Expository Thoughts on 1 Samuel 19 Athanasius, an important 4th century pastor/theologian, was exiled from Alexandria six times during his life. He was influential in studying the scriptures and aiding the churches of his day in confessing the deity of Christ. He faced many trials for his study, writings, and teachings that Jesus was of the same essence or being as God the Father. [1] One such…
Call to Worship August 22 2021
Expository Thoughts on 1 Samuel 18 It seems like some relationships were never meant to last. Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries were married for 72 days, which is quite lengthy compared to Jason Alexander and Britney Spears. Their marriage lasted a whopping 55 hours.[1] Well, the fawning and fondness between Saul and David probably lasted somewhere in between the length of those two marriages. After the smashing success…
Call to Worship August 15 2021
Expository Thoughts on 1 Samuel 17:26-58 May 17th, 2021: Kevin did what he usually does about eight months out of the year. He watches a spherical object hurled at him from 60 feet away at 95 miles an hour several times per day. This time was different: the hurler lost control and the baseball hit Kevin Pillar in the face. As one writer noted, “Pillar fell to…
Call to Worship August 8 2021
Expository Thoughts on 1 Samuel 17:1-26 Correct context of a scriptural scene creates a proper perception of the whole scenario. Some would say Goliath was one “mean hombre,” or a “brutish beast.” He was over nine feet tall, three feet taller than the average N.B.A. player.[1] He wore body armor that weighed 125 pounds or so, as much as a good sized middle school boy. The head of…
Call to Worship August 1 2021
Expository Thoughts on 1 Samuel 16 The pomp and circumstance of the entrance of a king languishes in our imaginations. When we hear of a king in America it is often foreign to our thinking, but not completely foreign. We know what the inauguration of a president looks like every four years- the musical entrance, lofty promising speeches, the swearing of oath to office, the fanfare parade,…
Call to Worship July 25 2021
Expository Thoughts on 1 Samuel 15:29 Mary had returned from her doctor’s appointment. While sitting at her kitchen table, she was rehearsing and thinking through all that he said to her that morning. He explained her illness in language she understood quite well. Yet, she knew he did not reveal every detail and aspect of the diagnosis because those words could not describe the full depth of…
Call to Worship July 18 2021
Expository Thoughts on 1 Samuel 15:9-23 October 3 rd , 2003 is not particularly memorable for most people. Yet it was a day Mr. Roy Horn will never forget because he was almost killed. A tiger he had trained for years attacked him and left him with life threatening injuries. He worked with large wild cats for decades and knew the danger, but had become somewhat over…
Order of Worship July 11 2021
Expository Thoughts on 1 Samuel 15:1-9 They had it coming! This was probably one of the most common thoughts of many people after the deaths of Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Mao Zedong. They were responsible for the deaths of millions of people. While most scholars are reluctant to estimate a total number of “unnatural deaths” in China under Mao…One government document…says that 80 million died unnatural…
Call to Worship July 4 2021
Expository Thoughts on 1 Samuel 14:47-52 Human perception alone always clouds the overall perspective on life and happiness. These verses summarize an earthly view of Saul’s reign with mostly positive commentary. “This catches us by surprise,” according to D.R. Davis. “We’ve just heard an extended story depicting Saul in negative tones…and now we hear such a positive assessment! Whom to believe? If we want the truth, we…
Call to Worship June 27 2021
Expository Thoughts on 1 Samuel 14:24-46 Decreeing faulty commands often results in sinful behavior in other areas. Israel had just been delivered by God from the Philistines, yet Saul did not stop in thanksgiving and praise. He decided to burden the consciences of the people with a command not given by the LORD. He commanded them to stamp out the enemy, but with no physical sustenance to…