Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2022
This year, instead of reading from Genesis to Revelation, we will read the Bible as the story flows, as it happened and was written. There are several plans out there and I have worked to combine them into a plan that lets the Bible tell its own story "as it happened." Remember, the Bible is inspired, but not in the order the books appear in our Bibles. The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but I have divided it so that we will spend half the year in the OT, and half the year in the NT.
Bible Readings: 1 Samuel 11-16
Background:
Our reading today focuses on the downfall of King Saul, who failed to fully and conscientiously obey God, and the anointing of David as the new king of Israel. The contrast between the two is stark. Saul is tall, dark, and handsome - charismatic and impressive to all. David is so insignificant even his own father didn't bring him to the line-up when Samuel said that one of his sons would be king.
But David was a "man after God's own heart" and became Israel's greatest king.
But David was a "man after God's own heart" and became Israel's greatest king.
Daily Devotional: He Sees the Heart
David was a nobody. Yes, he was musical and brave, but evidently, his own family didn't know that or care. God sent Samuel to Jesse's home to anoint the new king to replace the disobedient Saul and Jesse brought out his seven oldest sons, sure that one of them had to be the chosen replacement. They were warriors, men of honor.
God chose none of them. In fact, he gave Samuel a very specific instruction in 1 Samuel 16:7
So, when the seven brothers had been rejected, Samuel asked if that was all. Jesse seemed to almost be embarrassed to mention little Davey the shepherd boy, but Samuel instructed that he be brought in. He was healthy and handsome, but it was not his outside that commended him. It was his heart - his obedience to and passion for God.
We need not be talented to serve God. We do not have to be good-looking (strike up the doxology). We do not have to accomplish things by the force of our personality. We only need to yield our hearts to God and serve him and he will do great things through us.
God chose none of them. In fact, he gave Samuel a very specific instruction in 1 Samuel 16:7
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or his stature because I have rejected him. Humans do not see what the Lord sees, for humans see what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart.”Eliab was not the man, though he had every quality that humans would think necessary to become a king. No, Samuel was to ignore human rubrics and look for something else. It was not talent or looks or charisma or anything else that made someone successful in the kingdom of God - it was the heart.
So, when the seven brothers had been rejected, Samuel asked if that was all. Jesse seemed to almost be embarrassed to mention little Davey the shepherd boy, but Samuel instructed that he be brought in. He was healthy and handsome, but it was not his outside that commended him. It was his heart - his obedience to and passion for God.
We need not be talented to serve God. We do not have to be good-looking (strike up the doxology). We do not have to accomplish things by the force of our personality. We only need to yield our hearts to God and serve him and he will do great things through us.
Father, thank you for doing great work through ordinary folks like us. May we, like David the shepherd, be those whose hearts beat with yours.
Consider God's Word:
Do you do that which is most needful - obey God in everything?
Do you judge people based on their human potential or do you see them for their value to God and for what he can do in and through them?
Do you judge people based on their human potential or do you see them for their value to God and for what he can do in and through them?
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