Monday Thought -- September 26, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

Saul and his family had been rejected as king and now God sent Samuel to anoint the man who would become king upon Saul’s death.  God instructed Samuel to go to Bethlehem, to the family of a man named Jesse and anoint one of his sons as king.  God told Samuel to go without further instructions promising, “I will show you what to do.” (1 Samuel 16:3)

When Samuel arrived in Bethlehem and found Jesse and his sons he was immediately impressed with Jesse’s oldest son, Eliab.  He said, “Surely the Lord's anointed stands here before the Lord."   And the Lord replied to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him.  The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:6-7)

God and man have different ideas about what to consider impressive!  Consider what kind of men and women the world admires.  The men are impressive in outward appearance:  they carry themselves with confidence, they exude leadership, they have style, they are handsome.  And outward appearance is even more the defining feature of women who are admired by the world.  It is the beauty of a woman that usually attracts the world.  But God is much less concerned about what a person looks like, about his or her outward characteristics, and much more interested in what it going on inside the person’s heart.  Character matters most to God!

The seven oldest sons of Jesse went by Samuel and not a single one was chosen by God to be anointed as king.  When Samuel asked if there was another, Jesse indicated that only one remained, the youngest.  He was out in the fields taking care of his father’s sheep.  When young David arrived before Samuel, the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; he is the one.” (1 Samuel 16:12)  And when Samuel had anointed David, the scripture says, “And from that day the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power.” (1 Samuel 16:13)

God had identified the next king.  Not a tall, powerful, man of impressive physical features, but one whose heart was right before Him.  That’s the kind of person God calls to leadership in His work.  That’s the kind of person we should seek when we look for leaders to follow.  Outward appearances can be deceiving, it’s the heart that matters – it matters to God and it should matter to us, too.  Character counts most!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Friday Thought -- September 23, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

What God promises He will fulfill!

Samuel reminded Saul, “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." (1 Samuel 15:29)

In this situation these were not words that Saul wanted to hear.  Samuel had just rebuked Saul for disobeying the Lord and informed Saul that because of his disobedience God was removing the kingship from Saul and his family.  Samuel declared to Saul, "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.” (1 Samuel 15:28)

Saul seemed to repent, but God’s mind would not be changed.  In his repentance you can see that Saul doesn’t really get it.  Listen to what he says:  "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.  Now I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord." (1 Samuel 15:24-25)

Even in his repentance, Saul continued to justify his sin, to lay the blame at the feet of others.  He told Samuel that he had sinned because of his fear of the people.  He gave in to them, that was the reason for his sin.  Saul admitted that he had been wrong, but he wanted to believe that the people had been more wrong than he was.   They were the impatient ones.

And God’s mind was set and would not be changed.  Through Samuel, God made a declaration to Saul – the kingdom would be removed from him and his family.  Another man would be declared king and it would be his family through which the true kings of Israel would come.  That was a declaration that you could count on – it came from God.

Think of other declarations that God has made about your life.  Here are just a handful that He has made to those in Christ:

“I will come again.”

“I have prepared a place for you.”

“You will be with me forever.”

“Your sins are forgiven.”

“I declare you my child.”

Every one can be counted on – and many more!  God has declared them, and He does not lie or change His mind!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Thursday Thought -- September 22, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

Samuel gave clear instructions from the Lord to Saul.  “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.  Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them.’” (1 Samuel 15:2-3)

Saul went out to do battle against the Amalekites and God gave him a great victory.  But Saul was unwilling to completely follow God’s instructions.  “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.” (1 Samuel 15:9)

When confronted by Samuel, Saul had an answer for his disobedience to the instructions.  “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.’"  (1 Samuel 15:15)

Saul had two excuses for his disobedience:

1. It wasn’t his fault, it was the soldiers who kept the sheep and cattle.

2. It was for a good reason, not to keep, but to make a great sacrifice to the Lord.

“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.  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.’” (1 Samuel 15:22-23)

Samuel’s word for Saul was simple:  God desires obedience more than ritual and ceremony.  He still does!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Wednesday Thought -- September 21, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

Saul and the army of Israel were camped, waiting to do battle with the Philistines.  But the Philistine army was so much larger than the army of Israel and so much better armed.  There seemed no way that the army of Israel could prevail.  Then Jonathan, Saul’s son, took matters into his own hands, secretly climbing the cliff up to the Philistine camp with just his armor-bearer with him.  When they arrived at the top of the cliff, God did a miracle.  Using just Jonathan and his armor-bearer, God sent panic among the Philistine army and they turned on each other and a rout was begun.

Saul saw the Philistine army in a rout and called his men to pursue them and destroy them.  God gave Israel a great victory that day, not because of their superior strength, but because of His awesome presence among them.  But in the midst of the battle, Saul did something foolish.  He made a vow to the Lord, saying “Cursed be any man who eats food before evening comes, before I have avenged myself on my enemies.” (1 Samuel 14:24)

As the day progressed, the men of the army of Israel grew weak with hunger.  They were fighting a fierce battle and moving at great speed to pursue the Philistines.  They needed the strength that food would have provided them.  But they were faithful to Saul’s vow, all except Jonathan.  Jonathan was away from the camp when his father had made the vow and Jonathan had not been told of it.  Seeing honey on the ground, Jonathan ate of it.

