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. 

Who Rules

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

WHO RULES 

1 Samuel 8:1-9

8:1 When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges for Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not walk in his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice. 4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, "You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have." 6 But when they said, "Give us a king to lead us," this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. 7 And the LORD told him: "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. 8 As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 9 Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do."

NIV

The problems of having a king will be presented to them in the next portion of this narrative, but what we are seeing here is that Samuel’s sons might be the reason the people wanted a king instead of corrupt judges. Samuel was a prophet of God, and he walked with God and served the people rightly and justly. He walked humbly before the LORD, and we believe Samuel was a gentle and humble man, honest before the LORD and before the people. However, his two sons extorted money from the people and gave them false words, because everything they did was for their own personal gain. They did not walk with the LORD, nor were they humble servants of the LORD or the people, as Samuel was. The people revolted, in a sense, by pleading with Samuel to give them a king instead of judges. Samuel was aware of the dangers of having a king, which we will address later. From what the LORD told Samuel about the people not rejecting Samuel, but their desire for a king, was a rejection of the LORD as their King, for he is the King of kings, the Lord of lords. Sadly, they wanted to be like all the other nations, instead of being a peculiar or special people set apart as God’s possession. The apostle Peter tells us, through the inspiration of the Spirit, that we are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people belonging to God, to declare the praises of Jesus who called us out of darkness into His wonderful light. We should never want an earthly king because of who we are, just as the Israelites made that mistake. We have the Lord as our King, who rules our lives with perfect grace and justice. Israel rejected the LORD for an earthly ruler. What is concerning, as we ponder, if we have allowed anything in the world to rule over us. Could we be ruled by our own desires, serving the world’s system in various ways to obtain our own personal gain? Could we be ruled by our emotions, or feelings, causing us to have envy, jealousy, pride, hurt feelings, harboring ill feelings, or unforgiveness in our hearts? Could we possibly mistake our deeds and let them be our ruler of life? It may be a fine line to walk with the Lord, but live in this world. It might be a finer line to walk with the Lord, and live in the church; we could think of it as having a life with the Lord, or a life with the church, letting our own beliefs rule over us. Let us simply set all things aside and walk with Jesus, our Lord and Savior, who rules with grace and truth. Let us reject anything of this world that could become a ruler over us or within us, and submit ourselves walking humbly before our Lord, as our ruler, and humbly before men, treating them with grace and truth. 

A Lifetime

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

A LIFETIME

1 Samuel 7:13-17

Throughout Samuel's lifetime, the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines. 14 The towns from Ekron to Gath that the Philistines had captured from Israel were restored to her, and Israel delivered the neighboring territory from the power of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites. 15 Samuel continued as judge over Israel all the days of his life. 16 From year to year he went on a circuit from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah, judging Israel in all those places. 17 But he always went back to Ramah, where his home was, and there he also judged Israel. And he built an altar there to the LORD.

NIV

Not much is going on in this section of Samuel except the fact that throughout the lifetime of Samuel, the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines. However, we also see that he served as judge over Israel throughout his life. Samuel was never allowed to retire from being the judge over Israel. We will see that in the last days of his life, he will appoint his sons as judges, but that still did not relieve him of his calling as judge over all of Israel. What we also ponder is that because the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines, it would mean the hand of the LORD was upon Israel, and more specifically, his hand was on Samuel, all the days of his life. This is where we take our clue for our lives. Because we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, being born again, or born from above, which means born of God as a new creature, all our sins are forgiven. Because Jesus went back to sit at the right hand of the Father, he sent the Holy  Spirit to descend upon his people. This would mean that at some point in time, after or even during our conversion, the Spirit comes upon us in fire and takes up residence within us. Therefore, we can confidently believe the Lord is with us all the days of our lives. Just to think we have one of the persons of the Holy Trinity living within us. It may be difficult to understand that the Spirit can live within hundreds, thousands, even millions of people at the same time, but he is God, and nothing is impossible with God. We know from the very beginning, with the Holy Spirit first showing up when the disciples were in that upper room and all of them were baptized, and all of them declared the wonders of God in various languages they had not naturally acquired. Today, we all have gifts the Spirit has empowered us with, many of which we have not naturally acquired. The power of the Spirit working within us all the days of our lives is so that we can declare his wonders wherever we go. We have not been baptized with the Spirit to become stuffy old Christians, living without the joy of the Lord and declaring his wonders. We cannot live under the law and judgment of those who do not meet our requirements of Christianity. We are to love our Lord and love all people, even those who are opposed to us. No, our task, our calling, is to live with the power of the Spirit working in and through us all the days of our lives. 

Loud Thunder

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

LOUD THUNDER

1 Samuel 7:7-13

7 When the Philistines heard that Israel had assembled at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines came up to attack them. And when the Israelites heard of it, they were afraid because of the Philistines. 8 They said to Samuel, "Do not stop crying out to the LORD our God for us, that he may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines." 9 Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it up as a whole burnt offering to the LORD. He cried out to the LORD on Israel's behalf, and the LORD answered him. 10 While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the LORD thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites. 11 The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a point below Beth Car. 12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far has the LORD helped us." 13 So the Philistines were subdued and did not invade Israelite territory again.

