1 Samuel, 17-end

The fall of the once-great Samuel.

Chapter 17 - talking of great feats of faith is easy, and exciting others with such stories is commonplace. Yet I would imagine to be standing in front of the foe itself and to pull out a declaration like verse 45 would be a station few have achieved or will. In verse 47 we know that military action is not how God saves - something that many of the Jews of the N.T. apparently did not understand.

Chapter 18 - verse 10, along with 19:9, are pretty protruding evidences that something of the original text was changed. How and why would God, who is only righteousness, send an evil spirit upon someone?

24-end - A few things. In chapters 24 and 26 David refers to Saul as "the Lord's anointed". Even though he has committed so many grave sins, his anointing cannot be undone, as with every anointing. The spirit that accompanies the anointing and is the gateway to the necessary revelation and direction concerning the anointing is what is withdrawn - but David is still hesitant to kill who he knows is anointed of the Lord. In chapter 28, Saul seeks a woman with a familiar spirit, after having decreed their exile a while ago. He thus returns to his years-old former sin - a temptation that Satan has not withheld in these days, necessitating a constant remembrance of the reason why the sin was put away in the first place. I personally believe that the vision described in these verses was from the adversary to fill Saul with fear and hopelessness - which is exactly what happened, to the point where Saul killed himself before the battle was over. Thus, I do not believe that Samuel was somehow brought back from the dead (most likely from the presence of God) by a woman who's power came from Satan. Perhaps there is more detail that is not given in the text.

Ruth, Samuel 1-6

Hm, perhaps it is more expedient that I skip the summaries and go straight to what I think are interesting points. I heard an interesting thing about the story of Ruth, in that it is the opposite of the previous story concerning Samson. Samson was born into two covenants - the covenant of Israel and the covenant of the Nazarite. Yet the text seems to point out specific instances where he breaks parts of both covenants - marrying outside the covenant, touching dead corpses, shaving his hair, etc. - and thus in the end loses all that he had. Ruth, in contrast, was born outside the covenant but through her free agency chose to follow her mother in law and follow her God. She becomes integrated into the bloodline of Abraham and, as we see later, an ancestor to the Savior.

The stories in Samuel 1-6 are very interesting. Samuel is called at an early age - something many people criticize about Joseph Smith - and is prepared by the Lord for his later work. The story of the Ark of the Covenant is very interesting too, especially in that those of the heathen religion understood very well that there was something real about the power of God and the Ark, and in the end offered a sacrifice to Him as they returned the Ark, but continued to follow their gods. It is another example that miracles produce no faith by their own merit - it must be interpreted correctly by the viewer, and the resulting faith (based on the evidence provided by the miracle) must be followed up by repentance.

Deuteronomy

"Repetition of the law" ... Also, some condemnation against Israel for being so faithless during their journey in the wilderness. Some points of interest:

10:12, 13 - commandment to love and serve God with all of one's heart, along with
15:7, 8 - commandment to give to thy neighbor, with the specification to "open thine hand wide unto him", symbolic of the selfless attitude that must accompany the act. In essence what Christ commanded in the New Testament in Matt. 22:37-39, and in fact in verse 40 He points out that all of the Law and all of the prophets have been pointing to this all along.

15:15 - We have all at one point been helpless or weak, so there is no justification in taking advantage of such people.

18:6 - "come with all desire of mind unto the place which the Lord shall choose"

18:18-22 - counsel about prophets

Chapter 19 - refuge for someone who committed manslaughter. Shows that the intent is more important than the action.

32:2 - see D&C 121:45

34:9 - Moses gives Joshua authority to receive revelation from the Spirit specific to his calling

Leviticus and Numbers

The people of Israel travel through the wilderness with the guidance of the Lord - whether there be a cloud on the tabernacle or not signifies the time to stay or leave. God appoints certain tribes to certain duties. The people start becoming sick of manna and complain, so God sends quails, from the sea, but the "people that lusted" are destroyed by a plague. Then spies are sent to scout the land of Canaan, and return with an "evil report", or likely a false report, about giants and Amalekites who have a strong hold over the land. Because of this report, the people rebel against Moses and the other faithful brethren and attempt to stone them, but they are protected inside the tabernacle. The people wish they could return to Egypt; some attempt to leave on their own, but are smitten by the sword of their enemies, as Moses had warned them. The Lord tells the people through Moses that, because of their unfaithfulness, they will not see the land of promise, but instead their children may.

This gives another example of how great miracles can be forgotten in the midst of difficult immediate circumstances. This is the same generation that saw the waters of the Red Sea part, the many plagues in Egypt, a pillar of fire and cloud daily, and many other miracles that came from the Lord, yet their fear and their lust disregarded what they knew was true and good, as is the way Satan works. Also, Exodus 12:6,8 remind us of one way that God calls prophets, and is the way He called Joseph Smith.