Fighting God's anointed

"Triumph of David" by Matteo Rosselli

TODAY'S SPECIAL:  1 Samuel 18-20; Psalm 83

TO CHEW ON: "Thus Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David, and that Michal, Saul's daughter, loved him; and Saul was still more afraid of David. So Saul became David's enemy continually." 1 Samuel 18:28,29

Saul's admiration of David quickly turned to jealousy as the people expressed their preference for this youthful, brave, and spirited shepherd over him.

In a pretense of rewarding David, Saul tried to trap him with marriage to his daughters. But instead of getting killed in battle and later in the slaughter Philistines to obtain a gory dowry for Michal, David succeeded in not only  defeating the enemy and delivering the dowry, but also in winning the love and loyalty of Saul's own daughter Michal. With each victory David endeared himself to the people more. Saul was right to fear him, for his successes were evidence of God's Spirit on him.

Saul's actions remind me of how we too sometimes fight the "Lord's anointed."  When we gossip about our pastor or resist God-given leadership in other ways (grumble and complain, divide into factions, try to figure out ways to get rid of one or the other) aren't we engaging in a Saul-type battle—a battle we're sure to eventually lose?

I am reminded of Jesus' words to another Saul who was fighting the people God had anointed: "'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? .... I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads'" Acts 9:4,5.

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to recognize those You have anointed for leadership in my life. Help me not to rebel against them, but to accept Your authority over me through them. Amen. 


PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 83
 
MORE: Pray for leaders
Instead of resisting God-given leadership, we could pray for our leaders. John Piper lists eight prayer points:

1. Ask God to give them an inclination to His word versus money, fame, or power.
2. Pray for their purity.
3. Pray for their biblical and doctrinal purity.
4. Pray for their solid, joyful, Christ-exalting marriages.
5. Pray for their boldness in witnessing.
6. Pray for visionary creative energy for them.
7. Pray for converting power, i.e. that the Lord will open hearts and save people through their ministry.
8. Pray that they would be a small part of a global spiritual awakening.

Read all of "How to Pray for the Pastoral Staff"  - by John Piper. ©2012 Desiring God Foundation. Website: desiringGod.org.


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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The "see" that really matters

Image from The Story of the Bible
 by Charles Foster (© 1873-84)
Drawings by F. B. Schell and others

David anointed at Bethlehem

TODAY’S SPECIAL: 1 Samuel 15-17; Psalm 82

TO CHEW ON: “But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.’” 1 Samuel 16:7


In 1 Samuel 16 and 17 we have at least seven different views of David, who was soon to become an important character for the people of Israel and a pivotal player in the story of redemption.

The Parent (Jesse, David’s father):
In the eyes of his earthly father, David didn’t even rate the day off to meet with Samuel. When Samuel had gone through the first seven and asked if that was it for sons, Jesse replied: “‘There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep’” - 1 Samuel 16:11. David was the youngest. He was needed for work when the other older, more distinguished looking, filled out, fully grown sons got an invitation to worship with the prophet.

The Prophet (Samuel):
According to 1 Samuel’s introduction in my Bible, scholars believe that Samuel wrote 1 Samuel. So this description of David in the narration: “… ruddy, with bright eyes, and good looking” is probably how David looked to Samuel at this, their first meeting (1 Samuel 16:12).

A Fellow Citizen (Saul’s servant):
Later, when King Saul had “distressing spirit” problems and asked for help finding someone who could ease him with music, a servant who knew the populace suggested David. This is how he saw him: “‘… a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valour, a man of war, prudent in speech and a handsome person; and the LORD is with him” - 1 Samuel 16:18. Talk about a fabulous referral!

The Boss (King Saul):
So Saul summoned David for a job interview and he was hired on the spot for Saul “… loved him greatly.” David obviously passed his employment probation, for Saul soon requested of Jesse that David be released from shepherding to work for him full-time because David had “found favour” with him and could also chase the dark spirit away from Saul with his music - 1 Samuel 16:21-23.

Eliab, Joseph’s older brother:
I sense a little sibling rivalry in Eliab’s view of David and his insulting comments to his “baby” brother. He belittled David’s occupation, called him proud and insolent, and implied that he was a shirker. David’s nonchalant response: ”’What have I done now?’” tells me that this was not the first time Eliab was on his case (1 Samuel 17:28,29.

Goliath:
This Philistine giant was beyond scornful of the insignificant champion and his weapons the Israelites sent out to spar with him.  His sarcastic “Am I a dog that you come to me with sticks” was followed by a string of curses and threats (1 Samuel 17:42-44). 

God:
God’s reaction to David is found in his words to Samuel: “‘Arise, anoint him for this is the one!’” - 1 Samuel 16:12. God chose David by what He saw in David’s heart, for he had just had Samuel turn down seven of Jesse’s sons on the basis of what was, or wasn’t, in their hearts: “‘I have refused him (and him, and him…). For the LORD… looks at the heart’” - 1 Samuel 16:7.

What came next is also significant, for following Samuel’s anointing of David “The Spirit of the LORD came on David from that day forward” - 1 Samuel 6:13. The story of Goliath's defeat at David's hand is proof of that something remarkable took place.


Two take-aways:

1. God still sees and evaluates us by our hearts. No matter how young or old, ugly or beautiful, insignificant or important, skillful or klutzy we are, He sees beyond all exteriors to our inner selves. There’s no fooling Him with a fancy outside.

2. I love how David’s anointing and the Spirit’s coming upon him only enhanced his appearance, reputation, and favour. Even strangers like Saul’s servant noticed that “… the LORD is with him.” And his boss Saul experienced it through David’s work and then through the defeat of Goliath. May we, in this time when the Spirit is available for all who accept Jesus, be so filled that others would say: “The Lord is with him /her.”

