BibleWay | Bible in a Year Devotional Bible Study

Jonathan gives away his claim to the throne. Saul throws spears to keep his. In 1 Samuel 18-20, Jonathan hands David his robe, armor, and sword and makes a covenant of friendship with him, while Saul's jealousy grows with every victory, until Jonathan must choose between his father and his friend. Pastor Kevin shows why loyalty flourishes where jealousy destroys. Here we consider David and Jonatha...

Jesse doesn't even call his youngest son in from the fields. In 1 Samuel 16-17, Samuel passes over Jesse's impressive sons and anoints David, the shepherd boy, who soon faces Goliath while Saul's army flees in fear. Pastor Kevin shows how God looks on the heart, and why the battle belongs to the Lord. Here we consider David and Goliath, David's anointing, the Valley of Elah, courage when you feel...

Saul does most of what God says and calls it obedience. In 1 Samuel 15, God commands Saul to destroy the Amalekites, but Saul spares King Agag and the best of the livestock and sets up a monument to himself, then greets Samuel with a smile and a ready explanation. Pastor Kevin shows the difference between religious performance and real submission. Here we consider "to obey is better than sacrifice...

One leader risks his life for his people. The other risks his people for his pride. In 1 Samuel 14, Jonathan and his armor-bearer climb toward a Philistine outpost alone, trusting the LORD can save by many or by few, while Saul puts the army under an oath that will endanger Jonathan himself. Pastor Kevin contrasts two kinds of leadership and points to a King who never starves His people. Here we c...

Saul looks every bit the king Israel wanted, until he's forced to wait. In 1 Samuel 11-13, Saul rescues Jabesh-gilead and unites the tribes, but at Gilgal, with the Philistines massing, his army deserting, and Samuel late, he faces a choice about the sacrifice. Pastor Kevin shows why God is looking for a man after His own heart. Here we consider King Saul's unlawful sacrifice, Samuel at Gilgal, "a...

Why would a nation trade God for a king? In 1 Samuel 8-10, Israel demands a king like all the other nations, Samuel warns them what that king will take, and God points him to a tall, impressive young man named Saul, out searching for his father's donkeys, who hides among the baggage on the day he's presented. Pastor Kevin explores why we so often prefer power we can see. Here we consider King Saul...

Israel carries the ark into battle expecting it to guarantee victory. In 1 Samuel 4-7, the Philistines panic when the ark arrives in Israel's camp, but the battle doesn't go the way anyone expected, and soon the ark sits in the temple of the Philistine god Dagon, where strange things begin to happen. Pastor Kevin shows the difference between using God and following Him. Here we consider the ark of...

Hannah prays so hard the priest thinks she's drunk. In 1 Samuel 1-3, a childless woman mocked by her rival pours out her soul at the tabernacle and makes a promise to God, while the priest Eli fails to restrain his corrupt sons, and in the night a young boy named Samuel hears someone call his name. Pastor Kevin shows how God remembers the prayers we're afraid to pray. Here we consider Hannah and S...

Where is God when a whole era falls apart? In Ruth 1-4, set in the dark days of the judges, a grieving Naomi returns to Bethlehem with nothing but her Moabite daughter-in-law, Ruth, who refuses to leave her, and Ruth gleans in the fields of Boaz, who has the power to redeem everything they've lost. Pastor Kevin shows how God's hesed, His loyal love, shines through the darkest chapters. Here we con...

The book of Judges ends in civil war. In Judges 20-21, the tribes gather against Benjamin over the crime at Gibeah, ask God for direction, and go to battle again and again. Afterward, bound by a rash vow, they scramble to keep a whole tribe from disappearing. Pastor Kevin shows what it looks like to actually turn back to God as King. Here we consider the war against Benjamin, the end of Judges, ra...

What does it look like when a nation loses its moral compass? In Judges 17-19, Micah builds a household shrine and hires a Levite, the tribe of Dan steals both, and a Levite traveling with his concubine stops for the night in Gibeah. Behind every story is the same refrain: in those days there was no king in Israel. Pastor Kevin shows why we need a King who won't fail. Here we consider Micah's idol...

Samson has the strength of an army and the loyalty of no one. In Judges 14-16, he tears apart a lion with his bare hands, strikes down Philistines with a donkey's jawbone, and keeps breaking the vows that set him apart, until he falls for Delilah and the Philistine lords pay her to discover the secret of his strength. Pastor Kevin shows how God is sovereign even over our failures. Here we consider...

