I Samuel

We read in this book of Samuel, also one of my favorite Old Testament characters. He was a prophet that had a keen sense of the leading of the Heavenly Father. We read in 3:19, "And Samuel grew and the Lord was with him and did let none of his words fall to the ground." Samuel was a wise child. His words had power and strength. He didn't say things that were worthless. A truly good example to us today.

The people of Israel desire that a king would be raised up. When Samuel asks the Lord what to do, the Lord anoints Saul to be the King. A tall handsome fellow, he had opportunity for greatness, but jealousy ran rampant through his veins. When David slew Goliath, the people of the land sang a song that "Saul has slaughtered his thousands and David has slaughtered his tens of thousands (29:5)." This song elevated the amount of jealousy in Saul's heart. He began to chase David and to hate him, ultimately he determined to kill him. God was with David and gave him favor. Saul finally kills himself, leaving David to relax.

Unfortunately, David learns at the same time of Saul's death that Jonathan his beloved friend was also killed at the hands of the Philistines. The story of the friendship of Jonathan and David has survived the passage of time. Two boys, growing up, learning from one another, enjoying one another. These types of friendships are godly and come from him. We all need an ear to listen and a shoulder to lean on.