So get the picture. It's the LifeSpring One Year Bible Rewind and coming to you from Riverside,
California, podcasting since 2004. I'm Steve Webb, your OG Godcaster. This is the podcast that comes
to you every day and we're reading the entire Bible together in a year. I'm so glad you're here.
Welcome. The website is lifespringmedia.com. This is National Bean Day. I'll leave the comments to
you. This is also History Tuesday. We'll read 1 Samuel 6-10, after which, of course, we'll have
On This Date in Church History. Let's begin. Our Heavenly Father, we love you and we thank you for
our time together. We pray, God, that as we read today, you would teach us. We pray this in Jesus'
name. Amen. 1 Samuel 6. After the sacred chest had been in Philistia for seven months,
The Philistines called in their priests and fortune-tellers and asked,
What should we do with this sacred chest? Tell us how to send it back where it belongs.
Don't send it back without a gift, the priests and fortune-tellers answered.
Send along something to Israel's God to make up for taking the chest in the first place.
Then you will be healed, and you will find out why the Lord was causing you so much trouble.
What should we send? the Philistines asked.
The priests and fortune-tellers answered,
There are five Philistine rulers, and they all have the same disease that you have.
So make five gold models of the sores and five gold models of the rats that are wiping out your crops.
If you honor the God of Israel with this gift, maybe he will stop causing trouble for you and your gods and your crops.
Don't be like the Egyptians and their king.
They were stubborn, but when Israel's God was finished with them, they had to let Israel go.
Get a new cart in two cows that have young calves that have never pulled a cart.
Hitch the cows to the cart, but take the calves back to their barn.
Then put the chest on their cart.
Put the gold rats and sores into a bag and put it on the cart next to the chest.
Then send it on its way.
Watch to see if the chest goes on up the road to the Israelite town of Beth Shemesh.
If it goes back to its own country, you will know that it was the Lord who made us suffer so badly.
But if the chest doesn't go back to its own country,
then the Lord had nothing to do with the disease that hit us.
It was simply bad luck. The Philistines followed their advice. They hitched up the two cows to the
cart, but they kept their calves in a barn. Then they put the chest on the cart, along with the
bag that had the gold rats and sores in it. The cows went straight up the road toward Beth Shemesh,
mooing as they went. The Philistine rulers followed them until they got close to Beth Shemesh.
The people of Beth Shemesh were harvesting their wheat in the valley. When they looked up and saw
the chest, they were so happy that they stopped working and started celebrating. The cows left
the road and pulled the cart into a field that belonged to Joshua from Beth Shemesh, and they
stopped beside a huge rock. Some men from the tribe of Levi were there, so they took the chest
off the cart and placed it on the rock, and then they did the same thing with the bag of gold rats
and sores. A few other people chopped up the cart and made a fire. They killed the cows and burned
them as sacrifices to the Lord. After that, they offered more sacrifices. When the five rulers of
the Philistines saw what had happened, they went back to Ekron that same day. That is how the
Philistines sent gifts to the Lord to make up for taking the sacred chest. They sent five gold
swords, one each for their towns of Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron. They also sent one gold
rat for each walled town and for every village that the five Philistine rulers controlled.
The huge stone where the Levites set the chest is still there in Joshua's field as a reminder of
what happened. Some of the men of Beth Shemesh looked inside the sacred chest, and the Lord God
killed seventy of them. This made the people of Beth Shemesh very sad, and they started saying,
No other god is like the Lord. Who can go near him and stay alive? We'll have to send the chest away
from here, but where can we send it? They sent messengers to tell the people of Kiriath-Jerim,
The Philistines have sent back the sacred chest. Why don't you take it and keep it there with you?
1 Samuel chapter 7. The people of Kiriath-Jerim got the chest and took it to Abinadab's house,
which was on a hill in their town. They chose his son Eleazar to take care of it,
and it stayed there for twenty years. During this time everyone in Israel was very sad
and begged the Lord for help. One day Samuel told all the people of Israel,
If you really want to turn back to the Lord, then prove it. Get rid of your foreign idols,
including the ones of the goddess Astarte. Turn to the Lord with all your heart,
and worship only Him. Then He will rescue you from the Philistines.
The people got rid of their idols of Baal and Astarte and began worshiping only the Lord.
Then Samuel said, Tell everyone in Israel to meet together at Mizpah,
and I will pray to the Lord for you. The Israelites met together at Mizpah with Samuel as their leader.
They drew water from the well and poured it out as an offering to the Lord.
