The Mission

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

THE MISSION  

1 Samuel 15:24-35

24 Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned. I violated the LORD's command and your instructions. I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them. 25 Now I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me, so that I may worship the LORD." 26 But Samuel said to him, "I will not go back with you. You have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you as king over Israel!" 27 As Samuel turned to leave, Saul caught hold of the hem of his robe, and it tore. 28 Samuel said to him, "The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors — to one better than you. 29 He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a man, that he should change his mind." 30 Saul replied, "I have sinned. But please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel; come back with me, so that I may worship the LORD your God." 31 So Samuel went back with Saul, and Saul worshiped the LORD. 32 Then Samuel said, "Bring me Agag king of the Amalekites." Agag came to him confidently, thinking, "Surely the bitterness of death is past." 33 But Samuel said, "As your sword has made women childless, so will your mother be childless among women." And Samuel put Agag to death before the LORD at Gilgal. 34 Then Samuel left for Ramah, but Saul went up to his home in Gibeah of Saul. 35 Until the day Samuel died, he did not go to see Saul again, though Samuel mourned for him. And the LORD was grieved that he had made Saul king over Israel.

NIV

What kind of king would be afraid of his people, unless he did not behave like a king that had been anointed by Samuel under the direction of the LORD? Sure, now Saul wants to ask forgiveness after Samuel told him that he had rejected the word of the LORD, the LORD has rejected him as king. “Please forgive me, I gave in to the people,” But we notice he still had not accomplished the mission the LORD sent him on. Agag, the king of the Amalekites, was still alive. Samual took care of that and put Agag to death. Our lesson today has two points. First, we noticed that although the LORD rejected Saul as king and Saul was no longer pleasing in the sight of the LORD, until the day that Samuel died, he mourned for Saul. Perhaps it would be good for us to mourn over those who are not pleasing in the sight of the Lord. Although in this age of grace, all can come to him and he will not reject them. Because of Jesus, none will be rejected who repent and accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Then, if we mourn for them, it would be for those who have not come to Jesus but reject him. If we are mourning for them, we would then not judge them, or condemn them in any way; in fact, we are told to love them. Maybe, just maybe, our love will show them Jesus, even without words. The second lesson is about the fact that the LORD was grieved that he made Saul king over Israel. We know we are in Christ and he is in us, and we have the Spirit dwelling in us, as we have been born again and promised eternal life. But we also know that the Lord our God has sent us on a mission. Of course, it is not to destroy anyone, but our mission is to follow him, whatever that means individually. We all have the mission to bring the truth of God to the world, to share about Jesus everywhere we can. But each of us has been given a personal mission in life that we need to accomplish, or at least diligently work toward all the days of our lives. Each of our missions could be many things, such as the mission to help others, to encourage others, to pray for others, to serve others, as well as so many more. It would take a book to fully explore the many missions of God. We certainly do not want to think the Lord would be grieved because we failed and did nothing to get that mission accomplished, or did it halfway, or half-heartedly, or even became afraid of the people. What would they think about us? How would we look to them? Would they think we were foolish, trusting that much in the Lord that we diligently employed ourselves to our mission in life? We might have some fellow believers think we are so heavenly minded, we are no earthly good. Why would we want to be earthly good when the unbelievers are so earthly good that they are not heavenly-minded at all? It does not matter what mission we have been sent on; we should be on that mission plan, striving for that mission all the days of our lives. How can we even think the Lord would tell us we no longer have any mission and we should just sit and wait to die, so we can live? That would be a sad life, never to have a mission, but to be useless. Let us remember to mourn for the lost, yet diligently labor on the mission the Lord has given us.

 

How Much

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

HOW MUCH

1 Sam 15:16-23

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

"Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king."

NIV

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

 

Building Monuments

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

BUILDING MONUMENTS

1 Samuel 15:12-16

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

NIV

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

Trust and Obey

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

TRUST AND OBEY

1 Samuel 15:1-11

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

NIV

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

Always Love

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

ALWAYS LOVE

1 Samuel 14:36-46

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

NIV

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

Dull or Bright

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

DULL OR BRIGHT

1 Samuel 14:24-35

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

NIV

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

Be Still and know He is God

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

BE STILL AND KNOW HE IS GOD

1 Sam 14:16-23

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

NIV

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