1 Samuel 29:1-31:13, John 11:55-12:19, Psalms 118:1-18, Proverbs 15:24-26
Today is the 21st day of May. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It’s awesome to have this time together around the global campfire and allow God’s word to speak to us. And it’s kind of a special day. We’ll be finishing the book of first Samuel today, which has mostly been the story of King Saul. But of course, King Saul’s story is irreplaceably or irreversibly intertwined with David. So, we’ll be finishing up that story today and then moving into second Samuel tomorrow where we’ll be beginning to put our focus on David and his rise to kingship. But first, first Samuel chapter 29, 30, and 31. We’re reading from the Christian Standard Bible this week.
Commentary:
Okay. So, as we concluded, the book of first Samuel today. We also reached the conclusion of King Saul’s life along with his three heirs to the throne, including Jonathan who was in covenant with David and loved David. And, you know, David was about to go into battle with the Philistines against Jonathan, like against his fellow Hebrews because he had defected and become a Philistine to save his own life, because the king of Israel, King Saul, was intent on destroying him. So, we read the story and we know how this goes. They actually marched from Ziklag in the South, in the transition zone into the desert all the way up into the Jezreel Valley, a long way, three days journey by marching and that would actually have been moving fast. David was gonna go into battle but the Philistine…the other Philistine leaders were like, “you know, if he turns on us in the middle of this, if he’s really a warrior then, you know, things could go really, really bad for the Philistines.” So, they sent him away. They marched all the way back to Zikzag only to find out the Amalekites raided Ziklag and burned it and taken everything and everyone. So, they go in pursuit and they get all of their stuff back and destroy their enemies but as they’re fighting the Amalekites and destroying their enemies who had destroyed their city, up in the north of the Philistines have destroyed the Israelite army and have killed the king. And when they discover the king’s body they beheaded him and then they hung his body on the walls of Beth-shan. Beth-shan is a magnificent archaeological ruin in the north of Israel, just south of the Sea of Galilee a little bit. And we’ve filmed there many times. It’s included in the Promised Land films as is Ziklag. And, so, we end first Samuel with the death of Saul and we’ll pick up Second Samuel tomorrow and begin to follow the story right where we left off, but we’ll begin to be focusing upon David.
In the gospel of John, we are approaching Jesus final days. And I know that we just came through Easter and good Friday and we did everything we could to reverence the moment. And, so, we kind of find ourselves in this territory again and maybe thinking, “we just kinda went through this couple weeks ago, like a month ago.” However, this is the last time this year we will be going through this territory in the Bible. This is the last time that this story will come to us through the Gospels because we are moving our way to the conclusion of the Gospels. John is the final gospel and we’ll move from here into the book of acts and all that begins to come next. So, as we are right at the front end of this territory let’s go ahead and make a mental note to truly embrace what we’re reading and once again profoundly understand what God did on our behalf to rescue us.
Prayer:
Jesus, we do thank You. Every day we thank You. And may our lives be living thanks to You, a living memorial to what You have done, a living sacrifice to reveal Your kingdom in this world. We are so deeply grateful that our words…there is no way to string them together for them to be anywhere near the magnitude of what they deserve. Language fails in this area. We give our lives to You completely, unreservedly. We trust You and we invite You into this retelling in the gospel of John of the sacrifice that You made on our behalf. But we also ask, Holy Spirit, that as we transition between the books of first and second Samuel, and between King Saul and the emerging King David, that we continue with this journey because it is so poignant into our own lives and our own motivations. There’s so much there for us to understand about ourselves. So, come Holy Spirit into this we pray. In Jesus’ name we ask. Amen.
Announcements:
dailyaudiobible.com, is the website, its home base, its where you find out what’s up, what’s going on around here. So, be sure to check that out.
The Shop is there at dailyaudiobible.com where resources for this journey are available, including the Promised Land films that I was just talking about. So many of these places, every place that we have been able to get to we’ve filmed to bring them close so that as we’re journeying through the Bible, we kind of drop in and see with these places look like. So, Beth-shan and Ziklag are a couple places that we mentioned today, but also Jezreel and the Jezreel Valley and Mount Gilboa where Saul was killed in battle can be seen in those films. So, check that out.
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And that is it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.
Community Prayer and Praise:
Hi, this is Bonnie from Northern California and I’ve never called in before, but I’ve been listening to your program for a few years now. I regret not calling in and when my husband passed away almost 4 years ago in August. And my mom just went to be with the Lord the other day and I just find so much comfort. But I’m reaching out to Joe in New Jersey. I just heard your prayer request. You have ALS and I’m praying with tears over your condition and I am praying for God’s touch on your body. The other thing I ask is that you would pray for my friend Kim who’s just embroiled in a horrible court battle and I just want the Daily Audio Bible community to pray for her and her family. Wednesday, the…oh gee…today’s the 18th…so the 22nd I think…she’s going to be…I don’t know what’s happening that day but I’m fasting for three days and praying for her. So, please pray for her and her family that justice would take place. Many lies have been told about her. Thank you for praying. I love you all and I pray for you all. Thank you. Bye-bye.
