The Fearfulness of Saul

by Matthew W. Bassford Saul is one of the great tragic figures of the Old Testament and indeed of the Bible. Because of the connections between his story and the story of David, we know more about him than about any other spiritual failure. It is truly telling that his central problem was fear. Saul’s…

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King Saul – An “I” Problem

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/King-Saul-An-I-Problem.mp3 by Ross Ward Text: I Samuel 9-15 Looks to himself – at Gilgal I Samuel 13:5-14 – Saul offers sacrifice Samuel delayed Philistines prepared to attack Saul’s soldiers ran scared King Saul’s ‘I’ problem I saw, I said to myself, I have not, I forced myself I Samuel 12:24-25 – Samuel’s instructions for Israel…

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Portraits of God’s Leaders

A series of lessons presented by Ross Ward of Des Moines, Iowa, April 4-9, 2021 King Saul – An ‘I’ Problem Saul relies on his own will and ability, ultimately refused to accept responsibility for his actions (I Samuel 8-16) Jesus – Humble Servant King Jesus is King but not according to the world’s standards…

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My King

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/My-King.mp3 by Raymond Warfel

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The Rule of Fear

by Matthew W. Bassford I suspect that the longer a preacher works with a congregation, the more the congregation gets used to the preacher and can identify his particular hobbyhorses. That being the case, I’m sure that some of you, at least, have figured out that I’m particularly interested in fear. In my time, I’ve…

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How could God allow the Gibeonites to kill seven of Saul’s sons?

Question: In II Samuel 21, it speaks of how David spared seven of Saul’s descendants for the Gibeonites to kill, and afterward, God answered prayers. That just doesn’t make sense. Did God justify that once upon a time? Answer: “Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year;…

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Did Saul lose his salvation?

Question: Hey, I just read a great article you had about the account of King Saul’s death and how he committed suicide. But as I continued to read, you said he most likely went to hell because he murdered himself. My question is: What do you make of these inspired words spoken by King David after…

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Did God cause Saul to commit suicide?

Question: There are two accounts of Saul’s death in the Old Testament. Both say he committed suicide (I Samuel 31:4-5 and I Chronicles 10:14) but the latter one also says that: “the LORD killed Saul because …” Why the difference? Answer: “So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the LORD, because…

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Was the spirit that came to Saul at En Dor a fallen angel?

Question: Hi, Reading through your questions in 2011, on 01/13 you speak about the spirit who visited Saul. What was the spirit? I’ve often wondered myself and having checked various sites on the web, many actually favor a fallen angel. Why is that? What does the Bible account actually say? Answer: “And Saul perceived that it…

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Why did Saul ask whose son David was after his battle with Goliath?

Question: I’m reading in I Samuel 16:21. It says that David came into Saul’s service to play harp for Saul then became one of Saul’s armor-bearers.  Saul even sent word to Jesse saying to ‘allow David to remain in my service,’ so I would assume that Saul knew who David was.  However, in I Samuel…

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How did Saul actually die?

Question: I want to know how Saul died. In I Samuel 31:4 the Scripture says that Saul fell upon his own sword and in verse 6 it says Saul, his three sons, and his armorbearer died that same day. Then in II Samuel 1:10. the Scripture says an Amalekite stood upon him and killed him.…

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Why was Saul hiding among the baggage?

Question: In I Samuel 10:22 it says that Saul was hidden with the equipment. What do you think this indicates? Was he afraid and in hiding? Or maybe he was humble and not wanting to appear as too eager? Also in I Samuel 10:27, do you think the gifts were physical or could they have…

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When did Saul reign in Israel?

Question: When did Saul rule Israel? How long was his reign? Answer: While the information given in the Bible has been repeatedly proven accurate, dates have been a particular challenge because earlier cultures did not use fixed calendars as we do. Instead, time was measured based as elapsed from certain major events or significant person.…

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