1 Samuel 7

2 - 17 Samuel Subdues the Philistines at Mizpah

The ark stayed in Kiriath Jearim 20 years, and all Israel sought after the Lord. Samuel told them if they are returning to God, they must get rid of their foreign god. So the Israelites repented and put away their Baals and Ashtoreths.

Israel were afraid they would be defeated by the Philistines, so Samuel took a lamb and offered it up to the Lord. The Lord answered him. The Philistines arived and the Israelites were victorious. Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, naming it Ebenezer ("Thus far has the Lord helped us"). Throughout Samuel's life, the Israelites were victorious against the Philistines.

1 Samuel 6

1 - 7:1 The Philistines Return the Ark

The ark was in Philistine country for seven months. They don't want to return it empty, so they put a guilt offering of 5 golden tumors and 5 mice into it (according to the 5 Philistine lords - also my notes state that the reason for the mice might be that the Philistines may have believed them to be spreading the tumors.) They put the ark on a new cart carried by 2 unspoiled cows and sent it off to Beth-shemesh.

The people of Beth-shemesh were happy to see the ark. They split the wood and offered the cows as sacrifice. The Lord did slew some men who looked into the ark. The men of Kiriath-jearim came and took the ark to the house of Abinadab.

1 Samuel 5

1 - 12 The Ark among the Philistines

The Philistines carry the ark to Ashdod and put it in the house of Dagon. At night, Dagon had fallen face downward toward the ark. They set it up and the next morning it had fallen again, and its hands and head were cut off.

The people of Ashdod were terrified and afflicted with tumors. They decide to take the ark to Gath. There, the men were plagued with tumors. They move the ark to Ekron, whose leaders believe the ark was sent to kill them. They decide to return the ark to Israel, and many men die of tumors there as well.

1 Samuel 4

1 - 11 The Philistines Capture the Ark

Isreal goes to battle against the Philistines. Israel is defeated, losing 4,000 men. The elders of Israel decide to take the ark of the covenant before them. While the ark rouses the troops and strikes fear in the Philistines, Israel is defeated, losing 30,000 troops, including Eli's sons, Hophni and Phinehas. The Philistines capture the ark.

12 - 22 The Death of Eli

A man of Benjamin runs to tell Eli, now 98. He falls from his stoop and breaks his neck. When Phineas' pregnant wife hears the news, she goes into labor and names her son Ichabod, which means "The glory has departed from Israel."

1 Samuel 3

1 - 21 God Calls Samuel

Young Samuel is ministering to the Lord under Eli. One night he is sleeping under the Ark when he hears a voice crying, "Samuel! Samuel!" He goes to Eli, who tells him to go back to bed. When this happens three times, Eli realizes the Lord must be talking to Eli. He tells him, "Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, 'Speak, Lord, for thy servant hears.'" (This is a good prayer . . . )

Samuel does this, and the Lord tells him that He will do everything that He has spoken against the House of Eli. The next morning, Eli asks Samuel what the Lord says, and Samuel tells him. Eli says, "It is the Lord; let him do what seems good to him."

1 Samuel 2

1 - 11 The Song of Hannah

Hannah sings a song of praise and thanks to the Lord. My notes: "She praises God as the helper of the weak, who casts down the mighty and raises up the lowly, and who alone is the source of true strength; the hymn ends with a prayer for the king." Also compare to Mary's Magnificat (Luke 1:46).

12 - 26 The Sons of Eli

Hophni and Phineas, priests of the Shiloh shrine are "worthless men" They treated the offerings with contempt and "they were having relations with the women serving at the entry of the meeting tent" (although my notes state this passage "lacking in the oldest Greek translation, and in a Hebrew manuscript from Qumran"). Good quote: "If a man sins against a man, God will mediate for him; but if a man sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?" (25)

27 - 36 Punishment of the Sons of Eli

An unnamed prophet comes to tell Eli that for their sins, his sons will die on the same day. And a faithful priest will rise up (Samuel).

1 Samuel 1

1 - 20 Birth of Samuel

Elkanah had two wives: Peninnah, who had children, and Hannah, who had no children (see right). He went regularly to Shiloh where the sons of Eli (Hophni and Phinehas) were priests. When he offered sacrifice, he gave a double portion to Hannah, which upset Peninnah, who would reproach her and Hannah would refuse to eat.

