Welcome to Month 4.
If last month ended with a troubling cycle, this month dives headfirst into it. You are about to meet some of the most flawed, fascinating, and faith-filled people in the Bible, and their stories will hit closer to home than you expect.
April opens in the middle of Judges, where God keeps raising up unlikely deliverers for a people who keep forgetting Him.
- Gideon hides in a winepress and God calls him a mighty warrior.
- Samson has supernatural strength and zero self-control.
- The final chapters of Judges are brutal and honest about what happens when everyone does what is right in their own eyes.
Then comes Ruth.
After all that chaos, this quiet love story will feel like a deep breath. Ruth's loyalty, Boaz's kindness, and God's sovereignty working behind the scenes will remind you that God is always writing a redemption story, even when it does not look like one.
From Ruth, you will step into 1 Samuel and meet Hannah, Samuel, Saul, and David. This is where the nation shifts from judges to kings, and the question becomes:
What kind of heart does God look for in a leader?
You will watch Saul lose the kingdom and David rise from a shepherd's field to the front lines of Israel's story.
You will also begin reading David's Psalms alongside his life events. When you read his prayers next to his battles, everything changes.
This is one of the richest months of the entire year. Take your time with it.
Your Reading This Month:
- Judges 6-21
- Ruth 1-4
- 1 Samuel 1-31
- 2 Samuel 1-4
- 1 Chronicles 1-10
- Psalms 11, 59, 7, 27, 31, 34, 52, 56, 120, 140-142, 17, 35, 54, 63, 18, 121, 123-125, 128-130, 6, 8-10, 14, 16, 19, 21, 43-45, 49, 84-85, 87, 73, 77-78, 81, 88, 92-93, 102-104
This month covers Days 91-120 of the Heart Dive 365 reading plan. You will finish the book of Judges, rest in the story of Ruth, walk through the entire rise and fall of King Saul, and meet the shepherd-king David.
Weekly Readings:
- Week 1 (Days 91-97):
- Gideon's call and victory
- Samson's rise and fall, the darkest chapters of Judges
- Redemption story of Ruth
- (Judges 6-21, Ruth 1-4)
- Week 2 (Days 98-104):
- Hannah's prayer
- Samuel's calling
- Israel demands a king
- Saul is anointed
- David slays Goliath
- The friendship of David and Jonathan
- (1 Samuel 1-24, Psalms)
- Week 3 (Days 105-112):
- David's Psalms were written while running from Saul
- Saul's final days
- The beginning of 2 Samuel
- (Psalms, 1 Samuel 25-31, 2 Samuel 1-4)
- Week 4 (Days 113-120):
- The genealogies and background of 1 Chronicles
- Paired with Psalms that give voice to Israel's worship
- (1 Chronicles 1-10, Psalms)
What's in Month 4?
JUDGES (Chapters 6-21, continued from March)
The cycle intensifies. Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson each reveal what happens when God uses broken people and what happens when those people trust themselves more than Him. The final chapters are some of the hardest in Scripture, but they are there for a reason.
RUTH (Chapters 1-4)
A love story tucked inside a war zone. Ruth's faithfulness to Naomi, Boaz's role as kinsman-redeemer, and God's quiet sovereignty make this one of the most beautiful books in the Bible. It is also the bridge between the chaos of Judges and the rise of the monarchy.
1 SAMUEL (Chapters 1-31)
The whole book in one month. From Hannah's desperate prayer to Samuel's calling, from Saul's coronation to his downfall, from David's anointing to his years on the run. This book asks the question: what does God look for in a leader?
2 SAMUEL (Chapters 1-4, continued next month)
David begins to reign, but not without grief. The opening chapters deal with Saul's death, David's lament, and the messy transition of power.
1 CHRONICLES (Chapters 1-10)
The genealogies. Yes, they matter. These chapters trace God's covenant line and set the stage for everything that follows in David's reign.
PSALMS (scattered throughout)
This month, you start reading David's Psalms alongside his life. These are not random poems. They are prayers written in caves, on battlefields, and in moments of deep despair. Reading them in context changes everything.
A Note About Reading Psalms in Context
Starting this month, you will notice Psalms woven into the reading plan alongside the historical narrative. This is intentional. When you read Psalm 34 and know that David wrote it while pretending to be insane in front of a foreign king to survive, the words hit differently. When you read Psalm 51 next month and know it was written after his greatest failure, it becomes more than poetry. It becomes a mirror.
Do not rush the Psalm days. Sit with them. They are the heartbeat of stories.
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Day 091 Judges 6-7
Welcome to Day 091. Midian is oppressing Israel. The people are desperate. And God calls Gideon to lead them.
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Day 092 Judges 8-9
Welcome to Day 092. After his great victory, Gideon does something troubling. He asks the people for gold—spoils from the battle. He uses it to make an idol.
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Day 093 Judges 10-12
Welcome to Day 093. The pattern repeats. Israel sins. God allows them to be oppressed. They cry out. And God sends a judge. Day 093 Judges 10-12: The cycle continues. Israel rebels, is oppressed, repents, and God raises up Jephthah to deliver them. God’s patience is endless.
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Day 094 Judges 13-15
Welcome to Day 094. Samson is chosen by God from birth. He’s given supernatural strength. He’s meant to deliver Israel from the Philistines.
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Day 095 Judges 16-18
Welcome to Day 095. Samson’s story reaches its tragic end. He loves Delilah, a Philistine woman. She betrays him, discovering the secret of his strength—his uncut hair, the sign of his Nazirite vow.
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Day 096 Judges 19-21
Welcome to Day 096. This is the darkest passage in Judges. A Levite and his concubine are traveling. They’re treated with hospitality, but then something horrific happens.
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Day 097 Ruth 1-4
Welcome to Day 097. After the darkness of Judges, Ruth is a breath of fresh air. Ruth is a Moabite—a foreigner. She has no status in Israel. No claim to God’s covenant. Her husband dies, leaving her a widow in a foreign land with Naomi, her mother-in-law.
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Day 098 1 Samuel 1-3
Welcome to Day 097. After the darkness of Judges, Ruth is a breath of fresh air. Ruth is a Moabite—a foreigner. She has no status in Israel. No claim to God’s covenant. Her husband dies, leaving her a widow in a foreign land with Naomi, her mother-in-law.
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Day 099 1 Samuel 4-8
Welcome to Day 099. Israel is at war with the Philistines. They’re losing. So they do something desperate—they bring the ark of the covenant to the battlefield, thinking God’s presence will guarantee victory.
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Day 100 1 Samuel 9-12
Welcome to Day 100. Samuel finds a young man named Saul. He’s tall, handsome, and from a prominent family. Samuel anoints him privately, telling him God has chosen him to be king.
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Day 101 1 Samuel 13-14
Welcome to Day 101. Saul is king, but his reign is already troubled. Philistines are gathering for war. Saul waits for Samuel to come offer sacrifices and seek God’s direction before battle. Samuel said he’d come in seven days.
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Day 102 1 Samuel 15-17
Welcome to Day 102. Samuel gives Saul another chance. God commands Saul to destroy the Amalekites completely… everyone and everything.
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Day 103 1 Samuel 18-20, Psalms 11, 59
Welcome to Day 103. David defeats Goliath with a sling and a stone. The giant falls. Saul’s army pursues the Philistines and wins decisively.
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Day 104 1 Samuel 21-24
Welcome to Day 104. David is on the run. He goes to the priest and gets bread meant for the Tabernacle. He flees to Philistine territory. He hides in caves.
