After the Lord had rejected Saul because of his sin, the king assembled his army and prepared for battle against the Philistines. Yet when he “saw the camp of the Philistines, he was afraid and his heart trembled greatly” (1 Samuel 28:5).

Saul first sought the Lord’s counsel, but the Lord did not answer him. Desperate, the king told his servants to find “a woman who is a medium” so that he could “inquire of her” (1 Samuel 28:7). When they found such a woman, Saul disguised himself, went to her, and asked her to conjure up Samuel from the dead.

Initially, this woman thought this was a trap because the king had previously cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. This was done because that practice was condemned by God in the Law (Deuteronomy 18:10-11). Yet Saul assured her that nothing would happen to her if she did this.

Previously, Saul had rightly driven out those who engaged in this condemned practice from the land. Yet now, he was actively participating in it. He was exhibiting a double standard, something we are often tempted to do, in which he did what was wrong even after opposing the same practice.

So do not commit the same sin you condemned in others. The lesson is not to ignore or tolerate sin. Instead, we need to make sure that we are not acting hypocritically by doing those things we know to be wrong while portraying ourselves as being against what we are secretly doing.

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Though David faced persecution from his enemies, he knew he was innocent before God. Only God has the right to judge, yet David welcomed God’s judgment, especially compared with the unjust condemnation he was receiving from his enemies.

David offered this prayer to God: “Let my judgment come forth from Your presence; let Your eyes look with equity. You have tried my heart; You have visited me by night; You have tested me and You find nothing; I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress” (Psalm 17:2-3).

As David described God’s judgment of him, he particularly emphasized his speech. He kept himself from sinning through the words that he used. Yet this did not happen by accident. He “purposed” not to sin with his mouth. He was intentional about what he said and carefully avoided speech that would condemn him.

It is very easy to say things we should not say when we are not careful with our words. James said that “no one can tame the tongue” (James 3:8), which means that if our hearts and minds are corrupt, we will not be able to stop sinful speech from coming out. Jesus said, “For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart” (Matthew 12:32). To control our speech, we must get our hearts right.

So be purposeful about keeping your speech pure. We do not want our words to condemn us. Yet the only way to avoid sinful speech is to intentionally and diligently purify our hearts and allow our minds to be shaped by God’s word.

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David faced many hardships in his life, yet he knew where to turn. He wrote, “I cry aloud with my voice to the Lord; I make supplication with my voice to the Lord. I pour out my complaint before Him; I declare my trouble before Him” (Psalm 142:1-2).

However, when hardships become more difficult, there is a temptation to forget the Lord, even though that is the point at which we need to remember Him the most. David recognized this: “When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, You knew my path” (Psalm 142:3). He knew that God was with him when his troubles seemed like they were too much to bear.

David continued, “I cried out to You, O Lord; I said, ‘You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living” (Psalm 142:5). He knew that his opponents were “too strong for [him]” (Psalm 142:6), and without the Lord, he would have no hope. We need to have this same faith today.

So remember God when you are overwhelmed. He has promised that He will never desert or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). When life gets difficult, and we do not know where to turn, we must turn to the Lord.

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David faced many adversaries, from the enemies of the nations around him to the king of Israel, Saul, who hunted him down and tried to kill him. Despite all of this, he was firm in his trust in the Lord.

In one of his psalms, David asked, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread?” (Psalm 27:1). He said, “Though war arise against me, in spite of this I shall be confident” (Psalm 27:3).

At the end of the psalm, he explained that without this trust in God, he would have no reason to have confidence in the face of his opposition. “I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13).

He then encouraged all of us, “Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord” (Psalm 27:14). The example of David shows us that no matter what trials we face in this life, we can have confidence because God is our “light,” our “salvation,” and our “defense” (Psalm 27:1).

So be strong and take courage. Remember that the Lord will take care of His people. Even in situations that seem hopeless and we are tempted to despair, let us keep in mind the goodness that God has promised and hold onto our faith.

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After Saul was rejected as king (1 Samuel 15:23), Samuel anointed David to be the next ruler of Israel (1 Samuel 16:13). This led Saul to try to kill David.