NIV

The enemy of Israel at that time was the Philistines, and here we see that the LORD thundered against them, causing them to panic, and the Israelites defeated them. But we know they will be back during the reign of Saul, with their champion Goliath. However, our story here is about Samuel crying out to the LORD, making an offering of that suckling lamb, just a little baby lamb. Why does that sound offensive to us, that a little baby lamb that is still at its mother’s breast be killed and burnt as a sacrifice? Samuel did offer prayers or cry out on behalf of Israel that day, and the LORD answered him. Here is where we enter the story. First, as we think of that poot little lamb being taken from its parent to be an offering to the LORD, we think about Jesus coming down from the Father, to be an offering for us. Jesus is referred to as the Lamb of God, and he offered himself to the Father on our behalf. We might think it was cruel to take that little lamb, but how cruel our Lord was treated to be a sacrifice on our behalf, so our sins would be forgiven. The Lamb of God was not offered by men, or a man, as in the case with Samuel making that offering, but Jesus offered himself. He gave his life that we might have life. We wonder if our gratitude can ever match his grace. We wonder just how much we express that gratitude, first, in our daily lives, and secondly, in our worship. Do we just worship mechanically, so to speak, simply mouthing the words to worship songs, without sensing the deep meaning of the words and who we are singing to? Are our hearts full of thanksgiving and gratitude for the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf? Sometimes we might get distracted watching how others worship, so that we lose our sense of worship. We think we should almost be lost in worship, losing ourselves, offering ourselves as a living sacrifice that is holy and pleasing to the Lord. When Samuel cried out to the LORD, he answered and overwhelmed the enemy of Israel. Maybe if our worship and our daily lives were a cry out to the Lord, we might hear him answer, or sense his almighty power at work within us. We each might have something in our lives that needs to be subdued, and we cannot do that without the power of God; the loud thundering of God routing our enemy, subduing it. Let us always live with gratitude and praise in our hearts, for the Lord has given us the victory. When we still our hearts, or be still, then we will know he is God. To still our hearts is to put everything aside, and focus on the Lord when we worship, both in our daily walk, and when we gather together, then we might just hear that loud thunder of God. 

No False gods

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

NO FALSE GODS

1 Samuel 7:1-6

7:1 So the men of Kiriath Jearim came and took up the ark of the LORD. They took it to Abinadab's house on the hill and consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the LORD. 2 It was a long time, twenty years in all, that the ark remained at Kiriath Jearim, and all the people of Israel mourned and sought after the LORD. 3 And Samuel said to the whole house of Israel, "If you are returning to the LORD with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines." 4 So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the LORD only. 5 Then Samuel said, "Assemble all Israel at Mizpah and I will intercede with the LORD for you." 6 When they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the LORD. On that day they fasted and there they confessed, "We have sinned against the LORD." And Samuel was leader of Israel at Mizpah.

NIV

We wonder why the Israelites took on those false gods when they must have known their history with the LORD. Samuel told them that if they were returning to the LORD with all their hearts, then they needed to rid themselves of all the foreign gods they had. What good is a foreign god, whatever it is made of, stone, silver, wood, or gold, it was fashioned by the hands of men, and it has no eyes to see, ears to hear, or mouth to speak. All foreign gods are worthless, without value or meaning, unless they are made with silver or gold, then it is just the metal that might be worth something. We are fortunate that we do not own any false gods, as we have committed our whole hearts to the Lord our God and Savior. Yet could we have created anything we might have either replaced the Lord with or added to the Lord? We have heard some say, “Jesus plus,” and that would be something added or our interpretation of scripture, or our imagination of the scripture. How can we add anything or anyone to Jesus? Some believe it is Jesus plus baptism that saves us. Could it be possible that some have added works to Jesus, so then it would be Jesus plus works that make us worthy of salvation, or at least, worthy to be called a Christian. Surely, we could not say that works are a foreign god, but works might be a result of our committing our whole heart to the Lord. However, we might also get too wrapped up in our works that we think they are more important than loving the Lord with all our mind, soul, spirit, and strength. If that happens, maybe our works or good deeds have become a false god. We also should be cognizant of how much value we put in the things of this world, or all the material things we have gathered onto ourselves for either our own pleasure, or security. Have we replaced or added to our trust in the Lord with trusting in the world’s system for providing for our sustenance or our future security? The Apostle James tells us we should not make those types of plans for where we live and how much money we make, without first determining if it is the Lord’s will. Everything about us, everything within us, should be all about our Lord, and his will, his plan for our lives. Of course, we need to live out our daily lives, doing what we are called and empowered to do. However, let us not get too distracted by life itself, that we leave Jesus out of our hearts and minds, even if for a brief moment, while we become enthralled with ourselves, our education, knowledge, position or title, or even works, all of which are counterintuitive to humility.  We can never allow any false god around us. 

Who Can Stand

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

WHO CAN STAND

1 Samuel 6:13-21

13 Now the people of Beth Shemesh were harvesting their wheat in the valley, and when they looked up and saw the ark, they rejoiced at the sight. 14 The cart came to the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and there it stopped beside a large rock. The people chopped up the wood of the cart and sacrificed the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD. 15 The Levites took down the ark of the LORD, together with the chest containing the gold objects, and placed them on the large rock. On that day the people of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the LORD. 16 The five rulers of the Philistines saw all this and then returned that same day to Ekron. 17 These are the gold tumors the Philistines sent as a guilt offering to the LORD-one each for Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron. 18 And the number of the gold rats was according to the number of Philistine towns belonging to the five rulers — the fortified towns with their country villages. The large rock, on which they set the ark of the LORD, is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh. 19 But God struck down some of the men of Beth Shemesh, putting seventy of them to death because they had looked into the ark of the LORD. The people mourned because of the heavy blow the LORD had dealt them, 20 and the men of Beth Shemesh asked, "Who can stand in the presence of the LORD, this holy God? To whom will the ark go up from here?" 21 Then they sent messengers to the people of Kiriath Jearim, saying, "The Philistines have returned the ark of the LORD. Come down and take it up to your place."

