Author Archives: Joseph Malekani

1 Samuel 26 Commentary A man like Saul in a backslidden state will make several good promises but fail as many times. However, we know that this latest promise not to harm David will be kept. Not by a transformation of heart, but because Saul will die not too long from now. We have followedContinueContinue reading “1 Samuel 26 Commentary”

1 Samuel 25 Commentary Priest, Judge, Leader, and the nation’s father, the great prophet Samuel, dies. Accordingly, the nation mourns. One important era has closed. In reality, Samuel’s time closed a long time ago. The ‘Era of the Kings’ is well underway, save for the problems that the now-dead prophet had foretold. It is impossibleContinueContinue reading “1 Samuel 25 Commentary”

1 Samuel 24 Commentary By his own confession, Saul hasn’t been good to David. You sense a tone of regret. Here is David, the hunted; and here is Saul the hunter. But logic seems to temporarily take over. Saul is in the wrong. David is in the right. Saul knows it. He also knows DavidContinueContinue reading “1 Samuel 24 Commentary”

1 Samuel 23b Commentary How the LORD God interacts with individuals. Or, how the LORD God answers prayer. It’s an interesting subject! This chapter zooms in on a couple of ways. The opening verses describe David enquiring directly with the LORD. He uses the ephod—probably the priest Abiathar (verses 6 and 9) does it forContinueContinue reading “1 Samuel 23b Commentary”

1 Samuel 23 Commentary “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “My father Saul will not lay a hand on you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this.” David was a jumbo jet in midair without fuel. The LORD attends to this crisis by sendingContinueContinue reading “1 Samuel 23 Commentary”

1 Samuel 22b Commentary It’s the nature of sin that a man fears everything else apart from his Creator. Saul doesn’t hesitate to raise his hand against the priests of the LORD. In his own words, he says: “Turn and kill the priests of the LORD.” He isn’t afraid to mess with the property ofContinueContinue reading “1 Samuel 22b Commentary”

1 Samuel 22 Commentary All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their commander. So Jephthah fled from his brothers and settled in the land of Tob, where a gang of scoundrels gathered around him and followed him. Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hearContinueContinue reading “1 Samuel 22 Commentary”

1 Samuel 21 Commentary. What Doeg, the Edomite, does here is the subject of Psalm 52. What David does here is the subject of the teaching we find in the gospel according to Matthew in Chapter 12. What David experienced at Gath is possibly the subject of Psalm 34. These events give context to theContinueContinue reading “1 Samuel 21 Commentary”

1 Samuel 20b Commentary Probably Jonathan understood something about his father. He feared for his life – probably in the process helping David, or as he performed acts of righteousness.Evil doesn’t have eyes. Jonathan survived his father’s spear. But it wasn’t the first time. Chapter 14 verse 44. And it wasn’t always because of David!Yes,ContinueContinue reading “1 Samuel 20b Commentary”

1 Samuel 20 Commentary There are few chapters as deeply emotional as this one. The intense hatred by Saul is only paralleled by an opposite and rarest of friendly bonds. Jonathan and David have set such a high bar of friendship that one is tempted to think of it as a model representing the cross.ContinueContinue reading “1 Samuel 20 Commentary”