Daily Devotions

What’s the Big Idea?

While Revelation offers many details on the tribulation—even if they are often couched in the mystery of symbolic language—it is the final four chapters that dictate the overall message of the book. Revelation 19–22 portrays Christ’s future triumph over the forces of evil and His re-creation of the world for the redeemed. Ultimately, the book—and the world—end in a final victory for truth and goodness and beauty.

For the bulk of its sixty-six books, the Bible portrays a world deep in the throes of suffering. Human beings have had a problem with sin since the fall in Genesis 3, and verse after verse has recorded our problem in painstaking detail. The brilliance of Revelation is that it provides a final answer to this problem, a hope that Jesus will once and for all heal the wounds wrought by sin (Revelation 19), reign for a thousand years on earth (Revelation 20), and then re-create the world into a place that represents God’s original design (Revelation 21–22). The Bible’s narrative is a simple one: creation, fall, re-creation. Without the completion of the redeeming work of Jesus recorded in Revelation, we wouldn’t have the end of the story, leaving our hope for the future in serious doubt. 

https://insight.org/resources/bible/the-general-epistles/hebrews

Day 1 (December 2)
Revelation 17:1-18
Key Verse: 14

Day 2 (December 3)
Revelation 18:1-24
Key Verse: 23-24

Day 3 (December 4)
Revelation 19:1-21
Key Verse: 19-20

Day 4 (December 5)
Revelation 20:1-15
Key Verse: 11-13

Day 5 (December 6)
Revelation 21:1-27
Key Verse: 7-8

Day 6 (December 7)
Revelation 22:1-21
Key Verse: 12

Memory Verse
Revelation 21:8
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Who Wrote the Book of Ruth?

According to the Talmud (Jewish tradition), the prophet Samuel wrote the book of Ruth. The text itself says nothing of the author, but whoever wrote it was a skilled storyteller. It has been called the most beautiful short story ever written.

The final words of the book link Ruth with her great-grandson, David (Ruth 4:17–22), so we know it was written after his anointing. The genealogy at the end of the book shows David’s lineage through the days of the judges, acting as a support for his rightful kingship. Solomon is not mentioned, leading some to believe the book was written before David ascended the throne.

https://insight.org/resources/bible/the-historical-books/ruth

Day 1 (December 9)
Ruth 1:1-22
Key Verse: 16

Day 2 (December 10)
Ruth 2:1-23
Key Verse: 16

Day 3 (December 11)
Ruth 3:1-18
Key Verse: 11-12

Day 4 (December 12)
Ruth 4:1-22
Key Verse: 13-14

Day 5 (December 13)
1 Samuel 1:1-28
Key Verse: 11-12

Day 6 (December 14)
1 Samuel 2:1-36
Key Verse: 35

Memory Verse
Ruth 1:16
And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:

Where are we?

First Samuel 27:6 refers to the divided monarchy, when the ten tribes of Israel rebelled against the two tribes of Judah, which occurred after Solomon’s reign. From this we can conclude that the book came together sometime after the death of David (971 BC) and perhaps even after the death of Solomon (931 BC). Because the book contains no reference to the Assyrian invasion in 722 BC, it likely originated before the period of the exile.

The events that happen in 1 Samuel took place over a period of about 110 years, stretching from the closing days of the judges, when Samuel was born (ca. 1120 BC) through the death of Saul (1011 BC). We see the birth of Samuel, his call from God and subsequent prophetic ministry, the rise and fall of King Saul, and the anointing and maturity of young David.

First Samuel is set in the land of Israel, where the Hebrews invaded and settled (see Joshua). Numerous other peoples continued to dwell alongside Israel, often disrupting the peace and encouraging the Israelites to stray from their faith.

https://insight.org/resources/bible/the-historical-books/first-samuel

Day 1 (December 16)
1 Samuel 3:1-21
Key Verse: 9-10

Day 2 (December 17)
1 Samuel 4:1-22
Key Verse: 11

Day 3 (December 18)
1 Samuel 5:1-12
Key Verse: 11-12

Day 4 (December 19)
1 Samuel 6:1-21
Key Verse: 1-3

Day 5 (December 20)
1 Samuel 7:1-17
Key Verse: 4-5

Day 6 (December 21)
1 Samuel 8:1-22
Key Verse: 6-8

Memory Verse
1 Samuel 1:27
For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him:

Why is 1 Samuel so important?

In this critical period of Israel’s history, the people of God transformed from a loosely affiliated group of tribes into a unified nation under a form of government headed by a king. They traded the turmoil of life under the judges for the stability of a strong central monarchy.

First Samuel focuses on the establishment of that monarchy. The people demanded a king, similar to the kings of the surrounding nations (1 Samuel 8:5). Saul, the first king, though “head and shoulders above the rest” did not have a righteous heart, and his line was destined never to inherit the crown (9:1–15:35). God instructed Samuel to anoint David, the youngest son of Jesse of Bethlehem, as the next king (16:1–13).

Much of 1 Samuel follows David’s exploits as a young musician, shepherd, and warrior. We witness his underdog victory over Goliath (17:1–58), his deep friendship with Jonathan (18:1–4), and his growing military prowess (18:5–30). He waited patiently for the throne, often pursued and driven into hiding by Saul. The book concludes with Saul’s death (31:1–13), which serves as a natural dividing marker between 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel.

https://insight.org/resources/bible/the-historical-books/first-samuel

Day 1 (December 23)
1 Samuel 9:1-27
Key Verse: 1-2

Day 2 (December 24)
1 Samuel 10:1-27
Key Verse: 23-24

Day 3 (December 25)
1 Samuel 11:1-15
Key Verse: 6

Day 4 (December 26)
1 Samuel 12:1-25
Key Verse: 12-14

Day 5 (December 27)
1 Samuel 13:1-23
Key Verse: 13-14

Day 6 (December 28)
1 Samuel 14:1-25
Key Verse: 24-25

Memory Verse
1 Samuel 2:2
There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.