NIV

Rejoice and again rejoice, for the ark of God has returned to Beth Shemesh, and the people cut up the cart and sacrificed the cows that had brought the ark back to them. Everything was going just great; surely God was pleased with the offering the people made. However, they also did something foolish and looked inside the ark of God. They removed the mercy seat, exposing themselves to the glory of God. We expect they just wanted to check that the Philistines did not steal anything from within the ark of God, but nevertheless, they should never have taken it upon themselves to look inside. It cost them their lives as God struck down seventy of them. Once again, a heavy blow came from the LORD upon the men of Shemesh because they had looked inside the ark. The question they asked is our lesson. “Who can stand in the presence of the LORD, this holy God?” David asked that same question in Psalm 24, when he asked, “Who may ascend the hill of the LORD?” He also answered his own question, “He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false”. David goes on to say that the person will be blessed by the LORD and vindicated by God, his Savior. This is our story, for we have been vindicated by Jesus Christ our Savior; therefore, we now have the answer, and because we are in Christ, our hands should be clean, as should our hearts, although they should be pure. Interestingly, the Hebrew word translated as pure means to have a clear, sincere, empty heart. What good would an empty heart be in order to ascend the hill of the Lord, or enter into his presence? Again, David answered that for us. Our hearts cannot be bent toward any idol or anything false. When we allow the Lord to circumcise our hearts, he cuts away all that is impure, all that our heart had been bent toward evil, or fulfilling our own desires, and chasing after the false things of this world, and leaves us with a pure, sincere empty heart so that he can fill it with himself. The problem we might see is that we could start all over again, getting distracted by those things, those idols of the world, and push the Lord to the back of our hearts, so to speak. Sure, we still consider ourselves believers, but do we really have a heart that is pure, sincere, and empty of everything else, then full of the Lord? We might get so busy with life and all its responsibilities that our hearts start fretting over what we need to do, getting anxious for tomorrow, worrying about so many things that our hearts become overwhelmed, almost stuffed with everything we think we need to accomplish before our day runs out, that we leave little room for the Lord, and in the middle of all that chaos within our hearts, we can miss out on the blessings of the Lord. Let us keep our hearts open and empty, pure and sincere before the Lord our Savior, seeking him first and foremost, ascending to his hill, or standing in his presence, and his blessings will be upon us. 

Hand of God

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

HAND OF GOD

1 Sam 6:1-12

6:1 When the ark of the LORD had been in Philistine territory seven months, 2 the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners and said, "What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us how we should send it back to its place." 3 They answered, "If you return the ark of the god of Israel, do not send it away empty, but by all means send a guilt offering to him. Then you will be healed, and you will know why his hand has not been lifted from you." 4 The Philistines asked, "What guilt offering should we send to him?" They replied, "Five gold tumors and five gold rats, according to the number of the Philistine rulers, because the same plague has struck both you and your rulers. 5 Make models of the tumors and of the rats that are destroying the country, and pay honor to Israel's god. Perhaps he will lift his hand from you and your gods and your land. 6 Why do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh did? When he treated them harshly, did they not send the Israelites out so they could go on their way? 7 "Now then, get a new cart ready, with two cows that have calved and have never been yoked. Hitch the cows to the cart, but take their calves away and pen them up. 8 Take the ark of the LORD and put it on the cart, and in a chest beside it put the gold objects you are sending back to him as a guilt offering. Send it on its way, 9 but keep watching it. If it goes up to its own territory, toward Beth Shemesh, then the LORD has brought this great disaster on us. But if it does not, then we will know that it was not his hand that struck us and that it happened to us by chance." 10 So they did this. They took two such cows and hitched them to the cart and penned up their calves. 11 They placed the ark of the LORD on the cart and along with it the chest containing the gold rats and the models of the tumors. 12 Then the cows went straight up toward Beth Shemesh, keeping on the road and lowing all the way; they did not turn to the right or to the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed them as far as the border of Beth Shemesh.

NIV

We cannot be sure what a model of a tumor looked like, yet they fashioned models of tumors and rats from gold to send with the ark of God back to the people of Israel. Interestingly, they call it the ark of the god of Israel; however, they referred to their god with a capital letter, Dagon. Is it any wonder the heavy hand of God was upon them? We had already considered how disrespectful they were to the LORD, but now, to put it on a cart, even a new cart, and have it pulled by two cows, even ones that had never been yoked before, was not fitting for the ark of God. However, the Philistines did not know any rules about the ark, so at least they showed some respect by using a new cart and those cows. Of course, the cows went straight away to the place they were supposed to go, showing the Philistines that the God of Israel had authority over all his creation, even the animals, directing them toward Beth Shemesh. At least now the Philistines knew the God of Israel was more powerful than their man-made god Dagon. We will see more about this ark of God within the city of Beth Shemesh, but for now, let us, once again, remind ourselves that we are children of the Most High God, the maker of heaven and earth. We know because we have accepted his grace, his provision for our redemption and salvation, Jesus Christ, crucified, shedding his blood for the forgiveness of our sins, that we live within the love of God. He watches over us, protects us, provides for us, heals us, directs our paths, and has sent the Holy Spirit to lead us into all his truth. We no longer have any knowledge of where the ark of God is, or whether it still exists hidden for all time, but because we live under the new covenant of grace, we only need Jesus. Although we cannot see him, we have the knowledge of his reality, a record by eyewitnesses who walked with him and talked with him, learning from him about the kingdom of God. Our faith has substance, even if we cannot see it with our physical eyes. We can see it within our spirit, because the Spirit reveals it to us. Let us give all the glory, honor, and praise that is due our God, lifting our hearts and our hands before him in worship. At the same time, we can also still our hearts, releasing all anxiety, worry, stress, fear, or any other negative feeling, knowing that He is God. As we worship the Lord our God, we have the peace of Christ within us. How wonderful a life in Christ is, as we revere our Almighty God. We do not live under his heavy hand, as the Philistines did, for we have taken Jesus’s yoke upon us, for his yoke is easy and his burden is light.  

