Biblical Shakers

  Click of Title for Video Intro Monday, I Samuel Chapter 20 I Samuel 20 Verse 32 Tanya Ruden  Verse 32: “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” Jonathan asked his father. THOUGHT In reading this verse you may ask yourself - is this from I Samuel or the Gospels?  It reminded me of something Pilate may have said during Jesus’s trial. Once again in chapter 20, we see jealousy getting the most of Saul. In trying to kill David, he was trying to secure the throne for his family. Doesn’t he understand that usually what God says stands the test of what man may try to do?  Isn’t it interesting that Saul wants his family to have the future kingdom more than they do? Jonathan would be the next king after Saul, and he has had ample opportunity to kill David.  He has too much love for both David and God to try to overwrite God’s plan for the future. Isn’t it neat when we are strong in our faith and accept God’s plan?  The ways of the world and our families’ ...

  Click on Title for Video Intro Monday, I Samuel Chapter 15 I Samuel 15 Verse 22 Mindy Strayer Verse 22: But Samuel replied, “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” THOUGHT This is said many times in the Bible, so I think that God wants us to really get it! God says in Isaiah 1 that meaningless offerings are detestable, hated, and a burden to God. He says that He will hide His eyes from us if we try to offer up prayer without a pure and repentant heart.  God will not hear us if we are not truly sorry for our sin and want to rid ourselves of it. Proverbs 21:3 says, to do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.  What does God have to gain if we ask for forgiveness, but don’t ever want to stop sinning against Him? Why should He bother wasting His time if the outcome of sin is still there? In chapter 15, Sa...

  Click on Title for Video Introduction Monday, I Samuel Chapter 10 I Samuel l0 Verse 6 Matt Strayer Verse 6:  The Spirit of the Lord will come upon you in power, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person. THOUGHT I am going to steal from the study notes in my Bible for this verse because it did such a great job of painting a picture of what happened. Throughout the Old Testament, God’s Spirit “came upon” a person temporarily so that God could use him or her for great acts. This was not always a permanent, abiding influence, but sometimes a temporary manifestation of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gave the person power to do what God asked, but it did not always produce the other fruits of the Spirit, such as self-control. Saul, in his early years as king, was a different person as a result of the Holy Spirit’s work in him. But as Saul’s power grew, so did his pride. After a while he refused to seek God; the Spirit left him, and his goo...

Click on Title for Video Introduction Monday,  I Samuel Chapter 5  I Samuel 5 Verses 2-3 Bart Strayer Verses 2-3:  Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it to the house of Dagon and set it by Dagon. When the Ashdodites arose early the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. THOUGHT I must admit, this verse made me chuckle. The Bible is full of great accounts of God going against the false gods and putting on a visual display of defeat. Our God is an ever living God, strong and powerful. The account of the ark in the first few chapters of Samuel is unique. It offers us a glimpse of the direct disciplinary actions of God. God wasn’t sending an army to punish the people; they were dying from His hand. This is one of the strongest examples of how displeased God can be. In the time after Christ, it is easy to forget that God is to be feared. He is slow to anger. However, justice will be served in due course. I...