How Much

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

HOW MUCH

1 Sam 15:16-23

16 "Stop!" Samuel said to Saul. "Let me tell you what the LORD said to me last night." "Tell me," Saul replied. 17 Samuel said, "Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel. 18 And he sent you on a mission, saying, 'Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; make war on them until you have wiped them out.' 19 Why did you not obey the LORD? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the LORD?" 20 "But I did obey the LORD," Saul said. "I went on the mission the LORD assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. 21 The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the LORD your God at Gilgal." 22 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. 23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king."

NIV

Did Saul really blame the soldiers for bringing back the plunder, thinking he obeyed the LORD, but they didn’t? Even in his arrogance of saying that he went on the mission the LORD assigned him, which was to destroy every living creature, men, women, children, donkeys, sheep, cattle, and whatever else had the breath of life in it, yet he brought the king of the Amalekites back alive. Then Saul calls the LORD the God of Samuel. Did Saul think he was not his God? It is just strange. However, our lesson is in the response of Samuel regarding what the LORD delights in. It is not a burnt offering. He does not delight in sacrifices, but he does delight in being obeyed. Because Saul did not obey, even if he thought he did, his disobedience was considered a rejection of the LORD. We understand that we live in the age of grace, that we have been accepted by God because we are in Jesus. Even though that sounds a little Christianese, we are not actually in Jesus, for he is in heaven, and we are not yet there. However, the point is that we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, which means we have been forgiven and will not receive any condemnation from God. Yet, we still are expected to obey rather than just think we obey, then go about doing what we think is best. The question is just how far do we take this, obeying the Lord? Does that mean just regarding religious matters, or church activities? They may be or may not be spiritual, or in obedience to the Lord. How do we do in obeying the Lord in our normal day-to-day living? Do we get too invested in our own feelings, emotions, thoughts, that we lose track of the word of God and the fact that he delights when we obey? We wonder how many choices we have made in life based on our wants or needs, and have not listened to the counsel of the Lord? What about this arrogance, like the evil of idolatry? Have we created or taken on any form of something like an idol? What would that be in our culture or society? We need to examine ourselves regarding what could be an idol in our lives, even idolizing something or a way of life. Do we think more about doing anything based on our thinking, or wait upon the Lord and follow his thinking? How much do we obey the Lord?

 

Building Monuments

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

BUILDING MONUMENTS

1 Samuel 15:12-16

12 Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, "Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal." 13 When Samuel reached him, Saul said, "The LORD bless you! I have carried out the LORD's instructions." 14 But Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?" 15 Saul answered, "The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the LORD your God, but we totally destroyed the rest." 16 "Stop!" Samuel said to Saul. "Let me tell you what the LORD said to me last night."

NIV

We will get to what the LORD said to Samuel that night before he found Saul, but there are two nuggets of truth within this first exchange of words between Saul and Samuel. The first is when Saul went to Carmel and set up a monument in his own honor. How arrogant to build a monument in honor of oneself. Did Saul think he was that great of a king that he needed a monument? This takes us directly to how we are not to live. If we are living humbly before our God and people, we certainly should not do anything that would resemble a monument. Of course, we would never build a statue or other form of monument, even a plaque to hang in our honor. However, we wonder if there are times we might get puffed up a bit and want some honor because of all our “Good works”. In that case, our deeds would resemble a monument that we have set up for ourselves. Self-edification can come in several forms other than works. We can become prideful, or boastful about how much education we have, or how well we have done investing in the world’s financial markets. We can desire honor because of the position we hold, first in the world, second in the church. We need to be careful about those monuments in our honor. The second nugget of truth is when Samual simply said, “Stop”. Saul was lying through his teeth, to coin a phrase. He was instructed to destroy everything of the Amalekites, to completely wipe them and all their possessions from the face of the earth. Saul failed, but then began to make some excuses, or simply lies about why he did what he did, then to top that failure off, he built that monument in honor of himself. Now he will be known as one who lies. But Samel wanted no more of those lies, so he told Saul, “Stop, let me tell you what the LORD said to me last night”. This should give us several clues for life. First, we must ask ourselves if we have lied to make ourselves look good, or give an excuse for our behavior? Second, it is appropriate at times to tell someone, “Stop”, as when we hear them begin to gossip, criticize someone, or voice some condemnation or judgment about someone’s behavior, actions, or words. It might be appropriate to tell a fellow believer, “Stop” when they begin to boast about themselves or endeavor to build a monument in their honor. Of course, we should also make sure the log is not in our eyes, as we try to look for that speck. Still, Samuel shows us it is right to say, “Stop” when needed. Let us live with no excuses or build any monuments. 

Trust and Obey

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

TRUST AND OBEY

1 Samuel 15:1-11

15:1 Samuel said to Saul, "I am the one the LORD sent to anoint you king over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the LORD. 2 This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. 3 Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.'" 4 So Saul summoned the men and mustered them at Telaim — two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men from Judah. 5 Saul went to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the ravine. 6 Then he said to the Kenites, "Go away, leave the Amalekites so that I do not destroy you along with them; for you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt." So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites. 7 Then Saul attacked the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, to the east of Egypt. 8 He took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword. 9 But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs — everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed. 10 Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel: 11 "I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions." Samuel was troubled, and he cried out to the LORD all that night.

NIV

When God gives instructions, they are to be fulfilled right down to his every word. Saul failed to follow the LORD’s command. Samuel told Saul to listen to the message from the LORD. Because Saul did not follow the message and did not destroy every living person and everything in possession of the Amalekites, he either was not listening, or he had his own agenda that he had purposed in his heart to take some plunder. When he destroyed all that was despised and weak and kept everything that was good, it showed he was not a man after God’s own heart, but a man after his own heart. When Saul failed to follow the LORD’s message, the LORD grieved that He had made Saul king. It is strange to see the LORD say he was grieved, or as the Hebrew word means, regret, to be sorry, to repent. Because the LORD is all-knowing and lives outside the constraints of time, we must believe the LORD already knew Saul would not do what he was supposed to do. How can the Lord God, who knows everything, our thoughts before we think them, our words before we speak them, our actions before we act, regret making Saul king? Was not this the plan of God all along, so that David would ascend to the throne? However, the LORD wanted Samuel to know that Saul was on his way out, and Samuel's response was to be troubled and cry out to the LORD all night. We will see later in this chapter, Samuel telling Saul the LORD has rejected him as king; however, we still have a truth here we need to consider as a lesson. When we are given instructions from the Lord, we are to follow them to the fullest. Saul received his instruction from the LORD through the prophet Samuel. We do not have someone like Samuel to speak the word of the Lord to us, but we have the word of God in printed form, which contains his instructions. We also have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us who illuminates the Lord’s word, revealing the truth to us. It is also possible that God can speak directly into our hearts, or even into our ears. We have already considered and taken to heart the fact that we cannot put God in a box with our own ideas of how God should speak. However, if he never speaks directly to us either through a prophet, the Spirit, or verbally, he speaks to us through his word, which we call the bible. The problem is whether we follow those instructions to the tee, or do we ignore some. How much latitude does the Lord give us before he rejects us as his sons? We have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, as we have been born again, or born from above. Jesus said, "Unless we are born again, we will not see the kingdom of heaven." But what about all the rest of the commands of the Lord? What about the beatitudes, or two commands Jesus said all the law and the prophets are fulfilled when we love the Lord with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and love our neighbor as ourselves? Do we at least follow those two to the fullest? Then there are those words he speaks to us personally. His call upon our lives, where he sends us, or what place in the body we are supposed to be, those are personal messages from the Lord. Do we follow his path for our lives completely, or do we slip in a little of our own hearts’ desires? We need to be careful making sure we stay in his plan, and as Jesus said many times, “Follow me”, we must follow him fully.  Saul did not trust or obey the LORD. We have been called to trust and obey. How are we doing? 

