Our target audience is any believer who desires help in developing a consistent devotional life, which includes a daily reading, study and reflection on God’s Word.

Many believers find it difficult to sustain momentum in their devotional life. They desire to read the Bible consistently but lack encouragement, guidance and direction. Commentaries are often too technical, and devotionals may fail to challenge them to dig deeply into God’s Word. “40 Days” offers both a deeper discussion of a biblical passage and at the same time encourages the reader to make personal applications based upon what the text actually says.

Forty is an important number in the Bible. Moses was on Mount Sinai with the Lord God for 40 days, Elijah traveled for 40 days before arriving at Mount Horeb and Jesus was tempted in the wilderness for 40 days. Some self-help experts believe it takes 40 days to develop a habit. There may be no habit more important for a Christian to develop than nurturing a consistent devotional life.

This format allows a Bible scholar, writing for a general audience, to help readers see how a biblical passage is to be approached. You examine the larger context, dig into the passage itself and then step away and make application to one’s personal life based on what the text actually says.

The advantage to the “40 Days” series is that it allows a Christian to read a manageable portion of a biblical text and then to read a focused study that is a straightforward and clear explanation of the biblical text. “40 Days” is not intended to dive into debates over the Bible or delve into areas of scholarly speculation; its aim is to keep readers focused on the text.

The Spirit of God and the Word of God work together to strengthen God’s church. The apostle Paul put it this way: “Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts” (Colossians 3:16).

1 Samuel is not primarily a book about Samuel, Saul or even David. 1 Samuel is first and foremost a book about God: how God deals with his people and how God watches over his people. A careful reading of 1 Samuel will cause one to have a greater confidence in God’s providential love and care for his people.