The Death of Saul | 1 Samuel 31
This week we are wrapping up our current teaching series on 1 Samuel: In Search of a King. The purpose of this series has been to grow in our awe of God, receive warnings about the fallen condition of humanity, and learn to trust in the God who saves. This week we are going to study 1 Samuel 31, the conclusion of the book. We will see that in light of Saul’s rebellion against God, YHWH will fulfill His promise to remove Saul from the throne by allowing him to die in battle at the hands of the Philistines. This week we will learn more about God’s sovereignty over all life, even our leaders.
Saul and the Witch | 1 Samuel 28
We only have two weeks left in our current teaching series on 1 Samuel: In Search of a King. The purpose of this series has been to grow in our awe of God, receive warnings about the fallen condition of humanity, and learn to trust in the God who saves. This week we are going to study 1 Samuel 28. We are going to see how Saul’s spiritual decline and hard heartedness climaxes when he seeks out counsel from the witch of Endor. Join us this week as we learn about how sin leads people to turn away from trusting the LORD to trusting in faulty substitutes.
David Spares Saul | 1 Samuel 24;26
We only have three weeks left in our current teaching series on 1 Samuel: In Search of a King. The purpose of this series has been to grow in our awe of God, receive warnings about the fallen condition of humanity, and learn to trust in the God who saves. This week we are going to study 1 Samuel 24 and 26. We are going to see how David spares Saul’s life on two separate occasions out of fear of the LORD. Rather than taking matters into his own hands, David trusts God to remove Saul as king, rather than doing it himself. Join us this week as we learn about the fear of the LORD and the perspective we need to endure mistreatment from others.
Saul Kills the Priests | 1 Samuel 22:6-23
We are currently in a teaching series called 1 Samuel: In Search of a King. The purpose of this series is to grow in our awe of God, receive warnings about the fallen condition of humanity, and learn to trust in the God who saves. This week we are going to study 1 Samuel 22:6-23 and witness more of Saul’s terrible decline. We will see how Saul’s jealousy drove him to kill the priests of Nob because he feared they were supporting his enemy David. Join us as we learn more about the consequences of sin—how it creates self focus which makes it impossible to love others and even leads to destructive behavior.
David On The Run | 1 Samuel 20:1-22:5
We are currently in a teaching series called 1 Samuel: In Search of a King. The purpose of this series is to grow in our awe of God, receive warnings about the fallen condition of humanity, and learn to trust in the God who saves. This week we are going to study 1 Samuel 20:1-22:5 and witness David on the run. In light of Saul’s jealousy, David flees for his life. We will see how David’s mountain top experiences were eventually followed by a long season of wandering in the wilderness running for his life. Join us as we learn how God uses seasons of suffering in a Christian’s life as well.
Saul's Jealousy | 1 Samuel 18:1-19:17
We are currently in a teaching series called 1 Samuel: In Search of a King. The purpose of this series is to grow in our awe of God, receive warnings about the fallen condition of humanity, and learn to trust in the God who saves. This week we are going to study 1 Samuel 18:1-19:17 and witness Saul’s jealousy. We will see that as David’s success grows, it produces jealousy in Saul which creates a violent obsession in his heart to destroy David. Join us as we learn about jealousy and the deadly threat it is.
David’s Rise to Prominence | 1 Samuel 16:14-18:5
We are currently in a teaching series called 1 Samuel: In Search of a King. The purpose of this series is to grow in our awe of God, receive warnings about the fallen condition of humanity, and learn to trust in the God who saves. This week we are going to study 1 Samuel 16:14-18:5 and witness David’s rise to prominence. First we will see how David’s presence as a harpist brought peace to Saul, and second how David’s victory over Goliath as a warrior empowered Israel’s victory over the Philistines. Listen in as we learn about the resource of faith for Christians and God’s decisive victory for His people.
A Secret Anointing | 1 Samuel 16:1-13
We are currently in a teaching series called 1 Samuel: In Search of a King. The purpose of this series is to grow in our awe of God, receive warnings about the fallen condition of humanity, and learn to trust in the God who saves. As we study 1 Samuel 16:1-13, we will be starting a new section of the book—the transition of the kings. We will start to see God take away the kingdom from Saul and give it to another. This week specifically we will see that God sends Samuel to anoint David—the youngest of Jesse’s 8 sons—as the next king of Israel. Listen in as we learn about how God's values are different from the values of the world.
The Decline of Saul | 1 Samuel 13:5-15:35
We are currently in a teaching series called 1 Samuel: In Search of a King. The purpose of this series is to grow in our awe of God, receive warnings about the fallen condition of humanity, and learn to trust in the God who saves. This week we are going to study 1 Samuel 13:5-15:35 and witness the decline of Saul. We will see how Saul was rejected by God as king because of his failure to follow the LORD’s commands. He showed his foolishness with his unpermitted sacrifice, his rash vow, and his rebellion with the Amalekites. Join us as we learn about how God is righteous and longs for His people to follow Him with obedience.
