July 31– 1 Samuel 29:1-11 29  Now the Philistines had gathered all their forces at Aphek. And the Israelites were encamped by the spring that is in Jezreel.  2  As the lords of the Philistines were passing on by hundreds and by thousands, and David and his men were passing on in the rear with Achish,  3  the commanders of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” And Achish said to the commanders of the Philistines, “Is this not David, the servant of Saul, king of Israel, who has been with me now for days and years, and since he deserted to me I have found no fault in him to this day.”  4  But the commanders of the Philistines were angry with him. And the commanders of the Philistines said to him, “Send the man back, that he may return to the place to which you have assigned him. He shall not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become an adversary to us. For how could this fellow reconcile himself to his lord? Would it not be with the heads of the men he

July 30– 1 Samuel 28:20-25 20  Then Saul fell at once full length on the ground, filled with fear because of the words of Samuel. And there was no strength in him, for he had eaten nothing all day and all night.  21  And the woman came to Saul, and when she saw that he was terrified, she said to him, “Behold, your servant has obeyed you. I have taken my life in my hand and have listened to what you have said to me.  22  Now therefore, you also obey your servant. Let me set a morsel of bread before you; and eat, that you may have strength when you go on your way.”  23  He refused and said, “I will not eat.” But his servants, together with the woman, urged him, and he listened to their words. So he arose from the earth and sat on the bed.  24  Now the woman had a fattened calf in the house, and she quickly killed it, and she took flour and kneaded it and baked unleavened bread of it,  25  and she put it before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they rose and went away that night

July 29– 1 Samuel 28:15-19 15  Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Saul answered, “I am in great distress, for the Philistines are warring against me, and God has turned away from me and answers me no more, either by prophets or by dreams. Therefore I have summoned you to tell me what I shall do.”  16  And Samuel said, “Why then do you ask me, since the  Lord  has turned from you and become your enemy?  17  The  Lord  has done to you as he spoke by me, for the  Lord  has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David.  18  Because you did not obey the voice of the  Lord  and did not carry out his fierce wrath against Amalek, therefore the  Lord  has done this thing to you this day.  19  Moreover, the  Lord  will give Israel also with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me. The  Lord  will give the army of Israel also into the hand of the Philistines.” Saul is wanting advice f

July 28– 1 Samuel 28:11-14 11  Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” He said, “Bring up Samuel for me.”  12  When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul.”  13  The king said to her, “Do not be afraid. What do you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I see a god coming up out of the earth.”  14  He said to her, “What is his appearance?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped in a robe.” And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and paid homage. I find it so interesting that Saul is wanting to pay homage to Samuel now after his disregard to him many times while he was alive.   It happens too often that we realize what a great friend or mentor we had once they’re gone.   Reach out to someone today that has been a great friend or mentor and let them know how they have impacted your life.

July 27– 1 Samuel 28:8-10 8  So Saul disguised himself and put on other garments and went, he and two men with him. And they came to the woman by night. And he said, “Divine for me by a spirit and bring up for me whomever I shall name to you.”  9  The woman said to him, “Surely you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the necromancers from the land. Why then are you laying a trap for my life to bring about my death?”  10  But Saul swore to her by the  Lord , “As the  Lord  lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.” The medium thought he was trying to trick her and catch her going against his rules.   Its even worse than that…he himself was breaking his own rules and taking her into destruction with him.   Do you ever find yourself in a situation that you fell into and aren’t sure how it happened?   The people you hang out with can lift you up, or bring you down.   There have been people go to prison who didn’t themselves do anything wrong but w

July 26– 1 Samuel 28:1-7 28  In those days the Philistines gathered their forces for war, to fight against Israel. And Achish said to David, “Understand that you and your men are to go out with me in the army.”  2  David said to Achish, “Very well, you shall know what your servant can do.” And Achish said to David, “Very well, I will make you my bodyguard for life.” 3  Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had put the mediums and the necromancers out of the land.  4  The Philistines assembled and came and encamped at Shunem. And Saul gathered all Israel, and they encamped at Gilboa.  5  When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly.  6  And when Saul inquired of the  Lord , the  Lord  did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets.  7  Then Saul said to his servants, “Seek out for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.” And his