Respect

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

RESPECT

1 Sam 5:6-12

6 The LORD's hand was heavy upon the people of Ashdod and its vicinity; he brought devastation upon them and afflicted them with tumors.   7 When the men of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, "The ark of the god of Israel must not stay here with us, because his hand is heavy upon us and upon Dagon our god." 8 So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and asked them, "What shall we do with the ark of the god of Israel?" They answered, "Have the ark of the god of Israel moved to Gath." So they moved the ark of the God of Israel. 9 But after they had moved it, the LORD's hand was against that city, throwing it into a great panic. He afflicted the people of the city, both young and old, with an outbreak of tumors.   10 So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. As the ark of God was entering Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, "They have brought the ark of the god of Israel around to us to kill us and our people." 11 So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and said, "Send the ark of the god of Israel away; let it go back to its own place, or it will kill us and our people." For death had filled the city with panic; God's hand was very heavy upon it. 12 Those who did not die were afflicted with tumors, and the outcry of the city went up to heaven.

NIV

This is how it shall be if you disrespect the LORD, the God of Israel, who established this ark of God for the people of Israel. However, because the Philistines worship other gods, idols made by their own hands, when they captured this ark of the Israelites' God, they did not give the ark or God the due respect he should have, so he inflicted the people of Ashdod and its vicinity with tumors. The Hebrew, the Septuagint, and the Vulgate read as He inflected them with tumors, and rats appeared in their land, and death and destruction were throughout the city. The same thing happened to Gath and Ekron after they moved the ark of God to each of those cities. It was so devastating that they wanted the ark of God to return to Israel. Disrespecting the Lord can bring destruction upon people and we see that throughout our current culture. People of the world have made so many things their god, unless they come to their senses and return to their creator, they are doomed to destruction. Some disrespect him so much that they developed an alternate beginning of the universe and life, one of their own desire to fit their own narrative, so they need no authority in their lives. Their hearts are bent toward evil all the time. We can understand why they think and act like that, and although we should be concerned about their destruction, we also should ponder whether we in the household of faith show any disrespect to our God. We know when we visit some of the great Basilicas throughout Europe, we enter with a reverence of silence, perhaps a whisper of awe at the greatness of it, but we also see it as a place built to worship the Lord God Almighty, with all the respect that is due him. There are some of the older catholic churches in this country that have that same sense of those old Basilicas, and the people enter in silence with reverence, and even in their more modern sanctuaries, it is the same. However, in many of our evangelical and fundamental churches, we may have lost that awe and respect for God. We enter our sanctuaries with visiting with each other, even some laughter and loudness. It may be true, it is just a building where we meet together to sing a few songs about God, and hear a message from the scriptures, but are we really being respectful to the almighty God who formed us from the dust and breathed life into us, and who came to die for us, so that we would not experience destruction, but have everlasting life, when we come into his house to gather in his name and worship him? Do we really believe this sanctuary we come into is holy ground that we are standing on? Do we truly believe that surely the presence of the Lord is in this place? Do we honestly believe we bring the sacrifice of praise within the sanctuary of God? Jesus called the temple a house of prayer when he cast out the merchants, those who made it a den of robbers. Maybe we should be entering our sanctuary with more respect for our God. It may be fine to greet one another in quietness, then maybe we should reflect in prayer before our worship begins. Just a thought to ponder about respect. 

God's Power

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

GOD’S POWER

1 Samuel 5:1-8

5:1 After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2 Then they carried the ark into Dagon's temple and set it beside Dagon. 3 When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the LORD! They took Dagon and put him back in his place. 4 But the following morning when they rose, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the LORD! His head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold; only his body remained. 5 That is why to this day neither the priests of Dagon nor any others who enter Dagon's temple at Ashdod step on the threshold. 6 The LORD's hand was heavy upon the people of Ashdod and its vicinity; he brought devastation upon them and afflicted them with tumors.   7 When the men of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, "The ark of the god of Israel must not stay here with us, because his hand is heavy upon us and upon Dagon our god." 8 So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and asked them, "What shall we do with the ark of the god of Israel?"

“Thou shall have no other gods before me” is exactly what was going on when they put the ark of God next to a false idol. The Philistines had no idea about the power of God, but they were about to find out. This Dagon was nothing but an idol made by the hands of men, and as an idol, it was an inanimate object incapable of movement. Yet, in the morning, there it was, face down in front of the ark of God. The power of God is over all the earth. He caused Mt Sinai to tremble in front of all Israel. He rained fire from heaven on Sodom and Gomorrah. The power of the Most High God, who created all things, could move an idol made by man, causing it to worship before the ark of God. This is our guiding principle. We should never be too invested in any material things of this world, for anything that we have made is still subject to the Lord God Almighty's power. He can, if he desires, cause anything to be laid to the ground. He can, if he wishes, cause an earthquake to level a whole city, or bring about some other disaster upon the wicked. God demonstrates his mighty power every day if we are looking. We are indeed supposed to tend the garden, so to speak, that is, we should be respectful of the creation of God that he put us to live in. Yet, we also must understand that he is the one who sustains the earth and, in fact, sustains our lives. Maybe we get a little lazy about  His majestic power and sovereign control or authority over all things. Maybe we put too much value on things, even on our homes, or dare we think even on the building we label as the church. Some churches have become so invested in their building and all the fancy things within that, maybe they have missed the mark. Is God impressed with the mega churches with their fine things? Who do we worship, the idols of our things or our buildings, or do we worship the living God who dwells within all the universe? We do not think it matters how fancy or comfortable we make our church. What matters is that we fall face down before the presence of God. Of course, we do not actually lie prostrate during our worship services in the sanctuary of God. But we do wonder how respectful we are of his presence upon us. Because God caused an idol to fall down before him, even break it apart, we should take note of his power in our lives, and he is our God, who cares for us. Let us bow our hearts in full worship as we live each day, appreciating our very breath as he sustains us, and when we enter his house, let us bow before God Almighty, respecting God’s power.