Always Love

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

ALWAYS LOVE

1 Samuel 14:36-46

36 Saul said, "Let us go down after the Philistines by night and plunder them till dawn, and let us not leave one of them alive." "Do whatever seems best to you," they replied. But the priest said, "Let us inquire of God here." 37 So Saul asked God, "Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will you give them into Israel's hand?" But God did not answer him that day. 38 Saul therefore said, "Come here, all you who are leaders of the army, and let us find out what sin has been committed today. 39 As surely as the LORD who rescues Israel lives, even if it lies with my son Jonathan, he must die." But not one of the men said a word. 40 Saul then said to all the Israelites, "You stand over there; I and Jonathan my son will stand over here." "Do what seems best to you," the men replied. 41 Then Saul prayed to the LORD, the God of Israel, "Give me the right answer." And Jonathan and Saul were taken by lot, and the men were cleared. 42 Saul said, "Cast the lot between me and Jonathan my son." And Jonathan was taken. 43 Then Saul said to Jonathan, "Tell me what you have done." So Jonathan told him, "I merely tasted a little honey with the end of my staff. And now must I die?" 44 Saul said, "May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if you do not die, Jonathan." 45 But the men said to Saul, "Should Jonathan die — he who has brought about this great deliverance in Israel? Never! As surely as the LORD lives, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground, for he did this today with God's help." So the men rescued Jonathan, and he was not put to death. 46 Then Saul stopped pursuing the Philistines, and they withdrew to their own land.

NIV

Once again, Saul makes a decision even though the LORD did not answer him. The men of Israel even told him to do what he thought best. What is wrong with these people? Do they not know the Lord is the Almighty God, the creator of the whole universe, although it is doubtful they are aware of anything other than the earth, sun, and moon? Even though they did not fully grasp a round Earth that circles the sun yet, they make their choices as if they are in charge of their lives, but acknowledge the existence of a God they don’t really know. Saul makes this charge that someone sinned because the LORD did not answer him that day. Then how rash can Saul be to ask the LORD to give him the right answer? But the Lord did set Saul and Jonathan apart, clearing all the leaders of Israel from being guilty of sin, and then the lot fell to Jonathan. Was that really the choosing of the LORD? Yet, the men of Israel defended Jonathan because what he did was a righteous act for the benefit of Israel, and it was Saul who treated Israel wrongly with that oath of fasting until night, which allowed the men of Israel to become faint. We continue to see poor leadership from Saul, plus acting as he saw fit. We constantly see this same lesson about not moving forward until the Lord gives the command, and then advancing forward with great gusto when the Lord tells us to move. However, we also see another truth when the men of Israel defended Jonathan against the will of Saul. They built up Jonathan as the one who brought about the great deliverance in Israel. That was true, but the point is that it is always right to build others up, not tear them down. Saul was thinking he had the right to kill the man who sinned, not against the LORD, but against his command regarding his unwise oath. We do not have the right under any circumstances to judge another’s sin, or the consequence they should pay. All judgment is reserved only for the Lord, and for those who have accepted the work of Jesus Christ on the cross, and the work of God, raising him from the tomb, will not be judged guilty of sin. Jesus paid it all. We are free of accusation, free from any penalty, because of Jesus. Of course, we are not to continue to freely or willingly sin, so that God’s grace may abound. However, when we do fail perfection and sin, which is inevitable as long as we live in this flesh, he does not condemn, but forgives. Saul did not want to forgive, but the men of Israel forced his hand, as they stood by Jonathan, building him up, loving him.  We are always supposed to forgive any offense against us or the Lord. First, because the Lord said that as we forgive those who trespass against us, he forgives us. But if we do not forgive, he will not forgive us. Second, how do we pick the speck from our brother’s eye when we have a log in our eyes? Are we not all sinners saved by grace? God is the only one who can judge, and we have already been judged as holy and pleasing in his sight, because we are in Jesus and He is in us. Still, we are supposed to build each other, as we are commanded to love one another, and love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Saul failed to love others, but only himself. Let us always protect each other, always trust one another, always hope in each other, and persevere with each other. We must always love. 

Dull or Bright

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

DULL OR BRIGHT

1 Samuel 14:24-35

24 Now the men of Israel were in distress that day, because Saul had bound the people under an oath, saying, "Cursed be any man who eats food before evening comes, before I have avenged myself on my enemies!" So none of the troops tasted food. 25 The entire army entered the woods, and there was honey on the ground. 26 When they went into the woods, they saw the honey oozing out, yet no one put his hand to his mouth, because they feared the oath. 27 But Jonathan had not heard that his father had bound the people with the oath, so he reached out the end of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it into the honeycomb. He raised his hand to his mouth, and his eyes brightened.   28 Then one of the soldiers told him, "Your father bound the army under a strict oath, saying, 'Cursed be any man who eats food today!' That is why the men are faint." 29 Jonathan said, "My father has made trouble for the country. See how my eyes brightened when I tasted a little of this honey. 30 How much better it would have been if the men had eaten today some of the plunder they took from their enemies. Would not the slaughter of the Philistines have been even greater?" 31 That day, after the Israelites had struck down the Philistines from Micmash to Aijalon, they were exhausted. 32 They pounced on the plunder and, taking sheep, cattle and calves, they butchered them on the ground and ate them, together with the blood. 33 Then someone said to Saul, "Look, the men are sinning against the LORD by eating meat that has blood in it." "You have broken faith," he said. "Roll a large stone over here at once." 34 Then he said, "Go out among the men and tell them, 'Each of you bring me your cattle and sheep, and slaughter them here and eat them. Do not sin against the LORD by eating meat with blood still in it.'" So everyone brought his ox that night and slaughtered it there. 35 Then Saul built an altar to the LORD; it was the first time he had done this.

NIV

Why would a leader make his people swear the oath he made? His oath was to avenge his enemy, and that should mean he would want his people, his army, to be at their full strength. He would want to build their strength, not weaken them by fasting all day, only to have to fight the battle against their enemy. A leader would not take his people to the point of exhaustion, and perhaps this is why the LORD had taken his kingship from Saul, as he found David, a man after his own heart, who will do whatever the LORD  tells him. The army was so distressed that after they took plunder from the Philistines, they slaughtered animals and ate them raw with the blood still in them, which was against the command of God. Here's the thing: it was not the fault of the people, but squarely on the shoulders of their leader, Saul, because of his oath. The fact is the Lord has said not to make an oath, or swear by his name falsely. Saul made a bad choice because he did not inquire of the LORD, having the priest hold back his hand, or stop asking the LORD. A leader needs to feed his people, to build up their strength so they can stand their ground, taking the sword of truth and cut right into the lies of the enemy of their souls. In fact, we all are to build each other up, strengthen each other, as the Hebrew says, brighten their eyes. Metaphorically, it is meant to strengthen, as when Jonathan ate, he was strengthened, or his eyes were brightened, which implies he was able to see the truth. Then a leader, as well as all of us, should feed each other the truth, which, when we eat the truth, our eyes will be brightened to see more truth, and as we feed on the truth of the word of God, our faith is strengthened. We can see some leaders not feeding their people, but sucking the very strength out of them to serve their own benefit. These are not leaders, but leeches, much like Saul when he drained the strength of his men for his own purpose. Lord, let us lead each other to the truth, feeding each other, brightening our eyes so they can see the truth of God and our faith be strengthened. Let us not have dull eyes, but bright eyes. 

Be Still and know He is God

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

BE STILL AND KNOW HE IS GOD

1 Sam 14:16-23

16 Saul's lookouts at Gibeah in Benjamin saw the army melting away in all directions. 17 Then Saul said to the men who were with him, "Muster the forces and see who has left us." When they did, it was Jonathan and his armor-bearer who were not there. 18 Saul said to Ahijah, "Bring the ark of God." (At that time it was with the Israelites.)   19 While Saul was talking to the priest, the tumult in the Philistine camp increased more and more. So Saul said to the priest, "Withdraw your hand." 20 Then Saul and all his men assembled and went to the battle. They found the Philistines in total confusion, striking each other with their swords. 21 Those Hebrews who had previously been with the Philistines and had gone up with them to their camp went over to the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. 22 When all the Israelites who had hidden in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were on the run, they joined the battle in hot pursuit. 23 So the LORD rescued Israel that day, and the battle moved on beyond Beth Aven.

