Category: 1st and 2nd Samuel-BibleTrekToday
Trek through 1st and 2nd Samuel
Rebellion: Today’s “entertainment”!
Scripture reading for March 20th: 1st Samuel 13-15
When we think about witchcraft and the occult, we tend to think about men and women dressed in black, moonless nights, bats, curses, spells, and evil that is ugly. It usually includes violence, blood and death. Our modern culture has lots to say about the occult and many television shows and movies that highlight evil are watched by millions. A popular series of children’s novels, “Harry Potter”, has sold millions and no one thinks much about it other that another form of entertainment. When we imbibe of this evil, we are stubbornly rebelling against God’s command. (Leviticus 19:26)
Saul was anointed and empowered to lead the nation. He was the answer to the people’s cry for a king like the other nations. But Saul was impatient. Samuel, the prophet and judge, had told Saul to wait for him to come and sacrifice to the Lord and seek counsel. Saul waited but grew impatient and decided to offer the sacrifice himself. It was not his job or place, but he went ahead anyway. Samuel returned just after Saul completed the offering, and rebuked him by telling him that God was not going to let him continue as king for all time. (1st Samuel 13:13-14) So the “good” thing that Saul had done, was not done in obedience to the Lord. He had impatiently rationalized his action and fell under God’s disfavor. There was no repentance either.
Next, Saul’s son Jonathan acted in courage and faith to attack the Philistines. He and his armor-bearer scaled a cliff and killed 20 men in a short time. They had not been around when Saul had made the men swear not to eat anything until the enemy had been defeated. Jonathan ate some honey to gain energy for the ensuing fight. One of the soldiers told Jonathan about the oath of his father, but he had already tasted the honey. Saul acted impetuously with the vow and then wanted to execute his own son! (Remember Jephthah!)
The final account of Saul’s actions occurs in chapter 15. Samuel tells Saul to attack the Amalekites and destroy everything as punishment from the Lord for their attacking Israel on their way from Egypt. (400 years earlier!) Saul obeys–partially! He kept back the best sheep and goats for sacrifice and let King Agag live. The Word of the Lord came to Samuel: “I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.” (1st Samuel 15:10-11) Partial obedience is not obedience!
God hates rebellion and stubbornness! We can call it entertainment, but God still calls it sin! Ask the Lord to show you if these sins are evident in your life and allow Jesus to deliver you! These sins don’t entertain God and should not be entertained in your life or home! Don’t give God a reason to reject you as his child! Or worse yet, cause your children be rejected because of this evil!
“But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination (witchcraft-KJV) and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the Word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.” (1st Samuel 15:22-23)
We want a King!
Scripture reading for March 19: 1st Samuel 9-12
In yesterday’s reading, the Israelites had demanded a king like the other nations. (1st Samuel 8:4-5) God’s people already had a King with the Lord! But they wanted a king like the other nations. It was the latest fad! They wanted a king they could see and follow. God already knew this would happen. He told Moses about it! (Deuteronomy 16:14-20) God knows man’s deepest need is for a relationship Him. He is always jealously working to bring about His purposes and sometimes lets us have what we want in order to give us what we really need.
God chose Saul, a person who stood above all the others, as Israel’s first king. (1st Samuel 10:23-24) He chose one who looked the part. As Samuel anointed him, the Spirit of the Lord came upon Saul and he began prophesying. (1st Samuel 10:1, 9-11) Samuel introduced him to the nation and the people shouted, “Long live the king!” This king would not satisfy the people’s need, but would help them to learn that they needed the real King more than ever! This first king would soon fail to obey and honor the Lord and fall under God’s judgment. The people would suffer under his leadership! We must be careful what we ask God for! Human “kings” almost always give us trouble and grief.
Today happens to be my 62nd birthday. I lived for a few years without a King! Then I invited the King to rule my life, but did not really let Him have complete say over everything. I am thankful that my King was patient with me and compassionate towards me. He drew me with His love and mercy. I surrendered my life to Him and am so blessed! My birthday request is that my family would all live under my King. A further desire would be that all I have had the privilege of knowing and contacting would also know this King as Lord, Savior, and Friend!
Today, if you don’t have a King, please ask the Lord to be your King! God hears the cry of your heart. Confess to Him your sin and renounce any other idols in your life. Believe in Jesus Christ as God’s Son and the only sacrifice for sin. He died for our sins and rose again from the dead. He is coming back as King of Kings!
“But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart.” That is the word of faith that we are proclaiming: that if you confess with your mouth,”Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Anyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame.” (Romans 10:8-11)
God’s Presence–Blessing or Curse?