 

Overwhelmed

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

OVERWHELMED

1 Samuel 4:12-22

12 That same day a Benjamite ran from the battle line and went to Shiloh, his clothes torn and dust on his head. 13 When he arrived, there was Eli sitting on his chair by the side of the road, watching, because his heart feared for the ark of God. When the man entered the town and told what had happened, the whole town sent up a cry. 14 Eli heard the outcry and asked, "What is the meaning of this uproar?" The man hurried over to Eli, 15 who was ninety-eight years old and whose eyes were set so that he could not see. 16 He told Eli, "I have just come from the battle line; I fled from it this very day." Eli asked, "What happened, my son?" 17 The man who brought the news replied, "Israel fled before the Philistines, and the army has suffered heavy losses. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured." 18 When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backward off his chair by the side of the gate. His neck was broken and he died, for he was an old man and heavy. He had led Israel forty years. 19 His daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and near the time of delivery. When she heard the news that the ark of God had been captured and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she went into labor and gave birth, but was overcome by her labor pains. 20 As she was dying, the women attending her said, "Don't despair; you have given birth to a son." But she did not respond or pay any attention. 21 She named the boy Ichabod, saying, "The glory has departed from Israel"-because of the capture of the ark of God and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband. 22 She said, "The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured."

NIV

The most horrible of horrors that could have happened at that time was that the ark of God had been captured by the Philistines.  Although it was a terrible thing for the Israelites, we will see that it is the most horrible of things for the Philistines. However, our story here is about Eli, as this was also the last time we heard about him. He was the one who thought Hannah was drunk when she was praying to be able to bear a son, and she promised she would give him to the LORD. Samuel grew up under the tutelage of Eli the priest, who served before the ark of God and whose two sons died the same day because they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD. Eli's house would never have a man who lived to old age. Now he is in his late nineties, old, blind, and fat. When he heard the news that the ark of the Covenant had been captured, he fell backwards, broke his neck, and died. Eli could not bear to hear of what happened to the most scared thing of Israel Because of what happened, as we will see, to the Philistine cities wherever they took the ark of God, we know it most definitely was the place God used to represent his presence with the people, even though it was just a box. It was meaningful to the people, and Eli was so overwhelmed by the ark being gone, he fell backwards off his chair and died. We wonder if we are overwhelmed at all because of the presence of the Lord being with us. Are we just living a ho-hum Christian life, doing what we think is the right thing, or going through the motions of religious activities, but having no intense, overwhelming response to the dwelling of the Holy Spirit within us? He brings so much into our being, his fruit, gifts, and power, and the evidence of all those should give us that intense sense, and our response would include an abundance of worship, almost as if we would be falling face down before the throne of God. Of course, we may not appear that way throughout our daily responsibilities; however, we would think that when we enter the sanctuary of the Lord in church, we would reflect our reverence for his presence among us, or within us. Still, because the Spirit is always with us, we should be reflecting those fruits, gifts, and power in our lives daily. That might just be overwhelming to experience all that every day, but then God has been, is, and will ever be a God who is gentle and loving to each of us, and yet His glory is overwhelming. 

The Box

 DEVOITON

1^ST SAMUEL

THE BOX

1 Samuel 4:1-11

:1 And Samuel's word came to all Israel. Now the Israelites went out to fight against the Philistines. The Israelites camped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines at Aphek. 2 The Philistines deployed their forces to meet Israel, and as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand of them on the battlefield. 3 When the soldiers returned to camp, the elders of Israel asked, "Why did the LORD bring defeat upon us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the LORD's covenant from Shiloh, so that it may go with us and save us from the hand of our enemies." 4 So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the LORD Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim. And Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. 5 When the ark of the LORD's covenant came into the camp, all Israel raised such a great shout that the ground shook. 6 Hearing the uproar, the Philistines asked, "What's all this shouting in the Hebrew camp?" When they learned that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp, 7 the Philistines were afraid. "A god has come into the camp," they said. "We're in trouble! Nothing like this has happened before. 8 Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? They are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the desert. 9 Be strong, Philistines! Be men, or you will be subject to the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Be men, and fight!" 10 So the Philistines fought, and the Israelites were defeated and every man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great; Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers. 11 The ark of God was captured, and Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

