By Jacob D. Gerber

Bible Readings for September 4th 1 Samuel 28 | 1 Corinthians 9 | Ezekiel 7 | Psalm 45 In 1 Samuel 28, we find one of the most vivid scenes from all the Bible. Saul, at the end of his rope, visits a medium to get advice on how to salvage his kingdom. Specifically, he asks the medium to call up Samuel from the dead in hopes that the prophet can give …

Bible Readings for September 3rd 1 Samuel 27 | 1 Corinthians 8 | Ezekiel 6 | Psalm 44 David’s stay with the Philistines from 1 Samuel 21 until now is one of the stranger storylines in the narrative of 1 Samuel. It is strange that the Philistines would have even allowed David to stay in their midst at all—and remember that David had pretended to be …

Bible Readings for September 2nd 1 Samuel 26 | 1 Corinthians 7 | Ezekiel 5 | Psalms 42–43 In 1 Samuel 24, David had his first opportunity to strike down Saul when Saul relieved himself in the cave where David had been hiding. There, David refused to reach out his hand against Saul, since Saul was Yahweh’s anointed king (1 Sam. 24:6). Here again in …

Bible Readings for September 1st 1 Samuel 25 | 1 Corinthians 6 | Ezekiel 4 | Psalms 40–41 At the beginning of 1 Samuel 25, the great prophet Samuel dies, an event the biblical author records with characteristic understatement, using just one verse (1 Sam. 25:1). Once again, God buries a workman and carries on his work. The death of Samuel also, how…

Bible Readings for August 31st 1 Samuel 24 | 1 Corinthians 5 | Ezekiel 3 | Psalm 39 David has two opportunities to strike down Saul stealthily, and in 1 Samuel 24, we read about the first of those two opportunities. Here, Saul enters a cave to relieve himself, but he chooses the very cave where David and his men are hiding from him (1 Sam. 24:3). A…

Bible Readings for August 30th 1 Samuel 23 | 1 Corinthians 4 | Ezekiel 2 | Psalm 38 In the interactions of David, Saul, and Jonathan, 1 Samuel 23 teaches us much about the nature of true kingship. We learn here what God’s true king should look like—and what it would look like for us to identify with that king covenantally. David, for his part, has …

Bible Readings for August 29 1 Samuel 21–22 | 1 Corinthians 3 | Ezekiel 1 | Psalm 37 In 1 Samuel 21–22, David is at the center of three major ethical dilemmas. First, David lies to the priests at Nob (1 Sam. 21:2), and second, David lies to Achish the king of Gath by pretending to be insane (1 Sam. 21:13). Third, David eats the bread of the Presenc…

Bible Readings for August 28th 1 Samuel 20 | 1 Corinthians 2 | Lamentations 5 | Psalm 36 Although the story of Saul is tragic, narrating the slow descent of a man who seemed to start off his reign so well, Saul’s legacy nevertheless includes one very bright point: his son Jonathan. Jonathan’s life, however, also involves tragedy, since the sins of …

Bible Readings for August 27th 1 Samuel 19 | 1 Corinthians 1 | Lamentations 4 | Psalm 35 Saul’s desperation to kill David grows in 1 Samuel 19, fueled in no small part by the fact that both Saul’s son Jonathan and his daughter Michal help David to escape Saul. The storyline of 1 Samuel traces carefully the slow, agonizing descent of Saul deeper and…

Bible Readings for August 26th 1 Samuel 18 | Romans 16 | Lamentations 3 | Psalm 34 It was not Yahweh’s intention for David to wait passively for the throne of Israel, hidden from the public eye, until the day Saul died. Rather, Yahweh sovereignly orchestrated that the lives of the two anointed kings should begin intersecting immediately upon the an…

Bible Readings for August 25th 1 Samuel 17 | Romans 15 | Lamentations 2 | Psalm 33 The story of David and Goliath is one of the more well known stories of the Bible, and with good reason. While the entire nation of Israel was quivering before the booming taunts of the giant Philistine named Goliath, the youngest son of Jesse arrives at the battlefi…

Bible Readings for August 24th 1 Samuel 16 | Romans 14 | Lamentations 1 | Psalm 32 The introduction of David in 1 Samuel 16 is a giant leap forward in the unfolding story of the Bible, even if the story starts with a small step as Samuel travels to Bethlehem to anoint the youngest son of Jesse. Before we get to the long-term implications of David’s…