Scripture reading for March 18: 1st Samuel 4-8
I love the presence of the Lord. I almost always have tears or sometimes feel all my senses are alive and awake and a sense of His Peace makes me want to wait quietly or kneel before Him. God’s Presence is something that men and women of God have sought. Moses would not move without God’s Presence going with him. He knew how much he needed it. We certainly need it ourselves!
In today’s reading, the Israelites presumptuously took the Ark of God into battle with them. The Ark of God was the place where God’s Presence rested with the Israelites. (1st Samuel 4:3-5) They had just lost four thousand men in battle and were aware of a need for God’s presence and power. When the Ark was brought into the camp by Hophni and Phinehas, Eli’s two wicked sons, the camp erupted in shouting! They had a “pentecostal” service right there! The enemy heard the commotion, and it ignited a desire to fight extra hard! The Philistines whipped the Israelites and 30,000 more Israelites died in the ensuing battle! Hophni and Phinehas were killed and the Ark of God was captured! Eli died at this news and his daughter-in-law died in childbirth! What a chain of events! Where was God, anyway? I thought that they had shouted because God was in the camp! How could God let such a thing happen to His people?
First, God had warned Eli, Hophni, and Phinehas about their wickedness and about His coming judgment! (1st Samuel 2:16-22) Sin has consequences! Treating God’s Presence as something to be used or manipulated for advantage is not allowed. Hophni and Phinehas had been dishonoring God, their own father, and the nation by setting a bad example. They had been eating the portion belonging to God–the fat! They had been having sex with the women who served at the temple. God will not be mocked! (Galatians 6:7)
Using the symbol of God’s Holy Presence as a “good luck” charm is not wise! Even all the noise and enthusiasm was not an indication of God’s presence with them! We who are Pentecostal need to take note! The loudest and wildest worship is not always a sign of God’s Presence or approval! We can turn things that represent God’s Presence into an idol very easily! We can also try to manipulate God! Styles of worship, being slain in the Spirit, dancing before the Lord, and other manifestations are fine if genuine and a response to God’s Presence. They are a curse if they are not in “Spirit and Truth”. (John 4:24)
God’s Presence was not a blessing to the Philistines either! Everywhere they took the Ark of God, panic, fear, tumors, death and confusion broke out! God’s Presence is Holy and special. He must be treated with honor and respect by those who know Him! He brings death to those in sin and rebellion!
Take time today to thank Him for His Presence with you in the Holy Spirit! His Spirit is a gift of the Father sent to bless His children!
False accusations!
Scripture reading for March 17: 1st Samuel 1-3
Have you ever been falsely accused of doing something wicked? How about a false accusation coming from a man or woman of God? How would you feel about that person who represented God? The temptation would be strong to get angry at the person or worse yet, to get angry at God for allowing such a thing to happen! Our story today has just such an opportunity!
Hannah was barren and sought God for a child . Her husband, Elkanah, had two wives. His other wife had children but Hannah cried out to God for a child. The Scripture specifically states that “the Lord had closed her womb”. (1st Samuel 1:6) There are several issues here that can cause us to question. First, why did this Israelite have two wives? It seems that in the Old Testament, this issue was not dealt with often. We do notice that there was rivalry and strife between the wives. This happens in other instances too. Think about Abraham and Sarah and her concubine Hagar! God allows certain behavior, but does not say it is right. Jesus pointed his followers to Genesis and the pattern of one man and one woman. (Mark 10:5-9)
Another issue is the Lord closing Hannah’s womb. Why would God do that? I thought that God was a life-giver and wanted to bless His people? It seems that in several instances, people God used faced difficulties that forced them to deal with the only one who had an answer–God! We can think of Abraham and Sarah or Isaac and Rebbecca as starters. They had to go to God for an answer and God opened their wombs and brought forth a special child! Both of these difficulties could bring accusations on the Lord.
Another accusation in this passage comes from Eli, the priest. As Hannah is praying desperately for a child, weeping and crying out to the Lord, Eli thinks that she has had too much wine and is drunk! He even tells her not to come drunk and to give up the wine! (1st Samuel 1:12-16) What a message for a pastor to give to a humble seeker of the Lord! To her credit, she did not become angry or disrespect him. She patiently explained her dilemma and Eli blessed her. God answered her prayer and she got her child! Not only that, she had three additional sons and two daughters! God is truly good!
Our reading today should help us deal with false accusations. It is easy to jump to conclusions when we read a passage of Scripture. All Scripture is inspired by God and must be weighed by other passages and God’s heart and Spirit. We must not make snap judgments! May the Lord grant us all grace today to operate on the facts, not on speculation or false assumptions!