PRAYER: Dear Father, I know You see my heart. Help me to see and understand myself better. And may Your Spirit on and in me be evident in the skill with which I do my work, my courageous attitude, my prudent speech, and in the favour my life attracts. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 82

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Changed

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Samuel 9-12; Psalm 80


TO CHEW ON: "Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man." 1 Samuel 10:6

Who of us wouldn't welcome such a transformation as happened to Saul?

The Bible speaks much of being transformed, changed, and renewed. As we study it, we discover we too can experience such a radical remake. Let's look at some other Bible passages that speak of becoming a new person (i.e. spiritual renewal) to understand what such a radical renewal involves.

It begins when we trust Christ for salvation.

• Jesus calls this event being "born again" and "born of water and the Spirit" - John 3:1-8.

• Paul speaks of being saved "through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit" - Titus 3:5.

• In another place he calls this being "in Christ" and describes it as a "new creation—old things have passed away; behold new things have come" - 2 Corinthians 5:17.

Our new spiritual baby selves need to grow.

• We do this by spending time with God - Isaiah 40:31. For us this means things like reading the Bible, reflecting on how its teachings relate to our lives, and talking to God in prayer. During this time spent with Him God transforms and renews our minds - Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:23.

• God promises to stay involved in the process of renewal for our entire lives - Philippians 1:6; 2:13.

• All is not lost if we mess up, like David did. "Create in me a clean heart ... and renew a steadfast spirit in me," he prayed (Psalm 51:10) after repenting from adultery with Bathsheba and masterminding the murder of her husband.

Empowering for special jobs. 

• God sometimes brings about such new-person events to empower people for special jobs. That's what happened to Saul here—and to other Old Testament characters before the Holy Spirit was available to all after the day of Pentecost.

• Throughout the New Testament we see God the Spirit assigning and empowering people:

- The Holy Spirit directs the choosing of seven men to oversee the daily distribution of food - Acts 6:1-7
- The Holy Spirit sends Ananias to pray for and baptize Saul - Acts 9:10-19
- God tells the Antioch church leaders to send out Barnabas and Saul/Paul, which they do after laying hands on them and praying.

And so we see that this renewal that happened to Saul can also take place for and in us. It will probably not happen in an instant, as it did in him, but may the change in us over time, be just as dramatic.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank you for the many ways You bring about change and renewal in my life. Help me today to live in cooperation with that process. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 80


MORE: The Holy Spirit invades all of life

"The Holy Spirit cannot be accepted as a guest in merely one room of the house— He invades all of it. And once I decide that my “old man” (that is, my heredity of sin) should be identified with the death of Jesus, the Holy Spirit invades me. He takes charge of everything. My part is to walk in the light and to obey all that He reveals to me."- Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest,  April 11 reading.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Prayer, not panic

"Israel demands a king" J. Winter

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Samuel 5-8; Psalm 79

TO CHEW ON: "Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, 'No, but we will have a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.'" 1 Samuel 8:19,20.

The people of Israel are tired of being the only nation without a king. At least that's what their elders make it sound like when they come to Samuel begging for a change in government style.

Samuel is hurt. It feels to him like the people are rejecting him. (And in a way they are, for his two corrupt sons, the fruit of his own fathering, are the catalyst for the peoples' request.)

But God makes it clear that Israel's rejection of the judge mode of government isn't a rejection of Samuel or his sons so much as a rejection of God himself and His sometimes unorthodox but effective methods and people (e.g. a cloud by day and fire by night, judges like Samson and Gideon).

How little things have changed. These people are operating like we see most people around us still today. If something is wrong, figure out a human way to change it. Surely a new leader or political party will be able to keep us safer, make us more prosperous, leave more money in our pockets, guarantee we have jobs, houses... Forget "most people," I often find myself thinking that way too. Don't you?

Contrast that with some of the Bible declarations of where our real trust should be:

• "Give us help from trouble, for the help of man is useless (Psalm 60:11; 108:12).

• "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes" (Psalm 118:9).

• "Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man in whom there is no help" Psalm 146:3.

• "Thus says the Lord: 'Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord'" Jeremiah 17:5.

The challenge for us, for me, is to acknowledge that God is behind our human governments and governors. If our countries need change, we bring it about most effectively by going first to the power behind the throne, or oval office, or wherever our leaders make their decisions. That is, going to God in prayer about our governors and the things of government.

We can do this on a personal level too, as we put our trust in God over our CEO, or boss, or supervisor, or whoever seems to be pulling the strings in our life or career.

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to give more than lip service to the fact of Your sovereignty in human affairs. Remind me to go to You first with all my problems and concerns. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 79

MORE: When we are in fear...

"When we are in fear we can do nothing less than pray to God, but Our Lord has a right to expect that those who name His Name should have an understanding confidence in Him. God expects His children to be so confident in Him that in any crisis they are the reliable ones. Our trust is in God up to a certain point, then we go back to the elementary panic prayers of those who do not know God. We get to our wits' end, showing that we have not the slightest confidence in Him and His government of the world; He seems to be asleep, and we see nothing but breakers ahead..." - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, August 12 reading.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

When God spoke again

"Eli and Samuel" by William Brassey Hole

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Samuel 1-3; Psalm 78

TO CHEW ON: "... And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation .... Then the Lord appeared again in Shiloh. For the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel by the word of the Lord." 1 Samuel 3:1,21


What a contrast between the beginning and end of 1 Samuel 3. Israel went from
"the word of the Lord was rare" and "no widespread revelation" to "The Lord revealed Himself..." What made the difference? A boy—and a young boy at that.