On that same day they went without eating to show their sorrow, and they confessed they had been
unfaithful to the Lord. When the Philistine rulers found out about the meeting at Mizpah,
they sent an army there to attack the people of Israel. The Israelites were afraid when they heard
what the Philistines were doing. Don't stop praying, they told Samuel. Ask the Lord our God
to rescue us. Samuel begged the Lord to rescue Israel. Then he sacrificed a young lamb to the
Lord. Samuel had not even finished offering the sacrifice when the Philistines started to attack,
but the Lord answered his prayer and made thunder crash all around them. The Philistines panicked and
ran away. The men of Israel left Mezpah and went after them as far as the hillside below Beth-kar,
killing every enemy soldier they caught. The Philistines were so badly beaten that it was
quite a while before they attacked Israel again. After the battle, Samuel set up a monument between
Mizpah and the rocky cliffs. He named it Help Monument to remind Israel how much the Lord had
helped them. For as long as Samuel lived, the Lord helped Israel fight the Philistines.
The Israelites were even able to recapture their towns and territory between Ekron and Gath.
Israel was also at peace with the Amorites. Samuel was a leader in Israel all his life.
Every year he would go around to the towns of Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, where he served as
judge for the people. Then he would go back to his home in Ramah and do the same thing there.
He also had an altar built for the Lord at Ramah. 1 Samuel 8
Samuel had two sons. The older one was Joel, and the younger one was Abijah.
When Samuel was getting old, he let them be leaders at Beersheba, but they were not like
their father. They were dishonest and accepted bribes to give unfair decisions.
One day the nation's leaders came to Samuel at Ramah and said, You are an old man. You set a
good example for your sons, but they haven't followed it. Now we want a king to be our leader,
just like all the other nations. Choose one for us. Samuel was upset to hear the leaders say they
wanted a king, so he prayed about it. The Lord answered, Samuel, do everything they want you to
do. I am really the one they rejected as their king. Ever since the day I rescued my people from
Egypt, they have turned from me to worship idols. Now they're turning away from you. Do everything
they ask, but warn them and tell them how a king will treat them. Samuel told the people who were
asking for a king what the Lord had said. If you have a king, this is how he will treat you. He
your sons to join his army. Some of them will ride in his chariots, some will serve in the
cavalry, and others will run ahead of his own chariot. Some of them will be officers in charge
of a thousand soldiers, and others will be in charge of fifty. Still others will have to farm
the king's land and harvest his crops, or make weapons and parts for his chariots. Your daughters
will have to make perfume, or do his cooking and baking. The king will take your best fields,
as well as your vineyards and olive orchards, and give them to his own officials. He will also take
a tenth of your grain and grapes, and give it to his officers and officials. The king will take your
slaves and your best young men and your donkeys and make them do his work. He will also take a
tenth of your sheep and goats. You will become the king's slaves, and you will finally cry out for
the Lord to save you from the king you wanted, but the Lord won't answer your prayers.
The people would not listen to Samuel. No, they said, we want to be like other nations. We want
a king to rule us and to lead us in battle. Samuel listened to them and then told the Lord
exactly what they had said. Do what they want, the Lord answered. Give them a king.
Samuel told the people to go back to their homes. 1 Samuel 9
There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror.
the son of Bekorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a mighty man of power.
And he had a choice and handsome son whose name was Saul.
There was not a more handsome person than he among the children of Israel.
From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.
Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul's father, were lost.
And Kish said to his son Saul,
Please take one of the servants with you, and arise, go and look for the donkeys.
So he passed through the mountains of Ephraim, and through the land of Shalisha, but they did not
find them. Then they passed through the land of Shalem, and they were not there. Then he passed
through the land of the Benjaminites, but they did not find them. When they had come to the land of
Zoph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, Come, let us return, lest my father cease caring
about the donkeys, and become worried about us. And he said to him, Look now, there is in this city
a man of God, and he is an honorable man. All that he says surely comes to pass. So let us go there.
Perhaps he can show us the way that we should go. Then Saul said to his servant, But look, if we go,
what shall we bring the man? For the bread in our vessels is all gone, and there is no present to
bring to the man of God. What do we have? And the servant answered Saul again and said, Look, I have
here at hand one-fourth of a shekel of silver. I will give that to the man of God, to tell us our
way. Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he spoke thus, Come, let us go to the seer.
For he who is now called a prophet was formerly called a seer. Then Saul said to the servant,
Well said, come, let us go. So they went to the city where the man of God was.
As they went up the hill to the city, they met some young women going out to draw water,
and said to them, Is this here?
