Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like the watercourses in the Negeb.” I once spent several summer days in the Negeb Desert. It was hot; I was thirsty. Even the camels were...

Do not worry.” It’s funny to read these words on Thanksgiving Day. Thanksgiving is the one day above all others when I worry. I worry about what the family will eat....

This psalm speaks to us of the importance of making a place for God. It quotes King David saying that he will not go to his own house, will not get...

King David spends his last breath on those he calls godless, a word that could also be translated as “despicable.” He doesn’t spend a lot of time on them, only two...

Famous last words. Famous people leave behind famous last words. They may be interesting, like Goethe’s “Mehr licht!” (“More light!”), or inspiring, like John Wesley’s “The best of all is, God...

Rattled by Jesus’ prediction, the disciples eagerly inquire about the details of the impending threat of the Temple’s destruction. “When will this be, and what will be the sign that all...

The birth of Samuel marks the start of a new age—not just for Hannah’s family but also for Israel. Through Samuel, the last judge of Israel, God anoints a king: Saul...

Being born a woman in Old Testament times, Hannah knows firsthand her disadvantage. As if this weren’t enough, she cannot have children. Insecurity, uncertainty, disappointment, and judgment are aspects of life...

At first reading, we might mislabel Hannah as the ungrateful, entitled wife. True, her husband’s second wife gives her a hard time, but she is the favorite. Receiving double the portion...

Born in a time when women had no inheritance or birthright, Hannah is the proverbial underdog. Marriage assured and insured a woman’s future through male offspring. In spite of Hannah’s being...