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- [00:00]
A
Hey, everyone. Welcome back to the podcast. Before we dive into today's episode, I have some exciting news that I know a lot of you have been waiting for. Our A Year in the Bible study is back in stock. But here's the deal. This study will sell out fast. So if you've been waiting for it to come back in stock, this is your sign. Go get your A Year in the Bible study now by clicking the link in the top of our show notes before they're gone. Hey, this is Shelby in CJ and we're so glad you're joining us wherever you're listening from, on your morning commute or maybe while you're on a walk or just a few minutes in a pocket in your day, wherever you are. We're here to break down first Samuel 28:31, which are the last few chapters in the book of first Samuel. Right?
- [00:49]
B
Yep. So at this point, David has aligned himself with the Philistines. He's living in one of their cities. He's pretty familiar with the king of Aish, and he kind of gets himself in a pickle because the Philistines and the Israelites are about to battle. And Saul sees the Philistine army and he wants to talk to the Lord because he's nervous. But the Lord doesn't answer him through dreams. He doesn't answer him through the the aphod with the magic dice that we've talked about. Right. The way that the Lord uses the dice that the Lord uses to speak to his people. His prophets aren't talking to him. So Saul decides to go against God's law and seek out a medium to chat with Samuel, who's passed away. So this is the witch at Endor story. I don't know if you've heard that or seen that in, like a little thing at the Bible. It's like the little title. So he goes to the witch at Endor and he says, hey, can you conjure up for me Samuel, so I can speak to him? So she does that. And Samuel says, things are not going to go well for you, man. Like things you know that the kingdom's been ripped for you and it's been given to David, and it's just not going to end well. So then they go into battle. In 1 Samuel 29, as David is heading into battle with the Philistines, some of the other Philistines feel uneasy about it. They say this guy's an Israelite and he's going to go fight against the Israelites for us. And Achish says Okay, David, you have to stay back. So David stays back, and upon returning to his home, he sees that some Amalekites had raided his city and had taken some women and children and possessions of his. So he goes back and he takes them all back. And not one life was taken. Everyone. He gets everyone back, and that's a big victory for him. And then he sends some of the spoils of war to the elders of Judah, which is a way to sort of ingratiate himself, saying, I'm the Lord's anointed. I know where this is headed. I'm about to be king. And I want you to know that I'm on your side. And you guys, you and I are on the same team. So he sends some of those spoils as, like, a goodwill gift to the elders of Judah, which is going to be important as we get into Second Samuel.
- [02:49]
A
Yeah. One question I have is, where is Saul in the midst of this battle? And even in the midst of David kind of taking some steps to say, like, hey, I'm. I'm going to be king soon.
- [03:02]
B
Yeah. Well, I think Saul, it just seems, is regardless of his location at a given time, he seems to just be. Be fearful. So he seems to recognize that the Philistines are breathing down his neck. He clearly knows that the kingdom's been ripped from him. And I think he also knows that David is the favored one. So I think all those things are sort of culminating in him having this existential crisis, like, am I going to be king? When is it going to be ripped from me? When is it going to be given to David?
- [03:30]
A
Yeah. So what can we learn about God from these chapters?
- [03:37]
B
God's plans always come to pass. So again, we think of Hannah's song, and we think of how the Lord is the one who's in control. He brings down the arrogant, but he lifts up the humble. These principles that the Lord expects us to operate by, those are the ways that he deals with the world and deals with us. And he said, I'm taking the kingdom from Saul and I'm going to give it to David. And that's what we see here. We see that Saul eventually dies in his battle against the Philistines. We see that Jonathan, sadly, also dies in his battle with the Philistines because he's fighting with his father. And then we're going to see in 2nd Samuel for the rest of 2 Samuel that God's plan comes about. He gives the kingdom to David.
- [04:27]
A
Yeah. I think for me, one thing that I'm taking away and you kind of hinted at this, but this has been a very complex journey so far. And my life often feels complex. And there's even times that the reality of life can feel a little devastating. You know, it's not as smooth. We've talked about this as we want it to be. I just the other day had someone, like, check in with me about. And they were just like, hey, I know you've had this, like, pain, this persistent pain in your life. Like, how is that going? And I didn't have any answer except for, like, it's still there. And so I think what I am pulling out of these chapters for myself is just hope in Christ, even amidst enduring complexity and pain and hardship. And in that moment when that person asked me that question, I was like, you know, sometimes I just, like, think of heaven and, like, that's where my hope is. And so just something about how complex and honestly, just sad some of these chapters are. It's just drawing my hope to Christ and even to eternity with him beyond the pains of this world. So, yeah, okay, we have wrapped up First Samuel. We're jumping into Second Samuel, though tomorrow we'll be here. We hope to see you there.