And they answered them, and said, Yes, there he is, just ahead of you.
Hurry now, for today he came to this city, because there is a sacrifice of the people
today on the high place.
As soon as you come into the city, you will surely find him before he goes up to the high
place to eat.
For the people will not eat until he comes, because he must bless the sacrifice.
Afterward, those who are invited will eat.
Now therefore go up, for about this time you will find him.
So they went up to the city.
As they were coming into the city, there was Samuel,
coming out toward them on his way up to the high place.
Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear the day before Saul came,
saying, Tomorrow, about this time,
I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin,
and you shall anoint him commander over my people Israel,
that he may save my people from the hand of the Philistines.
for I have looked upon my people, because their cry has come to me.
So when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to him, There he is, the man of whom I spoke to you,
this one shall reign over my people. Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said,
Please tell me, where is the seer's house? Samuel answered Saul, and said, I am the seer.
Go up before me to the high place, for you shall eat with me today, and tomorrow I will let you go,
and will tell you all that is in your heart. But as for your donkeys that were lost three days ago,
do not be anxious about them, for they have been found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel?
Is it not on you and on all your father's house? And Saul answered and said, Am I not a Benjaminite
of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of the tribe
of Benjamin? Why then do you speak like this to me? Now Samuel took Saul and his servant,
and brought them into the hall, and had them sit at the place of honor among those who were invited.
There were about thirty persons. And Samuel said to the cook, Bring the portion which I gave you,
of which I said to you, set it apart. So the cook took up the thigh with its upper part,
and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, Here it is what was kept back. It was set apart for you.
Eat, for until this time it has been kept for you, since I said I invited the people.
So Saul ate with Solomon that day.
When they had come down from the high place into the city, Samuel spoke with Saul on the top of the house.
They arose early, and it was about the dawning of the day that Samuel called to Saul on the top of the house, saying,
Get up, that I may send you on your way.
And Saul arose, and both of them went outside, he and Samuel.
As they were going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul,
Tell the servant to go on ahead of us.
And he went on.
But you stand here a while, that I may announce to you the word of God.
1 Samuel 10
Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head, and kissed him, and said,
Is it not because the Lord has anointed you commander over his inheritance?
When you have departed from me today, you will find two men by Rachel's tomb in the
territory of Benjamin at Zelzah, and they will say to you,
The donkeys which you went to look for have been found.
And now your father has ceased caring about the donkeys,
and is worrying about you, saying,
What shall I do about my son?
Then you shall go on forward from there,
and come to the terebinth tree of Tabor.
There three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you,
one carrying three young goats,
another carrying three loaves of bread,
and another carrying a skin of wine.
And they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread,
which you shall receive from their hands. After that you shall come to the hill of God,
where the Philistine garrison is. And it will happen, when you have come there to the city,
that you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with a stringed instrument,
a tambourine, a flute, and a harp before them, and they will be prophesying.
Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them,
and be turned into another man. And let it be when these signs come to you, that you do as the
occasion demands, for God is with you. You shall go down before me to Gilgal, and surely I will
come down to you to offer burnt offerings, and make sacrifices of peace offerings. Seven days
you shall wait, till I come to you and show you what you should do. So it was when he had turned
back to go from Samuel, that God gave him another heart, and all those signs came to pass that day.
When they came there to the hill, there was a group of prophets to meet him. Then the Spirit
of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them. And it happened, when all who knew him
formally saw that he had indeed prophesied among the prophets, that the people said to one another,
What is this that has come upon the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?
Then a man from there answered and said, But who is their father?
Therefore it became a proverb, Is Saul also among the prophets?
And when he had finished prophesying, he went to the high place.
Then Saul's uncle said to him and his servant, Where did you go?
So he said, To look for the donkeys.
When we saw that they were nowhere to be found, we went to Samuel.
And Saul's uncle said, Tell me, please, what Samuel said to you.
So Saul said to his uncle, He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found,
but about the matter of the kingdom he did not tell him what Samuel had said.
Then Samuel called the people together to the Lord at Mizpah, and said to the children of Israel,
Thus says the Lord God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you from the
hands of the Egyptians, and from the hand of all kingdoms, and from those who oppressed you.
But you have today rejected your God, who himself saved you from all your adversaries and your
tribulations. And you have said to him, No, set a king over us. Now therefore present yourselves
before the Lord by your tribes and by your clans. And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel
to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was chosen. When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come
near by their families, the family of Matri was chosen. And Saul the son of Kish was chosen.
