Not-So-Quiet-Time: 1 Samuel 13

At-Home Bible Guide for the Week of 7/19

Day 1: Verses 1-4
It took a few years, but conflict was escalating and the people were called out of their homes to prepare for war. This was the beginning of a new reality. Israel had never had an earthly king commanding them to come at his command before. Just as Samuel had warned them a few chapters earlier, they were now subject to the commands of a king; that was the life they had chosen. Our choices have real consequences in our lives. Ask God to help you make wise choices so that the consequences of those choices are blessings rather than burdens. 

Day 2: Verses 5-7
The Philistines assembled a massive army and the people of Israel knew they were in trouble. In fact, many of them fled or hid in the rocks. The people wanted a king to fight for them. They thought that this king would solve their problems. However, Saul was unable. No earthly king could fill the Lord’s shoes. In our lives, we also need to be careful not to expect people to do what only God can do. Ask God to help you not seek ultimate meaning, satisfaction, joy, or hope in anyone other than Him. 

Day 3: Verses 8-14
In the previous chapter—1 Samuel 12—Saul and the people were told that their success was tied to their trust in the Lord. Samuel told them, “If both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God, it will be well. But if you… rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you and your king” (12:14-15). And sadly, one chapter later, Saul chose to follow the people instead of following the Lord. And so God rejected him as king. Ask God to help to desire deeply to fear and follow Him alone.

Day 4: Verses 15-18
Saul’s hurried sacrifice had not made things better. Instead, the king was rebuked and the Philistines sent out raiding parties. Saul had tried to follow God in his own way. Or, said differently, Saul had tried to fit following the Lord into his own priorities. Part of having the Lord as our King means that we put his desires and priorities first. It can be difficult to wait. It can be hard to choose his ways when they don’t seem best to us. However, He is the King and, therefore, He must be obeyed. And the truth is: his ways are always best. 

Day 5: Verses 19-25
A battle was approaching, but the people of Israel had no real weapons. The Philistines had taken away the ability of Saul’s army to make swords or to sharpen their spears. The situation looked hopeless. The Philistines had a bigger, better equipped army. And the Israelites were on the run before the fighting even started. However, God’s people still had the key to victory. They still had the Lord. Would they turn to Him and act in faith For them, and for us, real victory only comes from trust in the Lord. 

Catechism Connection: 103
Obedience can be hard. Sometimes we feel pressure to go our own way. Sometimes fear calls for us to do what we think makes sense instead of pursuing obedience. That is part of why we pray the Lord’s Prayer. We ask that God’s will would be done on earth, so that He, “by his grace, would make us able and willing to know, obey, and submit to his will in all things, as the angels do in heaven” WSC 103).

Monthly Memory: Galatians 3:7
Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.