Saul Reads the Bible

Scripture Readings:

Old Testament: 1 Samuel 6:1-7:17
Poetry/Prophecy: Jeremiah 20:1-20:18
New Testament: John 11:47-11:57

Today in 1 Samuel, the Philistines return the ark of the covenant of God. The people of Israel vow to follow God alone, and Samuel prays for them. When the Philistines attack the Israelites, Samuel intercedes, and God gives the people victory.

In Jeremiah, Jeremiah suffers for [...]

Scripture Readings:

Old Testament: 1 Samuel 4:6-5:12
Poetry/Prophecy: Jeremiah 19:1-19:15
New Testament: John 11:17-11:46

In 1 Samuel, Israel’s army is routed by the Philistines, and Hophni and Phineas are killed. The ark of the covenant of God falls into Philistine hands, and the shock of this last event causes the death of both Eli and his daughter-in-law. The ark, meanwhile, [...]

Scripture Readings:

Old Testament: 1 Samuel 2:27-4:5
Poetry/Prophecy: Jeremiah 18:1-18:23
New Testament: John 11:1-11:16

In 1 Samuel, God calls Samuel (quite literally) and begins to speak through him. God pronounces judgment on the house of Eli. Eli’s two sons, meanwhile, take it upon themselves to take the ark of the covenant out to the battlefield to bolster the army of [...]

Scripture Readings:

Old Testament: 1 Samuel 1:1-2:26
Poetry/Prophecy: Jeremiah 17:19-17:27
New Testament: John 10:22-10:42

Today we begin the book of 1 Samuel. Samuel is born to a mother who had been childless but had promised to dedicate her first child to God’s service if she was in fact blessed with a son. She was, and she did. Samuel, as [...]

Scripture Readings:

Old Testament: Ruth 3:1-4:22
Poetry/Prophecy: Jeremiah 17:1-17:18
New Testament: John 10:1-10:21

In the book of Ruth, Ruth goes to Boaz and convinces him to marry her since he is her husband’s (second) closest male relative. In doing so, she produces a male heir for her original husband. And this heir is Obed, father of Jesse, father of King [...]

Scripture Readings:

Old Testament: Ruth 2:1-2:23
Poetry/Prophecy: Jeremiah 16:1-16:21
New Testament: John 9:1-9:41

Today in the book of Ruth, we read that Ruth goes into the field of Boaz to gather grain to feed herself and her mother-in-law Naomi. Boaz, the owner of the field (and who happens to be a close relative of Naomi) takes an interest in Ruth, guaranteeing [...]

Scripture Readings:

Old Testament: Ruth 1:1-1:22
Poetry/Prophecy: Jeremiah 15:1-15:21
New Testament: John 8:31-8:59

Today we begin the book of Ruth. We find that Ruth is a Moabite woman who marries the son of a man and woman who flee from Judah to Moab to escape famine. When Ruth’s husband, brother-in-law, and father-in-law die, whe is left alone with her mother-in-law [...]

Scripture Readings:

Old Testament: Judges 21:1-21:25
Poetry/Prophecy: Jeremiah 14:1-14:22
New Testament: John 8:12-8:30

Today in Judges: violence and force are used to capture wives for the Benjaminites – the very tribe in whose city of Gibeah an act of sexual violence led to a civil war costing 65,000 lives.

In Jeremiah, God prophesies judgment, Jeremiah intercedes on behalf of his people, and God [...]

Scripture Readings:

Old Testament: Judges 20:1-20:48
Poetry/Prophecy: Jeremiah 13:1-13:27
New Testament: John 8:1-8:11

In Judges, there is civil war between 400,000 soldiers of Israel and 26,700 soldiers from the now-rogue tribe of Benjamin. This is all touched off by the heinous double sexual assault and murder perpetrated by some men in Gibeah, one of the Benjaminite cities.

In Jeremiah, God uses some [...]

Scripture Readings:

Old Testament: Judges 19:1-19:30
Poetry/Prophecy: Jeremiah 12:1-12:17
New Testament: John 7:25-7:53

In Judges, the kingless society devolves into utter depravity, and a shocking assault is committed by Israelites against Israelites. Will this spur the nation into action, or simply signal a slide into even more lawlessness?

In Jeremiah, the author wonders why the wicked seemingly receive blessing while he, Jeremiah, [...]