Day 53 Reading Schedule: 1 Samuel 15-19

1 Samuel 15: King Saul and Samuel's Parting 

[Summary]

Saul's actions, which had been sinful before God due to disobedience and arrogance from the beginning, continued in this chapter. Saul, who had been ordered by Samuel to destroy the Amalekites, disobeyed God's command by capturing the Amalek king Agag and taking the spoils (verses 1-9). Samuel, enraged by this, rebuked Saul and prophesied that God would remove Saul from the throne (verses 10-23). ​​Saul finally repented his wrongdoing and asked Samuel for forgiveness, but Samuel refused and killed the Amalek king Agag instead of Saul, and returned to Ramah and did not see Saul until the day he died (verses 24-35).

[Explanation]

The text shows Saul attacking the Amalekites at God's command. Saul, who had been dethroned twice before for disobeying God, was given the last opportunity to repent before God. However, he failed to take advantage of this opportunity and ended up suffering the misfortune of being abandoned by God.

1 Samuel 16: David Anointed 

[Summary]

Saul, who disobeyed God with his disobedience and arrogance, was eventually abandoned by God on the battlefield. This chapter records the incident in which God told Samuel to choose David to become the new king of Israel in place of Saul. God, who had decided to dethrone Saul, ordered Samuel to go to Jesse’s house and choose a new king (verses 1-5). Samuel anointed David, the youngest of Jesse’s sons, and made him king (verses 6-13). Meanwhile, Saul, who had been abandoned by God, was possessed by an evil spirit and showed signs of schizophrenia, and one of his servants brought David to play the harp to calm the demon-possessed Saul (verses 14-23).

​​[Explanation]

The text shows the scene in which David is anointed as king after Saul has been dethroned. Saul, who was once a humble man and was appointed king, later became arrogant, turned away from God's will, and acted according to his own will. As a result, he suffered the misfortune of being dethroned.

1 Samuel 17: David and Goliath 

[Summary]

This chapter records the first and most dramatic battle of David, who spent his entire life in war, the battle with Goliath. Israel, who started a war again with the Philistines in the Valley of Eli, became a laughing stock because of the Philistine warrior Goliath (verses 1-11). At this time, Jesse's sons also participated in the battle, and David, who happened to come to ask about his brothers' well-being, was indignant when he heard Goliath mocking God and Israel (verses 12-30). So David asked Saul to fight Goliath and received permission (verses 31-40). David, who faced Goliath without armor and only with a slingshot for slaughtering animals, finally killed Goliath with the help of God. Empowered by this, the Israelite army defeated the Philistines and achieved a great victory (verses 41-54). And David, who had achieved the merit of victory, was called before Saul and met him again (vv. 55-58).

[Explanation]

The text shows a historical event in which David, who was anointed as king, appeared in the society of Israel. It was the battle between David and Goliath. In this battle, David, although still a young boy, easily defeated Goliath, the invincible general. Through this historical event, we vividly discover the amazing development of God’s providence in establishing the boy David as the king of Israel. We can truly feel that God is a living and omnipotent being who works in history in this way.

1 Samuel 18: Friendship between David and Jonathan 

[Summary]

David, who killed Goliath in the battlefield, gradually emerged as a new protagonist in Israel. However, the relationship between Saul and David, who both became kings of Israel but faced the opposite results of God’s judgment and blessing, resulted in various conflicts. When David met Saul again, he developed a true friendship with his son Jonathan (verses 1-5). However, when people praised David more, Saul hated him and tried to kill him with a spear, but failed (verses 6-16). Then, this time, he tried to send David to the battle against the Philistines with the bait of making him his son-in-law and have him die (verses 17-21). However, with God’s help, David won the victory and became Saul’s son-in-law, and his reputation grew even higher (verses 22-30).

[Explanation]

David’s fame for killing Goliath spread throughout Israel. Thus, David became more famous and popular in Israel than Saul. The text contains scenes of Saul, who disliked David's popularity, plotting various schemes to kill David. In this way, God's workers are constantly being hindered by enemy forces in various ways.

1 Samuel 19: Saul's Attempt to Kill David 

[Summary]

As David's fame grew, Saul's jealousy deepened. This chapter describes Saul, consumed by jealousy, chasing and killing David as he fled. When Saul, consumed by jealousy, ordered everyone to kill David, Jonathan interceded for David and David overcame the crisis (verses 1-7). However, Saul tried to kill David again after he achieved great success in battle against the Philistines. This time, Saul's daughter Michal deceived Saul for David's sake and saved him from the crisis (verses 8-17). After that, David fled to Ramah where Samuel was, and when Saul failed to send a messenger, he personally tried to kill David. However, Saul received the spirit of God and even prophesied (verses 18-24).

[Explanation]

Saul's persistent attempts to kill David continue in the text. Here in the text, Saul's attempts to kill David are mentioned four times. Now, Saul was increasingly turning away from God and going down the path of evil, becoming a terrible wicked man who did not hesitate to commit any terrible sin.