Bible Readings for August 23rd 1 Samuel 15 | Romans 13 | Jeremiah 52 | Psalm 31 A major issue in biblical theology arises in 1 Samuel 15: What does it mean to read that Yahweh “regrets” decisions he has made? When Yahweh commands Saul to devote everything among the Amalekites to destruction, Saul obeys only insofar as it is convenient for him: “All…

Bible Readings for August 22nd 1 Samuel 14 | Romans 12 | Jeremiah 51 | Psalm 30 The story of salvation history in the Bible does not progress in nice, straight, neat lines. This is a comforting thought, since spiritual growth in our own lives moves forward not with perfect, unbroken progress but rather in fits and starts as we awkwardly advance in …

Bible Readings for August 21st 1 Samuel 13 | Romans 11 | Jeremiah 50 | Psalms 28–29 Saul’s sacrifice in 1 Samuel 13 was a serious sin—so serious, in fact, that Yahweh tore the kingdom away from Saul for it (1 Sam. 13:13–14). In essence, Saul had usurped the priesthood, since Yahweh had appointed only the offspring of Aaron to serve him as priests a…

Bible Readings for August 20th 1 Samuel 12 | Romans 10 | Jeremiah 49 | Psalms 26–27 There are some striking similarities between the farewell address of Samuel in 1 Samuel 12 and the speech of Paul to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20. Like Samuel, Paul also insists that he had not defrauded anything from the Ephesians while he was in their midst (Act…

Bible Readings for August 19th 1 Samuel 11 | Romans 9 | Jeremiah 48 | Psalm 25 At the end of 1 Samuel 10, the narrator gave us a new, critical detail about Saul: “Saul also went to his home at Gibeah…” (1 Sam. 10:26). We knew that Saul was a Benjaminite, and we knew that Saul claimed to be from the humblest clan of the tribe of Benjamin (1 Sam. 9:2…

Bible Readings for August 18 1 Samuel 10 | Romans 8 | Jeremiah 47 | Psalms 23–24 The introduction of a king in 1 Samuel 10 marks uncharted territory for everyone, raising all kinds of questions. How would Yahweh set apart his king, and what resources would Yahweh give to him to help him serve Israel well? How should the king himself act, and how sh…

Bible Readings for August 17th 1 Samuel 9 | Romans 7 | Jeremiah 46 | Psalm 22 At last, Yahweh chooses a king to reign over his people. Nevertheless, we ought to read 1 Samuel 9 with some concern, since Israel’s demand for a king stems from the fact that they have rejected Yahweh from reigning as king over them (1 Sam. 8:7). What kind of a king will…

Bible Readings for August 16th 1 Samuel 7–8 | Romans 6 | Jeremiah 44–45 | Psalms 20–21 In 1 Samuel 7, we see the last iteration of the cycle of Israel’s judges: Israel sins, Yahweh delivers Israel to their enemies, Israel cries for deliverance, and Yahweh sends a judge to reform Israel. In 1 Samuel 7:3, Samuel instructs the people to reform their w…

Bible Readings for August 15th 1 Samuel 5–6 | Romans 5 | Jeremiah 43 | Psalm 19 If the Israelites had treated Yahweh’s glory with contempt in 1 Samuel 4, the Philistines do so much more in 1 Samuel 5. When the Philistines capture the ark of the covenant in battle, they set it next to their god Dagon as a trophy of war (1 Sam. 5:2)—a situation that …

Bible Readings for August 14th 1 Samuel 4 | Romans 4 | Jeremiah 42 | Psalm 18 In 1 Samuel 4, Yahweh brings three major forms of judgment against the people of Israel. First, when the Israelites bring the ark of the covenant out in battle with them against the Philistines, Yahweh hands them over to defeat, and the Philistines capture the ark (1 Sam.…

Bible Readings for August 13th 1 Samuel 3 | Romans 3 | Jeremiah 41 | Psalm 17 Sometimes we imagine that the people living in the Old Testament were constantly surrounded by great signs and wonders—a parted sea here, a prophetic vision there—but that wasn’t the case. Here in 1 Samuel 3:1, we read specifically that “the word of the LORD was rare in t…

Bible Readings for August 12th 1 Samuel 2 | Romans 2 | Jeremiah 40 | Psalms 15–16 If Hannah is put forward as a model for godly parenting, the second half of 1 Samuel 2 reveals the priest Eli as a model for negligent parenting. Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are worthless men who do not know Yahweh (1 Sam. 2:12). They steal for themselves the cho…

