The Bible by David Alley

In 1 Samuel Chapter 14 recounts Jonathan and Israel’s victory at Michmash. This was the scene of a similar WWI victory in 1918 with the General Allenby’s British troops copying Jonathan’s example. A soldier who knew his Bible pointed it out, leading to the soldiers scaling the cliffs for an assault on Ottoman troops. Allenby decided to attack with just one troop instead of the whole company and th...

In this video listen to 1 Samuel Chapter 12, read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In 1 Samuel Chapter 12 the prophet Samuel recounts a basic history of Israel, covering the Judges up to the first King. He was building a case that the choosing of a King was a sin. This summarised recounting of the Judges is interesting because Bedan is a new name here. Either it's another Judge we...

In 1 Samuel Chapter 13 we find a genuine textual issue. They are not common, but here the age of Saul and the length of his reign is odd in the Hebrew. This verse is translated in so many different ways. KJV: "Saul reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel," ESV: "Saul was ... years old when he began to reign, and he reigned, ... and 2 years..." NIV: "Saul was 30 years old wh...

In 1 Samuel Chapter 11 is Saul’s first battle as king. In this battle he wins the hearts of the people of Israel and they accept him. Jabesh Gilead is threatened by Nahash of Ammon. The citizens plead peace, but Nahash wants to gouge out their right eyes. Apparently the name Nahash means “snake” or serpent. So we may be dealing with a symbol of Satan in this narrative. His name may also mean “orac...

In this video listen to 1 Samuel Chapter 10, read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In 1 Samuel Chapter 10 are stages 1 and 2 of 3 lifting Saul to the throne of Israel. First is the private anointing, second the public selection and third proving himself in battle which comes in the following chapters. First he is anointed privately by Saul. Physically, anointing is rubbing or pouri...

In this video listen to 1 Samuel Chapter 9, read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In 1 Samuel Chapter 9 Saul is going to become king. He looked the part. He was going to be chosen because he “looked” like a king. A movie director would have chosen Saul for his great looks. He would have cast well. He is exactly what we would imagine a king to be like. However the people are getting...

In 1 Samuel Chapter 8 Israel wants to be like the other nations, but God had always wanted them to be different to the other nations. The “if” game is never possible, but what if Israel had truly followed the law from the beginning, how could this have been a unique nation unlike any other? Firstly poverty in Israel would have been minimal, the economy would have been strong, the land would have b...

In 1 Samuel Chapter 7 the second battle of Ebenezer is about to happen. The ark of the covenant had been returned to Israel, but not at Shiloh which was no longer functional, but at Kiriath Jearim. The ark however is not brought to battle like it was the first time at Ebenezer. The battle was prompted by a gathering of Israel to repent towards the Lord. They were at Mizpah at Samuel’s direction, w...

In this video listen to 1 Samuel Chapter 6, read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. 1 Samuel Chapter 6 the Philistines are distressed and want to send the ark back. It cannot go to Shiloh - but Israel in general. Shiloh had been destroyed by the Philistines and the tabernacle quite likely too. Yet the Philistines aren’t 100% convinced that God was behind their problems, so they propo...

In this video listen to 1 Samuel Chapter 5, read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. 1 Samuel Chapter 5 the Philistines have captured the ark. In the mind of the Philistines they had defeated the Isrealite God, and they now believed their god to be superior. They knew the Israelite God had defeated the Egyptian gods, so this was quite a celebration for them, but their theology was als...

In this video listen to 1 Samuel Chapter 4, read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. 1 Samuel Chapter 4 the Isrealites are camped at Ebenezer for battle against the Philistines. Ebenezer means the Lord has helped us thus far. Strangely, they are about to go into battle at the end of God’s help. The Israelites bring the ark, but view the ark of the covenant like a magic wand that can b...

In this video listen to 1 Samuel Chapter 3, read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. 1 Samuel Chapter 3 Samuel seems to be learning the duty of the priest. He in fact might have been Levite despite having lived in Ephraim. At this point he is about 12-13, a fact which comes from the historian Josephus. He is now old enough to be spiritually responsible for himself. Scripture says here...

