🏃1 Samuel 12:21 | Fades vs. Fills

Happy Friday, everyone!

We’ve made it to Friday, praise the Lord!

If you missed any of this week’s emails, you can read them here: Monday , Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

In today’s email…

• 🗒️ A summary of what we’ve learned this week

• ✍️ Encouragement to write down your idol

• 📚️ In case you missed it…

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MEMORIZE 🧠 

And __ ___ ____ _____ _____ _____ ______ ____ ______ ______ __ _______, ___ ____ ___ _____.

1 Samuel 12:21

CONTEXT 📕 

On Monday, we stepped into the world of 1 Samuel — a book about Israel’s shift from judges to monarchy. The book’s original audience was Israel, a people wrestling with their tumultuous history.

We met Samuel, the prophet who led faithfully for decades.

1 Samuel 12:21 is part of Samuel’s farewell speech, as he recognizes that King Saul will now be their primary leader.

At its core, the book reminds us of the value of obedience and that God is always in charge, no matter who’s on the throne.

On Tuesday, we zoomed in on Samuel’s farewell address.

After Saul is confirmed as king, Samuel stands before the people with some strong words of warning.

He reminds them that though a king sits on the throne, their future still depends on their faithfulness to God.

He recounts their history, warns against disobedience, and urges loyalty to the covenant Israel has with God.

Then comes our verse:

On Wednesday, we explored the depth of that word “empty.”

The Hebrew word is tohu — the same word used in Genesis 1:2 to describe the earth as “formless and void.” Tohu means chaos, futility, and nothingness.

Samuel reminds us that the empty things…are empty.

They have no power or authority.

We should chase only what is real and filling: God, the Creator of the Universe.

And on Thursday, we tracked this theme throughout Scripture.

Ecclesiastes echoes the same cry that everything is meaningless apart from God.

Isaiah 41:29 declares idols to be “wind and confusion.”

Scripture constantly exposes idols as empty.

Then, we turned to the gospel.

And we saw how Jesus is the solution to the empty things of the world.

He gifts us what we need for life and gives meaning where there was none.

At the cross, Christ took on our emptiness. And in the resurrection, Jesus fills us with new life.

The warning about turning toward empty things in 1 Samuel 12:21 points forward to Jesus:

• Only Jesus profits.

• Only Jesus delivers.

• Only Jesus can fill what’s empty.

So the question remains: What “empty things” are you still chasing? And will you trade them for the One who truly satisfies?

APPLY AND RESPOND 🏃‍♂️ 

If you are still chasing after empty things, then it’s time to stop running.

Turn from what is empty and sprint to the Savior.

Start here: name your idol.

1. Be honest. Write it down on paper, not just in your mind. Putting it in ink helps you face the reality that it has it’s grip on you.

2. Expectation vs. Reality: Beside that word, write what it promises you…and what it actually delivers.

   • Does control really give peace?

   • Has constant achievement truly brought rest?

   • Is your love of politics making you a more loving person?

Fold up that paper and place it somewhere visible — your Bible, your bathroom mirror, your desk.

Let it serve as a daily reminder: This can’t save me. Only Jesus can.

3. Find one action that goes against that empty thing.

   • If you crave praise, serve in secret.

   • If you chase control, intentionally let someone else lead.

We can’t passively challenge the empty things, we must actively go to battle with them with intentional practices that replace their empty promises with delighting in our Savior.

Trade what fades for what fills!

TOGETHER WITH BEEHIIV

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RESOURCES 📚️ 

Here are a few resources to help you dig deeper into this week’s verse and themes:

• 🎙️ Sermon: A World of Idols by Timothy Keller (link)

• 📚 Timothy Keller, Counterfeit Gods (link)

• 📚️ Walter Brueggemann, First and Second Samuel (Interpretation Commentary Series) (link)

• 📚 Tim Chester, 1 Samuel For You (God’s Word for You) (link)

• 📹️ 1 Samuel by The Bible Project (link)

• 📰 Samuel 12:21 Commentaries by BibleHub (link)

• 🎵 Adonai (Spotify | Apple | Malachi Daily Playlist)

Lastly, if you’ve been a Christian for a long time but still feel like your mind is a battlefield, check out our course:

Renew Your Mind: How to Take Your Thoughts Captive and Make Them Obedient to Christ

It’s the proven, Scripture-based approach that radically transformed my everyday life (you can read more about that here).

Plus, everyone who pays-it-forward to support our work gets lifetime access.

ANSWER KEY ✅ 

And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty.

1 Samuel 12:21