One time Hannah presented herself at Shiloh she prayed to the Lord, " . . . if you give your handmaid a male child, I will give him to the LORD for as long as he lives; neither wine nor liquor shall he drink, and no razor shall ever touch his head." Elkanah thoughtshwas drunk, but when she told him she was praying, he blessed her. She went back with her husband, and they conceived a child. They named him Samuel.

21 - 28 The Consecration of Samuel

Elkanah wanted to present Samuel at the temple, but Hannah wanted to wait until Samuel was weaned. When Samuel was weaned, they went up and sacrificed a bull. She thanked the Lord for Samuel and dedicated his life to the Lord.

Galatians 6

1 - 10 Fraternal Charity

I like how Paul advices correcting others. He says to "restore him to a spirit of gentleness." Also "Look to yourself, lest you too be tempted." Just because you see someone else sinning, that doesn't mean you are not a sinner. We all are and we are all tempted. He tells us to "bear one another's burdens." We must love another because we are in this together.

11 - 18 Conclusion

He concludes by again stating that it is not necessary to be circumcised. "For neither does circumcision mean anything, nor does uncircumcision, but only a new creation" (11) He says he bears the marks of Jesus (my notes say these are probably scars from being flogged, etc.)

Galatians 5

1 - 12 Christian Freedom

Paul states that Christ has set us free from freedom. Anyone who gets circumcised is bound to the whole law (and severed from Christ). For Christians, circumcision is not an issue because Christ is "faith working through love." My notes: "He reiterates his message of justification or righteousness by faith instead of law and circumcision. Faith, not circumcision, is what counts."

13 - 26 The Fruits of the Spirit and the Works of the Flesh

Paul warns against using freedom for the flesh. He says the whole law is fulfilled in the law, "You shall love your neigbor as yourself." Don't gratify the desires of the flesh - the desires of the spirit and the flesh are opposed to one another. He gives lists of works of the flesh and fruits of the spirit (my notes state that such lists were common in the writings of the time). Paul concludes the chapter with good advice: "If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us have no self-conceit, no provoking of one another, no envy of one another."

Galatians 4

1 - 11 Divine Sonship

Christians are like heirs freed from control by others. Again, my notes say, "the proof that Christians are children of God is the gift of the Spirit of Christ relating them intimately to God."

Question: how can you turn back to the slavery of the law? The question is posed with reference to bondage to the elemental powers because the Galatians had originally been converted to Christianity from paganism, not Judaism. (my notes: while the term can refer to earth, air, fire, and water or to elementary forms of religion, the sense here is more likely that of celestial beings that were thought in pagan circles to control the world)

12 - 20 A Fatherly Appeal by Paul

Paul asks them to listen to him as they had in the past - as a father and pastor.

21 - 31 The Two Covenents - Hagar and Sarah

Paul supports the gospel by another argument from scripture. This time it's the relationship of Abraham to his wife, Sarah (freeborn) to Hagar (slave). He contrasts the sons born to each, Isaac, child of promise, and Ishmael, son of Hagar. Only through Isaac is the promise of God preserved.

Paul then quotes Genesis: "Drive out the slave woman and her son! For the son of the slave woman shall not share the inheritance with the son" of the freeborn. This gives a scriptural basis for the Galatians to expel those who are troubling them.

Galatians 3

1 - 14 Justification by Faith

Paul contends that justification comes not through the law or the works of the law but by faith in Christ and in his death. My notes: "The gift of God's Spirit to the Galatians came from the gospel received in faith, not from doing what the law enjoins. The story of Abraham shows that faith in God brings righteousness. The promise to Abraham extends to the Gentiles." It is faith that matters, rather than circumcision and observance of the law

Those who depend on works of the law instead of faith are under cursed because they do not persevere in doing all the things written in the book of the law in order to gain life. My notes: "But scripture teaches that no one is justified before God by the law. Salvation, then, depends on faith in Christ who died on the cross, taking upon himself a curse (about executed criminals hanged in public view), to free us from the curse of the law."