NIV

We wonder why the Israelites believed that God was present in the Ark of the Covenant. It did indeed symbolize his presence in the tabernacle; however, because the Philistines captured the ark of the covenant, it was nothing more than a wooden box covered with gold, with layers of dried blood on its cover. Our modern movies have made the ark something awe-inspiring, with one movie depicting men who found it, opening it, and the fury of God spewing forth like lightning, killing all who looked upon it. However, God Almighty, the creator of heaven and earth, cannot be contained within a box, even one he designed and gave Moses instructions as to how it was to be built. This should give us the clue as to how we must perceive the living God. We cannot put Him in a box. That is to say that we cannot predetermine how God will respond or his actions by deciding the ways God works. Of course, we have the complete scriptures that reveal who God is, and we have records of how he intervened in the lives of many people, especially the whole tribe of Israel. We might decide or expect how God will respond to certain actions or prayers we offer. However, that too is putting God in a box. Although we do have records of how he acted in various ways, and his word is recorded for all time, we can never expect the Lord God Almighty to act following how we perceive him to act. We may quote part of his word, using that as a trap, so to speak, expecting him to do something in a certain way that he may have done before, but again, that would be putting the Lord Almighty who formed us from the dust and breathed life into us, in a box. Let us firmly establish in our hearts and minds, He is the Almighty Sovereign of the Universe, who was, is, and will forever be, and He cannot be contained in a box, even that Ark of the Covenant. The ark represented his covenant with Israel; however, we have the Holy Spirit, who is not just a representative of God, but is God dwelling within us. Yet, we cannot contain the Spirit although he is in us. We can quench him, not allowing him full access to our inner being, but, as Jesus told us to learn from him, that he is gentle and humble of heart, we know the Spirit will not force his ways upon us, but once we submit to the will of God, all heaven and earth will fall away and we will be filled with the power of God, through the working of the Holy Spirt in us the through us, for God almighty will never be contained in any of our constructed ideas, or the box we made for him. 

Ears to Hear

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

EARS TO HEAR

1 Sam 3:11-21

11 And the LORD said to Samuel: "See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle. 12 At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family — from beginning to end. 13 For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons made themselves contemptible, and he failed to restrain them. 14 Therefore, I swore to the house of Eli, 'The guilt of Eli's house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.'" 15 Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the LORD. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision, 16 but Eli called him and said, "Samuel, my son." Samuel answered, "Here I am." 17 "What was it he said to you?" Eli asked. "Do not hide it from me. May God deal with you, be it ever so severely, if you hide from me anything he told you." 18 So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. Then Eli said, "He is the LORD; let him do what is good in his eyes." 19 The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the LORD. 21 The LORD continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.

NIV

We can only believe the word of the LORD came to Samuel in an audible voice as he revealed his judgment on the house of Eli. Although Samuel did not want to tell Eli what the LORD would do, Eli told him he could not without the word of the LORD, so Samuel told him everything. Eli's response is our first lesson to ponder. What Eli heard was not the best news about the fate of his descendants; however, Eli still submitted to the will of the LORD, affirming the absolute sovereignty of God, and that Eli was content with the LORD doing whatever was right in His eyes. It makes us wonder how willing we are to submit to the absolute authority of the Lord over our lives, especially if we are going through a rough patch or having some physical difficulties. We wonder how much of our prayer is like that of Israel, always crying out to the Lord, asking for his deliverance, or have we come to a place where we know the Lord has already delivered us from the penalty of death, and in fact, death itself, and we are content with our lot in life, whatsoever it is. The second lesson comes from the statement that the LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground. This means that whatever Samuel spoke, it was received as from the LORD, or whatever predictions or prophetic words Samuel uttered, the LORD fulfilled, as Samuel first heard from the LORD. All of Israel attested that Samuel was a prophet of the LORD. We would believe that we are not a prophet of the Lord; however, that does not preclude having a prophetic word from the Lord. God is still able to reveal his will, which, of course, he has already done through the written record of his word. He has revealed through the vision he gave John of what is yet to happen, a prophecy of what is to come. In addition, because we have the Spirit dwelling within us, who reveals all the truth of God to us, we can be assured of what the Lord has done, is doing, and will do, both in our lives and in the world. The Lord is always ready to reveal himself to us if we have ears to hear and eyes to see. That may be one of the difficult areas in our lives, to have ears to hear, or a spirit who is willing to listen to the word of the Lord without any of our preconceived notions, or prejudices about the meaning of his word. What we need is to watch and listen as the Lord continues to reveal himself to us and through us, and then others can attest that we are children of God. Let us always have an open spirit and ears to hear what the Lord has to say. As Samuel had a good reputation for being a prophet of the Lord, we should always have a good reputation for being a child of God, and we have ears to hear. 

Listening

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

LISTENING

1 Samuel 3:1-10

3:1 The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions. 2 One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the LORD called Samuel. Samuel answered, "Here I am." 5 And he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." But Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down." So he went and lay down. 6 Again the LORD called, "Samuel!" And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." "My son," Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down." 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD: The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him. 8 The LORD called Samuel a third time, and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." Then Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy. 9 So Eli told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, 'Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10 The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."

