-Sung Psalm- 30---Last time we looked at the Coming of the Lord - and now we turn to the Day of the Lord.--The idea of the Day of the Lord is closely connected with the theme of -Judgment Day- in scripture.--Isaiah 13-6-9 speaks of the Day of the LORD as the day of destruction.--Jeremiah 46-10 refers to the Day of the LORD as the day of vengeance.-…

What is 1 Samuel 25 doing-- Is it simply an interesting story about David that the author decided to -throw in- just for fun-- Probably not. And especially because chapter 25 is sandwiched in between the two stories of how David spared Saul. And the story of Abigail is carefully crafted. The narrative is carried by speeches - and the longest and mo…

-Sung Psalm- 80---In 2-19, Paul asked, -what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming-- Is it not you-- For you are our glory and joy.- --In 3-13, Paul prayed, that God -may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.---Here in 4-15, h…

In these central episodes of 1 Samuel we hear of what will happen to all of David's enemies. They will be destroyed - not because of David's might and power, but because the LORD was with David.--It is not David's military might, but his faith and trust in Yahweh that gave him the victory- -Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LOR…

-Sung Psalm- 130---We have seen throughout this series that Paul is centered on the themes of faith hope and love. We are to keep believing God in our work of faith. We are to keep loving God and neighbor in our labor of love. And all of this because of our steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ---What is lacking in our faith is endurance. …

Tonight is all about the Messiah in hiding. The book of Samuel makes frequent reference to -the LORD's anointed- -Ha Meshiach Yahweh-. David often uses it to refer to Saul -as we'll see next time-, but it has an unmistakable connection to David as well, because David is also the LORD's anointed. He is the Messiah.--Once you have seen this, it is ea…

-Sung Psalm- 36---Paul thinks the Christian life as a life lived at the intersection of the cross and resurrection of Christ. We share in the sufferings of Christ - we share in his trials and tribulation. --But we also share in his resurrection glory - not just -someday-- Already - by faith - we see him sitting at the right hand of God. Already - b…

Last time we asked the question, why did God permit Saul to persecute David----And we saw that the LORD's anointed must be brought through suffering to glory. The only way for a son of Adam to become the son of God is the way of the cross. And even as Israel was tested in the wilderness, in order to learn to trust in the LORD, so also David must be…

What if I told you that your suffering - your affliction - is a part of the -great trial that was prophesied to come upon God's people at the end--- What if I told you that your suffering was part of God's plan for the ages - part of what God is doing in order to bring about the salvation of humanity-----Well, that's what it is- -How should Christi…

In 1 Samuel 18-20, David is the general who goes up against Saul's enemies - the LORD's enemies. After Goliath we hear about David's victories in 18-5, 18-14-16, 18-27, 18-30, and 19-8.--And Saul is not blind to who David is. By the end of chapter 20, Saul understands full well that David is the Lord's anointed -20-31-. But Saul is jealous and want…

-Sung Psalm- 116---Preaching the gospel is a great and glorious thing - but Paul says that they were pleased to impart not only the gospel of God - but their own souls---How do you impart your soul to another person------When we are joined to the life of the Son of God - when the Holy Spirit - the Third Person of the Holy Trinity - joins us to the …

What is the point of the story of David and Goliath-- You often hear sermons focus on -what is the Goliath in your life---- Is cancer your Goliath-- Unemployment-- Lust----God was with David. God will be with you- So go out there and slay Goliath-----Another favorite is, David defeated Goliath when he was young - so the church should value young pe…

-Sung Psalm- 103---Have you ever felt as though God has forgotten you-- I think that everyone feels that way at times - even Zion, the city of God, says, -The LORD has forsaken me- my Lord has forgotten me.---Those of you who have borne children will understand something of what Isaiah means- -Can a woman forget her nursing child-----If she forgets…

The story of 1 Samuel 16 is a story of two strange visitations at Bethlehem - the first being the coming of the Prophet Samuel to anoint David- the second being the messengers of King Saul to take David to the king.--And at the heart of the chapter - at the heart of the two visits - is the movement of the Holy Spirit - rushing upon David, even as h…

-Sung Psalm- 115---In 1 Thessalonians we will hear about how Jesus is the one who delivers us from the wrath to come. Nowadays we don't like to talk about -the wrath to come.- That doesn't sound very nice.- -True. So let's not talk about anything that doesn't sound nice- Let's not talk about the war in Ukraine - that doesn't sound nice. Let's not t…

We cluck our tongues at Saul, shocked that he did not obey God. God had been perfectly clear. He had given Saul a direct, specific command. And yet Saul thought he knew better than God.--Have you ever thought that you knew better than God-- Has God really said that . . . -- Wouldn't God prefer it if you did this instead----Saul's rebellion is espec…

