Hey Friends - we missed a week and you’re reading this today because…I had a great week that took me away from tidying up the below. Grace. Grace. Grace. Please and thank you! I also want to remind you all that the Bible Readings have transitioned into The Bible Study. Check out an adapted of what’s to come below :)
I realized last week that I owe you guys a Bible Study post. My letter on connection was a work in progress for two weeks, so I wanted to get that out instead of skipping again, thus pushing a Bible post back a week. The life of a writer trying to get out all of the things that plague her brain.
For the last month or so, I’ve been thinking heavily about David and Esther. Both are people I’m familiar with, but something about them was nagging at me spiritually and in random conversations (when things come up in conversation, I know it’s important), thus I decided to dive into their stories to see what I could uncover. I’ve never read David’s complete journey in the Bible, so I’ve been pouring over 1st & 2nd Samuel the last few weeks, while also doing a study on Esther. It’s been a very conducive period of learning, discerning, and seeing God in new ways and I’m very excited to share about it.
I figured it may be a lot to unpack three books in one sitting, for you and me both, so this will be a three part “convo” on my thoughts and feelings. When I read the Bible, I try to make note of, highlight, or underline things that seem to reverberate in my brain, so I’ll be sharing a bit of that and some verses that really spoke to me.
1 Samuel
What I find the most interesting about 1 Samuel is that I knew a lot of the surrounding characters, but not much of Saul and David. I’ve read of Hannah and Samuel’s story, but I learned I always cut Samuel’s story off at the point where he becomes the priest, which is such a disservice to the importance of his life and what God used him for.
Opening with Hannah and Samuel’s story was enough that could preach and foreshadow everything. Hannah’s prayer that the Lord “take notice and remember her” is something that David later had happen to him. This spoke to me of how His followers can always rest in the fact that The Lord has His eyes on us. Given this the Old Testament, I also noticed God used people once “The spirit of the Lord came upon them”, which happened to Samuel, Saul and David. This was cool to me because it’s what we would see as the Holy Spirit entering our hearts in today’s term of salvation. It’s the same, but different since they didn’t have the Holy Spirit then.
Diving deeper past the pages of Samuel becoming a prophet really helped me see the ‘in between’ moments better to the story of David and Saul. There’s a lot that took place that showed each person’s heart, which I think helps us see the important of our heart posture. Being submitted and keeping God’s word is so important, not only for our own lives but those around us as well (something I can’t WAIT to chat about in 2 Samuel).
I could write a lot on Saul and David, but we’re going to keep it brief because it’s a long story that I feel can be marked by a few notes:
→ the Bible tells us to not lean on our own understanding and to be set apart, and it’s we see a great example of why because not doing those things are what got Saul appointed as king. I will not just the Israelites because who knows what lead them astray in not believing God was enough, but I will say, it really does cost you when you choose to walk like others instead of God.
→ comparing Saul to David, I find it funny that Saul was hidden among the supplies and pulled out by the people, whereas David was hidden among the sheep and called out by the prophet sent by the Lord. I’m choosing to see symbolism here because Saul was just a great king for battle, not for leading his people, whereas David was a great king for battle and leading his people.
→ Saul’s true demise came from being disobedient to what God told him to do. It’s such a ripple effect after that situation and nothing preaches more in his story than seeing how hard life is when you don’t completely obey the Lord and when you want to take matters into your own hands.
In closing, I want to highlight that although Saul was always seen as the bad guy, I learned the most from him. It’s through his up and downs that we really see what God was wanting from this king - devout obedience to the will He set before him. I recognize that he shows what not to do and people condemn him for that, but isn’t that the only way to learn what we should do?
Question That Needs An Answer:
When reading the Bible, what helps you connect and learn from a character?
A Few Things I Liked
Some Met Gala coverage
Yes, it was two week ago and I'm sure you heard plenty of thoughts, but not mine since I'm not on social media! I took notes during the whole show (that’s just who I am) and just have to share. For brevity sake, enjoy my greats and honorable mentions below!
Honorable mentions because I liked and talked about them with others
Forever
This show is the reason I didn’t talk more about the Met because I just felt something and needed to talk about it. As a reader, and growing visual media fan, I really valued the story that was via this show. It’s not often that a genuinely pleasant coming of age story is produced and centers on Black people in such an authentic way, and I want to both celebrate and appreciate what was done here.
I’m not shy to say that all things don’t have to fully center within the Black context, but it is so valuable and sweet to consume simple, pure, content revolving around our cultural experiences. I truly can’t think of another show I’ve watched that focused on children of color growing up admist societal encounters that did not involve anything being sensationalize, traumatic, or negative (in the sense of gangs, drugs, etc.). What a breath of fresh air to see teenage Black kids figure out life in a way that is reflective to the lived experience of many, not all, Black adults. I saw people I knew in almost every person on the screen and while I’m almost a 30 year adult, I could only think of what this was like for the kids watching that may be 14, 15, and 16.
While I did find the show to be a bit slow, I could not give it up due to the realism. The creator, Mara Brock Akil, did a great job capturing the nuance that reverberates through our culture. I’ve been online to read some of the thoughts around it and it’s quite interesting how 2-dimensional Black people can be viewed as. Content like this show does more than just appease a certain demographic’s appetite for our true stories shine, it also showcases the realities of life lived by those that live it, rather than those that observe it. Given the success of grittier shows and films, it’s so great to have this lovely palette cleanser be received so well and championed by those who recognize, accept, and celebrate the diversity within Black stories.
Till Next Time,
Sydney