I have been using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study for almost a year. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I started writing this blog because the only way I can get myself to read the Bible everyday is to pretend that I am teaching someone about what it says to me. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.
After evading another attempt by King Saul to kill him, David went to see Jonathan. He asked Jonathan why Saul was trying to kill him. Jonathan assured David that his father was not trying to kill David by telling him that his father told him everything and had not said anything about that. David reminded Jonathan that Saul knew that they were close friends and that Jonathan would have warned David. Jonathan and David agree to a plan for Jonathan to discover if his father is indeed planning to kill David and for Jonathan to secretly warn, or assure, David based on what Jonathan learns.
Jonathan made a pact calling on God to be with David as He had once been with his father, Saul. In addition, Jonathan called on God to destroy all of David’s enemies. David, for his part, reaffirmed his vow of friendship with Jonathan and to protect Jonathan’s family should Jonathan die. Jonathan then went and discovered that his father was indeed planning to kill David. Jonathan gave the warning to David that they had agreed upon and the two men parted for the last time after reaffirming their everlasting friendship. Every time I read the book of Samuel, I mourn for Jonathan, who would have happily served David in the same manner which David served his father, Saul.
This passage is a great story of two men who have a great friendship for each other. even though Jonathan’s father was attempting to kill David. Neither allowed the politics of the situation, which should have made them opponents, come between them. Jonathan did not storm off in anger when David insisted that he was mistaken about his father not being out to kill David. Rather, Jonathan agreed to a plan to test his father’s mind on this matter. Jonathan was clearly upset that the two people closest to him, his father and David, were at odds. He did not blame David for his father’s hostility towards him, yet he also remained loyal to his father and stood at his side in all of his father’s other battles.
Today’s passage is one of my favorite stories from the New Testament. It is the story of the man born blind. After Jesus had healed the man who was born blind he was brought before the Pharisees. They questioned him closely because he had been healed on the Sabbath. The Pharisees were divided over the issue of whether Jesus was a sinner, because He had “worked” on the Sabbath, or from God because He had healed the man. It becomes clear that the former position was the dominant one. The Pharisees attempted to convince the man that he should give glory to God and leave Jesus out of the story. How many times do we face the temptation to water down what we believe to make it more generic and palatable to the powers that be? I will always strive to answer with this man, “I don’t know about that. But I know this, I was blind and now I see.” When the Pharisees tried to find contradictions in his story, he asked them if they wanted to be Jesus disciples too? The Pharisees responded that they followed Moses because God had spoken to Moses but they did not know where Jesus had come from. The man responded, “I this man was not from God, He couldn’t have done it.” At that point the Pharisees threw the man born blind out.
Jesus later taught that he had come to restore sight to the blind and reveal that those who thought they could see were blind. If we think we can see without Jesus, we are fooling ourselves. It is only through the light of Jesus that we can see the truth of this world and God’s will. You can spend all the time you want arguing about why Christianity is false but I will answer(from the KJV), “One thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.”
I put together the pictures and links for the daily blog the night before I begin reading the passage and writing. When I did that for today’s passage, the first thing I saw was the opening sentence in Samuel. “Whatever Saul asked David to do, David did it successfully.” This challenged me. I have been feeling out of sorts over some decisions that my boss has made lately. This challenged me to do my job to the best of my ability, even though my boss has brought in an outside vendor to do the things that I do best. I will strive to serve the Lord by doing the remaining aspects of my job to the best of my ability. I will trust God that if I serve Him to the best of my ability in the place He has put me, He will either bring me renewed joy from it, or move me to a place where I will find joy from my work.
I have been using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study for almost a year. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I started writing this blog because the only way I can get myself to read the Bible everyday is to pretend that I am teaching someone about what it says to me. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.
Today’s passage starts out by telling us that whatever mission Saul sent David on, he was successful. As a result, Saul promoted him to a high rank in the army. When the women of various towns came out to cheer King Saul and his troops, they sang that Saul had killed his thousands and that David had killed his ten thousands. This made Saul jealous and angry. I believe that part of Saul’s jealousy and anger toward David grew out of the way he governed. Saul chose his actions in order to consolidate his power. David’s success and praise by the common people was perceived by Saul as a threat to his power.
