Written by Paul J Bucknell on June, 08, 2020

1 Samuel Preaching Themes

Preaching Descriptions in 1 Samuel

• Life is filled with traps, snares, and foils, each possessing their unique talents to undermine our faith in the Living God. The Book of 1 Samuel shows us God’s subtle way of working through His faithful servants during crisis times so that even though the society is crumbling away, God’s kingdom is being awesomely built.

• 1 Samuel both demonstrates the need for a great King like Jesus Christ to rule His people as well as provides learning situations through which we can learn how to view life and make wise decisions in these threatening circumstances. We can trust God for our circumstances for He intervenes in our world and brings forth help.

• Hope and fulfillment are two main goals of peoples’ lives. So what do we do when things around us threaten the very goals for which we live? 1 Samuel deepens our faith to better ascertain God’s purposes for our lives, and in that confidence, reveals the marvelous ways He uses our lives for His glorious purposes.

• Stepping from the Book of Judges into Samuel brings us from judges to prophets, rulers to kings. Through the priestly line (Eli) failures and royal house (Saul), we find they are insufficient to lead the country back to the Lord. The only difference between Saul and David is not their sin but the ability to see their sin and God’s mercy. David sought after the Lord because he loved the Lord. Our hope is not in David but in the promise to David, a descendant that would sit on his throne—the little altar that shielded Jerusalem from God’s wrath which Christ the Messiah would be atoned

Rejection or testing does not end one’s service, but begins it! Crises, though feared, are the very means God readies us for His designated work through our lives. While others might panic or depart from their faith during dark societal pressures, we persevere through them even though others around us fall. By doing what is right, we confirm our own hearts’ allegiance before the Lord and displaying God’s hope in this otherwise dark world.

Calling is the time we become aware of God’s purposes for our lives, first seen in our salvation, of course, but the awakening of God’s purposes for your lives and the affirmation of that calling become the big testing of one’s faith.

Rejection is a time of testing, both of our hold upon God’s praises to our lives but also your rejection of soul or character training where we learn to depend on God, trust Him for timing, accept the conflicts of life, absorb the rejection of others, develop faithfulness, establish values as more valuable than the shortcuts.