1 and 2 Samuel

I pray that the verse by verse study of the Gospel of Mark was helpful for you. I have appreciated all your comments and encouragement. Next up are the Books of 1 and 2 Samuel. I hope you'll come along for the ride. Duane # 1- On today's Du-votional we will start another verse by verse exposition of a book of the Bible. Actually, we will start two books of the Bible., namely 1 and 2 Samuel. Originally 1 and 2 Samuel were one book. They weren't separated until the publishing of the Hebrew Bible in 1517 A.D. 1 Samuel is an account of the transitional phase between the period of the judges and the kings. The first seven chapters outline the life an ministry of Samuel, and the rest of the book deals with the establishment of Israel's first monarchy under Saul, his fall from grace, and his persistent pursuit of David who was his God- appointed successor. 2 Samuel deals with the reign of David. In 1 Samuel we will read of one of the most famous accounts in all the Bible, namely David's encounter with Goliath. It is also in 1 Sam that we will read one of my favorite verses in all of Scripture. “To obey is better than sacrifice.” (1 Sam 15:22) It's always an interesting challenge to tackle a verse by verse exposition of Old Testament books in a format that allows only for short chunks of time. Sometimes the background information given needs to be given short shrift in order for lessons to be gleaned. My prayer as we begin this study is that God will lead and provide those moments of teaching , admonition, and encouragement that we all need on a daily basis from His Word. Father, Thy Word is truth, my prayer is that the Holy Spirit will help us uncover Your truths in the days ahead, and that these truths will then transform our lives in the power of Thy Holy Spirit. In Jesus name, Amen.