NIV

There is much more to the story about the battle between Israel and the Philistines, but at this point, we are told that it was the LORD who rescued Israel that day. However, we are also seeing a mistake that Saul made concerning his inquiry of the LORD. He had Ahijah, the priest, bring the ark so that he could ask the LORD about what he was to do, but Saul could not wait for an answer from the LORD. He saw the total confusion within the Philistine camp and waited to take advantage, thus winning the battle. Perhaps he wanted the glory of the victory, but it was the LORD who won the victory, even with the impatience of Saul. The problem was that he wanted the priest to withdraw his hand, to stop seeking the counsel of the LORD. This is Saul’s downfall, for he does not wait for the LORD. We wonder how much we wait for the Lord? How much do we advance our position in life based on our own desires and use our abilities in an attempt to gain what we want? It would behoove us to be still and know that He is God. That being still implies that we do not advance without first seeking the guidance of the Lord. It also means that we wait until he gives us what direction we are to take. If we say that He is our Lord, then we are confessing he has absolute authority over us, which means we cannot do anything without his approval, and we should only do what he commands or directs us to do. This may not apply to the mundane things of life, as going to the store to buy food, getting gas in our car, or deciding which clothes we should buy, or any other of those daily chores of life. However, when it comes to our life paths, as to any career path, or job, where we live, what city, even the house, and where we attend worship, in other words, all the major decisions of life, we need to inquire of the Lord. Then, as we seek his direction, we need to stand still until we hear from the Lord. We have heard Christians say they assume they have a green light until God gives them a red light. That was the mistake of Saul, and we cannot afford that same error in judgment. At the same time, when the Lord speaks, however he speaks, we need to move according to his plan. He may speak to us through the Spirit who dwells within, he may speak in an audible voice, even appear to us in a vision, or he can speak to us through his divine word, impressing upon us the way we should go. We might have some success, in the view of the world, acting upon our own desires, but does that give us eternal success? Because Saul moved on his own counsel, God removed his kingship, anointing David as king, as God testified that David was a man after his own heart, and that he would do everything God told him. This has to be our story. We must stay the course the Lord has placed us on, not our own course. We know that whatever the Lord directs us, he will also empower us to walk accordingly. He will also provide all we need to walk the path he has laid out before us. The key is to be still and know that he is God. 

Prophesy and Panic

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

PROPHESY AND PANIC

1 Samuel 14:8-15

8 Jonathan said, "Come, then; we will cross over toward the men and let them see us. 9 If they say to us, 'Wait there until we come to you,' we will stay where we are and not go up to them. 10 But if they say, 'Come up to us,' we will climb up, because that will be our sign that the LORD has given them into our hands." 11 So both of them showed themselves to the Philistine outpost. "Look!" said the Philistines. "The Hebrews are crawling out of the holes they were hiding in." 12 The men of the outpost shouted to Jonathan and his armor-bearer, "Come up to us and we'll teach you a lesson." So Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, "Climb up after me; the LORD has given them into the hand of Israel." 13 Jonathan climbed up, using his hands and feet, with his armor-bearer right behind him. The Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer followed and killed behind him. 14 In that first attack Jonathan and his armor-bearer killed some twenty men in an area of about half an acre.   15 Then panic struck the whole army — those in the camp and field, and those in the outposts and raiding parties — and the ground shook. It was a panic sent by God.  

NIV

Two nuggets of truth are within this portion of the narrative about Jonathan and his armor-bearer. First, we believe that Jonathan was empowered with the gift of prophecy, as he made those choices that the Philistines would make once they saw Jonathan and his armor-bearer. If the Philistines told them to come up to them, Jonathan knew the LORD had given them into their hands. It was, in some sense, a fleece, but it was more of a prophetic declaration given to him by the LORD. God knew what was going to happen, and that he would give the Philistines into the hands of Jonathan and his armor-bearer, and he knew the response of the Philistines once they saw Jonathan and his armor-bearer. This is why we should trust the leading of the Spirit within us, because He knows the outcome of our actions and words before we act or speak. It is when we act or speak out of our own accord is when we can get into trouble or troubled times. It is always best to consult with the Spirit, then, knowing his plan, we can move forward with confidence, and our actions or speech will be successfully received. The second nugget of truth is about the panic of the whole Philistine army. Of course, the LORD gave them into the hands of Jonathan and his armor-bearer, as with the first attack together they killed some twenty men in an area about half an acre. Interestingly, on a side note, the Hebrew word defines the area as half a yoke, with a yoke being the amount of ground a farmer with a pair of oxen can plow a field in a day. However, the truth we want to focus on is that the whole army was sent into a panic because the ground shook, and the panic was sent by God. Who may ascend the hill of God, only he who has clean hands and a pure heart. The wicked, in this case, the Philistines, cannot ascend the hill of God, but are in absolute panic at the presence of God as he shakes the ground beneath them. We see this present world in panic because of the power of God. However, their panic has driven them to deny the existence of God and readily accept false gods and the people who serve them. There are whole areas of our country that have even elected officials who serve a false god, who has no ears to hear, eyes to see, or a mouth to speak, and no power to control any part of the earth. This is a full panic mode because even if they say they refuse to accept God, they are afraid of his power and his authority over them. It is if they are saying, “let us ignore God and find a god that has no power over us, then we can make our own rules.” However, a day is coming when the world will be full of panic because of God. The day with Jesus appears in the sky, and calls the believers up to meet him, it will be the worst day of panic for the wicked, as not only will we rise up, but the ground will quake as the dead rise from the graves all over the world. We can warn them of their impending panic, but will they listen? They will panic, but we will be at peace. 

I Am with You

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

I AM WITH YOU

1 Samuel 14:1-7

14:1 One day Jonathan son of Saul said to the young man bearing his armor, "Come, let's go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side." But he did not tell his father. 2 Saul was staying on the outskirts of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree in Migron. With him were about six hundred men, 3 among whom was Ahijah, who was wearing an ephod. He was a son of Ichabod's brother Ahitub son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the LORD's priest in Shiloh. No one was aware that Jonathan had left. 4 On each side of the pass that Jonathan intended to cross to reach the Philistine outpost was a cliff; one was called Bozez, and the other Seneh. 5 One cliff stood to the north toward Micmash, the other to the south toward Geba. 6 Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, "Come, let's go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised fellows. Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few." 7 "Do all that you have in mind," his armor-bearer said. "Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul."

NIV

There is no doubt in Jonathan's heart about the mighty hand of God. We wonder why he is not included among the men of faith in Hebrews. Although his armor bearer who we are not given his name, also has a story we can glean some truth from. First, as we look at this statement of Jonathan’s full faith in the LORD, we have another great lesson to apply to our lives. Although Jonathan did say that perhaps the LORD will act on their behalf, he also made that statement of faith, “Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few”. There is nothing that can hinder the Lord from saving anyone from the hand of the enemy. However, there is one person who can hinder the lord, and that person is us. We have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us who is the power of God who acts on our behalf. But we can quench the Spirit, to keep him at bay, so to speak. Yet, at the same time, if nothing can hinder the Lord from saving us, then are weak efforts to quench the Spirit are nothing compared to the mighty power of God. However, God does not force himself upon us, as he has given us, what we call, free will. He desires that we choose him, to believe him as we believe in him, and to trust him as we understand Jonathan did. Nothing can hinder the Lord, period. Nothing can hinder him from accomplishing his will in heaven and on earth. We pray for the exact thing when we pray as Jesus gave us that example. We do wonder if we truly believe with all our hearts the power of God and, with our unbelief, no matter how small it might be, limit all his power in our lives. We also see the faith of the armor bearer when he said to Jonathan, “Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul”.  Although this is a statement of the man who carried Jonathan’s armor, God is our armor bearing, as he has given us his armor, and we should be able to hear the Lord tell us, “Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul”. The Lord is with us, and he tells us to “Go ahead”, to move forward, to do what we have in our mind to do, as he directs our footsteps. Certainly, we cannot act according to our will, but in compliance with his will. Jonathan put the choice of his action in the hands of the LORD when he told his armor-bearer their actions depended on what the Philistines said to them. He was trusting the outcome of his actions to the LORD. This is the clue to a life of faith, putting our actions in the hands of the Lord, letting him direct our footsteps, and following the light he shines on the way we should go. Let us not hinder the Lord from doing all that he desires to do for us, in us and through us, for the Lord tells us, “I am with you”. 