The Rise of Saul | 1 Samuel 9:1-13:4
We are currently in a teaching series called 1 Samuel: In Search of a King. The purpose of this series is to grow in our awe of God, receive warnings about the fallen condition of humanity, and learn to trust in the God who saves. As we study 1 Samuel 9:1-13:4, we will be starting a new section of the book—Israel’s first king. We will start to see the establishment of the monarchy when God chooses Saul to be the first king of Israel and uses him to save Israel from the Ammonites and Philistines. Join us this week as we learn how God uses imperfect people to accomplish His perfect plans.
The Rise of the Monarchy | 1 Samuel 8
We are currently in a teaching series called 1 Samuel: In Search of a King. The purpose of this series is to grow in our awe of God, receive warnings about the fallen condition of humanity, and learn to trust in the God who saves. This week we are going to study 1 Samuel 8 and witness the rise of the monarchy. We will see how Israel’s monarchy is born out of the fear of Samuel’s sons’ lack of leadership and Israel’s desire to be like all the other nations. Despite the warnings of corrupt human leadership, Israel acted foolishly by rejecting God as their king. Join us as we learn about the rightful king and how sin tempts humans to foolishly forsake their true king.
Samuel Judges Israel | 1 Samuel 7:3-17
We are currently in a teaching series called 1 Samuel: In Search of a King. The purpose of this series is to grow in our awe of God, receive warnings about the fallen condition of humanity, and learn to trust in the God who saves. This week we are going to study 1 Samuel 7:3-17 and witness the leadership of Samuel. In this passage we see Samuel establish his leadership over the people and help them follow God more faithfully. Join us this week as we learn how leadership is a tool that God uses to bring blessing and spiritual growth to others.
YHWH Fights the Philistines | 1 Samuel 5:1-6:9
We are currently in a teaching series called 1 Samuel: In Search of a King. The purpose of this series is to grow in our awe of God, receive warnings about the fallen condition of humanity, and learn to trust in the God who saves. This week we are going to study 1 Samuel 5:1-6:9 and witness how YHWH fights His own battles. When the ark of God was residing among the Philistines, we will see how YHWH fought against them bringing judgments and afflictions. Listen in as we learn how God doesn’t need help, and when humans fail Him, He fights for His own honor.
Israel Punished for Sin | 1 Samuel 4
We are currently in a teaching series called 1 Samuel: In Search of a King. The purpose of this series is to grow in our awe of God, receive warnings about the fallen condition of humanity, and learn to trust in the God who saves. This week we are going to study 1 Samuel 4 and witness how Israel is punished for the sins of Eli. God follows through on His promise to remove Eli’s family as priests. His sons died in battle and Eli died upon the news of Israel’s defeat. The consequences of their sin was Israel’s defeat by the Philistines and the capturing of the ark of God. Listen in as we learn about God’s righteousness and the consequences of sin.
Priestly Rejection and Replacement | 1 Samuel 2:11b-3:21
We are currently in a teaching series called 1 Samuel: In Search of a King. The purpose of this series is to grow in our awe of God, receive warnings about the fallen condition of humanity, and learn to trust in the God who saves. This week we are going to study 1 Samuel 2:11-3:21, in which we will see God reject the priesthood of Eli for their sin and establish Samuel as a prophet in their place. Join us this week as we learn the kind of person God is for and the kind of person God is against.
Samuel’s Birth | 1 Samuel 1:1-2:11a
Recently we have started a new series called 1 Samuel: In Search of a King. The purpose of this series is to grow in our awe of God, receive warnings about the fallen condition of humanity, and learn to trust in the God who saves. As we begin, we will see that the first section of the book is the time before the kings. This week we are going to study 1 Samuel 1:1-2:11 and learn about the origin of one of the main characters—Samuel. We are going to see that despite Hannah’s barrenness, God graciously responded to her prayers and blessed her with a son—Samuel. She responded to God’s blessing by dedicating Samuel to the LORD’s service and praising Him. Join us this week as we learn more about God’s character and the proper human response to God.
Overview and Preview | 1 Samuel
Last week we started a new series called 1 Samuel: In Search of a King. 1 Samuel is a historical book in the Old Testament telling the story of the establishment of Israel’s monarchy. In this book we will follow the main characters Samuel, Saul, and David. However, the true hero of this story is YHWH, the God of Israel. The purpose of this series is to grow in our awe of God, receive warnings about the fallen condition of humanity, and learn to trust in the God who saves. Before we dive into the details of 1 Samuel, we want to understand the book as a whole and how the individual parts fit together. As we gain a big-picture perspective of the book, we will also preview the themes we will encounter through our study.
How Did We Get Here? | Genesis—Judges Overview
We are starting a new series called 1 Samuel: In Search of a King. 1 Samuel is a historical book in the Old Testament telling the story of the establishment of Israel’s monarchy. In this book we will follow the main characters Samuel, Saul, and David. We will observe the miraculous origin of Samuel, the failure of the priests, the tragic flaws of Saul, and the rise of David. However, the true hero of this story is YHWH, the God of Israel. We will see His sovereignty, compassion, justice, mercy, and commitment to work with broken people. The purpose of this series is to grow in our awe of God, receive warnings about the fallen condition of humanity, and learn to trust in the God who saves. Before we dive into our study of 1 Samuel, we want to ask the question: how did we get here? We want to know what has happened up to this point in the biblical storyline to provide context for our future study.