Jephthah doesn't need to make the vow. The victory is already his. In Judges 11-12, an outcast son is called home to lead Israel against the Ammonites, and he negotiates with his family, with the enemy, and finally with God, promising to sacrifice whatever comes out of his house to meet him. Pastor Kevin shows why God is a Father, not a negotiating partner. Here we consider Jephthah's vow, Jephtha...

Seventy brothers are murdered on one stone so one man can be king. In Judges 9-10, Gideon's son Abimelech seizes power in Shechem, and Jotham, the lone surviving brother, shouts a parable about a bramble that wants to rule the trees. Later, when Israel cries out yet again, God's answer is not what they expect. Pastor Kevin explores the difference between discipline and abandonment. Here we conside...

Why would God shrink an army from 32,000 to 300? In Judges 7-8, God keeps sending Gideon's soldiers home until three hundred remain, armed with trumpets, jars, and torches, while the Midianites fill the valley like locusts. Then Gideon overhears a soldier's dream about a barley cake. Pastor Kevin shows how God's power shows up in our weakness, and why even heroes need to guard against pride. Here...

Who does God use when no one else will lead? In Judges 4-6, the prophetess Deborah summons Barak to face Sisera and his iron chariots, a woman named Jael has her own part to play, and Gideon, hiding in a winepress from the Midianites, is greeted by an angel as a mighty man of valor. Pastor Kevin shows how God calls the unlikely and the reluctant. Here we consider Deborah and Barak, Jael and Sisera...

Joshua is gone, and the people who remembered the Jordan are dying off. In Judges 1-3, the tribes leave the Canaanites in the land, a new generation grows up that does not know the LORD, and a cycle begins that will repeat for centuries, while judges like Othniel and Ehud rise to deliver. Pastor Kevin looks at how faith can be lost in a single generation. Here we consider the book of Judges, the c...

What would you say if you had one speech left? In Joshua 22-24, an altar built by the eastern tribes nearly sparks a civil war until Phinehas asks one question first, and then an aging Joshua gathers Israel at Shechem and lays a decision before them. Pastor Kevin explores what it means to cling to God, and why the whole story points to a King still to come. Here we consider "as for me and my house...

Where does someone go when they've run out of places to hide? In Joshua 19-21, the last tribes receive their land, God sets apart cities of refuge for anyone who kills by accident and is hunted for revenge, and the Levites are scattered among the tribes to serve them. Pastor Kevin shows how the priests stood in the gap for peace, and how every believer is called to that ministry. Here we consider...

Why does Judah get the best land in Canaan? In Joshua 15-18, the tribes receive their inheritance, and Caleb's daughter Achsah boldly asks her father for more than she was given. Pastor Kevin traces Judah's blessing back to the day he offered himself as a slave to save his brother Benjamin, and shows how God's kingdom belongs to those who give themselves away. Here we consider the tribe of Judah,...

Forty-five years after he first scouted the land, Caleb still wants the hardest ground in it. In Joshua 12-14, the land is divided among the tribes, and while many are slow to claim their share, an eighty-five-year-old Caleb asks for the hill country of Hebron, where the giants still live. Pastor Kevin shows how God invites us into partnership, not spectatorship, for as long as we live. Here we co...

Five kings, an all-night march, and a prayer no one had ever prayed. In Joshua 10-11, five Amorite kings attack Gibeon, and Joshua marches through the night to defend the city he'd been tricked into protecting. In the middle of the battle, he asks God for the impossible. Pastor Kevin shows how boldness and carefulness belong together, and what it looks like to partner with God. Here we consider Jo...

Moldy bread and worn-out sandals are about to fool an entire nation. In Joshua 8-9, a humbled Israel returns to Ai and Joshua lays an ambush. Then strangers arrive claiming to come from a distant country, and Israel's leaders inspect every detail of their story but never ask the LORD. Pastor Kevin unpacks the difference between being careful and being faithful. Here we consider the battle of Ai, t...

The walls of Jericho are about to fall, and the real danger comes after. In Joshua 5-7, Israel renews the covenant at Gilgal and marches around the city for seven days with trumpets and trust. But in the middle of the victory, one soldier quietly takes what belongs to God. Pastor Kevin shows why the moment after a win is when your heart needs the most protection. Here we consider the walls of Jeri...

There's no confusion with God. It's right or left. Blessing or cursing. Life or death. Six tribes stand on the mountain of blessing; six on the mountain of cursing. The choice is put before them. Blessing is tied to trust. Consequence is tied to turning away. But even here, hope remains. God promises restoration for those who return. "The word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your hear...