Lewistown Alliance Church

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09/07/2026

1 Samuel 10

Saul is anointed with oil to signify that he was God's choice to be king. Saul was chosen as king for the people and he was the type of king that people wanted- tall and handsome. Two things that are significant things take place here.

Saul receives the Holy Spirit. As Christians we receive the Holy Spirit when we put our faith in Jesus. We can look to a specific event in Acts called Pentecost to see that initial coming of the Holy Spirit on the disciples. Some mistakenly think that the Holy Spirit only comes into the story there. Throughout the Old Testament there are occasions and people who were filled with Holy Spirit.

The second thing that I think is significant is that not everyone accepted Saul as King. He already had doubters that he would be a good king. Notice where these critics are found; in Gibeah, his hometown. Saul returns home after being anointed King and some in his hometown doubt and despise him. Was it jealousy? Was it maybe personal- Saul said this to me or did this to me? Perhaps it was just a matter of knowing him too well, knowing his weaknesses may have caused some doubts. All we know is that in his hometown he was met with criticism and doubt. This type of experience will be seen again in Jesus' life when he returns to his hometown and they doubt him.

09/07/2026

1 Samuel 9

Notice the emphasis in this chapter about Saul's appearance. He was a handsome man. He was a head taller than everyone else. By Israel's stated desire to seek a king this sounds like a good choice. He was meant to be the man who leads them into battle. Why not the tall and handsome man who will in the eyes of Israel represent the country well.

These qualities look great on paper, but does that actually make him a good king? I think of the example from college football as we are in the season now. Sometimes kids who are big and strong with great arms who did well in high school come into college with big expectations. The problem is that sometimes they can't actually do well in the game. They look good to the eye before the game starts, but once things get going they just don't have it. (For example look at yesterdays Michigan game) On paper Saul looks like a great choice to be king. Will he actually be a good king? That will be seen only when we go from appearances to actions. What we can know for sure is that he will absolutely be no substitute for what they already had- God as their king.

09/06/2026

Morning Worship 9/6/26

09/05/2026

1 Samuel 8

This chapter will be the focus of the sermon tomorrow, so I don't want to say too much about it now. It describes a pivotal moment in the history of Israel.

This chapter reminds us that our parents set an example for us, but ultimately we are all accountable for our own lives and behavior when we grow up. We must look at the individual and the heart which will come up again later in 1 Samuel.

I hope to see you tomorrow to dig deeper into 1 Samuel 8.

09/03/2026

1 Samuel 6

For 7 months the Philistines had the Ark of the Covenant in their territory. They realized this was no trophy or prize. This was a problem for them, and they were connecting the dots between all of the problems they are dealing with and the arrival of this Ark. So, to try to free themselves of trouble they decide to send it back to Israel. They also sent back gold rats and models of the tumors. This was to them an offering to cover up their taking of the Ark. The hope was that by returning the Ark with a gift they would be free from their plagues. It took them 7 months, but they finally do the right thing. Isn't it amazing how it can take us a long time to figure out a pretty simply thing- if this is causing me trouble I better get rid of this.

Israel's joy of receiving the Ark was overcome by sadness when they unwisely looked inside the Ark. From a human perspective they were probably thinking we need to make sure everything is still inside- commandment tablets, Aaron's staff, and a jar of manna. The problem is though their intent may have been good their actions were in direct violation of God's commands regarding how they were to handle and respect the Ark. This was holy and they needed to treat it as such by obedience to God's commands. Even a "good intentioned" disobedience of God's ways is destructive for our lives. We must trust and obey.

09/01/2026

1 Samuel 4

Why was there such a horrible defeat in chapter 4 at the hands of the Philistines? We thought the Philistines were the bad guys, yet they won the battle. This was not because God was on their side, but rather because God was dealing with the sins of Israel. The priests were sinning. There was a level of comfort developing that they almost are beginning to believe that as long as they have the Ark of the Covenant and God is on their side they cannot lose. They foolishly thought this would be the case no matter what they did. But God was greatly concerned about their obedience and living in a way that honored God.