My name is Joe Borman, I live in Waukegan Illinois and my prayer request is for my 44-year-old daughter whose name is Krista. She was diagnosed with stage IV melanoma cancer in March and has been getting treatment downtown Chicago and the treatments that she’s been getting have many side effects that have left her extremely tired and nauseous and in a lot of pain. There are a lot of options for treatment going forward. So, this prayer request is A), that God would just heal her. We believe that He can do that. And sometimes he uses doctors and medicine. And the prayer then is for discernment, to know which doctors to listen to, that the treatment options that she’s left with that she would have discernment on which ones to choose. Pray also for relief for her pain. Since she was seven years old she’s had juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. One of the side effects of the medicine she’s taking is that that would rear up and it has with a vengeance. She has a very difficult time walking, her knees are very swollen, and painful. This is a woman who has always been a woman of God, very faithful. And we are praying and invite the world to pray with us that God could be magnified and glorified by the healing of our daughter. For her to get released from this would be a miracle indeed. So, thank you in advance for your…
Hello Daily Audio Bible friends and family, I’m so grateful for each and every one of you. I’ve been listening for many years and have only called in once but have been so blessed by each and every one. I called several years ago about my friend Danny who needed a miracle because my husband had shared we need 10,000 prayer warriors. Little did he know I knew a place where we could find them. There was work from God in my son’s life and I ask you to continue to pray for him, his name is Danny. He’s now a daddy, working hard but still facing addictions and challenges in his life. I wanted to share something with you. Sometimes God wakes me up early in the morning. Dear Lord, You call me to Your word early in the morning to hear truth. Troubles and challenge is around but You are the only anchor in the storm You hold me safely in the palm of Your mighty hand. I have nothing to fear for You did not give me a Spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind. Lord as I walk through life today fill me to overflowing with love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, __, self-control. I need Your wisdom to facilitate each issue. Let me be filled with Your Spirit. Anoint my lips. Help me speak truth and love to all around me. Lord, if You want to use me, equip me. I will go to battle for You. I will be a soldier, but I need Your armor. Don’t ever let me think I can handle something without You. Help me Lord. I pray that prayer for each one of us and know that I am praying for you, crying with you, and trusting that God will work in your life for whatever you are facing. Love to all of you. This is Annie from South Florida.
Peter saw the peace of God a man in human form
Jesus walking on the water in the midst of a raging storm
tranquility serenity his disciples filled with fear
yet Jesus beckoned Peter come and Peter did drawing near
boldly and with courage he walked towards our Lord
___ and danger all around but all of it ignored
his eyes were focused on the prize he rose above the storm
he rose above the waters and he rose above the norm
but then he got distracted because the storm was all around
he felt the wind he saw the waves and he started going down
Satan’s good at doing that he gets our eyes to stray
we take our eyes off Jesus and then we have to pay
repercussions consequences doubts turn into fear
they cut us off from blessings that we should be drawing near
grapes so huge that it takes two men in addition to a pole just to pick it off
the ground
two transport it and to hold overflowing blessings take them and possess
but then they saw the giants and I guess you know the rest
Israel wandered in the wilderness they were cursed for 40 years
their eyes strayed from the blessings and they focused on the fears
to us __ can become giants they can also become storms too
but keep your eyes on Jesus he will always bring you through
blindtony1016@gmail.com. I’d like to give a shout out to Pastor Gene. I miss the sound of your voice. Hope all is well. I’d also like to give a shout out to Alfyo from Delaware. Hope all is well my brother and know you both are in my prayers daily. And once again I’d like to give a shout out to Brian Hardin and…
Hello DAB family this is Abiding in Him. I want to pray for our dear sister in California who called on a rainy day. Lord we thank You for Your faithfulness and that the DAB continues to roll on day in and day out. And across the years have reached out to tens of thousands if not millions of people Lord and we thank You that dear sister has joined the fold heavenly Father and has trusted us with the goings-on of her heart Lord that the community can lift up holy hands Lord and pray for her and bathe her in prayer. Lord she’s at a crossroads in her life where she’s not sure that things are happening are attacks from the devil or invitations from You and I pray heavenly Father that deep in her heart will abide the peace that surpasses understanding, that exists even in the midst of uncertainty or worry or desperate circumstances. I pray for the joy so far deep in her heart that it isn’t changed by the things that she sees. Speak to her Lord in a way that only she can understand so that she can realize that the journey however it twists and turns leads ultimately to You to be closer with You. So, heavenly Father, straighten out the crooked paths Lord, open up the doors and make available the way that she is to go but to know that You even in the case of mistakes and missteps, You’re there working behind the scenes leading us closer to You. We thank You Lord for Your word. We thank You for Your Spirit. We thankful for Your faithfulness and we pray Your blessings over our dear sister in Jesus’ name.