15 - 29 The Law and the Promise

My notes again: "A third argument to support Paul's position that salvation is not through the law but by promise comes from legal practice and scriptural history. A legal agreement or human will, duly ratified, is unalterable. God's covenant with Abraham and its repeated promises is not superseded by the law, which came much later, in the time of Moses. The inheritance (of the Spirit and the blessings) is by promise, not by law. Paul's argument hinges on the fact that the same Greek word, diatheke, can be rendered as will or testament and as covenant.

Paul digresses: "If the Mosaic law, then, does not save or bring life, why was it given? Elsewhere, Paul says the law served to show that sin is. Here the further implication is that the law in effect served to produce transgressions. Moreover, it was received at second hand by angels, through a mediator, not directly from God. The law does not, however, oppose God's purposes, for it carries out its function, so that righteousness comes by faith and promise, not by human works of the law."

Galatians 2

1 - 10 Visit to Jerusalem

Paul describes preaching in Jerusalem to the Gentiles. Titus did not want to be circumcised, and "false brethren" use this against them. Paul shows them that he was "entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised."

11 - 21 The Incident at Antioch

In Antioch, Paul confronts Cephas. He eats with them, but is afraid of the circumcision party (oxymoron?) My notes: "The decision reached in Jerusalem recognized the freedom of Gentile Christians from the Jewish law. But the problem of table fellowship between Jewish Christians, who possibly still kept kosher food regulations, and Gentile believers was not yet settled. When Cephas first came to the racially mixed community of Jewish and Gentile Christians in Antioch, he ate with non-Jews. Pressure from persons arriving later from Jerusalem caused him and Barnabas to draw back. Paul therefore publicly rebuked Peter's inconsistency toward the gospel."

Paul insists that "salvation is by faith in Christ, not by works of the law. His teaching on the gospel concerns justification by faith in relation to sin, law, life in Christ, and grace."

Galatians 1

1 - 10 A Greeting and a Warning

Paul writes to the Galatians who have deserted "him who called you in the grace of Christed and turn(ed) to a different gospel." My notes state that enemies of Paul appeared after his second visit and tried to undermine his authority - especially on the matter of circumcision. Paul states that anyone who goes against what he preached should be accursed. "If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed." Paul reiterates that he is not seeking to please men, but is "a servant (slave) of Christ."

11 - 24 Paul's Vocation

Paul asserts his authority by telling his story - how he persecuted the church and how he was called. He describes his travels to Damascus, Jerusalem, Syria, and Cilicia. In Judea they didn't know him by sight but had heard of him.

Mark 16

1 - 8 The Resurrection of Jesus - The Empty Tomb

After the Sabbath passes Mary Magdalene and Mary the Mother of James come to anoint Jesus' body with spices. When they arrive, the stone at the tomb is rolled back and a young man in a white robe says "Do not be amazed; you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen, he is not here; see the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you."

9 - 18 Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene - to Two Disciples - to the Eleven

19 - 20 Jesus Ascends to Heaven and the Apostles Go Forth

"And they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it. Amen."

Mark 15

1 - 15 Jesus before Pilate

When Pilate asks Jesus if He's the King of the Jews, Jesus says, "You have said so" (but he doesn't deny it. Pilate offers to release a prisoner, "but the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead."

16 - 20 The Crowning of Thorns

The soldiers lead him away and mock him.

21 - 41 The Crucifiction and Death of Jesus

Simon of Cyrene carrys his cross. Mark specifies that Jesus was nailed to the cross at "the third hour" (between nine o'clock and noon). At the ninth hour, Jesus says, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" When Jesus dies, the centurion says, "Truly this man was the Son of God.

42 - 47 The Burial of Jesus

Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw Jesus buried.

Mark 14

1 - 11 The Conspiracy against Jesus - Anointing at Bethany - Treachery of Judas

Two days before Passover, the Chief Priests and scribes wish to arrest Jesus and kill him (but not during the feast, lest there be a tumult of the people).

At Bethany in the house of Simon the leper a woman anoints Jesus with scented water. Some believe it wasted and it sold for money for the poor. Jesus tells the apostles will always have the poor, but not Jesus.

Judas slips out agrees to sell Jesus out to the priests for money.

12 - 21 Preparations for the Last Supper

Jesus finds a place for the Last Supper and that evening, when they are gathered, he announces that One of them will betray him.