That boy was Samuel. What made him a good candidate to hear and pass on God's words? Some things we see as we study his life:

1. His mother's prayers and a kept promise.
He had a heritage of faith and was pledged to God from before birth. His mother Hannah prayed for him making a promise to God that if she had a son, she would dedicate him to God's service. After God answered her prayer she kept her promise and brought him to Eli when he was weaned (at three or four years old) - 1 Samuel 1:1-28.

2. He stayed pure.
The old priest Eli and his lewd and rebellious sons, Hophni and Phinehas, mentored Samuel. Despite the awful example of the sons, Samuel kept his innocence. With his mother hovering in the background, bringing, every year, a new ephod, you've got to think those mother-prayers were still ascending and effective to keep little Samuel pure despite his surroundings - 1 Samuel 2: 12-10.

3. He was attentive and obedient
In our reading today we see Samuel jump out of bed three times in response to what he thought was Eli's call - 1 Samuel 3:4-8.

4. He passed on the message.
God's words to Samuel were a chilling denunciation of Eli and his sons, along with a prediction of judgment. Notice that after hearing them, Samuel didn't rush off to tell Eli. In fact, the next morning Eli had to pry God's message out of him. But Samuel did finally tell him exactly what God had said, even though it was nasty. Perhaps this was an apprenticeship test for Samuel, because throughout his ministry God would give him many more unpleasant messages to deliver.

We can apply some of these qualities to our lives to ensure the word of the Lord is not rare in our days.

• We can pray for, dedicate, and support the next generation in the things of God—our children and the young people in our churches.

• We can ourselves cultivate a keen ear to hear God's voice and be quick to respond to His voice.

• We must then be willing to speak God's words to our generation, both the pleasant and the not-so-pleasant, the words of life and the words of judgment.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for Samuel and his inspiring example. I love how all his words were significant. May it be said of me, "The Lord was with her and let none of her words fall to the ground (1 Samuel 3:19). Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 78

The Bible Project VIDEO: 1 Samuel - Read Scripture series






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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

A woman who kept her promise

Hannah presenting Samuel to Eli by Robert T. Barrett

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Samuel 1:19-2:11

TO CHEW ON: "'For this child I prayed and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him. Therefore I also have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the Lord.' So they worshiped the Lord there." 1 Samuel 1:27,28

Hannah was a woman of FAITH and INTEGRITY. We talked about her faith yesterday. Today we see her integrity.

In her prayer for a child she promised God that if He answered, she would give that child back to the Lord (1 Samuel 1:11). We never get the sense that she wavered from keeping that promise.

She kept her promise officially.
She didn't go with the family to Shiloh until Samuel was weaned—probably at least three years old or older. But when she went, she did it up right—took all the required offering stuff (Numbers 15:9 cf. 1 Samuel 1:24) and when they arrived presented Samuel to Eli himself (1 Samuel 1:25-27). The deed was date-stamped and done!

She kept her promise completely.
She told Eli "'I also have lent him to the Lord as long as he lives he shall be lent to the Lord'" - 1 Samuel 1:28. Perhaps the reason she had refused to go to Shiloh the years Samuel was still a nursing baby was because she knew her resolve would be tested if she did. Surely she'd heard the rumors about Eli's sons (1 Samuel 2:12) and could have rationalized: God wouldn't expect me to bring my innocent little boy into this snake pit, would He?  But even if she considered these things, none of them swayed her from keeping her promise.

She kept her promise worshipfully.
Our reading describes hers and Elkanah's action: "So they worshiped the Lord there" (1 Samuel 1:28). In her prayer (1 Samuel 2:1-10) we detect not a whiff of self-serving. It's all about God, lifting Him up, furthering His purposes, serving His destiny in the nation and the whole earth. Somehow, somewhere Hannah seems to have had a vision of what God wanted to do with her son and she offered him willingly in joyful worship.

Perhaps we have prayed and promised something back to God if He answered. He has and so we have a Samuel of our own.  What is my Samuel? What is yours? Is it some plan or ambition for life? Our spouse, children or grandchildren? Ourselves—our health, experiences, talents, abilities, potential?

Now is the time to live with Hannah-like integrity and keep those promises we've made to God. How might we do that officially, completely and worshipfully?

PRAYER: Dear God my heart is tried by Hannah's actions and prayer. I want to live with her brand of integrity toward You and others. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Faith that dries tears

"Eli thought she was drunk" - 1 Sam. 1:13

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Samuel 1:1-18

TO CHEW ON: "And she said, 'Let your maidservant find favor in your sight.' So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad." 1 Samuel 1:18

The yearly religious trip to Shiloh was a particular trial to Hannah, it seemed. For not only did she have to watch as husband Elkanah gave portions to Peninnah and all her brood and receive a double portion from him herself (something that only made Peninnah's razzing and pestering of Hannah over her barrenness worse), but it was also a reminder that God appeared to dislike her too. For why had He not allowed her to conceive?

On this particular day, Hannah could take no more. So she went alone to the house of the Lord (the tabernacle) to pour out all her frustration and desperation to God. She prayed. She wept. She made a big promise. And then Eli came up to her and accused her of being drunk!

Oh no, she said, I'm just so sad. Then she went on to explain her situation.

Of course Eli saw her genuineness then and said a wonderful thing to her: "… the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him" - 1 Samuel 1:17.

Hannah reacted (went away happy) as if God Himself had spoken. But why? Nothing had changed had it?

Not yet. But she believed it would. Her happiness was the result of FAITH, that considered what God promised through Eli as good as done.

For what do you and I need faith today?

• Wisdom?  (see James 1:5.)

• Big prayer requests? (See Matthew 17:20 & 21:21.)

• Healing? (See James 5:15.)

