." (At that time it was with the Israelites.)

 

1 Samuel 14:36-37  

    Saul said, "Let us go down and pursue the Philistines by night and plunder them until dawn, and let us not leave one of them alive."

    "Do whatever seems best to you," they replied.

    "But the priest said, "Let us inquire of God here."

    So Saul asked God, "Shall I go down and pursue the Philistines? Will you give them into Israel's hand?" But God did not answer him that day.

 

1 Samuel 14:41-45  

    Then Saul prayed to the LORD, the God of Israel. "Why have you not answered your servant today? If the fault is in me or in my son Jonathan, respond with Urim, but if the men of Israel are at fault, respond with Thummin." Jonathan and Saul were taken by lot, and the men were cleared. Saul said, "Cast the lot between me and Jonathan my son." And Jonathan was taken.

    Then Saul said to Jonathan, "Tell me what you have done."

    So Jonathan told him, "I tasted a little honey with the end of my staff. And now I must die!"

    Saul said, "May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if you do not die, Jonathan."

    But the men said to Saul, "Should Jonathan die--he who has brought about this great deliverance in Israel? Never! As surely as the LORD lives, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground, for he did this today with God's help." So the men rescued Jonathan and he was not put to death.

[see all 1 Samuel 14]

 

1 Samuel 15:14-15  

    But Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle I hear?"

    Saul answered, "The soldiers brought them from the Amelekites; they spared the best of the sheep and the cattle to sacrifice to the LORD your God, but we totally destroyed the rest." 

 

1 Samuel 15:21  

"The soldiers took the sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the LORD your God at Gilgal." 

 

1 Samuel 15:30  

    Saul replied, "I have sinned. But please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel; come back with me, so I may worship the LORD your God." 

[see all 1 Samuel 15] 

 

[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 5

1 Samuel 10:9-10  (continued)

    As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul's heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day. When he and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he joined in their prophesying.

 

1 Samuel 10:17-19  

    Samuel summoned the people of Israel to the LORD at Mizpah and said to them, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed you.' But you have now rejected your God, who saves you out of all your disasters and calamities. And you have said, 'No, appoint a king over us.' So now present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and clans."

(see all 1 Samuel 10)

 

1 Samuel 11:5-7  

Just then Saul was returning from the fields, behind his oxen, and he asked, "What is wrong with everyone? Why are they weeping?" Then they repeated to him what the men of Jabesh had said.

     When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he burned with anger. He took a pair of oxen, cut them into pieces, and sent the pieces by messengers throughout Israel, proclaiming, "This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone who does not follow Saul and Samuel." Then the terror of the LORD fell on the people, and they came out together as one.

(see all 1 Samuel 11)

 

1 Samuel 12:8-9  

    "After Jacob entered Egypt, they cried to the LORD for help, and the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your ancestors out of Egypt and settled them in this place.

    "But they forgot the LORD their God; so he sold them into the hand of Sisera, the commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hands of the Philistines and the king of Moab, who fought against them."

 

1 Samuel 12:12-15  

    "But when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, 'No, we want a king to rule over us'--even though the LORD your God was your king. Now here is the king you have chosen, the one you asked for; see the LORD has set a king over you. If you fear the LORD and serve and obey him and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the LORD your God--good! But if you do not obey the LORD, and if you rebel against his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your ancestors."

 

1 Samuel 12:19  

    The people all said to Samuel, "Pray to the LORD your God for your servants so that we will not die, for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king."

(see all 1 Samuel 12)  

    

(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 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.