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.