• A shield against discouragement, temptation and other Satanic darts? (See Ephesians 6:16.)

• Perseverance for whatever situation we're in? (See Hebrews 11:1-40.)

I love the Bible's definition of faith as much as any. It explains so well why Hannah could leave the tabernacle with her tears all dried up and why when we can also leave our stuff with the Lord and go away lighthearted:

"Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title-deed) of the things we hope for, being the proof of things we do not see and the conviction of their reality—faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses" - Hebrews 11:1 AMP (emphasis added).

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to leave my issues with You as completely as Hannah did, knowing that You can and will handle things. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified® Bible, copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)

Providence meets faith

TODAY’S SPECIAL: 1 Samuel 17:41-57

TO CHEW ON: “Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth.” 1 Samuel 17:49

What are the chances that this youthful armed-only-with-a-sling shepherd would get the best of a 9 foot, 9 inch fully armed warrior? Pretty slim, I’d say. Yet here it happens before our eyes. What’s the explanation?

Surely David was skillful with his primitive weapon, so that’s one thing. However, I believe much bigger forces were at war here as they had been numerous times before in Israel’s history.

Right now our pastor is teaching a Bible study on Judges. There too we see unlikely Israelite victories.

• Judge Ehud managed to get alone with Eglon, King of Moab, kill him with one thrust of his homemade sword, and get well away before the servants discovered the deed—a catalyst to Israel’s victory over Moab (Judges 3:15-30).

• Tentwife Jael invited fleeing army general Sisera into her tent and, after he fell asleep,  killed him by driving a tent peg through his temple - Judges 4:18-24.

• Gideon defeated an army of thousands of Midianites and Amalekites with only 300 men armed with pitchers, torches, and trumpets - Judges 7:16-25.

What’s at work in each of these incidents is people of faith and courage taking action. That faith combined with the providence of God is what led to these stunning victories.

David had zeal for God’s honour (1 Samuel 17:45-47). That zeal combined with his past experience of God’s help (1 Samuel 17:34-36) filled him with courage and faith, so that he took up what was at hand to do battle. But I believe it wasn’t only his skill that felled Goliath that day, but God’s providence that clinched his success.

My challenge from the story of David and Goliath is wrapped up in these snippets from my study notes on Judges:

“We take steps of faith and courage, and trust in the providence of God … Providence continues to be God’s gift to His people. What’s in your hand? As you partner with God, His grace will come on you. Take a risk this week. Believe God to be with you. Your “hand tool” will make a difference” - Derrick Hamre.

PRAYER:  Dear Father, thank You that as I step out in faith with You on my side, I too can win unlikely victories. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

God sees past birth order

Siblings (Image: Pixabay)

TODAY’S SPECIAL: 1 Samuel 17:26-40

TO CHEW ON: “Now Eliab, his oldest brother, heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger was aroused against David, and he said, ‘Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.’”  1 Samuel 17:28


Two days ago we looked at how various people viewed David. Here we see him from another angle—as his older brother saw him. David’s answer to Eliab’s “Why did you come here?” is almost a nonchalant shrug: ”’What have I done now?’” It tells me that this was not the first time Eliab was on his case.

Their interchange reminds me of other Bible first born / later-born conflicts.

• Cain killed his younger brother Abel. 
• Jacob connived how to get his father’s firstborn blessing from older Esau. 
• Joseph (the second-youngest) was hated by his older brothers. 
• In Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son, it’s the oldest dutiful big brother who ends up being the antihero of the story.

Perhaps one reason Bible firstborns had trouble with their younger siblings getting special treatment was because in Israel special privilege was supposed to go to the oldest son, as in:

“… a larger inheritance, a special paternal blessing, family leadership, and an honored place at mealtimes (Genesis 25:5-6; 27:35-37; 37:21; 42:37; 43:33; Deuteronomy 21:15-17). … In Israelite ritual, the firstborn belonged to God (Exodus 13:2; 22:29-30; Numbers 3:13)” - “What's the significance of 'first-born' in the Bible” from GotAnswers.org.

As an oldest myself, I am not unsympathetic toward these Bible firstborns. Psychologist Dr. Kevin Leman has studied and written about characteristics that are often found in people according to their birth order (The Birth Order Book). I can see how many of the qualities typically found in last borns readily grate on firstborns.

Firstborn qualities: conscientious, well-organized, serious, goal-oriented, achieving, people pleaser, believer in authority, perfectionist, reliable, list-maker, critical, self-sacrificing, conservative, supporter of law and order, legalistic, self-reliant .


Lastborn qualities: manipulative, charming, blame others, attention seekers, tenacious, people person, natural salesperson, precocious, engaging, affectionate, love surprises - Kevin Leman, The Birth Order Book, 80,167.

God often chose those born later in the family for special assignments:

• Of the sons of Jacob, middle-born Judah established the ancestral line of Jesus.
• Moses, a youngest son, led Israel out of Egypt.
• Solomon (not the oldest but middle or youngest) was the one chosen of David’s sons to become king.

But God also chose firstborns. Jesus, a firstborn, is our Messiah and Saviour.

All this to say that whatever qualities we’re born with or that our family has nurtured in us, we still need to be yielded to God for His purposes. It’s not birth order or societally mandated privilege that determines whether God can use us or not. It’s what’s in our hearts (1 Samuel 16:7).

PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for my family and how they have molded me. Help me to yield my firstborn tendencies to You for whatever destiny You have planned for me. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

What defies you?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Samuel 17:1-16

TO CHEW ON: "And the Philstine said, 'I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man that we may fight together.' 
When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistines they were dismayed and greatly afraid." - 1 Samuel 17:10,11


Consider the description of this nine-foot, nine-inch man. His head-to-foot  metal armor weighed as much as a person (about 126 lbs.). He carried a bronze javelin between his shoulders (trying to envision how that would look!) and an iron spear with a 16-lb. head. He walked behind a shield that took another soldier to carry.