The Battle

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

THE BATTLE

1 Samuel 13:15-23

15 Then Samuel left Gilgal and went up to Gibeah in Benjamin, and Saul counted the men who were with him. They numbered about six hundred. 16 Saul and his son Jonathan and the men with them were staying in Gibeah in Benjamin, while the Philistines camped at Micmash. 17 Raiding parties went out from the Philistine camp in three detachments. One turned toward Ophrah in the vicinity of Shual, 18 another toward Beth Horon, and the third toward the borderland overlooking the Valley of Zeboim facing the desert. 19 Not a blacksmith could be found in the whole land of Israel, because the Philistines had said, "Otherwise the Hebrews will make swords or spears!" 20 So all Israel went down to the Philistines to have their plowshares, mattocks, axes and sickles sharpened. 21 The price was two thirds of a shekel for sharpening plowshares and mattocks, and a third of a shekel for sharpening forks and axes and for repointing goads. 22 So on the day of the battle not a soldier with Saul and Jonathan had a sword or spear in his hand; only Saul and his son Jonathan had them. 23 Now a detachment of Philistines had gone out to the pass at Micmash.

NIV

Did the Philistines kill or capture all the blacksmiths in all of Israel? It seems odd that there would not be one blacksmith in all of Israel. But if the Philistines did eliminate all the blacksmiths, why did they sharpen the plowshares, forks, and axes for the men of Israel? It is a strange situation, and we wonder why it is important that we are told that only Saul and Jonathan had swords. How was Israel to defend itself against an army which all the men with swords with sharpened farm tools? We know what will happen in the next chapters, but what we gain from this for now is that it does not matter how few weapons Israel had because they were God’s people, and if they bow to him, he will win the battle for them. Maybe that would be the lesson that we need to consider. Because we are the people of God due to accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior we should know the Lord will fight our battles for us. It is not that we must face an advancing army invading our country, but we do have an enemy of our souls. He is always on the attack, attempting to defeat us and destroy our faith. When we consider that frontal attack on Job he never gave up his faith in God. However, it was God who allowed Satan to attack just to prove the faith of Job would not waver. When we face various attacks we cannot waver in our faith. It might be possible some of the schemes of the devil are not frontal attacks on our physical person, but he could cause just the opposite by giving us good things making us think we have everything we could ever want and thus not look to the provisions of the Lord. It is possible that if we become confident in our skills, talents, educational level, and subsequent ability to generate wealth, we may lose sight of needing or looking to God for all we are and all we need. Israel had nothing to be confident in as they had an army without swords to defend themselves, but they had the LORD, and he was enough. No scheme can overpower us, for we are dressed in the armor of God, and we have a sword. We can take our stand because we have the Lord who fights for us. We will see one man, Jonathon with one sword do damage to the Philistines because the LORD was with him. Let us never lose sight of our need of the Lord in our lives, so we are always prepared for the battle. 

Foolish or Follow

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

FOOLISH OR FOLLOW

1 Samuel 13:1-14

13:1 Saul was [thirty] years old when he became king, and he reigned over Israel [forty-] two years. 2 Saul chose three thousand men from Israel; two thousand were with him at Micmash and in the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah in Benjamin. The rest of the men he sent back to their homes. 3 Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost at Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. Then Saul had the trumpet blown throughout the land and said, "Let the Hebrews hear!" 4 So all Israel heard the news: "Saul has attacked the Philistine outpost, and now Israel has become a stench to the Philistines." And the people were summoned to join Saul at Gilgal. 5 The Philistines assembled to fight Israel, with three thousand chariots, six thousand charioteers, and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Micmash, east of Beth Aven. 6 When the men of Israel saw that their situation was critical and that their army was hard pressed, they hid in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in pits and cisterns. 7 Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear. 8 He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul's men began to scatter. 9 So he said, "Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings." And Saul offered up the burnt offering. 10 Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him. 11 "What have you done?" asked Samuel. Saul replied, "When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Micmash, 12 I thought, 'Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the LORD's favor.' So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering." 13 "You acted foolishly," Samuel said. "You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. 14 But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the LORD's command."

NIV

First, it is interesting the insert of (thirty) and (forty) as the Hebrew does not have the words for those two numbers in this verse. However, our story is about Saul who Samuel told him that he acted foolishly. In those days, there were three distinct positions, prophet, priest, and king, each with their appointed roles in Israel. Saul took on all three roles in that one act of offering a sacrifice to seek the LORD’s favor. Saul was chosen by God, through the prophet Samuel to be the king, but he was not neither a priest or a prophet and thus he acted outside the command of the LORD, and instead of gaining the LORD’s favor, he lost the favor of God and his reign over Israel would not last, as the LORD sought out a man after his own heart. We know this to be David. Luke records this event for us in the Acts of the Apostles, where the Lord testified about David, “I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, he will do everything I want him to”. Two lessons for us stand out in these verses of Samuel. First, we should not attempt to do that which we are not called to do. We cannot afford to act foolishly as Saul was charged with by Samuel. We need to be about doing that which we have been called and empowered to do. If we apply this to those in the ministry, we know that God gave the church four, maybe five gifts, as he gave some to be Apostles, some to be prophets, some to be Evangelists, and some to be Pastors and teachers. In Greek, the word Kai is used between Pastors and teachers, which is used to connect two words. Thus, we believe the Pastor and teacher are one gift. The point being is that if one is called to be an evangelist, that person should not try to be an Apostle, prophet, or pastor all wrapped up as one. This would apply to each of the gifts to the church, and with the other gifts given to all within the church, each should be faithful to that which they have been gifted and empowered. It would be foolish to think we can be used in all the gifts at the same time, as Saul thought he was compelled to do. Secondly, this testimony about David being a man after God’s one heart has the merit of pondering or considering why God would say that David would do all that he wants him to do. David was not a perfect man by any means, as we know the story of Bathsheba. This would mean that God did not expect David to be perfect to be a man after his own heart, but that David would do whatever God instructed him to do, or whatever God wanted David to do. This could apply to any of us if we are faithful in doing what God has called us to do. However, here is where the rub comes in, as we need to be aware of what God wants us to do. Of course, as a believer, we would think that would include all the commands of the Lord. Every verse in the New Testament could be considered how the Lord expects us to live; however, Jesus made it clear that loving God with our whole being and loving others as we love ourselves, wraps up all the law and the prophets. Therefore, if we keep those two, everything else will follow, yet even if we cannot comply perfectly, it does not mean we are not a person after God’s own heart. Still, we should want to do whatever the Lord wants us to do. The desire of our hearts should be to do whatever the Lord desires us to do. Because Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, we must deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow him. That is where we put the old self on the cross to die, or even after the old self is dead, we still must be able to deny ourselves if we want to follow Jesus. This is one of the more difficult things to do because we have desires and wants in this life that we chase after for ourselves. How do we deny that part of us? How do we seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and still want things we want? That is the question. 

Trust and Obey

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

TRUST AND OBEY

1 Samuel 12:6-25

6 Then Samuel said to the people, "It is the LORD who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your forefathers up out of Egypt. 7 Now then, stand here, because I am going to confront you with evidence before the LORD as to all the righteous acts performed by the LORD for you and your fathers. 8 "After Jacob entered Egypt, they cried to the LORD for help, and the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your forefathers out of Egypt and settled them in this place. 9 "But they forgot the LORD their God; so he sold them into the hand of Sisera, the commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hands of the Philistines and the king of Moab, who fought against them. 10 They cried out to the LORD and said, 'We have sinned; we have forsaken the LORD and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths. But now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve you.' 11 Then the LORD sent Jerub-Baal, Barak, Jephthah and Samuel, and he delivered you from the hands of your enemies on every side, so that you lived securely. 12 "But when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, 'No, we want a king to rule over us'-even though the LORD your God was your king. 13 Now here is the king you have chosen, the one you asked for; see, the LORD has set a king over you. 14 If you fear the LORD and serve and obey him and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the LORD your God — good! 15 But if you do not obey the LORD, and if you rebel against his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your fathers. 16 "Now then, stand still and see this great thing the LORD is about to do before your eyes! 17 Is it not wheat harvest now? I will call upon the LORD to send thunder and rain. And you will realize what an evil thing you did in the eyes of the LORD when you asked for a king." 18 Then Samuel called upon the LORD, and that same day the LORD sent thunder and rain. So all the people stood in awe of the LORD and of Samuel. 19 The people all said to Samuel, "Pray to the LORD your God for your servants so that we will not die, for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king." 20 "Do not be afraid," Samuel replied. "You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. 21 Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. 22 For the sake of his great name the LORD will not reject his people, because the LORD was pleased to make you his own. 23 As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. 24 But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. 25 Yet if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will be swept away."