-Sung Psalm- 71---Today we turn to 1 Thessalonians - one of Paul's earliest epistles. Written to a church that was only a few months old, Paul had been hurried out of the city due to threats from the Jewish community, so he is eager to communicate with this fledgling group of believers. --And partly because Paul only had a short time in Thessalonic…

Saul of Tarsus was of the tribe of Benjamin. He was some sort of relation to King Saul. And certainly he was named after King Saul.--It is always important to pay attention to biblical names. Saul defeated Nahash the Ammonite. Do you know what -Nahash- means-- Serpent. King Saul has crushed the head of the serpent---And yet, King Saul apostatized. …

Our final Psalm in our journey through book One of the Psalter is Psalm 41. If you read it simply as an individual lament over sickness and trouble, then you will struggle over how to sing it. After all, few of us have enemies who would rejoice over our death. And -hopefully- few of us are wishing that God would raise us up, so that we can repay ou…

The story in our passage for tonight is what happens when the Spirit of the LORD turns Saul into another man---We sometimes talk about how the first Joshua resembles the second Joshua -our Lord Jesus-. Perhaps we should also talk about how the first Saul resembles the second Saul -the apostle Paul-.- -Both have a remarkable encounter with God -this…

At least - it sounds odd to us- Shouldn't the movement be from sorrow to joy-- Shouldn't we go from death to resurrection--- Shouldn't every song have a happy ending-----No.--What do you sing when you are in the middle of a horrible part of the story-- What do you sing when you are poor and needy-- When the world, the flesh, and the devil are tryin…

The request for a king was simply the logical outcome of the failure of Israel. Israel had failed to be and to do what God had called them to be and to do.--It wasn't the request for a king that was the problem. For that matter, it wasn't even the way that they asked for a king.--It was the fact that with the exception of Joshua's generation, the p…

Samuel's sons do not follow in their father's steps.--We have seen this problem of the -next generation- before. Eli's sons had become like Canaanite priests - treating the women who served at the tent like prostitutes. Now Samuel's sons become like Canaanite judges - taking bribes and perverting justice.--The prophet Jeremiah would say generations…

Psalm 39 says, -I am mute- I do not open my mouth, for it is you who have done it.- I am afflicted and in trouble - because of your stroke. Sometimes God puts you in a situation where you have nothing to say - indeed, he calls you to say nothing.--Sometimes, if you say anything, you will make things worse. David realizes this. Sometimes the way we …

-Here I raise my Ebenezer-. How did an obscure location in 1 Samuel become part of one of the most famous hymns of the church----Tonight we are concluding our story of Ebenezer and Ichabod. The Battle of Ebenezer opened chapter 4 and a different Ebenezer closes our passage, while Ichabod - no glory - well described the condition of Israel when the …

We saw last time that Psalm 37 is the Psalter's version of the Sermon on the Mount. -Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.---Psalm 38 is a very different sort of song.--Psalm 38 is a lament.

What does it mean that Psalm 37 is -Of David--- Well, watch the first person singular---Verse 25- -I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread.---Verse 35- -I have seen a wicked, ruthless man, spreading himself like a green laurel tree. But he passed away, and behold, he was no mor…

1 Samuel 4-7 is held together by the story of the two Ebenezers. Ebenezer means -stone of help- - as Samuel will say in chapter 7, verse 12 - -Till now the LORD has helped us.---Israel had encamped at the first Ebenezer in chapter 4. The first Ebenezer was in the coastal plain near the foothills of Ephraim. That was the place where Israel was defea…

Some think that the first line of verse 1 belongs properly to chapter 3. After all, there is no other reference to Samuel in chapter 4.- -But this is why I preached on 1 Samuel 4-7 in a single sermon last time- If you turn over to chapter 7, verse 3, we hear how the word of Samuel came to all Israel. -And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, -if…

Psalm 36 opens -Of David, the servant of the LORD.---This exact title is given to only three people in the Old Testament- Moses, Joshua, and David. -God refers to a few others as -my servant- - like Job, Isaiah, Nebuchadnezzar- He also speaks from time to time of Israel or of the prophets as -my servants--- -So when Psalm 35 says that the LORD deli…

We have heard many times how David is spoken of as the LORD's anointed - the Messiah. He is the anointed King - the Son of God - whom God set on his throne, as the one who would begin to establish the kingdom of God. The kings of the earth should -kiss the Son- -Psalm 2- - but as Psalm 2 pointed out - instead the rulers of this age have conspired a…

Here at the beginning of the book of Samuel, we are seeing the beginning of the themes of the kingdom and the temple.--Long before Solomon asked God to hear the prayers made in that place, God was drawing his people toward himself in the tabernacle. And the faithful would come to the house of the LORD to pray and to make their vows to him.--In Levi…

In Psalm 33, we saw that God's word remains true. He is faithful. His steadfast love endures forever-----Psalm 34 now sets us up for David, the servant of the LORD, with a song about how God redeems the life of his servants through the righteous one - the one whose bones are not broken-...

