Encounter the Bible

 Welcome to Week 2 of 1 Samuel.  Almost as soon as Saul is anointed king, the trouble begins on all fronts.  As far as chapters go, it's only 5 chapters before Samuel is sent with the message that God has rejected him as king.  Soon after that, God leads Samuel to Israel's next king, probably not the odds-on favorite, but he was God's choice - a shepherd boy named David.  Soon David would find himself at the battlefield and facing off against the Philistines' prize fighter, Goliath. While these stories feature well-known characters, keep in mind that the main character is God.  What is God doing through Saul's failed reign?  What is he doing in the life of David, the shepherd-boy?  What is he doing in the life of Israel as they experience the trouble of Saul and an eventual transition to David? Enjoy your reading! Our guiding questions are these:  What stood out to you in the reading? Was there anything confusing or troubling? Did anything ma...

 Welcome to Week 1 of 1 Samuel.  This first week covers an introduction to Samuel, leadership issues in Israel (religious and civic), and the anointing of the first king of Israel.  Of course, behind all these stories is some rich spiritual material to dive into, including how Israel's religious leaders became corrupt, and why the people of Israel were drawn to Saul as their first king.  What parallels do you see between Israel in Samuel's time and our current context?  How does that lead you to prayer for our religious and national leaders? Our guiding questions are these:  What stood out to you in the reading? Was there anything confusing or troubling? Did anything make you think differently about God? How might what you read change the way you live? Please post a comment below with some of your questions, comments, and reflections from this week's reading.