What would the lesson be if they could sin greatly and still be blessed in battle? This was a horrible day in the history of Israel. The high priest Eli, who was by all measures a godly man though he did not do well at disciplining his sons the priests died at the news of his sons' deaths and the capture of the Ark of the Covenant.

Eli's grandson is born about this time. This child should be the eventual replacement for his father Phineas, but Phineas died because of the evil practices he continued to carry out in direct violation of God's commands. The name Ichabod is given to the child which means "no glory" symbolizing that the glory of the LORD has departed because of the sins of Israel, the Ark of the Covenant representing His presence is no longer with them. Now is a time for repentance and humbly turning back to the LORD. 30,000 soldiers died in that battle. That must have been a real wake up call. God took his hands off Irael for that moment and let them be defeated by the Philistines. None of this would have happened if they would simply just obey. Yet, God is gracious and if they truly repent and turn back to Him there will be forgiveness.

08/31/2026

1 Samuel 3

The LORD's calling of Samuel has always been an interesting story to me. This is where Samuel's relationship with God becomes very personal. God speaks to Samuel, but he does not recognize God's voice at first. Eli had the wisdom to know what was happening and to him to say, "Speak, your servant is listening". Samuel is going to be used by God in mighty ways, and this is the beginning of the recognizing the voice of the LORD in Samuel's life. We will not likely hear an audible voice speaking to us as Samuel did, but we do need to recognize when God is leading and prompting us in our lives. We need to recognize God's will in decisions we make. God really does speak through the Bible.

Eli was given terrible news by Samuel. There was going to be accountability for the sins of his sons. This accountability also includes Eli because he did not restrain or correct them in their sins. This is a statement of judgment to be coming to the house of Eli. Yet, Eli did not make excuses or try to explain away the problem. His response was simply this: "He is the LORD; let him do what is good in his eyes." The news was not desirable to hear, but because he knew it was from the LORD he had to consider it to be the right thing.

08/30/2026

1 Samuel 2

Hannah was faithful to keep her word to God about her son. She said she would dedicate Him to the LORD for service and training at the Temple. How easy could it be to get what you want and then simply ignore your previous statements about what you are going to do? Hannah was concerned to keep her word to the LORD. She also was blessed further as God gave her 3 sons and 2 daughters. That is a long way from the barren woman who was mocked by her rival for not having kids. God's plan took a bit longer than she may expect, but God did come through in a big way.

Hannah was very much concerned about Samuel serving the LORD and doing the right things. Eli the High Priest would be instrumental in this training. However, Eli had some issues with his own sons that needed to be dealt with. His children were not living in obedience to God, but rather did their own thing under the title of priest. Eli speaks to them about doing wrong, but this had no impact on their behavior. Eli was a godly man who served faithfully, but sadly his children were not of the same high quality character.

08/30/2026

Morning Worship 8/30/26

08/29/2026

1 Samuel 1

Hannah was unable to have a child. We don't have a reason given but it says the LORD had closed her womb. This would be a major heartbreak for her. Not only did she not get to be a mother as she desired, but the culture of that day would look down on her and maybe even consider that she must have done something wrong for God not to give her a child. This is compounded by the fact that her husband has another wife and is a father. (Having multiple wives was never promoted or endorsed by God. It is mentioned in Scripture because it was happening, but not one of those stories showed it was a good thing). Her husband seems to really love her, but doesn't necessarily know what to say. He basically implies she should simply be happy because she has him as a husband. A husband she has to share with another woman who is her rival. He did provide more for her as a way of showing comfort to her. However, it is quite possible that her husband married a second woman because Hannah could not have kids. That must have been hard for her to deal with.

Hannah brings her heart to God in prayer and asks for a son. She promises to devote the child to God. When we are struggling we can either turn to God for help or we can blame God and turn from Him. I don't know of any problem that got better because someone turned away from God. I have heard of many stories of God getting people through problems because they turned to Him.

Where do you go when you are facing troubles in life?

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50 Hudson Avenue
Lewistown, PA
17044

Telephone

+17172486369

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