22 - 31 The Last Supper

Christ offers himself as a sacrifice. My notes: (Jesus' words) show that the sacrifices of the Old Covenant were in fact a preparation for and anticipation of Christ's sacrifice. . . A cleare explanation of the sacrificial nature of the Last Supper are find in Hebrews 8 & 9. See also John Ch. 6. After supper, Jesus foretells how the disciples desert him.

32 - 52 Jesus' Prayer - the Agony in the Garden - the Arrest

In Gethsemane, Jesus prays to the Father "all things are possible with thee; yet not not what I will, but what thou wilt." Judas fingers him while the apostles sleep. (51 - 2 is interesting - found only in Mark: A young man follows with only a linen cloth. They seize him, but he runs away naked. My notes say this might be an allusion to Mark himself!)

53 - 65 Jesus before the Chief Priests

The priests try to corner Jesus into blasphemy. He admits to being the Son of Man (an allusion to Daniel 7:13 - 14). That's enough for the priests who condemn him to death.

66 - 72 Peter's Denial

Peter denies Jesus as predicts. "And he broke down and wept."

Mark 13

1 - 2 Announcement of the Destruction of the Temple

One of the disciples looks at wonder at the beauty of the stones and buildings in Jerusalem. Jesus states that there will not be one stone left upon another at will not be thrown down. (The Temple was destroyed by Titus in A.D. 70).

3 - 13 The Beginning of the Tribulation. Persecution on Account of the Gospel

Peter, James, John, and Andrew ask Jesus privately when the Tribulation will begin. Jesus warns of people who will come in his name to say the end is coming, of wars, and and natural disasters. There will be persecution. And the gospel must be preached to all nations.

14 - 23 The Great Tribulation

Jesus warns the four about the "desolating sacralige" (My notes: from Daniel 9:27 - normally used to designate any idolatrous and sacrilegous person, thing or act outrageious to the religious faith of the Jewish people)

24 - 27 The Coming of the Son of Man

28 - 31 The End Will Surely Come: the Lesson of the Fig Tree

32 - 37 The Time of Christ's Coming

Mark 12

1 - 12 Parable of the Wicked Tenants

My notes say this is a summary of the history of salvation.

13 - 17 Tribute to Caesar

My notes say this teaches that man belongs totally to his creator.

18 - 27 The Resurrection of the Dead

A scribe of the Sadducees asks whose wife a woman will be at the resurrection if she remarries. Jesus states that when they rise, they will neither marry nor remarry, but be like the angels.

28 - 34 The Greatest Commandment of All

A scribe asks which commandment is greatest of all. The first is "The Lord our God, the Lord is One, and you shall ove the Lord with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength." The second is, "Love your neighbor as yourself. "

35 - 40 The Divinity of the Messiah and Jesus Censures the Scribes

Jesus bears witness to the fact that the Scripture is divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit. He says beware of scribes who go about in long robes and devour widows' houses.

41 - 44 The Widow's Mite

When a poor widow put in two coins, Jesus says that "this poor widow has put in far more than those who are contributing to the treasury." My notes say: "Give him what you can: the merit is not in whether it is big or small, but in the intention with which you give it." (Josemaria Escriva)

Mark 11

Part Three: Jesus’ Ministry in Jerusalem

1 – 11 The Messiah Enters the Holy City

As the disciples approach Jerusalem, Jesus sends two ahead to retrieve a colt on which no one has sat. They returned with it, threw their garments on it and Jesus mounted it. They spread their clothes and many spread leafy branches, crying, "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is coming! Hosanna in the highest!"

12 - 26 The Barren Fig Tree and the Expulsion of the Money Changers

The next day Jesus was hungry. He went to a fig tree, but it was barren. Then he cursed it, saying, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." My notes: "Jesus had come among his own people, the Jews, hungry to find fruit of holiness and good works, but all he found were external practices - leaves without fruit." At the temple in Jerusalem, Jesus overturns the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. Later they pass the fig tree, and it is withered.

The Power of Prayer: "Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you receive it, and you will. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses."

My notes say that verse 26 was added later (from Matthew 6:15: "but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your father forgive your trespasses."

27 – 33 Jesus’ Authority

The chief priest ask Jesus under what authority he does theses things. Jesus responds with a question: "Was the baptism of John from heaven or men?" The priests try to figure out how Jesus is trying to trick them and finally settle on "We do not know." Jesus responds, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."

Mark 10

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