Juggling Fire

I feel like the Israelites are getting to enjoy a piece of pie they stole. It was wrong, yes, and even though they have to enjoy it all huddled up, hiding in a corner, man, oh, man, is it good. Samuel lets them know in this chapter that God is going to let them have… Continue reading Bible studies for writers | 1 Samuel 12

The defeat of the Ammonites. It’s not the most notable battle in the Bible, and it’s not the biggest one, but it is the one that makes Saul realize he can and will lead the Israelites, with the Lord’s help, of course. Saul is good and faithful to recognize God and give him credit for… Continue reading Bible studies for writers | 1 Samuel 11

Have you ever accomplished something you never dreamed you could, or better yet, have you ever been so overwhelmed by the Spirit of God that you just knew what you knew, no doubt about it? We don’t all get to experience such miraculous moments as Saul did. Just like several others before him, he went… Continue reading Bible studies for writers | 1 Samuel 10

The Israelites are getting ready to see huge change. God has heard their prayers for a king and is about to answer them. And, of course, he does it in God fashion. He appoints the underdog, the least of the Israelites, and he springs it on his candidate completely unexpectedly. A few things I noticed… Continue reading Bible studies for writers | 1 Samuel 9

“We want to be like the nations around us (v. 20 NLT).” Do you now what you’re asking, Israelites? Let’s think that through just a bit longer. While we know that the Israelites already have a King, the One True King, we can kind of see where they’re coming from if we look at their… Continue reading Bible studies for writers | 1 Samuel 8

We finally get to see Samuel come into his own in this chapter. It looks so simple on paper: Samuel spoke to the whole of Israel. They repented, and God listened. Don’t you wish it were that simple? On the page, it looks as if the Israelites just up and one day said we’re sorry,… Continue reading Bible studies for writers | 1 Samuel 7

I mean, they should have just done all this chapter in the first place, right? I had a heyday with the orange pen this morning, as I quite liked this little quirky chapter. Gold tumors and rats. C’mon! And people say the Bible is boring. Anyway, the first thing I noticed was that the Philistines… Continue reading Bible studies for writers | 1 Samuel 6

This precious chapter probably is the most well known chapter of Samuel’s story. Many of us who attended Sunday school regularly at church as kids most likely heard this story as a parallel story that went with a lesson that taught us that kids are people, too. If this is the first time you’re reading… Continue reading Bible studies for writers | 1 Samuel 4

Before we move on with Samuel’s life, we have to learn what happened to the priests and judges before him. This chapter does just that. Notice there is not a single mention of Samuel in this chapter. It’s all about the demise of the Israelites with an emphasis on the deaths of Eli and his… Continue reading Bible studies for writers | 1 Samuel 3