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)
Popular Devotional Studies
Marriage
“The Dreaded Consequences of Forbidden Lusts” (2 Samuel 13)
Scripture reading - 2 Samuel 13 Click on this link to translate today's Bible study into German, Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Spanish, French, or Portuguese. We recall that the prophet Nathan admonished David for his adultery with Bathsheba and warned that his hands...
Prayer
Political Correctness is a Societal Cancer (Psalm 12)
Scripture reading - Psalm 12 Click on this link to translate today's Bible study into German, Arabic, Chinese, Russian, French, Spanish, or Portuguese. An Introduction The musings David expressed in Psalm 12 are familiar to those who follow current events....
Hard Topics
Have you got enemies? Do you feel depressed? (Psalm 13; Psalm 28)
Scripture reading - Psalm 13; Psalm 28 Click on this link to translate this Bible study into German, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Russian, French, or Portuguese. The titles of today’s Scripture reading ascribe David as the author. Psalm 13 was titled “To the Chief...