Category: CONNECT THE TESTAMENTS

  • REFRAME IT

    Connect The Testaments1 Samuel 26:1–27:12; 1 Peter 2:1–12; Psalm 128:1–129:8 “ ‘Too often they have attacked me from my youth.’ Let Israel say, ‘Too often they have attacked me from my youth, yet they have not prevailed against me’ ” (Psa 129:1–2). As these verses show, sometimes problems can be solved by simply reframing the issue at…

  • SURPRISE REDEMPTION

    1 Samuel 24:1–25:44; 1 Peter 1:20–25; Psalm 125:1–127:5 We often fail to be amazed at redemption. Perhaps we’re only dimly aware of our own failings—or (worse) we are blind to how amazing it is that God has shown us grace at all. In Psalm 126 the psalmist describes the joy that should come as a…

  • UNITY IN ADVERSITY

    Connect The Testaments1 Samuel 22:1–23:29; 1 Peter 1:13–19; Psalm 123:1–124:8 Distress can unite people. In difficult moments, in shared pain, we discover our true friends. When David fled from King Saul, his divided family was suddenly supportive of him, as was every man in the region who was distressed or indebted (1 Sam 22:1–2; compare…

  • ETERNAL HOPE

    Connect The Testaments1 Samuel 20:1-21:15; 1 Peter 1:1-12; Psalm 121:1-122:9 We don’t often realize where we put our hope. We can seek sustenance, energy, or relief in the most transient, innocuous things—from our morning coffee to a vacation we’ve been anticipating for months. These things are not bad in themselves, but if they constantly serve…

  • OPPRESSORS, VICTIMS, AND A JUST GOD

    Connect The Testaments1 Samuel 17:1-58; James 5:1-12; Psalm 119:153-176 Contemporary culture is often pegged as self-indulgent: We live in a have-it-now world, and we don’t always think about the repercussions of our actions. But when we read James’ letter to the early church, we find that self-indulgence isn’t a modern phenomenon. In his letter James…

  • MOVING FORWARD

    Connect The Testaments1 Samuel 16:1-23; James 4:1-17; Psalm 119:137-152 Moving on after a person, a hope, or a dream has died can be one of the most difficult challenges of life. It certainly was for Samuel. The prophet Samuel believed that God had chosen Saul as king, but Saul failed God and His people (1…

  • HONOR, CREDIT, AND GODLY WISDOM

    Connect The Testaments1 Samuel 15:1-35; James 3:13-18; Psalm 119:121-136 We’re primed to seek validation. Earning “likes” on our social media outlets gives us a sense of self-worth. Getting kudos for a good idea at work makes us feel important. When this is how we derive our self-worth, the opposite will also be true: Being overlooked…

  • RECASTING FAITH

    Connect The Testaments1 Samuel 14:1-52; James 3:1-12; Psalm 119:97-120 Faith is often cast as a type of intellectual pursuit: It’s something our minds rise up to, conform to, or simply agree with. But in the Bible, faith is often portrayed as rather mystical: Jonathan somehow knew that God would act on his behalf if his…

  • FAITH

    Connect The Testaments1 Samuel 12:1-13:23; James 2:19-26; Psalm 119:81-96 Sometimes it’s difficult to view our lives as a whole. We fulfill different roles as we interact with different people at school, home, work, and even church. In the natural donning and discarding of these roles, we might be tempted to compartmentalize our lives, yet we…

  • DISCERNMENT, KNOWLEDGE, AND ACTION

    Connect The Testaments1 Samuel 10:1-11:15; James 2:14-18; Psalm 119:65-80 We often wonder whether God hears our prayers. Even when we acknowledge that God deals with each petition we send His way, we experience doubt because we don’t understand how He has handled our plea. Yet instead of asking “Is God hearing me?” we should be…