In this video listen to 1 Samuel Chapter 2, read by Hannah Batley, followed by comments and prayer. 1 Samuel Chapter 2 includes a prayer by Samuel’s mother Hannah. This prayer is one of praise, worship and thanksgiving. Many commentators also consider this prayer a song or prophecy. In the prayer, the justice of the Lord is emphasised, particularly in verses 9 - 10. As mentioned in Chapter 1, the...

In this video listen to 1 Samuel Chapter 1, read by Hannah Batley, followed by comments and prayer. 1 Samuel Chapter 1 gives us the backstory of the well known Biblical prophet Samuel. Hannah, Samuel’s mother, was barren and unable to have children. Her husband Elkanah’s second wife, Peninnah, would provoke Hannah to the point where the childless woman wept and refused to eat. Following a persiste...

In this video listen to Ruth 4 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Ruth 4 Boaz goes to the city gate to make a transaction on behalf of Ruth, but another stands in the way. After the details emerge, the other doesn't want to endanger his own estate so is not able and only Boaz can proceed. In Revelation 5:4-10 we see this about Christ... “4 I wept and wept because no one was f...

In this video listen to Ruth 3 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Ruth 3 The end of the barley harvest has arrived. It has been three months that Ruth has been gleaning and getting to know Boaz. Naomi advises Ruth to go to the threshing floor at night, uncover Boaz’ feet and lay down, asking him to cover her. She does this and after being surprised by her presence... who woul...

In this video listen to Ruth 2 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Ruth 2 she asks her mother-in-law for permission to go and glean, or harvest on the fringes of the fields for the poor. Being able to glean on the margins was an allowance for the poor that God placed into the Laws of Moses in Leviticus 19:9-10. So it is Ruth that decides to make an effort to go and harvest bar...

In this video listen to Ruth 1 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Ruth 1 we find a story with a tragic start and a very happy ending. If you were to remove the title and add this as another 4 chapters to the book of Judges it would fit it fine, but would change the tenor of Judges to have a much happier ending. This book is positive and highlights how good comes out of the ba...

In this video listen to Judges 21 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. Judges 21 is possibly the strangest chapter in the Bible? Everyone in Benjamin is dead except for 600 men. St Paul was a descendant of Benjamin, who here was nearly wiped out. This story outlines how they found wives for these men, given that they ha taken vows not to give wives to them. First one city had no p...

In this video listen to Judges 20 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Judges 20 all Israel gathers at Mizpah, just a few miles from Gibeah, to go to war against Benjamin, an army of 400,000. The Levite gives a version of the story which is modified for effect and the Israelites are outraged and commit ten percent of their fighting men to this campaign. Benjamin has gone off th...

In this video listen to Judges 19 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Judges 19 is a story spanning three chapters. One writer Campbell called this narrative the “sewer of scripture.” It outlines how low people could get without proper guidance, and with hearts that did whatever they felt was right. This story was also in the early period of the Judges, after Joshua died, but...

In this video listen to Judges 18 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Judges 18 it says in verse 1 says that the Inheritance of the tribe of Dan “had not Fallen to them.” In Joshua 19 the tribe of Dan actually DO have an inheritance allotted to them, but it seems they haven’t obtained it yet. This is placed immediately after Joshua’s death. In Judges 1:34 -36 it also describes...

In this video listen to Judges 17 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Judges 17 we are now in the so called appendix of Judges. The last five chapters of Judges don’t cover any more actual judges, but they do provide a window into what life was actually like during the time of the Judges. If you needed examples of how corrupt Israel was becoming, here they are. This part of th...

In this video listen to Judges 16 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Judges 16 the saga of Samson concludes in this chapter where we see a picture of Christ. Even Samson as weak as he was, illustrated to us the power of grace at work in lives as weak as our own. The Philistines almost trap Samson in Gaza, but he rips off the city gates and deposits them close to Hebron. The d...

In this video listen to Judges 11 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Judges 15 Samson tries to pay his wife a special visit, even though the marriage was never properly finalised. This was undoubtedly a conjugal visit, and the bringing of a goat might have been the cost of the visit, similar to when Judah sent a goat to Tamar in Genesis 38. His father-in-law isn’t keen and tr...