NIV

This is a lot to take into consideration, but we just cannot break this warning of Samuel to the people who wanted a king so they could be like all the other nations. Samuel told them the history of how the LORD kept saving them whenever they found themselves in trouble and cried out to the LORD for help. Over and over again, their forefathers kept forsaking the LORD, and then trouble would come upon them; they would turn to the LORD, and He would deliver them. They were not always faithful to the LORD, but he is always faithful. Of course, the fact that the Lord is always faithful is a good lesson to keep in our hearts, yet Samuel also warns them about looking to useless idols, but instead to serve the Lord with all their heart. This is another great lesson we should keep deep within our souls. We have pondered on this command of Jesus about loving the Lord with all our mind, soul, spirit, and strength. We have considered whether we could somehow or sometimes have a divided heart. We confess that we love the Lord with our whole heart, yet do we glance, even stare at the things or the philosophies of this world. Do we truly trust the Lord to provide all our needs, and at the same time, look for financial security from the world’s system? The word of God has given us too many examples, parables, or stories to demonstrate what happened to men who served money more than the Lord. Israel, wanted to be like everyone else by having a king even though Samuel warned them about how much the king would take from them, while the Lord was always giving to them. When Samuel told them he would ask the LORD for a storm and it happened, they were in awe of the LORD and Samuel. How can we not be in awe of our God, for he has done so much for us throughout the years? We have received one blessing after another, yet we are not worthy of the faithfulness he has demonstrated to us. When we read about how the children of Israel turned to other gods over and over again, yet the Lord delivered them so they could live securely. He is the only security we will ever need. However, do we look to him for eternal security, but look to the world for our temporary security? When we look at the warning of Samuel about serving the Lord faithfully with our whole heart, but if we persist in doing evil, which means trusting in the world’s way, or looking to useless idols, we may well be swept away. No, there is no other way. When we walk with the Lord, in the light of his word, what a glory he sheds on our way; while we do his good will, he abides with us still, and with all who will trust and obey. Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey. 

Serve the Lord

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

SERVE THE LORD

1 Samuel 12:1-5

12:1 Samuel said to all Israel, "I have listened to everything you said to me and have set a king over you. 2 Now you have a king as your leader. As for me, I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have been your leader from my youth until this day. 3 Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the LORD and his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes? If I have done any of these, I will make it right." 4 "You have not cheated or oppressed us," they replied. "You have not taken anything from anyone's hand." 5 Samuel said to them, "The LORD is witness against you, and also his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand." "He is witness," they said.

NIV

Samuel already warned them what a king would take from their hand. A king would take their sons to serve with his chariots and to farm his land. He would take their daughters and make them perfumers, cooks, and bakers. The king would take the best of their fields and vineyards and a tenth of their grain plus their maid and men servants. He will also take the best of their cattle and donkeys. But Samuel did not take one single thing from their hand, but they still wanted a king. Samuel served the LORD and did right by the people, and it was the LORD who testified for him and was a witness to his taking nothing from them. Here is where we can break into this story. It is sad to see some of these charlatans who fleece the people of their money, promising that God will bless them and make them wealthy, but all the time taking the people’s money to live more than abundantly, becoming wealthy from the hand of men. It is also sad to see both men and women see full-time ministry as a job and want enough compensation to live a very comfortable life. The idea here is to serve the Lord, answering his call upon their lives. If the people of a local church desire to pay their pastor a certain amount, that is entirely up to the people. A shepherd or pastor is not like what Samuel said a king would, taking all the best from the people for his own benefit. Although God gave them their king, he also made it clear they were not rejecting Samuel, but they were rejecting the LORD. It would appear that when people, believers, are deceived by these false preachers or teachers with their silver tongues and fancy promises, the people may be serving a false god of wealth and thus rejecting the Lord. Let us never allow our hearts to turn from you, oh Lord. Let our hearts remain steadfast and true to our Lord and Savior, Jesus. Yes, we need to gather together and we need someone to serve, first, the Lord, and second, the people. Jesus showed those whom he called to serve the people as pastors the way of service. He said that he did not come to be served, but to serve. Let us serve each other in that same sense. 

The Calling

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

The Calling

1 Samuel 11:9-15

9 They told the messengers who had come, "Say to the men of Jabesh Gilead, 'By the time the sun is hot tomorrow, you will be delivered.'" When the messengers went and reported this to the men of Jabesh, they were elated. 10 They said to the Ammonites, "Tomorrow we will surrender to you, and you can do to us whatever seems good to you." 11 The next day Saul separated his men into three divisions; during the last watch of the night they broke into the camp of the Ammonites and slaughtered them until the heat of the day. Those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together. 12 The people then said to Samuel, "Who was it that asked, 'Shall Saul reign over us?' Bring these men to us and we will put them to death." 13 But Saul said, "No one shall be put to death today, for this day the LORD has rescued Israel." 14 Then Samuel said to the people, "Come, let us go to Gilgal and there reaffirm the kingship." 15 So all the people went to Gilgal and confirmed Saul as king in the presence of the LORD. There they sacrificed fellowship offerings before the LORD, and Saul and all the Israelites held a great celebration.

NIV

Saul acts like a king for the first time, and the people of Israel respond to his leadership. We do wonder why, after he was anointed king by Samuel and all Israel said, “Long live the king”, that he was out in his field behind his oxen when he heard the news about the Ammonites laying siege on the men of Jabesh Gilead. We saw this in the preceding verses, but now he has called Israel to fight, and he has three hundred and thirty thousand fighting men to deliver the men of Jabesh Gilead and destroy the army of the Ammonites. This is exactly what happened as Israel slaughtered them and they scattered so that no two of the Ammonites were together. Now, the men of Israel and the men of Judah went to Gilgal and reaffirmed Saul’s kingship. What do we learn from this narrative? Again, we do not know why Saul was working in his field, as he had been anointed as king over Israel, but now he has taken hold of his calling, his anointing, and led Israel in a great victory, showing his kingship. Although Samuel was the one who did the physical anointing of Saul, he was picked by the LORD. Of course, the LORD was not pleased with the people because they rejected him as their King, leading Israel through prophets, such as Samuel, and they wanted an earthly king so they could be like all the other nations. Nevertheless, we would do well to harken to the call of God upon our lives, doing whatever he has planned or purposed for us. Although following Jesus is indeed his purpose for all of us who have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Within that general purpose for believers of following Jesus, we should search our hearts as to what that means and what that looks like in our lives. We wonder if we follow close enough or if we chase after our own ambitions while we simply think we are Christians, do a few religious things, like attending church, and even serving in some way, or doing some works. But is that truly following Jesus? Maybe that is the way life is, and that’s alright, as long as we confess with our mouth, “Jesus is Lord”, and believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead, we are saved. Yet, at the same time, we know that we each have been called to one task, Noah was called to the singular task of building the ark, while Moses was called to the one task of delivering Israel from the Egyptians and Samuel was called to the singular task of being a judge over Israel. Now we see that Saul is called to the position of king. Therefore, we believe each of us has been called, or assigned by God, to this one individual task in life. Yes, as Christians, or rather as believers, we have all been called to follow Jesus and live by his teaching. However, just as we have been given the example of the body of Christ is made up of parts, as our human body, with some being the eyes, others the hand, and so on, we each have an individual part in the kingdom. We cannot do everything, or desire to be or do what someone else is or does, as we have our very own calling from God to be who we are and do what he has called us to be and do. If we haven’t figured out what our task is, then we need to ask him, and he will give us a clear understanding of our calling. Let us serve where he decides. Let us simply follow his calling on our lives, being and doing our purpose in the kingdom. 