But when they sought him, he could not be found. Therefore they inquired of the Lord further,
Has the man come here yet? And the Lord answered, There he is, hidden among the equipment.
So they ran and brought him there. And when he stood among the people, he was taller than any
of the people from his shoulders upward. And Samuel said to all the people, Do you see him
whom the Lord has chosen, that there is no one like him among all the people? So all the people
shouted and said, Long live the king! Then Samuel explained to the people the behavior of royalty,
and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the Lord. And Samuel sent all the people away,
every man to his house. And Saul also went home to Gibeah, and valiant men went with him,
whose hearts God had touched. But some rebels said, How can this man save us?
So they despised him and brought him no presents, but he held his peace.
Why do you suppose Saul was hiding among the equipment when it was time for the people to
see who it was that God had chosen to be their king? Doesn't that strike you as an odd thing
for Saul to do at this particular time? So get the picture. Samuel has already anointed Saul's
head with oil and confirmed that he was the one whom God had chosen. But this was done when it
was just the two of them. There were no witnesses. And then Saul had had several miraculous things
happen that have really transformed him. And now Samuel has called all the nation of Israel to
Mizpah, and he has given them a message from God. I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered
you from the hand of the Egyptians, and from the hand of all kingdoms, and from those who oppressed
you. But you have today rejected your God, who himself saved you from all your adversaries and
your tribulations. And you have said to him, No, set a king over us. So, beloved, what do you think
is going through Saul's mind at this point? I don't know about you, but I'd be thinking,
Wait a minute. God has just announced through Samuel that these people, who are about to become
my responsibility, have up until now been taken care of by the Lord God Almighty. He took them
out of Egypt after bringing some terrible consequences to Pharaoh. He brought them to
this land that had been inhabited by some very scary people, and he defeated those people
to give the land to them. How in the world am I going to even begin to be worthy to be their
leader? Oh, and God isn't very happy with them by the sound of things. They've just insulted him by
their rejection of his leadership. Do I really want this job? And by the way, the Philistines
have been a real problem lately. How am I going to deal with them? Maybe I'll just hide over here.
Maybe if I don't show myself, God will have to choose someone else.
Well, does that sound about right to you, beloved?
It'll be fun to see how Saul's reign progresses, won't it?
I'd love to hear your comments.
Tomorrow, we'll read Psalms 33 through 35.
Here's the verse of the day.
1 Samuel 8.18
When that day comes, you will cry out because of the king you've chosen for yourselves,
but the Lord won't answer you on that day.
1 Samuel 8.18
And speaking of verses, there will be a new episode of Verses We Missed tomorrow.
We're just starting a new year, and many of us feel the urge to reset, to refocus, and to do better.
But Scripture offers something deeper than resolutions.
In this week's episode of Verses We Missed, we take a closer look at Micah 6-8
and discover a foundation for a faithful life.
not a checklist, not a performance, a way of living shaped by justice, mercy, and humility.
If you're asking what faith looks like in ordinary days, in small choices, and in the year ahead,
this episode is for you. Listen to Verses We Missed at
lifespringmedia.com or wherever you get your podcasts. It's a midweek breath of Scripture and Grace.
On this date in Church History, January 6th.
What the Church anticipated yesterday, it celebrates today.
January 6th is known across the Christian world as Epiphany,
the day the Church remembers the visit of the Magi and the revelation of Jesus Christ to the nations.
Rooted in the Gospel of Matthew, Epiphany celebrates the moment when Gentile seekers
recognized who Jesus truly was and came to worship Him. From the earliest centuries,
Christians marked Epiphany as a declaration that the Gospel is not confined to one people or one
place. The Magi, guided by a star, symbolized the widening scope of God's salvation,
a Savior revealed not only to Israel but to the whole world. In many traditions,
Epiphany also points beyond the manger toward Christ's public ministry, reminding believers
that Jesus was revealed not just to be admired, but to be followed. The light that led the Magi
still shines, calling people from every nation to recognize the King and respond in faith.
Remember that Wednesday is our next time to bring our praises and prayer requests to God as a family.
If you have a prayer request or praise that you'd like to share with the Lifespring family,
you can do that at prayer.lifespringmedia.com,
or you can email me at steve at lifespringmedia.com,
or you can text me or leave a voicemail at
Lifespring Family Hotline 951-732-8511
If you enjoy the show, tell someone.
It was great seeing you today.
Let's do it tomorrow.
Until then, I'm Steve Webb,
and this has been the LifeSpring One Year Bible Rewind.
There's lots more to hear at LifespringMedia.com.
May God bless you richly.
Bye.
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