Seek Who

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

SEEK WHO

1 Sam 28:1-7

28:1 In those days the Philistines gathered their forces to fight against Israel. Achish said to David, "You must understand that you and your men will accompany me in the army." 2 David said, "Then you will see for yourself what your servant can do." Achish replied, "Very well, I will make you my bodyguard for life." 3 Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his own town of Ramah. Saul had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land. 4 The Philistines assembled and came and set up camp at Shunem, while Saul gathered all the Israelites and set up camp at Gilboa. 5 When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid; terror filled his heart. 6 He inquired of the LORD, but the LORD did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets. 7 Saul then said to his attendants, "Find me a woman who is a medium, so I may go and inquire of her."

NIV

Although the main story is about the transfer of power from Saul to David by the hand of God, there are moments in time when truths speak to our hearts. It would seem strange that David would make a covenant with the Philistine Achish and fight against the forces of Saul and the forces of his own people of Israel. However, our truth is about the unfaithfulness of Saul. First, he expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land. Then, because of the vastness of the Philistine army, Saul became afraid, even filled with terror. Did he not still show himself to be a king, and did he not have an army of fighting men? Nevertheless, now he turned to the LORD, but the LORD did not give him an answer. The LORD had already torn the kingdom from Saul and given it to David. Saul had also turned his back on the LORD by hating David so much that he tried to kill him. Now we are told Saul turned his back on the LORD once more and wants to find a medium. We know the story, and we will get the conversation between Saul, the medium, and the one she brings up, Samuel, but for now, we need to understand our only source is the Lord. We can never look to any other source for the direction of our lives. We cannot be influenced by what is happening in the world we live in. We cannot base our thoughts, our opinions, our lives, on the news of the day, or how others think, or their opinions of the news of the day, even if they profess faith in Jesus. We always need to go directly to the source of all truth, God’s word. We also have a direct line, full access to the Father through Jesus to seek his truth, his divine direction for our lives, and our thoughts and options, even the news of the day. Saul could not find the answer from the LORD, either through a dream, vision, or from the Urim, which is the ocular brilliance of the figures in the high priest’s breastplate, or through prophets. That is strange enough to try to find truth in an object, a breastplate, but then to want to go to a medium shows us how lost Saul’s soul really was. Our only source of truth is the Lord, and the only direction for our thinking and opinions for life is the Lord. This would require us to build each other up, to encourage one another, not tear down or argue over the issues of the day. Our faithfulness to the truth of God should influence our thoughts and opinions about all things, how we live, what we do, and how we interact with others, both in the house of faith and the outside world. Let us always go to the Lord seeking his truth, his word, and he will answer us, he will direct our ways, our thoughts, and options regarding our day. Seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to us as well.