No Treaty

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

NO TREATY

1 Samuel 11:1-8

11:1 Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh Gilead. And all the men of Jabesh said to him, "Make a treaty with us, and we will be subject to you." 2 But Nahash the Ammonite replied, "I will make a treaty with you only on the condition that I gouge out the right eye of every one of you and so bring disgrace on all Israel." 3 The elders of Jabesh said to him, "Give us seven days so we can send messengers throughout Israel; if no one comes to rescue us, we will surrender to you." 4 When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and reported these terms to the people, they all wept aloud. 5 Just then Saul was returning from the fields, behind his oxen, and he asked, "What is wrong with the people? Why are they weeping?" Then they repeated to him what the men of Jabesh had said. 6 When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God came upon him in power, and he burned with anger. 7 He took a pair of oxen, cut them into pieces, and sent the pieces by messengers throughout Israel, proclaiming, "This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone who does not follow Saul and Samuel." Then the terror of the LORD fell on the people, and they turned out as one man. 8 When Saul mustered them at Bezek, the men of Israel numbered three hundred thousand and the men of Judah thirty thousand.

The rest of this chapter will show us that all the men of Israel will affirm Saul as their king, but there is a story in this first portion of the narrative that we should ponder. Because the army of Nahash was greater than those in the city of Jabesh Gilead, they overpowered them. However, the men of Jabesh wanted to make a treaty to save their lives. The problem was that Nahash wanted to gouge out one eye of every man in Jabesh as a condition for a treaty. This is a great parable for believers to live in an unbelieving world. What can the righteous have in common with the unrighteous? How can we make any treaty with ungodly people? The Hebrew word translated as treaty has a deeper meaning of making a covenant, an alliance, a pledge between man to man. Of course, we are to love everyone, which includes the ungodly, as God loves them, and sent his Son to die on the cross so that whosoever believes will be saved. But what is posed before us is the difference between loving them, wanting them to hear the gospel and be saved, and making a covenant with the ungodly. We do not have a common ground with people who reject Jesus or want to live however they desire. We live in two completely different worlds. However, it also seems that we are under siege by the unbelieving world. They want to discredit our faith in God mainly because they love the darkness and do not want the light of the Lord shining anywhere on them. They have taken prayer to God from the schools, but teach unholy things. They want and have taken action to keep anything about God from the public square, while giving way to unholy symbols being displayed. We can have no treaty, no covenant with the world with its hatred for God. We think the only way they would make a treaty with us would be to gouge out one of our eyes, metaphorically, and make us subject to their way of life. Although we cannot do the same things Saul did, we also know that we should and can live with the Spirit of the Lord upon us. We have the Spirit living within us, and his power is available to us if we but open our hearts, allowing him to work within. It is a fine line to live in this world and not be of this world, not taking on the principles of this world, being in covenant, or agreement with the world’s system. Of course, we need the basic services the world provides, water, electricity, gas, food, clothing, transportation, technology, and many creature comforts, but that does not mean we are subject to the world’s principles or even agree with the ungodly world. Let us love them, but no treaty.

 

A response

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

A RESPONSE

1 Samuel 10:14-27

14 Now Saul's uncle asked him and his servant, "Where have you been?" "Looking for the donkeys," he said. "But when we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel." 15 Saul's uncle said, "Tell me what Samuel said to you." 16 Saul replied, "He assured us that the donkeys had been found." But he did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about the kingship. 17 Samuel summoned the people of Israel to the LORD at Mizpah 18 and said to them, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed you.' 19 But you have now rejected your God, who saves you out of all your calamities and distresses. And you have said, 'No, set a king over us.' So now present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and clans." 20 When Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, the tribe of Benjamin was chosen. 21 Then he brought forward the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, and Matri's clan was chosen. Finally Saul son of Kish was chosen. But when they looked for him, he was not to be found. 22 So they inquired further of the LORD, "Has the man come here yet?" And the LORD said, "Yes, he has hidden himself among the baggage." 23 They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people he was a head taller than any of the others. 24 Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see the man the LORD has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people." Then the people shouted, "Long live the king!" 25 Samuel explained to the people the regulations of the kingship. He wrote them down on a scroll and deposited it before the LORD. Then Samuel dismissed the people, each to his own home. 26 Saul also went to his home in Gibeah, accompanied by valiant men whose hearts God had touched. 27 But some troublemakers said, "How can this fellow save us?" They despised him and brought him no gifts. But Saul kept silent.

NIV

Saul has been anointed as the king of Israel with the people shouting, “Long live the king!” He was a man a head taller than all other men, but that is not why he was made king, for his kingship is from the hand of the LORD. Once again, Samuel told the people all the regulations regarding the establishment of a king, and this time he wrote them down and deposited them before the Lord. What do we learn from this narrative that we can take to heart? First, we need to understand that we have no king but the Lord. We acknowledge this, and we would never bow down to an earthly king, although we are instructed to obey the governing authorities because they are established by God. The reason is that there is no authority other than God. Still, we are to live under the authorities without fear of them, for we live by the laws of our land. However, the lesson we should pay closer attention to is when troublemakers came with slander, or doubt about the leadership qualities of Saul, as we are told they said, “ How can this fellow save us?” We know they were talking about being saved from the oppressive control of the Philistines.  Saul came from the smallest tribe of Benjamin and from the least clan in the tribe, so it would make sense that he was a nobody. Why not pick someone from the tribe of Judah, one of the largest and powerful tribes? There are times when God does not move like that, but takes a man without skill, talent, or abilities and uses him to lead his people. Although we are not told what Saul did in his family, except to obey his father, God chose him to be the ruler of all Israel. Here is where our lives could get a little confusing when we consider those who are in leadership positions within a church. We know of some leaders, maybe considered as a pastor, who have called themselves for their own purposes, lifting themselves up, and seeking personal gain from the pockets of others. We know some promote a perverted gospel, that God intends everyone to be wealthy. There is the “Name it, and claim it” teaching that some leaders proclaim as the gospel. However, we also know some men have been called by God, who may or may not have any qualifications, yet are men who have the anointing of God upon them. It does not matter whether someone has all the training, with degrees of higher learning, or a little training, and some education, or no training and no education, if God calls them into His service to lead his people, He will empower that person, whoever they are. Of course, many denominations require a certain amount of education and training before they will license or certify someone as able to lead the people of that particular faith. Still, it is all about the call of God upon someone’s life. The second lesson is about those agitators against Saul, despising him and giving him no respect, by not bringing any gifts. His response is classic and Godly; he remained silent. This was the response of Jesus when he was despised and charged with blasphemy; he went quietly to the cross, and even forgave those who did not realize what they had done. Jesus did not defend himself, and Saul did the same. This should give us the way we need to live in this world, where we might be accused, criticized, or judged by someone for doing or not doing what they think we should not do or should do, thus not meeting their expectations. It may be natural for us to put up our defenses, but that is not the Godly way to respond. Let us take our lesson from Saul and just remain silent. However, in some cases, that might even cause more conflict, yet if we look to our Lord, our response should match his. 

A Changed Heart

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

A CHANGED HEART

1 Samuel 10:8-13

8 "Go down ahead of me to Gilgal. I will surely come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, but you must wait seven days until I come to you and tell you what you are to do." 9 As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul's heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day. 10 When they arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit of God came upon him in power, and he joined in their prophesying. 11 When all those who had formerly known him saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, "What is this that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?" 12 A man who lived there answered, "And who is their father?" So it became a saying: "Is Saul also among the prophets?" 13 After Saul stopped prophesying, he went to the high place.

NIV

This is part of a lengthy narrative about the selection of Saul as the king of Israel. Here again, we see something that happened to Saul, not of his own making, but of the transforming power of God. We are told that as Saul turned to leave, God changed Saul’s heart, and all the signs that Samuel had given were fulfilled on that day. We know without a doubt that we cannot change our hearts as hard or diligently as we try. We say as well as sing that we have decided to follow Jesus, repenting over and over, then telling ourselves that there is no turning back. Of course, it is our choice to follow Jesus. When he walked the earth and came upon James and John as they were mending nets, he told them to follow him and he would make them into fishers of men, and they followed him, but their hearts were not transformed instantly. However, we are told that Saul's heart was as soon as he turned to leave Samuel. Once again, we know we cannot put God in a box, expecting him to work the same way in everyone’s life, although he does not change. His power is always the same, has always been the same, and will always be the same. Still, it is God who changed the heart of Saul, and it is God who has and is and will change our hearts. Because the Holy Spirit dwells within us, he is at work transforming our hearts so that we are holy and pleasing to the Father. It is true that the moment we made that commitment, when we repented, asking God to forgive our sins and accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, becoming born again, our hearts were changed. We no longer wanted our old life because we knew that life would lead us to eternal death, and following Jesus would give us eternal life. Why would we turn back to death when we have life? Still, we also know that it is the power of God working in us that changed our hearts. He is the one who instills that desire to stay the course. He is the one who speaks truth into our hearts. He is the one who directs our path, showing us the way we should walk. As Peter tells us, we are a people belonging to God. Let us keep our hearts open so the Spirit can have full access to do that which he will with us, so we will be more like Jesus. 