Bible Readings for August 11th 1 Samuel 1 | Romans 1 | Jeremiah 39 | Psalms 13–14 Quietly, through a poor, widowed Moabite woman—the most unlikely person possible—God put into motion a plan in the book of Ruth for raising up a king. This king would shepherd God’s people away from doing what was right in their own eyes and instead toward obeying God…

Bible Readings for August 10th Ruth 3–4 | Acts 28 | Jeremiah 38 | Psalms 11–12 In Ruth 3–4, the other sandal drops. We discover here that there is another, closer kinsman-redeemer to the family of Elimelech who would have priority in choosing to marry Ruth (Ruth 3:12–13) and that redeeming Ruth would put that man’s inheritance at risk (Ruth 4:6). U…

Bible Readings for August 9th Ruth 2 | Acts 27 | Jeremiah 37 | Psalm 10 In Ruth 2, we meet the third major figure in this story, a man named Boaz. Ruth, eager to keep the covenant vows she had made to Naomi, sought to provide for her anguished mother-in-law by gleaning in fields, and as she set out, “she happened to come to the part of the field be…

Bible Readings for August 8th Ruth 1 | Acts 26 | Jeremiah 36 | Psalm 9 In the book of Judges, Israel descended deeper and deeper into sinfulness, idolatry, and rebellion. The opening verse of the book of Ruth, then, is ominous: “In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land…” (Ruth 1:1). Will the story of the book of Ruth be anot…

Bible Readings for August 7th Judges 21 | Acts 25 | Jeremiah 35 | Psalms 7–8 In Judges 21, we learn that the eleven tribes of Israel had sworn an oath among themselves, saying, “Cursed be he who gives a wife to Benjamin” (Judg. 21:18). Quickly, however, Israel recognizes that their rash vow created a terrible problem—without wives, an entire tribe …

Bible Readings for August 6th Judges 20 | Acts 24 | Jeremiah 34 | Psalms 5–6 When all Israel arrives to inquire into what has happened in Gibeah, neither the Levite nor the tribe of Benjamin comes off looking good. Conveniently, the Levite leaves out the fact that he had pushed his concubine out the door to face the violence of the men of Gibeah: “…

Bible Readings for August 5th Judges 19 | Acts 23 | Jeremiah 33 | Psalms 3–4 In Judges 19:1, we read that a “certain Levite” took a wife from Bethlehem in Judah. The author of the book of Judges is careful to state, once again, that this all happened “in those days, when there was no king in Israel” (Judg. 19:1), underscoring the wickedness that we…

Bible Readings for August 4th Judges 18 | Acts 22 | Jeremiah 32 | Psalms 1–2 Judges 18 opens with a repetition of the first half of the theme verse of Judges: “In those days there was no king in Israel” (Judg. 18:1). Little by little, bit by bit, Israel is descending further into sin, idolatry, and rebellion as they forsake Yahweh to do whatever is…

Bible Readings for August 3rd Judges 17 | Acts 21 | Jeremiah 30–31 | Mark 16 After the death of Samson in Judges 16, the book of Judges turns to narrate the final storyline we will read in this dark section of Israel’s history. This last, ugly narrative begins abruptly with a woman cursing whoever it is who had stolen 1,100 pieces of her silver (Ju…

Bible Readings for August 2nd Judges 16 | Acts 20 | Jeremiah 29 | Mark 15 Samson’s end in Judges 16 comes as a tragedy but not as a surprise. As in Judges 14, we find Samson’s weakness for women getting the best of him here in Judges 16, first in a Philistine prostitute in Judges 16:1–3 and then in Delilah, a Philistine woman who loved her people m…

Bible Readings for August 1st Judges 15 | Acts 19 | Jeremiah 28 | Mark 14 The last two days, we have been meditating on the ways the life of Samson foreshadows the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. We will return to that theme tomorrow, but for today, we should spend some time thinking about the tragedy of Samson’s life. Certainly, God accomplishe…

Bible Readings for July 31st Judges 14 | Acts 18 | Jeremiah 27 | Mark 13 Through Samson, God was not merely saving his people by raising up one more judge, as we began to discuss yesterday. Through Samson, God was also uniquely foreshadowing the life and ministry of his own Son, Jesus Christ. Today, we get a few more clues about what the coming Mes…

