These chapters chart the beginning of the story of the uninspiring first king of Israel. God chooses Saul as he is irritable that the people want someone to rule them other than them, and Saul lives out the Lord’s irritation as if it was written in his DNA.
In this story Saul gets freaked out by a series of little signs when he is preparing to fight the Philistines. His son Jonathan gets impatient and sneaks off with his sword bearer to fight the Philistines, and gets rid of them almost singlehandedly.
But Saul, in a bad mood, puts a curse on anyone who eats any food that day, as it was not him who beat the Philistines. Jonathan is unaware of the curse and eats some lovely honey, and his father thus curses him.
The people, already sick of their all-too-human new boss, scold Saul for condemning their hero to death on a silly whim, and save Jonathan.
Psalm 15 is about how people who want to live in the Lord’s tabernacle must speak kindly and not abuse others.
Dear God, Thanks for a magnificent, if tiring, day. Thank you for the company of my lovely children. Please give me patience with them, particularly when they are trying. Please keep us on your paths. It is easy to get confused. Please forgive me my sins. In Jesus’ name, Amen