Changed

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

CHANGED

1 Samuel 9:25-10:7

25 After they came down from the high place to the town, Samuel talked with Saul on the roof of his house. 26 They rose about daybreak and Samuel called to Saul on the roof, "Get ready, and I will send you on your way." When Saul got ready, he and Samuel went outside together. 27 As they were going down to the edge of the town, Samuel said to Saul, "Tell the servant to go on ahead of us"-and the servant did so-"but you stay here awhile, so that I may give you a message from God."

10:1 Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on Saul's head and kissed him, saying, "Has not the LORD anointed you leader over his inheritance?   2 When you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel's tomb, at Zelzah on the border of Benjamin. They will say to you, 'The donkeys you set out to look for have been found. And now your father has stopped thinking about them and is worried about you. He is asking, "What shall I do about my son?"' 3 "Then you will go on from there until you reach the great tree of Tabor. Three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you there. One will be carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and another a skin of wine. 4 They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from them. 5 "After that you will go to Gibeah of God, where there is a Philistine outpost. As you approach the town, you will meet a procession of prophets coming down from the high place with lyres, tambourines, flutes and harps being played before them, and they will be prophesying. 6 The Spirit of the LORD will come upon you in power, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person. 7 Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you.

NIV

We had to leave those last verses of chapter nine so we could include them at the beginning of chapter ten. The reason is that we need to start with Samuel telling Saul that he had a message from God. We would pray that men who have been called to be pastors to the people of God bring a message from the Lord for them to take to heart. We wonder if that is always true, and if some who stand before people of God speak not from the Lord, but from the desire for personal edification and gain. Nevertheless, it is the desire of our hearts to always hear a message from the Lord. Samuel also took a flask of oil and anointed Saul, but it was the LORD who anointed Saul the leader over his inheritance, as king over Israel. Once again, it is always the Lord who does that anointing, although we humans do apply the oil. We have heard, and if we remember correctly, that when we anoint someone with oil, we say, “I anointed you, in the name of the Lord.” However, we are only able to apply the oil, and it would then be the Lord who anoints them. The second point we see in this text is that when Saul met that procession of prophets with instruments playing before them and prophesying, the Spirit of the LORD came upon Saul with power, and he was changed into a different person. There is no question that when the Spirit comes upon us, or comes to dwell within us, we are a changed person. We wonder if it is possible that a believer has not asked the Holy Spirit to come upon them, or, as it might be said, has not been baptized in the Holy Spirit. It has been a point of discussion as to whether it is an automatic event the moment someone becomes born again, or it is a second event. Either way, if the Holy Spirit comes upon us or dwells within us, his power is always within us, and we should be a changed person, never to be as we once were. Of course, some people were raised in a Christian environment and always knew the Lord and have always had the Spirit dwelling within them from childhood. If that is the case, is it possible they have never experienced a change within them or become a changed person? What we know is that when as repented and accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we experienced an overwhelming sense of relief and freedom, knowing we were saved. But no one told us about the Spirit, but as we read about Him, we asked the Lord to anoint us with the Spirit, and he came with power and as the Lord anointed us, we became a changed person, a new creature in Christ, the old self passed away, died, and we were born from above someone else, as new as a new born baby, and we needed food, and God provided his word for us to grow in stature with Him and with people. The Lord will always be there to lead us, but we must follow, and as we do, he will anoint us with power, and we will continuously be changed, being transformed into his likeness. 

Humbled

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

HUMBLED

1 Samuel 9:18-27

18 Saul approached Samuel in the gateway and asked, "Would you please tell me where the seer's house is?" 19 "I am the seer," Samuel replied. "Go up ahead of me to the high place, for today you are to eat with me, and in the morning I will let you go and will tell you all that is in your heart. 20 As for the donkeys you lost three days ago, do not worry about them; they have been found. And to whom is all the desire of Israel turned, if not to you and all your father's family?" 21 Saul answered, "But am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why do you say such a thing to me?" 22 Then Samuel brought Saul and his servant into the hall and seated them at the head of those who were invited — about thirty in number. 23 Samuel said to the cook, "Bring the piece of meat I gave you, the one I told you to lay aside." 24 So the cook took up the leg with what was on it and set it in front of Saul. Samuel said, "Here is what has been kept for you. Eat, because it was set aside for you for this occasion, from the time I said, 'I have invited guests.'" And Saul dined with Samuel that day. 25 After they came down from the high place to the town, Samuel talked with Saul on the roof of his house. 26 They rose about daybreak and Samuel called to Saul on the roof, "Get ready, and I will send you on your way." When Saul got ready, he and Samuel went outside together. 27 As they were going down to the edge of the town, Samuel said to Saul, "Tell the servant to go on ahead of us"-and the servant did so-"but you stay here awhile, so that I may give you a message from God."

NIV

All that Saul needed to know, Samuel told him, even the fact that the donkeys had been found. Saul could not have known that unless the LORD revealed it to him in some way. We are never quite sure how the LORD is going to reveal truth to someone, for it is impossible to put God in a box, so to speak. Although the story is about Saul being chosen to be the first king of Israel. However, we see the response of Saul to the statement that all the desire of Israel has turned to Saul and his father’s family. Saul told Samuel that he was just a Benjamite, the smallest tribe of Israel, and his clan or family was the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin. This appears to be pure humility, having a full understanding of his lack of qualifications to be in such a position, as all the desires of Israel are turning to him. Of course, later we learn that Saul becomes a different man in the face of David's arrival on the scene. But for now, he seems to exhibit this humility, or thinking how could he be the one all of Israel is turning to, as he has no training, no qualifications, no skill-set of leadership, as he is but a son of his father, who was doing his bidding, looking for lost donkeys. This is where we break into this story and make it personal. We know that God has always had a plan for our lives, and it does not matter how we try to make our own way in life, learning whatever skills we want, to advance our way in life. We might attend a certain number of places of learning, even earning degrees in our chosen fields of endeavor. But God has a plan, and he does not need our abilities, skill sets, or whatever amount of education we deem necessary. Of course, he can use our abilities that he oversaw our training. We see that in the life of Moses, it was God who made sure he lived, and was found, so that he learned for forty years all the training he would need to lead Israel, and then for forty more years, he grew in his spiritual life, and at eighty God knew Moses was ready for the call of his life. But with Saul, God simply called an unskilled, untrained, uneducated, humble man to lead all of Israel. We can never guess what God will do, or try to put him in a box, expecting him to respond in how we think he should. He is God, and we are his people. It is that simple, and we can only do that which he calls us to do, no matter our abilities. When God calls us to a task, a ministry for him, he will also empower us. We have the Holy Spirit who has made us his dwelling place, who gives or manifests his gifts within us, empowering us so that through his power we can accomplish that which we are meant to do. But the key to life is to remain humble, for it is God at work within us, and not of ourselves that we can do anything. Jesus told us that apart from him we can do nothing, but with him, all things are possible, for through Jesus we can do anything. Let us always acknowledge the power of God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the indwelling Holy Spirit as our source for all things in our lives. We are the smallest of men, from the least of families, poor and broken, but God has called us to his service; how can we not be humbled? 