NIV

It is time for Samuel to begin to come into his own. He had been under the tutelage of Eli; however, the LORD is not pleased with Eli because he did not restrain his sons from contempt for the command of the LORD about offering unauthorized fire before Him. The LORD promised Eli that not one of his descendants would become an old man, but all would die in the prime of their lives. However, Samuel was dedicated to the LORD even before he was conceived, as Hannah had made a promise to the LORD if He would open her womb. Here, we see the LORD calling Samuel for the first time, but Samuel had not yet heard the voice of God, thinking it was actually Eli. Three times this happened until Eli realized it was the LORD calling Samuel and told him how to answer. This is where we learn our lesson for life. When the LORD called his name, “Samuel! Samuel!” Samuel responded, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” The Lord  always wants to speak to us, and He can speak in various ways. First, through His word, second, through the inspiration of the Spirit within us, and thirdly, by His audible voice. It is possible He could use another person through either a prophetic message, or a word of wisdom or knowledge; however, as with Samuel, the Lord spoke directly to him. We believe the key to the LORD calling to Samuel was that he was in the tabernacle where the ark of the LORD was. Samuel was in the presence of God when he heard the LORD’s voice. That should be a clue for us if we want to hear the voice of the Lord. Of course, we should always be in the presence of our Lord, even if we are not in the sanctuary of the church. We have heard and used that vernacular of asking the people of God if they have prepared themselves to meet with the living God at the beginning of a worship service in church. However, we are living with the Holy Spirit dwelling, or tabernacling within us, which means we are always in His presence or He is always present with us. Still, could we get so distracted by the busyness of our own daily lives that we miss listening to his voice? There is so much noise everywhere throughout our daily activities, it might be difficult to hear His still, small voice within our spirits. Even if he spoke out in a clear verbal word to us, we might not recognize him, because we are too invested in our own sounds. One key would be to spend some alone time early in the morning before our day takes off in a multitude of directions, beginning with worship and listening for his inspiration through His word, or the Spirit, or even from hearing his voice. Although we should always be listening for however He speaks to us, His words are more important than all other words. “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening!” 

Continue To Grow

DEVOTION

 1^ST SAMUEL

CONTINUE TO GROW

1 Samuel 2:26-36

26 And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the LORD and with men.

27 Now a man of God came to Eli and said to him, "This is what the LORD says: 'Did I not clearly reveal myself to your father's house when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh? 28 I chose your father out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in my presence. I also gave your father's house all the offerings made with fire by the Israelites. 29 Why do you scorn my sacrifice and offering that I prescribed for my dwelling? Why do you honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel?' 30 "Therefore the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: 'I promised that your house and your father's house would minister before me forever.' But now the LORD declares: 'Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained. 31 The time is coming when I will cut short your strength and the strength of your father's house, so that there will not be an old man in your family line 32 and you will see distress in my dwelling. Although good will be done to Israel, in your family line there will never be an old man. 33 Every one of you that I do not cut off from my altar will be spared only to blind your eyes with tears and to grieve your heart, and all your descendants will die in the prime of life. 34 "'And what happens to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will be a sign to you — they will both die on the same day. 35 I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his house, and he will minister before my anointed one always. 36 Then everyone left in your family line will come and bow down before him for a piece of silver and a crust of bread and plead, "Appoint me to some priestly office so I can have food to eat."'"

NIV

Although this was a judgment upon Eli and his descendants by a man of God who spoke for God, there is also a mighty comparison that is shown to us. First, we notice that the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the LORD and with men. This should be our story as well. Although the word "stature" is used in this translation, the Hebrew word actually means to grow up or become great, so perhaps "stature" implies becoming great. We may not have become great, but we have grown up, and the question is whether we have grown in favor with the Lord and men. There is something to be said about having a good reputation among people, both the people of God and of the world. Being in favor, or having a good reputation among the body of Christ, would or should give us some influence to assist people in their walk with Jesus. We are told to build each other up, but if our reputation is marred or stained in some way, we would think our fellow believers would accept our counsel. When it comes to the people of the world, a good reputation would enable us to be a witness to the truth of God. However, if we were just the same as they are, then what kind of reputation would we have? However important our reputation or favor among men is, being in favor with God is everything. We know our growing in favor with God is not based on a merit system where it depends on how much we do, or the number or significance of our good deeds,  but solely on our faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. It is God who reconciled us to himself through the death of his Son. In fact, even our faith is a gift of God. This is made clear to us in the letter to the Romans, when we are told not to think more highly of ourselves than we should, but to think of ourselves with sober judgement in accordance with the measure of faith God has given us. Because we know that God does not show favoritism, we believe we each are given the same measure of faith, but just as with everything, we must use it for it to grow, as in growing in stature and in favor with God and men. We cannot stay as infants in the Lord, just happy to be saved, and never take the yoke of Jesus upon us and learn from him, for he is gentle and humble of heart. We need to grow up, we need to continually be in the state of transformation becoming more and more like Jesus, but then that is also the work of the Holy Spirit within us, so not much depends on us, but it all depends on God so he receives all the honor and glory in our lives. Still, things do depend on us as well, one of which is to continue to grow. 

The Sin

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

THE SIN

1 Samuel 2:22-25

22 Now Eli, who was very old, heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how they slept with the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 23 So he said to them, "Why do you do such things? I hear from all the people about these wicked deeds of yours. 24 No, my sons; it is not a good report that I hear spreading among the LORD's people. 25 If a man sins against another man, God may mediate for him; but if a man sins against the LORD, who will intercede for him?" His sons, however, did not listen to their father's rebuke, for it was the LORD's will to put them to death.

NIV

First, we must deal with or consider the difference between sinning against our fellow believer and sinning against the Lord. We would think all sin is ultimately against God, but from this passage, it would seem we can commit an offence against someone without it being a moral issue against God. Let us consider what type of offence we might commit against another person. Would that be something like gossip, speaking out of anger, or perhaps showing off, being prideful or boastful, thus causing pain to another or making them think more highly of themselves because they are not prideful or boastful? In this narrative, it would appear the sons of Eli committed adultery, although we are not told whether the women who served at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting were married or single. However, these women who were in service to God could have been women set apart for God, as the modern-day nuns in the catholic church would be set apart, remaining chaste. If this were the case, then the sons of Eli sinned against the Lord, and no one could mediate for them, and thus God put them to death for their evil deeds. On the other hand, when we commit some offence against our fellow believers, we can resolve the matter before the Lord. We can go in the name of the Lord, seeking forgiveness for offending our brother or sister in the Lord. What is troublesome is that if we are the offended, two scenarios may be true. First, being offended may be a result of our thinking more highly of ourselves, rather than living humbly before God and man. If someone said something, or the way they said something, their tone or inflection of voice that hurt our feelings, then our feelings are self-centered, almost prideful. The other scenario would be if someone asks us to forgive them, and we hold back our forgiveness, but instead make sure they know how wrong they were, we would be in grave danger, for if we do not forgive others, God will not forgive us. However, if we live in humility and seek forgiveness, and give forgiveness, or we make every effort to live in peace, or harmony with all others, then God will empower us to live following his word. He will mediate between us, so we are in fellowship with each other. Let us be careful about those areas in life that would be considered sinning against God, whatever they might entail. But also let us make every effort not to sin against each other. 