When Samuel was born, Hannah waited until the child was weaned - and then brought him to the priest, Eli, at the tabernacle.--What did it take for that mother to leave her firstborn behind-- What did it cost for Hannah to fulfill her vow-- She had longed to bring a son into the world, and having done so, she would now have to hand over that son to …

As you read Psalm 33, did you notice what's missing-- There is no title for Psalm 33. All of the Psalms in book 1 have a title - except Psalms 1, 2, 10, and 33.- -All of the other Psalms are Psalms of David. All of the surrounding Psalms call us to sing them in and with David. Psalm 33 does not.--Then again, look at the content of Psalm 33. There i…

Why did God raise up Samuel himself-- Samuel comes after the period of the judges. Or, more properly, Samuel is himself the last judge. Samuel is the hinge of history between the era of the judges and the era of the kings. The book of Judges ended with the refrain -in those days there was no king in Israel, everyone did what was right in his own ey…

Psalm 32 is called a -Maskil of David.- We don't know for certain what a Maskil is. It is probably a type of song.--Psalm 32 is not itself a prayer, but rather a song of instruction. The voice keeps changing in this Psalm. Verses 1-2 are in the third person. Verses 3-7 shift to the first person addressing God as -you.- But then verses 8-9 stay in t…

A pastor friend of mine was visiting in a church in a culture of honor. After the service they had to stack the chairs, so as they were talking, he began to help. The church had a couple of young associate pastors, as soon as the visiting pastor stacked a chair, they stacked two chairs for every chair he stacked. He was busy talking with the senior…

Psalm 31 is a song for those who are still in the midst of bearing the cross. In other words, it is a song for you, who by the grace of God are denying yourself, taking up your cross, and following Jesus, because you see by faith that because God has delivered Jesus and raised him up from death - therefore he will raise you who have been united to …

Paul has used the image of the runner pressing on - pursuing the goal - the prize - and now he uses the image of the crown - the victor's wreath.--The crown is the public sign - the visible evidence - that Paul has not labored in vain -2-16-.--4-1 functions as something of a bookend with 1-27, where he had urged the Philippians to let their -manner…

Last time, in Psalm 29, we heard David call the heavenly beings -the sons of the gods- to worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.--Now, in Psalm 30, David does precisely what he called upon them to do-

Paul's idea of -thinking- is not an intellectualist concept. Our thinking - this common -mind- that we are to share - is nothing less than the mind of Christ - the cruciform way of life that puts the needs of others ahead of our own.--No one can accuse Paul's way of -thinking- as being devoid of action- Thinking, for Paul, includes both our experie…

Have you ever thought that the solution to your problem is found in the path of a thunderstorm-- Probably not- We live in an age of barren, sterile interpretation. We don't see the connections between scripture, nature, and history - because we think of each of these subjects as totally different.--We interpret nature by means of careful scientific…

What does it mean to -rejoice in the Lord-----Think of all that Paul has said so far about joy and rejoicing---- He thanked God for the Philippians in 1-3-4, making his prayer with joy, because of their partnership in the gospel.--- He rejoices that Christ is preached - whether in pretense or in truth -1-18---- He rejoices in his ultimate salvation…

Who is this song about-----Of David- The Hebrew preposition here could mean -for David- -about David- -by David.- Given that David is said to have written many songs, it is likely that many of the Psalms were written by him. But the point of the superscription is not that David wrote the song. The point is that this is Davidic song. This is a David…

In Philippians 1-26 Paul had told them that he wanted to come to see them - but then he launched into his central concern for them, which is that whether he can come see them or not, -let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ- -1-27- or that you would hold -fast to the word of life- -2-16-. And all of this because you are to have th…

Psalm 25 confessed the guilt and shame of the Psalmist - asking God to pardon my guilt and forgive all my sins - but it ended with confidence- -may integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you- And that same confidence remained at the heart of Psalm 26- David's prayer for vindication - that God would declare him innocent - so that he m…

In verses 12-13, Paul urges us to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in us both to will and to work for his good pleasure.--Note- both to will and to work.--Thomas Aquinas points out that verse 13 rules out four errors---1- that man can be saved without God's help. After all, Paul says -it is God who works i…

The way of discipleship - the way of Jesus - is the way of integrity - the pursuit of holiness.--There is a tendency today to say -Hey, don't worry about it, man, we're all sinners- We all make mistakes----Have you ever noticed that the Bible never talks like that-- Hebrews 12 - which we read a couple weeks ago - says -lift your drooping hands and …

As Americans we have a tendency towards individualism. When I was in seminary, I met a lot of Korean students who really struggled with this. In their culture, the way that you learned was to adopt your teacher's way of thinking and talking. --For them, that was honor. In the US, that's called plagiarism- --What Paul is talking about in Philippians…