Welcome to a year in the Bible with daily grace. The Bible tells one big story of redemption.

And we want to spend five minutes every day, journeying through the Bible from start to finish,

and exploring how all of it points to Jesus.

My name is Miranda and today we are looking at first Samuel 13 through 15.

We are now two years into the reign of Saul.

And the handsome, tall king of Israel is going to begin to live up to what the Lord said he would do.

Help save the Lord's people from the hand of the Philistines.

We are introduced to another character as well, Saul's son Jonathan.

We don't know much about Jonathan yet, but the beginning of chapter 13 lets us know that he is a brave and strong warrior.

Jonathan has defeated a garrison of Philistine soldiers.

Israel had recently been subjugated to the Philistines, but the Lord delivered them.

To come against a garrison like Jonathan did, was an act of war, and the Philistines responded.

They saw Israel as a stench, and they also appeared to be superior in their military.

When they arrived to fight Saul and his men, they appeared to be as numerous as the sand on the seashore.

Israel couldn't match them, and all the people knew it.

They run for the hills, but God has defeated the Philistines before.

He could do it again.

Saul waits for Samuel to come make the sacrifice before they go out against the Philistines.

The Samuel does not show up when he said he would.

Saul rushes to take things into his own hands and makes the sacrifice himself.

He commits an act of faithfulness, and when Samuel shows up, the prophet tells him that his kingdom would not continue because of his sin.

The Lord was going to seek out a man after his own heart to rule in place of Saul.

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