The Backstory

And the people of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and family, and they went out from there every man to his inheritance. In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. - Judges 21:24–25 (ESV) Reading the storyline of the Old Testament is often a mix of the familiar, the weird, and what feels like the Lord of the Rings. We might have the ring of familiarity from snippets of stories we heard in Sunday school, but then we bump into things like polygamy and witches that never seemed to find their way on to a flannel graph. We might have heard of a character or two that has been moralized in a character study. We hear of their triumphs, but their failures are either papered over or derided. What we lose is the real storyline with all of its wonder and warts. This week we begin our next big series - We Need a King (1 & 2 Samuel). This will take us through a tumultuous time in the history of God's people. It will also show us how God works to carry out his purposes in spite of and with flawed, sinful, and even rebellious people. We will build a portrait of what we really need - a true, faithful, forever King. This Sunday we get the backstory examining what comes before and who we need to be looking for in the narrative. Take a few minutes and read the first few chapters of 1 Samuel and why not invite a friend to join us in this new year. See you Sunday at 10:30.