July 25– 1 Samuel 27:8-12 8  Now David and his men went up and made raids against the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites, for these were the inhabitants of the land from of old, as far as Shur, to the land of Egypt.   9  And David would strike the land and would leave neither man nor woman alive, but would take away the sheep, the oxen, the donkeys, the camels, and the garments, and come back to Achish.   10  When Achish asked, “Where have you made a raid today?” David would say, “Against the Negeb of Judah,” or, “Against the Negeb of the Jerahmeelites,” or, “Against the Negeb of the Kenites.”   11  And David would leave neither man nor woman alive to bring news to Gath, thinking, “lest they should tell about us and say, ‘So David has done.’” Such was his custom all the while he lived in the country of the Philistines.   12  And Achish trusted David, thinking, “He has made himself an utter stench to his people Israel; therefore he shall always be my servant.” I wonder at

July 24– 1 Samuel 27:5-7 5  Then David said to Achish, “If I have found favor in your eyes, let a place be given me in one of the country towns, that I may dwell there. For why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?”   6  So that day Achish gave him Ziklag. Therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day.   7  And the number of the days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a year and four months. It is so ironic to me that David slayed the Philistine Goliath and now was seeking a safe haven from his own king with the Philistines.   Do you ever feel like you are living in the enemy camp?   Surrounded by those you thought were against you?   That is no place for us to live.   I can’t imagine what that was like for David, but he did survive by taking refuge with them, but it certainly couldn’t have been easy or restful.   Thankfully for us, we can take refuge with our Savior, Creator, Counselor, Lord and our King, who will never turn ag

  Introducing a new ministry in the Brazos Valley: God has put before us the opportunity to help residents of the Bryan/College Station area with household items, furniture, appliances, and other necessary items. How did this ministry get started? With a need. We learned of a need for a bed and ended up with the opportunity to give a bed, bedding, a quilt, a TV, a coffee maker and a microwave to a woman who only had 2 recliners in her home and was sleeping in a recliner. Shortly after that we learned of a woman who needed help having her car inspected and tagged. We already have some folks who have offered to help move items with their truck and trailer and we've hardly shared that we exist. How can you help? We are looking right now for the following: =A free storage space to have the opportunity to keep things on hand and have them available when we are faced with the need. -An attorney who is willing to help us file the proper documentation to become a non-profit organization an

July 23– 1 Samuel 27:1-4 27  Then David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of seeking me any longer within the borders of Israel, and I shall escape out of his hand.”   2  So David arose and went over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.   3  And David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, and David with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal's widow.   4  And when it was told Saul that David had fled to Gath, he no longer sought him. Have you ever felt total despair like it seems David does here?   I can think of several times in my own life where I felt there was no place to hide from the enemy.   But I know one place the enemy cannot reach me. In the loving and protective arms of our Creator and Lord.   I know that is easy

July 22– 1 Samuel 26:17-25 17  Saul recognized David's voice and said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” And David said, “It is my voice, my lord, O king.”  18  And he said, “Why does my lord pursue after his servant? For what have I done? What evil is on my hands?  19  Now therefore let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If it is the  Lord  who has stirred you up against me, may he accept an offering, but if it is men, may they be cursed before the  Lord , for they have driven me out this day that I should have no share in the heritage of the  Lord , saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’  20  Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth away from the presence of the  Lord , for the king of Israel has come out to seek a single flea like one who hunts a partridge in the mountains.” 21  Then Saul said, “I have sinned. Return, my son David, for I will no more do you harm, because my life was precious in your eyes this day. Behold, I have acted foolishly, and have mad

July 21– 1 Samuel 26:13-16 13  Then David went over to the other side and stood far off on the top of the hill, with a great space between them.  14  And David called to the army, and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, “Will you not answer, Abner?” Then Abner answered, “Who are you who calls to the king?”  15  And David said to Abner, “Are you not a man? Who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not kept watch over your lord the king? For one of the people came in to destroy the king your lord.  16  This thing that you have done is not good. As the  Lord  lives, you deserve to die, because you have not kept watch over your lord, the  Lord 's anointed. And now see where the king's spear is and the jar of water that was at his head.” In this vivid scene, David implied that  he  cared more for Saul’s life than Abner did or that Abner wasn’t up to the job of keeping Saul safe. Abner should have kept watch over King Saul but he failed in his job. God provided a deep sleep and