His Plan

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

HIS PLAN

1 Samuel 9:11-17

11 As they were going up the hill to the town, they met some girls coming out to draw water, and they asked them, "Is the seer here?" 12 "He is," they answered. "He's ahead of you. Hurry now; he has just come to our town today, for the people have a sacrifice at the high place. 13 As soon as you enter the town, you will find him before he goes up to the high place to eat. The people will not begin eating until he comes, because he must bless the sacrifice; afterward, those who are invited will eat. Go up now; you should find him about this time." 14 They went up to the town, and as they were entering it, there was Samuel, coming toward them on his way up to the high place. 15 Now the day before Saul came, the LORD had revealed this to Samuel: 16 "About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him leader over my people Israel; he will deliver my people from the hand of the Philistines. I have looked upon my people, for their cry has reached me." 17 When Samuel caught sight of Saul, the LORD said to him, "This is the man I spoke to you about; he will govern my people."

NIV

Saul and his father’s servant were still looking for the lost donkeys and had heard that there was a seer; they thought he would be able to tell them where the donkeys were. However, that was their plan as directed by Saul’s father, and God had another plan for Saul. The LORD informed Samuel that the man he had chosen to be the king of Israel was about to show up. This is our key for life, if we are going to be the person of God we profess to be. Simply being, thinking, or calling ourselves a Christian may not always equate to being a person of God. Just as Saul was trying to fulfill the task he had in the earthly realm, having his own plan as to how to achieve finding those lost donkeys, we can live a fair portion of our lives, trying to fulfill our plans in the earthly realm. Yet, God has a plan, just as he did for Saul, although he was not aware until he met the man of God, the seer, Samuel. Sometimes we meet certain people in our lives who assist God in bringing about His plan for our lives. Of course, we need to be listening, or watching when someone says something to us that changes the course of our lives and brings us into the plan God had for us. We could even hear the very word of God at times when he intervenes, so we are in the place he has for us so that we meet the right person of God who helps direct us or awakens us to the plan God is directing us toward. The point is, just with Saul, we might make our plans, but God orders our footsteps or path. God will always find a way to speak into our lives what He has chosen who we will be and what we should do; however, we still need to be listening. If we are deafened by all the noise of this world, and totally focused on our desire in this earthly realm, we may not be able to hear what we should be doing in the heavenly realm, even though it would take place in the earthly realm. Because we have our citizenship and live in the Kingdom of God, we are still confined in our physical environment, and here is where we can fulfill the calling, task, or ministry God has for our lives, until he calls us home. Let us always be aware of that encounter with God, however that happens, it is still God directing our footsteps in the way we should go, so we fulfill his plan. 

Least and Impressive

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

LEAST AND IMPRESSIVE

1 Samuel 9:1-10

9:1 There was a Benjamite, a man of standing, whose name was Kish son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah of Benjamin. 2 He had a son named Saul, an impressive young man without equal among the Israelites — a head taller than any of the others. 3 Now the donkeys belonging to Saul's father Kish were lost, and Kish said to his son Saul, "Take one of the servants with you and go and look for the donkeys." 4 So he passed through the hill country of Ephraim and through the area around Shalisha, but they did not find them. They went on into the district of Shaalim, but the donkeys were not there. Then he passed through the territory of Benjamin, but they did not find them. 5 When they reached the district of Zuph, Saul said to the servant who was with him, "Come, let's go back, or my father will stop thinking about the donkeys and start worrying about us." 6 But the servant replied, "Look, in this town there is a man of God; he is highly respected, and everything he says comes true. Let's go there now. Perhaps he will tell us what way to take." 7 Saul said to his servant, "If we go, what can we give the man? The food in our sacks is gone. We have no gift to take to the man of God. What do we have?" 8 The servant answered him again. "Look," he said, "I have a quarter of a shekel of silver. I will give it to the man of God so that he will tell us what way to take." 9(Formerly in Israel, if a man went to inquire of God, he would say, "Come, let us go to the seer," because the prophet of today used to be called a seer.) 10 "Good," Saul said to his servant. "Come, let's go." So they set out for the town where the man of God was.

NIV

Does being a head taller than others qualify Saul to be the first king over Israel, or is it just because this is the will of God? Of course, we know this is God’s plan, and everything that is going to happen to Saul as he and his servant try to find the donkeys brings him straight to the presence of Samuel, the seer. We know the story, yet this portion of the narrative is just to introduce us to Saul the Benjamite. We will see that Saul speaks of himself as from the smallest tribe, and his clan is the smallest in the smallest tribe. Is that humility, or simply a fact? Certainly, being the son of Kish, who was a man of standing among the people, had some influence on the character of Saul, who was an impressive man without equal among the Israelites. However impressive Saul was, he was obedient to his father and set out to find the lost donkeys. This is where we find our truth for today. A son sets out to find the lost donkeys, bringing us right to the Son who set out to find his lost people. When Jesus called Zacchaeus down from the tree and went to his house to eat, he told him, “The Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost.” We were once lost, but now we have been found and saved. As Saul set out to find the lost donkeys, and ends up meeting a man of God, the prophet, or seer, Samuel and finds out that he will be the king of Israel, Jesus set up to find us and has told us that we are to be a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people who belong to God to declare his praises for he found us in the darkness and called us out into his wonderful light. Now we live in the wonderful. Saul became a king, maybe just so God could bring David onto the scene. He used someone to bring us onto the scene so that we could be his royal priesthood, offering our sacrifice of praises, and offering ourselves as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to our God. We bring the sacrifice of praises to the Lord, who came to find that which was lost, and he found us, the least among people. We came from a humble background, poor in the standards of this world, and yet because of Jesus, we are now rich, with an eternal inheritance. We live in the kingdom of God with all the glory of God, having the Spirit dwelling within us, both influencing our thoughts and heart, and exploding within us his fruit and gifts, using us for the purpose of the Father. However, even if we are being used by God for his divine purpose, we should always know we are still the least among men. However, because of Jesus, we are impressive without equal among the people, because we are children of the King. 

Like Other Nations

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

LIKE OTHER NATIONS

1 Samuel 8:10-22

10 Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, "This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12 Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day." 19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. "No!" they said. "We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles." 21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the LORD. 22 The LORD answered, "Listen to them and give them a king." Then Samuel said to the men of Israel, "Everyone go back to his town."

NIV

That is what a king will do. The people were served well by having judges, such as Samuel, who were able to be their own persons, except for living by following God’s will. The difference between man’s and God’s wills is that man’s will is concerned about his own welfare, and God’s will is concerned about man’s welfare. A king will look to his own benefit, as Samuel lays out all the things a king will take from the people. God will not take, but has always given to the people. We can understand that although we do not have a king, we have a government that eats up everything it can from the people. We know the quote of Abraham Lincoln in his Gettysburg address, as he finished that short two minutes with “this nation under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that a government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from this earth”. However, we wonder if that is true, for the government, not a single person, but the whole of the complex, is more like the king that Samuel described, than what Abraham Lincoln said. As interesting as that is, and how we could spend pages on the comparisons, our lesson is in the reason Israel wanted a king. They wanted a king so they would be like all the other nations. We should take that on a personal level, as even now our nation is not like all other nations.  We believe, for the most part, we Christians have drawn some lines between us and the unbelieving world. The lines could depend on denominations and how they perceive the scriptures of what constitutes a “Good Christian” by what we do not do, that the world does. But those are just a set of rules we have established that have been modified over the years as that line becomes a little blurred. There are some that have taken separation to the extreme, such as the Amish, Quakers, and maybe the German Baptists, plus a few others. However, we wonder how different we really are in this free country we live in. Have we adopted ways of this world, at least in the material and financial sense? Do we labor for those things we want, and plan our schemes for our future security from the world’s goods, services, and wealth? Sure, we have to pay our fair share of taxes to the king, and our sons and daughters go to war. At one time, we were drafted into the service of the king; now our children and grandchildren volunteer to serve the king, sometimes with benefits. But how different are we from all other people? We might believe that as long as we do not drink, smoke, swear, use foul language, and believe in God, we are different. But how different are we really? We are flawed people who sin against God and others. But the question remains, do we truly seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness? Is the kingdom of God are first and foremost priority, or do we share that seeking the kingdom, with seeking our own desires, such as chasing after that which the pagans, or the worldly people, do. Sure, we need certain things, a place to live, food, clothing, and such. God said he would provide all that because we seek him first, and we do not share that seeking with anything else. He has to be first in our lives always. He is the only King we need. Why would we want to be just like all the other people, seeking after the things of this world? No, we cannot be like all the other people.