Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're
taking this journey together to read the Bible
in a year. Today's reading is from 1 Samuel chapters
15 and 16, as well as Psalm 23. Chapter 15 Samuel
also said to Saul, The Lord sent me to anoint
you king over his people, over Israel. Now therefore
heed the voice of the words of the Lord. Thus
says the Lord of hosts, I will punish Amalek
for what he did to Israel. how he ambushed him
on the way when he came up from Egypt. Now go
and attack Amalek and utterly destroy all that
they have, and do not spare them, but kill both
man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and
sheep, camel and donkey. So Saul gathered the
people together and numbered them into lame,
two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand
men of Judah. And Saul came to a city of Amalek
and lay in wait in the valley. Then Saul said
to the Canaanites, Go, depart, get down from
the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them,
for you showed kindness to all the children of
Israel when they came up out of Egypt. So the
Canaanites departed from among the Amalekites,
and Saul attacked the Amalekites from Havilah
all the way to Shur, which is east of Egypt.
He also took Agag, king of the Amalekites, alive,
and utterly destroyed all the people with the
edge of the sword. But Saul and the people spared
Agag, and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the
fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good. and
were unwilling to destroy them. But everything
despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.
Now the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying,
I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king,
for he has turned back from following me, and
has not performed my commandments. And he grieved
Samuel, and he cried out to the Lord all night.
So when Samuel rose early in the morning to meet
Saul, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul went to
Carmel, and indeed he set up a monument for himself.
And he has gone on around, passed by, and gone
down to Gilgal. Then Samuel went to Saul, and
Saul said to him, Blessed are you of the Lord,
I have performed the commandment of the Lord.
But Samuel said, What then is this bleating of
the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen
which I hear? And Saul said, They have brought
them from the Amalekites, for the people spared
the best of the sheep and the oxen, to sacrifice
to the Lord your God, and the rest we have utterly
destroyed. Then Samuel said to Saul, Be quiet,
and I will tell you what the Lord said to me
last night. And he said to him, Speak on. So
Samuel said, When you were little in your own
eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel?
And did not the Lord anoint you king over Israel?
Now the Lord sent you on a mission and said,
Go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites,
and fight against them until they are consumed.
Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord?
Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil
in the sight of the Lord? And Saul said to Samuel,
But I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and
gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me,
and brought back Agag king of Amalek, I have
utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people
took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best
of the things which should have been utterly
destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord your God
in Gilgal. So Samuel said, Has the Lord as great
delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as
in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to
obey is better than sacrifice and to heed than
the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin
of witchcraft and stubbornness is as iniquity
and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word
of the Lord, he also has rejected you from being
king. Then Saul said to Samuel, I have sinned,
for I have transgressed the commandment of the
Lord and your words, because I feared the people
and obeyed their voice. Now therefore please
pardon my sin and return with me, that I may
worship the Lord. But Samuel said to Saul, I
will not return with you, for you have rejected
the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected
you from being king over Israel. And as Samuel
turned around to go away, Saul seized the edge
of his robe and it tore. So Samuel said to him,
The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from
you today, and has given it to a neighbor of
yours, who is better than you. And also the strength
of Israel will not lie nor relent, for he is
not a man that he should relent. Then he said,
I have sinned, yet honor me now, please, before
the elders of my people and before Israel, and
return with me, that I may worship the Lord your
God. So Samuel turned back after Saul, and Saul
worshipped the Lord. Then Samuel said, Bring
Agag, king of the Amalekites, here to me. So
Agag came to him cautiously. And Agag said, Surely
the bitterness of death is past. But Samuel said,
As your sword has made women childless, so shall
your mother be childless among women. And Samuel
hacked Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal.
Then Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to
his house at Gibeah of Saul. And Samuel went
no more to see Saul until the day of his death.
Nevertheless, Samuel mourned for Saul, and the
Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over
Israel. Now the Lord said to Samuel, How long
will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected
him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn
with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse the
Bethlehemite, for I have provided myself a king
among his sons. And Samuel said, How can I go?
If Saul hears it, he will kill me. But the Lord
said, Take a heifer with you and say, I have
come to sacrifice to the Lord. Then invite Jesse
to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you
shall do. You shall anoint for me the one I named
to you. So Samuel did what the Lord said and
went to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town
trembled at his coming and said, Do you come
peaceably? And he said, Peaceably. I have come
to sacrifice to the Lord. Sanctify yourselves
and come with me to the sacrifice. Then he consecrated
Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
So it was, when they came, that he looked at
Eliab and said, Surely the Lord's anointed is
before him. But the Lord said to Samuel, Do not
look at his appearance or at his physical stature,
because I have refused him. For the Lord does
not see as man sees. For man looks at the outward
appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.
So Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before
Samuel. And he said, Neither has the Lord chosen
this one. Then Jesse made Shammah pass by, and
he said, Neither has the Lord chosen this one.
Then Jesse made seven of his sons pass before
Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, The Lord has
not chosen these. And Samuel said to Jesse, Are
all the young men here? Then he said, There remains
yet the youngest, and there he is keeping the
sheep. And Samuel said to Jesse, Send and bring
him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.
So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ready
with bright eyes and good looking. And the Lord
said, Arise, anoint him, for this is the one.
Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed
him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit
of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.
So Samuel arose and went to Ramah. But the Spirit
of the Lord departed from Saul, and a distressing
spirit from the Lord troubled him. And Saul's
servants said to him, Surely a distressing spirit
from God is troubling you. Let our master now
command your servants who are before you to seek
out a man who is a skillful player on the harp,
and it shall be that he will play it with his
hand when the distressing spirit from God is
upon you, and you shall be well. So Saul said
to his servants, Provide me now a man who can
play well and bring him to me. Then one of the
servants answered and said, Look, I have seen
a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is skillful
in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war.
prudent in speech, and a handsome person, and
the Lord is with him. Therefore Saul sent messengers
to Jesse and said, Send me your son David, who
is with the sheep. And Jesse took a donkey loaded
with bread, a skin of wine, and a young goat,
and sent them by his son David to Saul. So David
came to Saul and stood before him, and he loved
him greatly, and he became his armor -bearer.
Then Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Please let David
stand before me, for he has found favor in my
sight. And so it was, whenever the Spirit from
God was upon Saul, that David would take a harp
and play it with his hand. Then Saul would become
refreshed and well, and a distressing spirit
would depart from him. Psalm 23 The Lord is my
shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me to lie
down in green pastures. He leads me beside the
still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me
in the path of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the
shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you
are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort
me. You prepare a table before me in the presence
of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My
cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall
follow me all the days of my life, and I will
dwell in the house of the Lord forever. I hope
you enjoyed today's reading as much as I did
and I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow
to continue on our journey. God bless you and
have a great day.