Bible Readings for July 30th Judges 13 | Acts 17 | Jeremiah 26 | Mark 12 In Judges 13, we read the beginning of the story of one of the more prominent figures in the book of Judges: Samson. Most importantly, the story of Samson foreshadows the story of Jesus in significant ways—very similar to how the story of Joseph foreshadows the story of Christ…

Bible Readings for July 29th Judges 12 | Acts 16 | Jeremiah 25 | Mark 11 At this point, it is already obvious that the book of Judges is an extremely low point in the Bible. Because there is no king in Israel, every man does what is right in his own eyes. Here in Judges 12, we see another step down the long, deep stairway into the dungeon of Israel…

Bible Readings for July 28th Judges 11 | Acts 15 | Jeremiah 24 | Mark 10 In yesterday’s reading, Yahweh tested Israel by promising not to save them after the latest round of rebellion and idolatry. To their credit, Israel repents for seemingly the thousandth time, putting away the foreign gods and returning to serve Yahweh. In response, we read tha…

Bible Readings for July 27th Judges 10 | Acts 14 | Jeremiah 23 | Mark 9 After the leadership of two more judges, Tola and Jair, Israel descends deeper into their rebellion and idolatry, forsaking Yahweh once again. So Yahweh again hands his people over to their enemies to oppress them because of their idolatries (Judg. 10:7–9). And—exactly accordin…

Bible Readings for July 26th Judges 9 | Acts 13 | Jeremiah 22 | Mark 8 With each chapter, the story of Israel during the period of the judges descends lower and lower—from the godly elders who served with Joshua in Judges 1, we now come to the story of the wicked Abimelech. Oddly, Abimelech’s name means “my father is king,” even though Abimelech’s …

Bible Readings for July 25th Judges 8 | Acts 12 | Jeremiah 21 | Mark 7 In Judges 6–7, we might have developed high hopes for Gideon’s potential. Here was a man who began his service to Yahweh in extreme humility, insisting that he was the least man in the weakest clan in all Israel (Judg. 6:15). Still, Yahweh gave him signs to confirm his call at e…

Bible Readings for July 24th Judges 7 | Acts 11 | Jeremiah 20 | Mark 6 In our meditation for Deuteronomy 20, we looked at three of the possible exceptions that would allow an Israelite to opt out of going to war. If a man had just gained a new house or a new vineyard or a new wife, that man was exempt from the requirement of going to battle (Deut. …

Bible Readings for July 23rd Judges 6 | Acts 10 | Jeremiah 19 | Mark 5 After Israel had been oppressed by the Midianites for seven years (Judg. 6:1), God raises up a leader to save his people—not a valiant warrior-judge, but a weak, fearful man named Gideon. And because Gideon is weak and fearful, he has much to teach us about following Jesus in sp…

Bible Readings for July 22nd Judges 5 | Acts 9 | Jeremiah 18 | Mark 4 Judges 4 narrates the story of how Yahweh saved his people from the oppression of Jabin, king of Canaan. The prophetess-judge Deborah sent Barak, the commander of the army of Naphtali and Zebulun into battle against the army of Jabin’s general, Sisera (Judg. 4:4–10). During the b…

Bible Readings for July 21st Judges 4 | Acts 8 | Jeremiah 17 | Mark 3 In Judges 3–4, we read short descriptions of the ministries of four of Israel’s judges: Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, and Deborah. As a preface to the stories of three of these judges (Shamgar’s one-verse story being the only exception), we read that the people of Israel sin by serving…

Bible Readings for July 20th Judges 3 | Acts 7 | Jeremiah 16 | Mark 2 In Judges 3:4, we read that Yahweh allowed Canaanites and Philistines to remain in the land “for the testing of Israel, to know whether Israel would obey the commandments of the LORD, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.” This does not mean that Yahweh didn’t kn…

Bible Readings for July 19th Judges 2 | Acts 6 | Jeremiah 15 | Mark 1 Judges 2:16–23 explicitly describes the pattern that we will encounter again and again through this book: Israel will sin, and, as a result, Yahweh will hand his people over to judgment. But, when the people cry out to Yahweh to rescue them, Yahweh will raise up a judge for them,…

Bible Readings for July 18th Judges 1 | Acts 5 | Jeremiah 14 | Matthew 28 The positive beginning to the book of Judges is entirely misleading. Joshua’s death leaves Israel without a clear leader for the first time since Yahweh called Moses to shepherd Israel. The question, then, is this: Will Israel continue to follow Yahweh or not? And at first, t…