July 20– 1 Samuel 26:1-12 26  Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding himself on the hill of Hachilah, which is on the east of Jeshimon?”  2  So Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph with three thousand chosen men of Israel to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.  3  And Saul encamped on the hill of Hachilah, which is beside the road on the east of Jeshimon. But David remained in the wilderness. When he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness,  4  David sent out spies and learned that Saul had indeed come.  5  Then David rose and came to the place where Saul had encamped. And David saw the place where Saul lay, with Abner the son of Ner, the commander of his army. Saul was lying within the encampment, while the army was encamped around him. 6  Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Joab's brother Abishai the son of Zeruiah, “Who will go down with me into the camp to Saul?” And Abishai said, “I will go down with you

July 19– 1 Samuel 25:39-44 39  When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be the  Lord  who has avenged the insult I received at the hand of Nabal, and has kept back his servant from wrongdoing. The  Lord  has returned the evil of Nabal on his own head.” Then David sent and spoke to Abigail, to take her as his wife.  40  When the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel, they said to her, “David has sent us to you to take you to him as his wife.”  41  And she rose and bowed with her face to the ground and said, “Behold, your handmaid is a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.”  42  And Abigail hurried and rose and mounted a donkey, and her five young women attended her. She followed the messengers of David and became his wife. 43  David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and both of them became his wives.  44  Saul had given Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was of Gallim. I love how Abigail reacted to David’s servants

July 18– 1 Samuel 25:32-38 32  And David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the  Lord , the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me!  33  Blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodguilt and from working salvation with my own hand!  34  For as surely as the  Lord , the God of Israel, lives, who has restrained me from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, truly by morning there had not been left to Nabal so much as one male.”  35  Then David received from her hand what she had brought him. And he said to her, “Go up in peace to your house. See, I have obeyed your voice, and I have granted your petition.” 36  And Abigail came to Nabal, and behold, he was holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk. So she told him nothing at all until the morning light.  37  In the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things, an

July 17– 1 Samuel 25:23-31 23  When Abigail saw David, she hurried and got down from the donkey and fell before David on her face and bowed to the ground.  24  She fell at his feet and said, “On me alone, my lord, be the guilt. Please let your servant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your servant.  25  Let not my lord regard this worthless fellow, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Naba is his name, and folly is with him. But I your servant did not see the young men of my lord, whom you sent.  26  Now then, my lord, as the  Lord  lives, and as your soul lives, because the  Lord  has restrained you from bloodguilt and from saving with your own hand, now then let your enemies and those who seek to do evil to my lord be as Nabal.  27  And now let this present that your servant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who follow my lord.  28  Please forgive the trespass of your servant. For the  Lord  will certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord is fightin

July 16 – 1 Samuel 25:14-22 14  But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, “Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to greet our master, and he railed at them.  15  Yet the men were very good to us, and we suffered no harm, and we did not miss anything when we were in the fields, as long as we went with them.  16  They were a wall to us both by night and by day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep.  17  Now therefore know this and consider what you should do, for harm is determined against our master and against all his house, and he is such a worthless man that one cannot speak to him.” 18  Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves and two skins of wine and five sheep already prepared and five seahs of parched grain and a hundred clusters of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on donkeys.  19  And she said to her young men, “Go on before me; behold, I come after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.  20  An

July 15– 1 Samuel 25:9-13 9  When David's young men came, they said all this to Nabal in the name of David, and then they waited.  10  And Nabal answered David's servants, “Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants these days who are breaking away from their masters.  11  Shall I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers and give it to men who come from I do not know where?”  12  So David's young men turned away and came back and told him all this.  13  And David said to his men, “Every man strap on his sword!” And every man of them strapped on his sword. David also strapped on his sword. And about four hundred men went up after David, while two hundred remained with the baggage. Nabal’s response to these young men is not surprising as he is referred to as “harsh and badly behaved.” David responds in a manner that is perhaps harsh as well. His men had worked hard for this wealthy land owner and now David wants to insu

July 14– 1 Samuel 25:1-8 25  Now Samuel died. And all Israel assembled and mourned for him, and they buried him in his house at Ramah. Then David rose and went down to the wilderness of Paran.  2  And there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel. The man was very rich; he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. He was shearing his sheep in Carmel.  3  Now the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. The woman was discerning and beautiful, but the man was harsh and badly behaved; he was a Calebite.  4  David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep.  5  So David sent ten young men. And David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal and greet him in my name.  6  And thus you shall greet him: ‘Peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have.  7  I hear that you have shearers. Now your shepherds have been with us, and we did them no harm, and they missed nothing all the time they were in