1 Samuel 15-16; 1 Chronicles 1; Psalm 38; Acts 11

Saul lost his position as king due to his disobedience to the Lord and the added deceit. He did quite a lot of what the Lord commanded - he gathered an army, organized a military operation, defeated the Amalekites, and so on. But after experiencing victory given to him by the Lord, he began to feel significant, taking it upon himself to adjust God's decisions. As a result, he left the king and the best of the sheep and oxen.

In his self-confidence, he fails to see his problems. When Samuel asks him, Saul resorts to deceit, trying to shift the blame onto the people - "...I have obeyed the voice of the Lord... But the people took of the plunder, sheep, and oxen..." (1 Samuel 15:19-21).

Saul lacked personal knowledge of God and a personal relationship with Him. Speaking to Samuel about God, he always emphasizes - "...the Lord your God..." (1 Samuel 15:15, 30). When he realized the kingdom would be taken from him, he became more concerned about how he would appear before men rather than God (1 Samuel 15:30).

David's selection occurs under different conditions. Saul was the best from a human perspective, while David was the one chosen by the Lord. His brothers did not esteem him highly, so God told Samuel, "For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7).

Psalm 39 expresses humility before God, acknowledging one's inability to properly assess and speak about what's happening. Therefore, the psalmist remains silent, asking only one thing - "And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You" (Psalm 39:8). Understanding that God has the right to allow any circumstances in his life, David asks for mercy.

The first half of Acts 11 is dedicated to explaining what happened in the house of Cornelius. The conversion of the first Gentile and his joining the Church was such a significant event that Luke fully describes the explanation Peter presented to the other apostles. Here, he retells what happened, emphasizing that Cornelius and the other Gentiles in his house experienced the same thing they did on the day of Pentecost (Acts 11:17).

The second half of the chapter describes the emergence of the first church in a Gentile territory, in Antioch of Syria. Barnabas played a huge role in establishing this church, having a broad and kind heart capable of accommodating Gentiles with their customs unfamiliar to Jews.