Heart of a Shepherd Ministry
Daily Devotional Meditations and a Biblical Perspective on Current Events
A Study Through 1 Samuel
Right Motive, Wrong Methods Invite God’s Judgment (1 Chronicles 13; Psalm 107)
Scripture reading - 1 Chronicles 13; Psalm 107 Click on this link for translations of today's Bible study into German, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, Arabic, and French. Background for Today’s Study (1 Samuel 4-7) The Ark with the Mercy Seat of God served as a symbol...
The Battle and the Victory is the LORD’S (1 Samuel 30)
Scripture reading - 1 Samuel 30 The Destruction of Ziklag (1 Samuel 30:1-6) David and his men lived at Ziklag for sixteen months and prospered amid territory held by the Philistines (1 Samuel 27:8-11). However, tragedy struck that town when David and his men...
Sin Will Rob You of All You Hold Dear (1 Samuel 31)
Scripture reading - 1 Samuel 31 Israel’s Defeat and the Deaths of King Saul and His Sons (1 Samuel 31:1-7) 1 Samuel 31 brings us to King Saul's inevitable, inglorious end. The battle with the Philistines went against Israel, and Saul received word that his sons were...
Divine Providence: The Steps of a Good Man are Ordered by the LORD (1 Samuel 29)
Scripture reading - 1 Samuel 29 Today’s Scripture reading sets the stage not only for the death of Saul, Israel’s first king but also for that of his son Jonathan (1 Samuel 28:19). The armies of the Philistines were gathered against Israel. Saul and his army were...
Integrity is a Rare Virtue (1 Samuel 26)
Scripture reading - 1 Samuel 26 1 Samuel 26 presented David with a second opportunity to kill his enemy, the king of Israel. The first opportunity had risen when Saul unwittingly entered a cave where David and his men had retreated (1 Samuel 24:3-7). On that occasion,...
Faltering Faith (1 Samuel 27)
Scripture reading - 1 Samuel 27 Saul had spoken words of affirmation to David, saying, “Blessed be thou, my son David: thou shalt both do great things, and also shalt still prevail” (1 Samuel 26:25). Yet, David understood the unrelenting, evil character of the king,...
“A Fool, A Beauty, and Matchless Grace” (1 Samuel 25)
Scripture reading - 1 Samuel 25 “And Samuel died” (25:1), and with that brief epitaph, one of the great prophets of the Old Testament and a transitional figure in Israel from the era of the Judges to that of the Kings was gone. Samuel was the last of the judges in...
Caution: Revenge straight ahead! (1 Samuel 23; 1 Samuel 24)
Scripture reading - 1 Samuel 23-24 Today’s Scripture reading affords us a contrast between the spirits of two men. Saul, the king of Israel, was consumed by envy that festered into a murderous rage. In contrast, David practiced what the apostle Paul exhorted believers...
Who is Your Refuge in Times of Trouble? (1 Samuel 21; 1 Samuel 22)
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Watch! Be Ready! Before It Is Too Late! (Matthew 25)
Click this link to translate this Bible study into Russian, Chinese, Arabic, German, Spanish, Portuguese, or French. Scripture reading - Matthew 25 We noticed in Matthew 24 the signs of the Second Coming of Christ at the close of the Tribulation. Matthew 25 urges...
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The Fury and Death of Herod, God’s Enemy (Acts 12)
Click this link to translate this Bible study into Russian, Chinese, Arabic, German, Spanish, Portuguese, or French. Scripture reading – Acts 12 Acts 12 begins with the phrase, “about that time,” and gives us cause to consider “the time” setting for today’s Bible...
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God Makes No Mistakes! (Acts 3)
Click this link to translate this Bible study into Russian, Chinese, Arabic, German, Spanish, Portuguese, or French. Scripture reading – Acts 2; Acts 3 Acts 3 Attitudes toward the physically challenged have evolved over the years, as has our vocabulary to define...