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MAY 3
“Give glory to the God of Israel…He will lighten His hand”(v.5).While sympathetic magic was
the Philistine custom,this statement expressly affirms the intention behind the offerings:They were
to halt the dishonor, confess their sin, and give glory to the God of Israel by acknowledging who it
was that they had offended and who was the supreme Deity.The diviners correlate the Philistines’
actions of not recognizing God with those of Pharaoh and the Egyptians.“Why then do you harden
your hearts…?”(v.6).This is the same word “harden”that was used in Exodus 7:14;8:15,32.It is an inter-
esting correlation,because the dominant purpose in Exodus 5–14 is that the Egyptians might “know
that I am the LORD”(Ex. 7:5).
To know without a doubt that the God of Israel was behind all of their troubles, the diviners
devised a plan that would reveal whether God was the One responsible.Using cows that had “never
been yoked”(v. 7) meant using animals that were untrained to pull a cart and probably would not
go anywhere. The second element in their plan was to use nursing cows taken away from their
calves. For the cows unnaturally to head off in the opposite direction from their calves would be a
clear sign that the cause of their judgment was supernatural,which is precisely what happened (v.12).

reap his harvest, and some to make his
May 3 weapons of war and equipment for his chari-
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ots. He will take your daughters to be per-
fumers, cooks, and bakers. And he will take
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the best of your fields, your vineyards, and
1 Samuel 8:1–9:27
your olive groves, and give them to his ser-
Now it came to pass when Samuel was old vants. He will take a tenth of your grain and
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8 that he made his sons judges over Israel. your vintage, and give it to his officers and ser-
The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the vants. And he will take your male servants,
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name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in your female servants, your finest young men,
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Beersheba. But his sons did not walk in his and your donkeys, and put them to his work.
ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, 17 He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you
took bribes, and perverted justice. will be his servants. And you will cry out in
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Then all the elders of Israel gathered that day because of your king whom you have
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together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and chosen for yourselves, and the LORD will not
said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons hear you in that day.”
do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king 19 Nevertheless the people refused to obey
to judge us like all the nations.” the voice of Samuel; and they said, “No, but
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But the thing displeased Samuel when they we will have a king over us, that we also may
said, “Give us a king to judge us.” So Samuel be like all the nations, and that our king may
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prayed to the LORD. And the LORD said to judge us and go out before us and fight our
Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all battles.”
that they say to you; for they have not rejected 21 And Samuel heard all the words of the peo-
you, but they have rejected Me, that I should ple, and he repeated them in the hearing of
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not reign over them. According to all the the LORD. So the LORD said to Samuel, “Heed
works which they have done since the day their voice, and make them a king.”
that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to And Samuel said to the men of Israel,
this day—with which they have forsaken Me “Every man go to his city.”
and served other gods—so they are doing to There was a man of Benjamin whose
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you also. Now therefore, heed their voice. 9 name was Kish the son of Abiel, the son of
However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of
and show them the behavior of the king who Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power.
will reign over them.” 2 And he had a choice and handsome son
So Samuel told all the words of the LORD to whose name was Saul. There was not a more
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the people who asked him for a king. And he handsome person than he among the children
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said, “This will be the behavior of the king of Israel. From his shoulders upward he was
who will reign over you: He will take your taller than any of the people.
sons and appoint them for his own chariots 3 Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father,
and to be his horsemen, and some will run were lost. And Kish said to his son Saul,
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before his chariots. He will appoint captains “Please take one of the servants with you, and
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over his thousands and captains over his arise, go and look for the donkeys.” So he
fifties, will set some to plow his ground and passed through the mountains of Ephraim and
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