Don't Miss This Study
Don't Miss This Study
Emily Freeman & David Butler
A NEW HEART
43 minutes Posted May 31, 2026 at 10:00 pm.
INTRO
Desire for leadership in chaos
Choosing a spiritual leader
Introducing Israel's first king, Saul
Complexity of biblical characters
Saul's humble beginnings
Anointing with oil in Old Testament
Saul's prophetic signs fulfilled
Saul's spiritual journey highlights
Maintaining resilience and faith
Samuel's lesson on obedience
Understanding meaningful relationships
Choosing and God's guidance
Second king symbolizes perseverance
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Show notes
In this episode of Don’t Miss This, Dave Butler and Grace Freeman study 1 Samuel 8–15 and explore the rise and fall of Israel’s first king, Saul. What begins as a story about Israel asking for a king quickly becomes a deeper conversation about who truly sits on the throne of our hearts. As the people look to be “like all the other nations,” Dave and Grace reflect on the many things we allow to rule our lives and invite us to consider whether we are letting Jesus be the King who leads, guides, and fights our battles.
The episode highlights the early life of Saul and the qualities that made him such a promising leader. Saul is introduced as humble, diligent, and willing to serve, even struggling to see the potential that others saw in him. Through Samuel’s guidance, Saul learns that God often calls people before they feel ready and then provides the experiences, miracles, and grace needed to prepare them for the work ahead. Dave and Grace emphasize that one of God’s greatest gifts is His ability to see who we can become, even when we cannot yet see it ourselves.
As Saul is anointed king, the Lord gives him a new heart and begins transforming him into a different person. The hosts focus on the power of spiritual change, teaching that God’s greatest miracles are often not external signs but transformed hearts. Saul’s story becomes a reminder that growth is a process of becoming and that God can shape ordinary people into something far greater than they imagined as they place themselves in positions where His Spirit can work within them.
The latter part of the episode examines Saul’s gradual decline and the lessons his story teaches about obedience, trust, and discipleship. As Saul begins caring more about the approval of others than the voice of God, his choices slowly lead him away from the path the Lord intended for him. Dave and Grace remind listeners that God desires more than outward religious actions or checked boxes. He wants a genuine relationship built on listening, trust, and love. Even amid Saul’s failures, the episode highlights a God who continues to guide, warn, correct, and redeem, never giving up on His children and always working to help them become better than they are today.
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