Grow Up

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

GROW UP

1 Samuel 2:18-21

18 But Samuel was ministering before the LORD-a boy wearing a linen ephod. 19 Each year his mother made him a little robe and took it to him when she went up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice. 20 Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, "May the LORD give you children by this woman to take the place of the one she prayed for and gave to the LORD." Then they would go home. 21 And the LORD was gracious to Hannah; she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the LORD.

NIV

Eli blessed in a prophetic way, which is also a form of prayer, as he spoke to God and on God's behalf, when he blessed Hannah, asking that the LORD be gracious to her and give her more children. Of course, the LORD was gracious to her. However, our story here is about Samuel as he grew up in the presence of the LORD. At some point in our lives, when we come to Jesus, we become a new creature, a baby in Christ, so to speak. Our lives have been renewed as we were born again, or born from above. Before accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we did not know the truth of God. Maybe some grow up with some form of a religious background, while some were totally without ever reading the bible, or knowing anything about the Lord. Nevertheless, the moment of rebirth, we are new and must grow in our knowledge of the truth of God. It is possible, as we have known several people who have read the bible, gained some knowledge of some scriptures, but have no relationship with the Father and with Jesus, and have never experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit. However, the truth is we might grow in our knowledge of the scriptures in our humanity, but we can not grow up in our walk, or our lives, becoming a mature follower of Jesus without being in the presence of the Lord. If we are not in the presence of the Lord, we cannot grow up. But what does it mean to grow up in the presence of the Lord? Is God not everywhere, or always present? Yet, we know what it is to grow up in our humanity without ever acknowledging or experiencing his presence. When we are born again, we begin to learn about the Lord, growing in our knowledge, but it is this experience of the sense of his presence that empowers us to grow up. Knowledge is necessary, but sensing his presence, the experience of being filled with his Spirit, gives us growth in our lives. Let us always be aware as we continue to grow in his presence. 

Contempt

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

 CONTEMPT

1 Sam 2:11-17

11 Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy ministered before the LORD under Eli the priest. 12 Eli's sons were wicked men; they had no regard for the LORD. 13 Now it was the practice of the priests with the people that whenever anyone offered a sacrifice and while the meat was being boiled, the servant of the priest would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand. 14 He would plunge it into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot, and the priest would take for himself whatever the fork brought up. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh. 15 But even before the fat was burned, the servant of the priest would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, "Give the priest some meat to roast; he won't accept boiled meat from you, but only raw." 16 If the man said to him, "Let the fat be burned up first, and then take whatever you want," the servant would then answer, "No, hand it over now; if you don't, I'll take it by force." 17 This sin of the young men was very great in the LORD's sight, for they were treating the LORD's offering with contempt.

NIV

We would think that the priest Eli would have raised Godly sons. Perhaps when they were young, they followed their father’s faith, but as men, they became wicked and had no regard for the LORD. We could focus on how some children who were raised in a Godly home walk away, having no regard for the LORD. This account is how they mistreat those who come to make offerings before the LORD, by wanting the meat first, before the fat is boiled off. The ending statement is where we could find a lesson. It was a very great sin, not just a normal run-of-the-mill sin, but a very great sin in the LORD’s sight, for they were treating the LORD’s offering with contempt. We no longer offer any kind of meat or fat portions as an offering to the Lord, for all sacrifices were completed when Jesus became the sacrifice for all sin. Therefore, there are two ways we could see this as a lesson. First, how do we treat the sacrifice Jesus made for us? We would think or hope we do not show any contempt for His act of sacrifice, taking our place, shedding his blood for the forgiveness of our sins. We would hope we live humbly before God, being reverent, and setting ourselves apart to him every day. Yet, we wonder how much of our daily lives revolve around the Lord. Do we get so involved with our daily chores, whatever they are, that we seem to ignore the Lord’s presence? We would think that because the Holy Spirit dwells within us, we would never ignore the presence of the Lord, but do we get distracted by our own desires, or wants, or by some temptation presented before us? Just pondering, so we should remember to always acknowledge his presence in us. Secondly, we could see this contempt for the Lord’s offering in how we treat ourselves. We are to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice to the Lord, which is our spiritual act of worship. Then, because we are the offering, how do we treat ourselves? Do we mistreat ourselves? This could be seen as our bodies, as some would believe. This would mean we would never be harmful to our bodies. Again, some would believe this to mean we should not smoke or drink alcoholic drinks, but never say much about being a glutton, overeating, becoming unhealthy obese. As true as that might be, perhaps this mistreatment of ourselves should not focus as much on the physical as we do, but more on the spiritual. Because presenting ourselves as a living sacrifice is our spiritual act of worship, we would think it matters how we treat our spirit, or spiritual life. Something to ponder, do we treat our spirit with contempt, feeding it rightly or wrongly? Something to ponder.