A Loyal but Overzealous Army Commander Abishai is the brother of Joab, commander of King David’s army. Scripture tells us that Abishai is one of David’s mighty warriors, a subcommander of his army, and credited with impressive military victories. He’s also zealous for David, perhaps too much so. Or maybe he has a thirst for […]
A Priest with Shifting Loyalties When Doeg the Edomite, under the order of King Saul, kills Ahimelek and eighty-five other priests, only Ahimelek’s son Abiathar escapes. Abiathar flees to David, who offers him sanctuary. Abiathar takes the ephod with him. This likely refers to the ephod Moses made for the priests to wear (Exodus 28). […]
We May Never Know the Full Impact of Our Prayers As the early church adds to their numbers, they experience growing pains. They need more people in leadership roles and elect seven to help with a daily food distribution. Stephen is one of those people. Stephen is a remarkable man, full of God’s grace and […]
Michal marries David, who will later become king; her father is King Saul. Though her story starts out with promise, it ends sadly. David plays a critical role in the success of King Saul and the nation of Israel. Despite this, Saul’s attitude towards David varies greatly, with Saul often wanting to kill David out […]
A Weak King with a Short Reign Ish-Bosheth is the son of King Saul. After his father’s death—with the help of Abner, commander of Saul’s army—Ish-Bosheth assumes his father’s throne. He reigns for two years. There’s little remarkable about him or his rule. One story we have is when he confronts Abner for sleeping with […]
A Commander with Shifting Allegiances Abner is the commander of King Saul’s army. He’s also Saul’s first cousin. Abner serves Saul well. After the king’s death, Abner transfers his alliance to Saul’s son Ish-Bosheth, making him king over all Israel in his father’s place, with David ruling over Judah. A battle rages between Israel (led […]
A Man Willing to Kill the Innocent Doeg the Edomite appears in only one passage in Scripture. His story intertwines with Ahimelek’s. When King Saul orders the execution of Ahimelek for assisting in David’s escape, none of the king’s men are willing to kill the priest. They are wise to respect the function of the […]
The King’s Daughter Loves David King Saul’s younger daughter is Michal. She loves David. David plays a critical role in the success of King Saul and the nation of Israel. The king should be grateful, yet Saul’s attitude toward David vacillates, with Saul often wanting to kill David out of jealousy. When Saul learns that […]
A Daughter Offered as a Prize King Saul has two daughters. Merab is the oldest. When David kills Goliath, the expectation among the troops is that the king will give his oldest daughter to that man in marriage. We don’t know if the men merely assume the king will do this or if that was […]
Even If God Sets Us Up for Success, We’ll Fail If We Don’t Obey Him God’s chosen people, the nation of Israel, ask for a king. This isn’t what God wants, but he gives them what they request. He gives them a king. At God’s direction, Samuel anoints Saul as king, appointing him ruler over […]