However, Saul’s son Jonathan did not have the same attitude toward David as his father had. Their close friendship led them to make a covenant with one another (1 Samuel 18:1-3). Later when Saul was pursuing David, Jonathan found David and encouraged him. He said to David, “Do not be afraid, because the hand of Saul my father will not find you, and you will be king over Israel and I will be next to you; and Saul my father knows that also” (1 Samuel 23:17).

Jonathan was willing to support the one his father hated and gave up any claim he had to the throne. As the king’s son, he would be next in line to rule over the people. Yet he knew that David was to be the king. He did not allow selfish pride or family loyalty to prevent him from choosing the right side.

So support what is right. Even if it may be advantageous from a worldly perspective, upholding something contrary to God’s will is not worth it. Even if we need to stand against our own family, it is better to choose the side the Lord has chosen.

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When a Philistine giant named Goliath taunted the army of Israel and challenged them to send one man to fight him in order to decide the battle, King Saul and the rest of the army of Israel were afraid. No one was willing to answer Goliath’s challenge.

However, there was one who arrived later and volunteered when he heard the giant – a young shepherd boy named David. He went to the fight with just “five smooth stones…and his sling” (1 Samuel 17:40). Goliath was insulted that this was his challenger and cursed David.

David responded by declaring that he came “in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you” (1 Samuel 17:45-46). This was an awfully bold claim! How could David be so confident? He said, “The battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands” (1 Samuel 17:47).

This was exactly what happened. David killed Goliath, and the Israelites defeated the Philistines because God was with them. We need to keep this in mind as we “fight the good fight of faith” today (1 Timothy 6:12).

So remember that the battle is the Lord’s. We need to have the courage of David and be confident in the final outcome. No matter how strong our enemies are, we will be victorious if we remain on God’s side.

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King Saul was given a mission: “Now go and strike Amalek and utterly destroy all that he has, and do not spare him; but put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey” (1 Samuel 15:3). Saul would defeat the Amalekites, but he spared the king and the best of the animals.

When Samuel confronted the king, he said, “Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord, but rushed upon the spoil and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord?” (1 Samuel 15:19). Yet Saul insisted, “I did obey the voice of the Lord” (1 Samuel 15:20), even though he captured the king and the animals were brought to offer sacrifices.

Samuel responded, “Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams” (1 Samuel 15:22). Even if the sacrifices were offered with the best of intentions, it was not what the Lord instructed; therefore, He would not be pleased with them.

So remember that to obey is better than sacrifice. It is better to do what God has said than what we think might be a good way to worship Him. Saul was guilty of “rebellion” because he “rejected the word of the Lord” (1 Samuel 15:23), and we can be guilty of the same today if we do whatever seems best to us.

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After the Israelites suffered a defeat in battle to the Philistines, the elders decided to bring the ark of the covenant in hopes that it would help them overcome their enemies. When the ark was brought into the camp, the people “shouted with a great shout, so that the earth resounded” (1 Samuel 4:5).

When the Philistines heard it, they were “afraid” (1 Samuel 4:7) but gathered the courage to fight. To the surprise of the Israelites, they were defeated, and the Philistines captured the ark (1 Samuel 4:10-11).

However, when the Philistines brought the ark and placed it in the house of their god, they found their idol bowed down before the ark the next morning (1 Samuel 5:1-3). They set it back up, but then the following day, their god had again fallen down, but this time with his head and hands cut off (1 Samuel 5:4). In addition to this, the men of the city and the surrounding area were struck with tumors and death so that the ones who survived cried out and sent the ark away (1 Samuel 5:6-12)

Though the Philistines had beaten the people of God, they were not victorious over Him. God was able to defeat the Philistines without the help of His people.

So remember that God will never be defeated. He will always be victorious, no matter how strong the opposition may seem. Therefore, we need to make sure we are on His side and faithfully following His command.

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When Samuel was a young boy staying with Eli, the priest, the Lord spoke to him. Unfortunately, the message was not a comforting one.

God told Samuel of the judgment that was coming against the house of Eli. He said, “For I have told him that I am about to judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons brought a curse on themselves and he did not rebuke them. Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever” (1 Samuel 3:13-14).

The sons of Eli were “worthless men” (1 Samuel 2:12). While they would be held accountable for their sins, Eli was condemned because he refused to confront them about their sin. This would surely not have been an easy or pleasant thing to do, but it was necessary. Ignoring the problem did not make it go away – it only became worse.