When evening came, Saul wanted to continue to pursue the Philistines.  Before moving against them, he asked the priest to inquire of the Lord about whether it was right to continue the battle into the night.  But God would not answer the inquiry.  God had gone silent because the vow had been broken.  When Saul discovered it was Jonathan who had broken the vow, he was ready to kill Jonathan.  Only the intervention of the men of Israel saved Jonathan’s life that night.

Because of a foolish vow:  the battle did not go as well as it could have because the army grew weak; the Lord went silent and did not answer the inquiry of the priest; Jonathan nearly lost his life.  All because of a foolish vow.

God does take vows seriously.  The book of Ecclesiastes says, “When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it.  He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow.  It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.” (Ecclesiastes 5:4-6)

Let Saul’s example be a reminder to you:  do not make foolish vows!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Tuesday Thought -- September 20, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

“Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear.  He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul's men began to scatter.  So he said, ‘Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.’  And Saul offered up the burnt offering.  Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him.” (1 Samuel 13:7-10)

Saul was preparing for battle against the Philistines.  The army of Israel had been assembled.  The Philistines were gathered, ready to attack.  And Saul waited at Gilgal.  He waited because before he went into battle he wanted to seek God’s favor by sacrificing and praying to Him.  Samuel had instructed Saul to wait for him at Gilgal and he would come to offer the sacrifice on behalf of the army of Israel.  But Samuel was delayed in coming and Saul grew impatient.  Saul was afraid the Philistines would attack before Samuel came.  Saul was afraid that the battle would begin before they had sought the favor of the Lord.  So Saul took matters into his own hands.  He disregarded Samuel’s instruction to wait for him and made the sacrifice to the Lord himself.

It seemed like the right thing to do.  Saul was afraid.  He wanted God’s favor.  He knew he needed God’s favor to do battle against the Philistines.  The Philistine army was larger and much better armed than the army of Israel.  If Israel hoped to have victory, it would only come from the Lord.  But even though it seemed right and Saul was acting out of a desire to receive God’s favor, he was disobedient to God’s instructions.  He acted out of fear and not out of faith.  In acting out of fear, he disobeyed the Lord.

When Saul told Samuel what he had done Samuel responded:  "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.  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." (1 Samuel 13:13-14)

It was fearful.  It was foolish.  It was disobedient.  And because of his unwillingness to obey the Lord, to respect God’s commands, Saul’s family would be removed from the kingship of Israel.

It’s an illustration of how important faith, respect, and obedience are to the Lord.  Say “no” to fear, to doing what you want, to disobedience.  Say “yes” to faith, to respecting God’s instructions, to obedience.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Monday Thought -- September 19, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

“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.” (1 Samuel 12:23)

Samuel was disappointed with the people of Israel.  They had asked for a king, instead of being content to continue just to follow the Lord.  Samuel had advised against it and told the people the danger of having a king.  Still the people did not change their minds and continued to ask for a king.  God had Samuel give in to this request of the people and anoint Saul as king of Israel.  Now Samuel stands before the people again to warn them of the danger of a king and the danger of turning away from the Lord.

Samuel opens up his life to the people of Israel and invites them to bring witness against him for anything wrong he has done among them.  They offer no testimony of Samuel’s sins, instead they affirm that he has led them and served them in righteousness.

Now at the end of this speech, his farewell speech to the nation, the people ask Samuel to serve them by praying for them.  Samuel answers with the above response – he would not sin against the Lord by failing to pray for them.

He was disappointed with them.  He was worried for them.  But he would not turn his back on them.  He loved them and despite their problems, he wanted to see God’s best for them.

Samuel was a good man and provides a good example for us.  People around us, our family and friends, will disappoint us.  We’ll see evidence in their lives at times of directions they are heading that are dangerous and despite our warnings they will continue down that path.  How will we respond?  Will we stand idly by waiting to be able to say “I told you so!”?  Will we be pleased to see them reap the harvest they deserve by going down a dangerous path?  Or, like Samuel, will we stand by supporting them in prayer, asking for God’s grace, mercy and tender care for them?

His, by Grace,

Steve

Friday Thought -- September 16, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

"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.   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.  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.'  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.” (1 Samuel 12:8-11)

Samuel stood before the people of Israel and gave them a brief history lesson.  He recounted for them just a few of the times that God had come to their rescue.  Starting with Moses in Egypt and also mentioning several of the men God had raised up after they took possession of Canaan to lead them in defeating their enemies.  Samuel’s history lesson was a reminder to Israel of the work of the Lord among them.  When they cried out to God, He came to rescue them.  As long as they followed the Lord, they lived in peace and security in their land.

The reason Samuel recounted this history for Israel was that Israel’s memory was so short.  They easily and often forgot how God had worked among them and so turned their backs on God or ignored Him.  The story of Israel is the story of a people who forgot God.  When they were in great distress they would remember Him again and cry to Him for help and He would respond with the help they needed.  Yet, soon they forgot Him again.  It seemed that they were not capable of keeping their eyes on the Lord when they were living in peace and security.  Trouble was required for them to turn to the Lord.

There is a history from your life, too, of God working in your life.  God has demonstrated His compassion and His power in your life multiple times through the years.  He has in the lives of each of us.  It is good to remember how God has acted in the past days of your life so that you do not forget Him in the present!

Is the history of your life similar to Israel’s history?  Are you guilty of forgetting the Lord in times of peace and security and crying out to Him only in times of distress?

Remember the Lord – in times of distress and in times of peace and security.

His, by Grace,

Steve