He reminds me of the superhero action figures of kids' TV shows or video games. Only, he was no cartoon, but real and heart-stoppingly scary as his voice boomed out, above the clinking and clanging of his armor: "I defy the armies of Israel..."

The way today's reading stops short of giving us God's solution to the Goliath problem has me looking at the problem aspect of the story more closely than I usually do. It reminds me of some of the giants that shout, "I defy you..." in my life: an issue that has persisted for over a year in our strata complex, family members who stay away from God, illnesses that threaten loved ones, a career challenge that's forcing me out of my comfort zone. These things easily bring out the "dismayed and greatly afraid" feelings in me that Goliath evoked in Saul's soldiers.

What things shout, "I defy you..." in your life? Identify and name your giants because I have a feeling we'll be taking steps to deal with them in the days ahead.


PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for this first step of facing and naming the things that seem too big for me to conquer. Help me to be honest with myself about the giants in my life. Amen.

MORE: A local giant experience

I am working on this post the morning after we attended the first meeting of Vancouver’s Festival of Hope—a series of meetings in Rogers Arena with lots of contemporary worship bands and keynote speaker Franklin Graham (Billy Graham Association).

There was much controversy over these meetings.
- Christianity Today ran a critical piece.

- So did the Vancouver Sun.

- Vancouver’s mayor opposed it with even some leaders of Vancouver’s church community wanting it shut down, or at least get the speaker changed from Franklin Graham to someone else (and not only leaders from mainline, liberal churches but so-called conservative, evangelical denominations like Baptists and Christian and Missionary Alliance).

It felt like a “I defy you” moment for the church and Christian community in greater Vancouver and it certainly spurred us on to pray.

This article details the results of that first meeting: “Opposition turns to opportunity for good news in Vancouver."

Thousands were in attendance. Rogers Arena was filled to the rafters March 3, 2017. Praises to Jesus rocked the place! (Photo © 2017 by V. Nesdoly)

Seven hundred came forward at decision time. Thank You Lord!!

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Bad choices and a bad end

Saul's Final Battle - Artist unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Samuel 31:1-13

TO CHEW ON: "So Saul, his three sons, his armor bearer, and all his men died together that same day." 1 Samuel 31:6

Here we read of Saul's death. How did he come to this humiliating end?

He began well. Samuel chose Saul and assured him of God's presence and help: " Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man." - 1 Samuel 10:6.

After only two years of being king, though, the trouble started. At war with the Philistines, Saul assembled an army then waited at Gilgal for Samuel to come and make an offering before they went into battle. He waited seven days and still no Samuel. When the army began to scatter, he took matters into his own hands and performed the sacrifice himself. No sooner had he finished than Samuel appeared and there were fireworks:

Samuel: ““You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.  But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”" - 1 Samuel 13:13,14.

Sometime later, Samuel told him to fight the Amalekites. His instructions were "Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them" 1 Samuel 15:3. However, Saul obeyed only partially (1 Samuel 15:9), claiming he had spared the livestock as offerings. Then God sent Samuel to Saul with the another message:

“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
As in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
And to heed than the fat of rams.

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,
And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,He also has rejected you from being king” - 1 Samuel 15:22,23

Saul did have a long reign. Bible scholars believe he was around 20 years old when he was crowned and he reigned 40 years. But his time as king was overshadowed by the consequences of his impatience, lack of faith, disobedience, and rebellion. After God told him that the kingly succession would leave his family, suspicion and jealousy ruled his life (1 Samuel 20:30). Finally, after Samuel's death when he no longer heard from God at all, he was full of fear - 1 Samuel 28:8-20.

The sins for which Saul are known are hardly foreign to us. Who of us hasn't been tempted, perhaps gone through with enacting our own plans when God seemed slow to answer and our impatience got the best of us? Similarly, we are not strangers to disobedience, rebellion, suspicion, jealous, and fear.

There's no question that God was with Saul, and yet he ended so badly because he gave in to his natural tendency to do things on his own. May we learn from his life that such choices on our part will also have their consequences.


PRAYER: Dear God, help me to consistently exercise faith and choose to obey. Amen.
 
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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Weapons of choice

"Armor of God" Illustrator 
of Henry Davenport Northrop's 
'Treasures of the Bible', 1894

Armor of God

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Samuel 17:41-58

TO CHEW ON: "Then David said to the Philistine, 'You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.'" 1 Samuel 17:45

I don't think it was the sling that was David's most powerful weapon. Rather, it was the spiritual armor he wore and used. The "name of the Lord of Hosts" was both motivation, defense and offense to David. Defending God's honor against Goliath's blasphemy was reason enough to volunteer his life. God's strong name served as protection and tested weapon. The sling was just the physical weapon God chose to use in this case to win a physical and spiritual battle.

Spiritual weapons take various forms in the Bible.

• Jesus, when Satan tempted Him, talked about living by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4).

• Paul described the armor of God in detail in Ephesians 6:10-20. The sword—that part of the armor that not only defends but also takes new territory—is the word of God (Ephesians 6:7).

• Hebrews 4:12 tells us about that Word-sword in more detail. The writer calls it living, powerful, sharp, piercing, dividing and laying bare soul and spirit, thoughts and intentions.

• In Paul's view of battle, the fight begins in our own minds. He tells the Corinthian Christians to use spiritual weapons, especially that Word-sword, to pull down strongholds and arguments, and to bring every thought captive to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:4,5).

What battles are we facing today? Is God's honor at stake in them? If we are known as His, His children, on His side, eager for Him to have a good reputation, then it is.

