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Both Saul and David reign over Israel for forty years. Both kings start with humility and both sin against the LORD, but that’s where the similarities end. Soon after Saul becomes king his initial humility fades; he disregards the instruction and confrontation of the prophet Samuel:  Instead of waiting for the prophet’s arrival, Saul, in panic, offers the burnt offering.  Instead of destroying all of the Amalekites and their possessions Saul allows the... Read More

 David is a Coram Deo man.  He interprets life—circumstances and relationships— before the face of God .  David is a Coram Deo man in every circumstance:  When offered the opportunity to defend himself from Saul’s threats by taking Saul’s life, he responds: “The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the LORD’s anointed . . . (1 Samuel 24:5-6). David surrenders that role instead to the LORD. Those who live before... Read More

Years ago a national hamburger chain branded themselves as the burger place where eaters could design their own burger, “Have it your way. Hold the pickle, hold the lettuce, special orders don’t upset us. Have it your way.” That successful marketing merely reflected a culture that demanded independence, even in their burger preparation. Soon, other fast food establishments modified their menu options to incorporate this freedom of choice.  Since the Fall, all of... Read More

The Judges Era is characterized by three-hundred years of tribe-on-tribe violence, corruption within the priesthood, rampant idolatry and sexual immorality, oppression, and child sacrifice. The author of the book of Judges does not sanitize his report; rather, he exposes the under-belly of Israel’s culture. And it is not pretty. Judges begins by describing the terrible result of Israel’s failure to evict the Canaanites from the land and to destroy their culture and their... Read More