The same is true for us, particularly in the church. When sin is allowed to remain among God’s people, it spreads like leaven and affects everyone (1 Corinthians 5:6). We are to try to correct those in sin (James 5:19-20), not continue in fellowship with them as if nothing is wrong (Ephesians 5:11).

So remember that we cannot turn a blind eye to sin. While we need to try to keep ourselves pure, we must also look out for others. Though it may be difficult to correct someone in sin, the consequences of their sin continuing and spreading are much worse.

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The book of Ruth begins with the death of Naomi’s husband and two sons while they sojourned in the land of Moab. After this, Naomi planned to return to Judah and told her two daughters-in-law to return to their people. One turned back, but Ruth vowed to stay with her.

After they returned, Ruth was gathering what remained in the field of Boaz after the reapers had gone through. When Boaz showed her kindness, she asked, “Why have I found favor in your sight that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” (Ruth 2:10). Boaz explained that he had heard of all she had done in coming to a foreign land and helping her mother-in-law.

When Boaz made plans to redeem Ruth, she again asked why. He said, “For all my people in the city know that you are a woman of excellence” (Ruth 3:11). Ruth had developed a reputation based upon what she had done. This illustrates how powerful our deeds are in shaping the opinion that others have of us.

So remember that we are known by our actions. We may have good intentions to do any number of things. However, unless we put those good intentions to work, no one will recognize us as a person of excellence, regardless of how much we want to be viewed that way.

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When the tribe of Dan was seeking a place for their inheritance, they sent five men out to find a place suitable for them (Judges 18:1-2). Eventually, they “came to Laish and saw the people who were in it living in security, after the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and secure; for there was no ruler humiliating them for anything in the land, and they were far from the Sidonians and had no dealings with anyone” (Judges 18:7).

Unfortunately for the people of Laish, the peace that they enjoyed was coming to an end. The tribe of Dan “came to Laish, to a people quiet and secure, and struck them with the edge of the sword; and they burned the city with fire. And there was no one to deliver them, because it was far from Sidon and they had no dealings with anyone” (Judges 18:27-28).

There is a difference between self-sufficiency and isolation. Self-sufficiency means one recognizes his responsibility to take care of himself, which can include mutually beneficial interactions with others. Isolation is about cutting off contact and any potential help from others.

This is what the people of Laish did, and it led to their destruction. Similarly, if we cut ourselves off from others, we will be in trouble when we encounter difficult situations in life.

So remember that isolation makes us vulnerable. God intends for us – especially in the church – to help and be helped by others. Ultimately, we are responsible for taking care of ourselves no matter what others do; but we will have a much more difficult time if we have no one to support and encourage us.

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Samson was known for his great strength. Unfortunately, he also displayed great foolishness in his involvement with Delilah and divulging to her the source of his strength. He told her, “If I am shaved, then my strength will leave me and I will become weak and be like any other man” (Judges 16:17).

With this information, she had his head shaved while he slept. When the Philistines came to capture him, Samson thought he would escape as before. Yet he did not realize that his hair had been cut or, more importantly, that “the Lord had departed from him” (Judges 16:20). Unable to fight back, “the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes; and they brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze chains, and he was a grinder in the prison” (Judges 16:21).

Samson’s hair in itself did not make him strong (others may have had long hair, too); instead, he was strong because the Lord was with him. Even after his hair began to grow (Judges 16:22), he did not have the strength to defeat the Philistines again until he appealed to God to strengthen him (Judges 16:28-30).

So remember that we are helpless without the Lord. This example of Samson illustrates how vital it is to remain on the Lord’s side. If we are not “strong in the Lord” (Ephesians 6:10), we have no hope of overcoming the enemy of God’s people.

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After Gideon defeated the kings of Midian, the Israelites appealed to him to become their king: “Rule over us, both you and your son, also your son’s son, for you have delivered us from the hand of Midian” (Judges 8:22).

By human reasoning, this was somewhat understandable. Gideon delivered them from their enemy. Someone who could protect them and provide them with security would be a great blessing to them. This could also appeal to Gideon’s sense of pride and present him with the temptation to selfishly follow after his interests rather than the good of the people.