Have we subjected our own selves—our thoughts and motives—to the sword of God's word?

Then, sure of our cause and motives, we can use those spiritual weapons to fight our battles too, trusting God to take our ineffectual physical weapons, our pathetic slings whatever they are, and transform them into effective and dangerous stones, bullets, bombs, missiles. 

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to see the spiritual aspect of the battles in my life, and to learn how to use spiritual weapons. May they be my "tested" weapons of choice. Amen.

MORE: The attitude of the warrior

One aspect of spiritual warfare I didn't mention above is prayer. It is the attitude of alertness, persistence and constant connection with our Commander with which all weapons (spiritual and physical) should be wielded:

"Pray in the Spirit at all times  and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere." - Ephesians 6:18

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Single focus

David - Bible Story Reader Book One

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Samuel 17:17-40

TO CHEW ON: "Moreover David said, 'The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.'" 1 Samuel 17:37.

So much of how we handle life's challenges depends on our outlook. That is molded by what voices we listen to and what we tell ourselves.

David could have been discouraged from facing Goliath at several points.

• His older brother questioned his right to be there. He reminded David that he was merely a shepherd, not a soldier. He accused David of wrong motives, of coming to the battlefield out of curiosity, insolence, and pride.

• Saul reminded him of his youth and inexperience.

• David could have backed down after taking a good look at Goliath. But David saw this enemy in an interesting way. Goliath's defiance of God prompted David to put him in the same category as the brute beasts—the lion and bear that God had helped him defeat.

Instead of looking at himself or the enemy, David's entire focus was on God. In the light of God's power and greatness David's lack of training, youth, inexperience, and the size and ferocity of the enemy were non-issues.

He models a very basic principle of faith for us. For we too need to keep our eyes on God and nothing else. We can very quickly talk ourselves away from the battlefield if we focus on the big problem and our lacks. But when we focus on God, recalling how the Bible describes Him and reviewing how He has helped us in the past, we'll have the faith to go out and face our giants.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for David's incredible faith. Please help me to put my faith in You and not listen to voices that tell me the problem is too big and I am inadequate. Amen.

MORE: God-focus verses to memorize

Philippians 4:13

2 Corinthians 12:9

Ephesians 3:16

Colossians 1:11

1 Timothy 1:12

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Unlikely saviour

Goliath vs. David (Artist unknown)

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Samuel 17:1-16

TO CHEW ON: "David was the youngest." 1 Samuel 17:14

The giant Goliath facing and defying the Israelite army (1 Samuel 17:10,11) reminds me of the challenges and fears we face from time to time. Things like illness, unemployment, financial woes, concerns over our children etc.:
- seem huge and unconquerable.
- feel like a threat to our very lives—certainly to our enjoyment of them.
- fill our imaginations with worst case scenarios.
- present themselves persistently, day after day. There's no end in sight!

If we were reading the story of David and Goliath for the first time and saw David coming on the scene, we would not foresee what is ahead. For he is young, a shepherd not a soldier, and on a lowly errand for his dad.

Of course we know how the story continues. How it's David's outrage at Goliath provoking and defying "the living God" that spurs him into action (1 Samuel 17:26). And it's his skill with weapons, albeit humble ones, along with his complete trust in God that has him going out to confront this 9 foot, 9 inch specimen (1 Samuel 17:34,37).

As we pray for relief from the intimidation of our life giants, let's also renew our faith in God. Let's start looking at life's "I defy you" moments not as the beginning of  seasons of fear, worry, and anxiety but as opportunities for God to show Himself strong on our behalf by bringing us out of or through them. And let's not be surprised when He does it through entirely unlikely and unexpected people or events.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to look at challenging circumstances not through eyes of fear, but eyes of faith. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Kingdom's supporting cast

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Samuel 15:34-16:13

TO CHEW ON: "Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward." 1 Samuel 16:13


For David, Samuel's request that he return home from the hills of Bethlehem to be anointed the future king of Israel came out of the blue (actually, it came out of the blue for Samuel too).

He was young at this time. My Bible's study notes suggest he was 15.

Though Samuel had voiced concerns to God about how Saul would take it if he knew Samuel was on a mission to anoint a new king (1 Samuel 16:1,2), this wasn't a totally private affair. Samuel seems comfortable anointing David in the presence of his family.

The act was a pivotal moment in David's life. The Spirit of God "came upon David from that day forward." But the Spirit's presence didn't spare him years of being trained and gaining experience. A meteoric rise to prominence with King Saul and the Israelite commoners was followed by living as a hunted outlaw in the wilderness before he was publicly anointed king, first over Judah (2 Samuel 2) and then over all Israel (2 Samuel 5).

David's example reminds me of some stories I've heard of current Christian leaders and their early "anointing." My own pastor tells of how God met him powerfully at camp when his age was barely in the double digits. Later when he was considering the direction of his life, memories of that encounter pulled him away from dreams of becoming a lawyer or politician, to Bible college and full-time ministry.

Those of us whose future is largely behind us can be the Samuels—the conduits of the Spirit's anointing. We can also be the family onlookers—not suspicious, cynical, and maybe even jealous, as David's oldest brother Eliab seems to be (1 Samuel 17:28)—but supportive, praying over and blessing our youth as God claims them for future leadership roles.

Practically we can make our churches welcoming places for them. We can support the youth department, make it possible for children and teens to go to camp, youth conference, and short-term mission trips—any place they will encounter God in a powerful way.

If we know of young people who have had a meeting with God and are straying, we can keep praying that God will remind them of His early touch on their lives and make them lonesome for Him. We can pray that they will again hear the voice of the Spirit that marked them for a kingdom destiny when they were young.