Fortunately, Gideon was wiser than this. He said, “I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the Lord shall rule over you” (Judges 8:23). These were God’s chosen people. Men like Gideon may have been raised up from time to time to help deliver the people from their enemies, but God was the one they were to follow.

The lesson from this is that we need to point people to the Lord and look to Him ourselves. We may help one another and be an influence for good, but it should not be because we are trying to elevate ourselves or anyone else; instead, we are trying to exalt Him.

So remember that the Lord shall rule over you. No matter how much someone has helped us, we must not allow them to come before God. We need to follow His will in all things.

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Before going out to fight the Midianites, Gideon went to God to determine whether the Lord would be with them. He said to God, “If You will deliver Israel, through me, as You have spoken, behold, I will put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I will know that You will deliver Israel through me, as You have spoken” (Judges 6:36-37).

The next morning, Gideon found the fleece soaked with dew. However, he asked God for confirmation: “Please let me make a test once more with the fleece, let it now be dry only on the fleece, and let there be dew on all the ground” (Judges 6:39). He asked for the opposite of what he had asked before, yet God provided the confirmation Gideon requested.

People today often seek “signs” from God to determine His will for them. Yet what people often interpret as a “sign” is really just an unusual event or an odd coincidence. It could have been argued that the fleece from the first night was just a strange phenomenon, yet when the opposite happened the next night, it was clear that it was a message from God, not a natural occurrence. It is important that we keep this in mind today.

So remember that God clearly reveals His will. We do not need to fret over whether some unusual event is a sign from above directing us to take some action. We simply need to look to His word, find what He has plainly revealed, and then faithfully apply it in our daily lives.

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At the beginning of the book of Judges, the tribes of Judah and Simeon went out to fight the Canaanites and Perizzites. They defeated ten thousand men, and the enemy leader, Adoni-bezek, fled (Judges 1:1-6).

However, they pursued Adoni-bezek; when they caught him, they “cut off his thumbs and big toes” (Judges 1:6). This may seem like an unusual punishment, and we might wonder why they did this. Yet Adoni-bezek’s words provided an answer: “Seventy kings with their thumbs and their big toes cut off used to gather up scraps under my table; as I have done, so God has repaid me” (Judges 1:7).

This evil ruler got what he deserved for his cruelty to others. Many today might talk about “karma” as the reason why this punishment came back upon him. Yet Adoni-bezek understood this was not “karma,” but divine judgment.

People suffer today because of their sin, not because of “karma.” By God’s design, “the way of the treacherous is hard” (Proverbs 13:15). Wicked actions make life difficult. Doing wrong to others results in negative consequences. And ultimately, if we do not repent, there is eternal punishment for sin.

So remember that God will repay as we have done. We will stand before the Lord in judgment and “be recompensed according to what [we have] done, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10). If we fail to turn from our sin and meet His conditions for forgiveness, we have no hope.

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Shortly before his death, Joshua reminded the people of Israel about how God had kept His promise to them. He said, “Now behold, today I am going the way of all the earth, and you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one word of all the good words which the Lord your God spoke concerning you has failed; all have been fulfilled for you, not one of them has failed” (Joshua 23:14).

This was a reminder of what was stated earlier: “So the Lord gave Israel all the land which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they possessed it and lived in it. And the Lord gave them rest on every side, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers, and no one of all their enemies stood before them; the Lord gave all their enemies into their hand. Not one of the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass” (Joshua 21:43-45).

Despite the challenges they faced and the hardships they endured, God blessed them as He had promised. This is important for us to remember. As we face challenges and hardships today, we can continue to trust in Him.

So remember that God’s promises do not fail. He will do what He said He would do, and examples like the Israelites’ conquest of the land of Canaan are a reminder of that. Since God is faithful, let us continue in faithful service to Him.

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By God’s design, there were to be several cities of refuge established throughout the land, which the children of Israel would possess. These would be for “the manslayer who kills any person unintentionally” to flee and receive protection (Joshua 20:3).

This protection was against “the avenger of blood” (Joshua 20:3). This individual would be trying to avenge his relative who had been killed. So a tragedy had already occurred. Therefore, it would be easy to sympathize with the family who lost a relative, and “the avenger of blood” represented them.