PRAYER: Dear God, please fill me with Your Spirit to recognize and affirm those You have anointed for particular roles in Your kingdom—including members of my family. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The leaven of hypocrisy

Saul tears Samuel's robe - Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld (1851-1860)

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Samuel 15:10-31


TO CHEW ON: "Then he said,'I have sinned, yet honour me now, please, before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may worship the Lord your God.'" 1 Samuel 15:30.

Saul was an ancient Pharisee in that he was a hypocrite. He wanted Samuel to attend the sacrifice with him in front of Israel's elders as if nothing was wrong, even though Samuel had just caught him in a bold-faced lie and told him that God had rejected him as king.

[Hypocrisy: The pretense of having feelings or characteristics one does not possess; especially the deceitful assumption of praiseworthy qualities - Funk & Wagnalls Standard College Dictionary.]

The ancients were well acquainted with hypocrisy. Note this vivid description of a hypocrite:

"The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart; His words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords" Psalm 55:21.

Jesus' hypocrisy meter clicked fast and furious whenever a Pharisee was around. For example there was the day He was invited to dinner at a Pharisee's home and He neglected the ceremonial washing. His host "...marveled that He had not first washed before dinner." Jesus responded: "Now you Pharisees, make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness" - Luke 11:37-39.

Jesus called the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees "leaven" (yeast) (Luke 12:1). We know how yeast acts. It starts out small and isolated, but gradually grows and expands to permeate the whole lump of dough. Jesus was in effect saying that everything the Pharisees did was infected with hypocrisy.

Other New Testament references to hypocrisy show us how it can infect us too.

• Jesus warned about the temptation to do even our religious practice (like giving and praying) with a view to impress. But God who sees us through and through is not fooled (Matthew 6:2-6).

• James talks about the hypocrisy of partiality as we defer to those among us who appear wealthy and influential while ignoring the person who is humble and poor (James 2:1).

• John warns about generally thinking of ourselves as better than we are and without sin, and thus self-deceived and separated from God (1 John 1:8-10).

The picture of hypocrisy as leaven sticks with me. How subtly it comes in. How silently it grows. How widespread it becomes. Is there any of that yeast in my life? In yours?

PRAYER: Dear God, please alert me to the hypocrisy in my life. Help me to recognize it and get rid of it, just like the Israelites rid their homes of leaven before feast days. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Does God like the look of your heart?

"The youngest one was out keeping the herd"
From "L'ancien testament",  Lucile Butel illustrator

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Samuel 16:1-23


TO CHEW ON: "But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'" 1 Samuel 16:7

The Oscar Awards are a big night for appearance-driven Hollywood. After award night, social and mainstream media is full of comments about what people wore, how they handled themselves, who was well-spoken and who not. I wonder what God would have said to Samuel about that affair.

Actually, Samuel himself was prone to judge by appearances, thinking surely Jesse's handsome son Eliab must be God's choice, or Abinadab, or Shammah. But no. Each good-looking man was passed over until there were none left and Samuel had to get Jesse to call young David from sheep-herding.

What was the secret of David's heart that made it acceptable to God? Paul refers to this incident in Acts 13 where he says, "He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said 'I have found David the son of Jesse a man after my own heart, who will do all my will'" - Acts 13:22).

It was the willingness to do, the obedience factor, that God valued in David, and the disobedience in Saul that caused God to reject him (1 Samuel 15:20-23).

It is still an essential ingredient God looks for in people. Obeying God:

• is the key to prosperity and success (Joshua 1:8).
• is the basis on which we call God our God (Jeremiah 7:23).
• is our pass into the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 7:21).
• gives us the privilege of being part of God's family (Luke 8:21).
• trumps our loyalty and obedience to people (sometimes even the laws of the land) (Acts 5:29).
• demonstrates that we love God (2 John 1:6).

Every time I read this story, I come away asking, What would be God's verdict on my heart? What about yours?


PRAYER: Dear God, help me to see myself as You see me. Also, please give me insight into others and a heart that values the things that You value above outward appearances. Amen.


MORE: "To Obey Is Better Than Sacrifice" - Keith Green

Our actions seen and weighed

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Samuel 2:1-11

TO CHEW ON: “Talk no more so very proudly;
Let no arrogance come from your mouth,
For the Lord is the God of knowledge;
And by Him actions are weighed." - 1 Samuel 2:3

Tim Challies in his book The Next Story reminds us of how the internet and wireless technology has made much of our lives traceable. Search engine data, email, telephone and text message records, our twitter stream, not to speak of what we write on blogs and comment on web pages can all be cobbled together to form a picture of who we are. Of course, if we have nothing to hide, we don't worry a lot about this, relying on the improbability that anyone will actually take the time and effort to sleuth it all out and join the dots.

However, there is One who doesn't need Google's search engine records to know what kind of person we are: "The Lord, the God of knowledge." He is the One who knows us in an all-inclusive Psalm 139 way and will eventually weigh our actions.

Our focus verse today is part of a prayer, offered by Hannah after keeping her promise that if she would have a son, she would give him back to the Lord.  It's interesting that later in the chapter of today's reading, after Hannah has finished praying and gone home, probably in blissful ignorance of the tainted environment in which she's left Samuel (barely out of toddlerhood) the writer begins  the story of Eli's sons. They turn out to be a living illustration of what she has just prayed.

He begins the story about them: "Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the Lord" - 1 Samuel 2:12. Then he describes how they were flaunting the rules of handling the sacrifices, and ends: "Thus the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the Lord" - 1 Samuel 2:17.

Whether the people knew Eli's sons were sinning or not isn't clear, and isn't the issue. What mattered was that God saw and His evaluation counted.

I take two challenges from today's passage.