However, just because there was a tragedy, that does not mean that there was some wrongdoing for which justice needed to be carried out. The “manslayer” was to be protected until he was able to be tried “before the congregation for judgment” (Joshua 20:6), and then afterward, if it was determined that he was not guilty.

This reminds us that some tragedies are just that – tragedies – and do not require punishment in order to settle the score. Even people suffering real pain (such as the death of a loved one) do not always possess accurate information when they make accusations against the one they believe is to blame for their suffering.

So remember that not every accusation should be believed. Even accusers who are sincere and genuinely hurting may not have all of the facts. Instead of being caught up in the strong emotions of the situation, let us strive to be unbiased, seek to determine what is true, and then respond in a reasonable manner.

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There is a rather blunt statement in Joshua 13:1 – “Now Joshua was old and advanced in years when the Lord said to him, ‘You are old and advanced in years, and very much of the land remains to be possessed.’” Not only was a plain and somewhat harsh statement made about Joshua’s age, but the Lord was sure to point it out to him as well.

We often do not want to confront our own mortality. Even though we know we will not be around forever, we often try to ignore this fact and act like we will. God made sure Joshua would not make this mistake.

However, something had to be done about the fact that “very much of the land” had not yet been conquered. So God told him, “Now therefore, apportion this land for an inheritance to the nine tribes and the half-tribe of Manasseh” (Joshua 13:7). Dividing the land was not only done to give the tribes their inheritance, but it was also to divide the responsibility for conquering the land.

Just as Joshua would not be around forever, we will not be either. Understanding this reality, we have to work to equip others to carry on the Lord’s work after we are gone.

So we have to delegate responsibility to others. As much as we want to be diligent and active in the Lord’s service, we need to help others to be involved and work with us. In this way, we can help prepare the next generation – and, indirectly, future generations – to carry out the cause of Christ.

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After a decisive victory at Jericho (Joshua 6), the Israelites moved on to what would be the second city conquered in the land of Canaan – Ai. In what was surely a shock to them, they were defeated (Joshua 7:4-5).

Afterward, it was discovered that Israel was defeated because of one man’s sin – Achan (Joshua 7:10-21). Once this was discovered and the offender punished (Joshua 7:22-26), Joshua made plans to attack the city of Ai again.

Interestingly, they did not use the same strategy when they attacked the second time. Instead, they set an ambush, drew the men of Ai out of the city, then captured the city and fought the opposing army from two sides (Joshua 8:3-22). They made these adjustments and easily defeated them.

Sometimes when we deal with mistakes we have made in the past and try to improve our lives, we only focus on areas of sin and try to eliminate those. To be sure, we need to keep from repeating the sinful actions of our past (cf. Romans 6:1-2, 6-7, 11). However, we should also consider how to do things more effectively and efficiently. This is part of conducting ourselves with wisdom (Colossians 3:5) and making the most of our time (Ephesians 5:15-16).

So make adjustments. Just because we did something one way before does not mean it is the best way. We need to learn from the events that happen to us and use the wisdom we gain – assuming, of course, that it is in harmony with the instructions found in the word of God – to be more effective in what we endeavor to do.

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After Moses died, God spoke to Joshua about his responsibility to take over and lead the people of Israel: “Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel” (Joshua 1:2).

Joshua had been a servant of Moses (Exodus 24:13). He was one of the two faithful spies who encouraged the people to take possession of the promised land after he returned from spying it out (Numbers 14:6-9). Yet now, he had an immense responsibility that had just been placed upon him.

This was not unexpected. Joshua knew he was in line to replace Moses (Numbers 27:15-23). Yet even in such cases, there is still a temptation to neglect the physical and mental preparations necessary to assume such an important role. Joshua had no time for this. Immediately after Moses died, he needed to step up and fulfill this role God was giving him.

We will encounter various opportunities throughout our lives – some will be expected (as was the case with Joshua), and some will not. Regardless, we need to be developing ourselves – skills, maturity, temperament, connections, etc. – so that when opportunities arise, we are ready to take advantage of them.

So be ready when your time comes. Continue to grow and improve yourself – physically, mentally, and spiritually. We want to be prepared for whatever opportunities may be placed before us.

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