1. I need to realize that God knows even my most private moments. Despite the digital trail I leave with my daily actions, I may be able to maintain a comfortable degree of privacy from others. But I can't hide anything from Him. He not only sees my actions, but knows how to weigh them — interpret the motivations from which they come.

2. I want to live in such a way that if someone actually took the time to piece together the digital bits I leave behind, that trail would glorify Jesus.

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to live each moment with the consciousness that You see. And help me to gain the wisdom to weigh my actions with the scales that You use. Amen.

MORE: Hannah's prayer
You would imagine that at such a wrenching time for a mother,  Hannah's thoughts could have been of self-pity or wishing she could go back on her promise. But no. Her prayer is anything but selfish. It is a grand peon of praise to God and considered one of the twelve great prayers of the Old Testament. Walter Brueggemann says of her prayer:

"She sings of a surprise in gratitude. She sings that her family will continue. She sings that her people will have a future. She sings that through this little boy named 'asked' there will soon be newness for the poor and needy and hungry and feeble. She sings in the way singing is possible only among those who have felt the powerful invasiveness of YHWH's newness where no newness was possible. She sings of the God who 'brings life' She sings to the God who raises up. This is the God who lifts the needy. Hannah is the voice of all those who still have ashes in their hair and in their throats, who find themselves on the way to royal banquets and safe places" - Walter Brueggemann, Great Prayers of the Old Testament,  p. 32.

Does God like the look of your heart?

"The youngest one was out keeping the herd"
From "L'ancien testament",  Lucile Butel illustrator

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Samuel 16:1-23


TO CHEW ON: "But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'" 1 Samuel 16:7

Our society's fascination with award ceremonies for entertainers intrigues me. There is a huge media buzz around the Oscars, Tonys, Emmys, Grammys and, in Canada, the Junos. The list of winners tells us who has impressed the judges with performance. News reporting on such evenings is full of red carpet gossip about appearances--who made a splash, wearing what, on the arm of whom.  I'm sure God's evaluation of the people in these events would be quite different from what we read in the paper or online.

Actually, Samuel was himself prone to judge by appearances, thinking surely handsome Eliab must be God's choice, or Abinadab, or Shammah. But no. Each good-looking man was passed over until there were none left and Samuel had to get Jesse to call young David from sheep-herding.

What was the secret of David's heart that made it acceptable to God? Paul refers to this incident in Acts 13 where he says, "He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said 'I have found David the son of Jesse a man after my own heart, who will do all my will'" - Acts 13:22).

It was the willingness to do, the obedience factor, that God valued in David, and the disobedience in Saul that caused God to reject him (1 Samuel 15:20-23).

It is still an essential ingredient God looks for in people. Obeying God:

• is the key to prosperity and success (Joshua 1:8).
• is the basis on which we call God our God (Jeremiah 7:23).
• is our pass into the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 7:21).
• gives us the privilege of being part of God's family (Luke 8:21).
• trumps our loyalty and obedience to people (sometimes even the laws of the land) (Acts 5:29).
• demonstrates that we love God (2 John 1:6).

Every time I read this story, I come away asking, What would be God's verdict on my heart? What about yours?


PRAYER: Dear God, help me to see myself as You see me. Also, please give me insight into others and a heart that values the things that You value above outward appearances. Amen.


MORE: "To Obey Is Better Than Sacrifice" - Keith Green




(From the archives)

Rejected

TODAY’S SPECIAL: 1 Samuel 15:10-23

TO CHEW ON: “’Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the Word of the Lord, he also has rejected you from being king.’” 1 Samuel 15:22-23

Some years have passed from when Samuel anointed the handsome Saul as Israel’s first king. The monarch has changed from a shy, humble young man to a confident ruler who is full of himself (1 Samuel 15:12), looks out for his own interests, and is agile with excuses.

When Samuel confronts him with the fact that he didn’t obey God in completely destroying the Amalekites, he takes a self-defense tack that is not unfamiliar to us:

1. "What sin?" He pretends he hasn't done anything wrong and acts like everything is as it should be.
Saul: “I have performed the commandment of the Lord.” vs. 13

2. He makes excuses for himself, blaming someone else.
Saul: “…the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen …” vs. 15

3. He quibbles over definitions, changing the meaning of words to suit himself.
Samuel: “Why did you not obey the voice of the Lord?” vs. 19
Saul: “But I have obeyed the voice of the Lord.” vs. 20-21

4. He rationalizes his disobedience, and twists it into a good thing.
Saul: “The people took of the plunder…to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.” vs. 21

Samuel exposes the root of Saul’s actions and defenses. His opposition to God’s commands is really rebellion and stubbornness, equivalent to witchcraft and idolatry. It results in God rejecting him as king.

If there is a quality that characterizes our society today, it is rebellion. Note the second definition of rebel:  “a person who resists any authority, control, or tradition.”

Rebellion comes to us naturally. Our society admires defiant and rugged individualists. Criticism of authority and resistance to it is the very life-blood of the media. And though the success of a democracy depends on the ability of citizens to make wise choices about leadership (which includes critical thinking), we need to beware that such habits of critical thinking can morph into a rebellious attitude toward God.

What do I do when confronted by my disobedience? If I pretend there is no issue, make excuses, blame someone else, quibble over definitions, or rationalize my sin into a good thing, perhaps there is rebellion (witchcraft and idolatry) in my own heart.

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to obey you implicitly. Point out any rebellion in my heart, then help me to deal with it. I want no God but You. Amen.

MORE:  A symptom of disobedience

“Our insistence in proving that we are right (when confronted with some aspect of Jesus’ teaching) is nearly always an indication that there has been some point of disobedience.”

- Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest - June 30th reading

(From the archives)