At some point while David was playing the harp to soothe Saul’s angry spirit (we learned in yesterday’s passage that Saul would lose control of his temper from time to time for no apparent reason), Saul attempted to kill him, but David evaded the attempt. This happened twice and Saul began to fear David. Saul sent David away and appointed him commander over 1,000 men. David was even more successful in his battles now and Saul began to fear that David would take his throne.
Saul at some point decided that the best way to deal with David was to make him his son-in-law. So, Saul offered David the opportunity to marry his eldest daughter. David responded that he is not worthy to be Saul’s son-in-law and Saul gave his eldest daughter in marriage to someone else. However, Saul’s daughter Michal fell in love with David and Saul once more attempted to make David his son-in-law. This time Saul had some of his attendants work on David to convince him that he should become Saul’s son-in-law. At first David was still reticent to become Saul’s son-in-law, but Saul, through his attendants, convinced David that it was worth it. The only condition was that David needed to provide Saul with the foreskins of 100 Philistines. Saul hoped that David would get killed acquiring them. David led his men out and killed 200 Philistines and brought their foreskins to Saul (which was not politic, as it was a sort of bragging, “You thought getting 100 was difficult? Look I got 200.” So, David married Saul’s daughter Michal.
David continued to be more successful than all of Saul’s other commanders and the love of the people for David grew. Saul began to plot to kill David. At one point, Saul’s son Jonathan learned of Saul’s plots against David. Jonathan had become a good friend of David (from what little we know of Jonathan, the two appeared to be kindred spirits. I think that both Jonathan and David were the type of people I call adrenaline junkies. They appeared to both get a thrill out of dangerous endeavors and were both physically gifted enough to easily do things that would have gotten other men killed). So, when Jonathan learned of Saul’s plans to kill David he went to Saul and lobbied on David’s behalf. Saul promised Jonathan that he would not order David’s death. However, another war broke out and once more David was overwhelmingly successful and Saul resumed his attempts to have David killed. When David escaped his assassination attempts, Saul sent part of his army after David, and when that failed he led a force himself.
Jesus told those who had believed in Him that those who followed His teachings would know the truth and the truth would set them free. They responded that they were Abraham’s descendants and had never been a slave to anyone. Jesus expressed that He was aware they were the descendants of Abraham. Nevertheless some of them were trying to kill Him. Jesus continued the exchange calling those He was debating the children of the Devil.
I was working on summarizing the passage, but I realized that as I wrote the summary I was moving away from the meaning that the passage conveyed to me when I first read it. As I read this passage two phrases that Jesus used jumped out at me. Since these are phrases that are often talked about by Christians, that is no surprise. The first was (from the NIV): “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” The second (also from the NIV) was: “Whoever belongs to God hears what God says.” There is some real meaning between these two statements. If we belong to God, we will hear and listen to what He says. And if we are Jesus’ disciples we will do as He taught. What Jesus taught and what we hear God say are in harmony, which allows us to judge our understanding of both. By paying attention to these messages we will learn to recognize the truth when we hear it, which will free us from slavery to sin and to those who lie to get their way.
How joyful are those who fear the Lord
and delight in obeying his commands.
This fits right in with the what I said the other day about the fear of the Lord. We fear the Lord because we know that if we do not do as He instructs, the results will be unpleasant. The results will not be unpleasant because God actively makes them so (although He may do that as well). They will be unpleasant in the same way that I know that if I jump into a roaring fire I will be burned. On the other hand we delight in doing His will because we know that the results will be something we like. Again, not because God actively gives us something we like (although He may do that as well), but because the inherent results of doing God’s will are something we will like, in the same way that I know that I will enjoy it when I eat ice cream (well not pistachio, I don’t really like pistachio ice cream).
Tulips, narcissus and hyacinths
Those who are constantly mocking others don’t really desire to know what it is they are mocking. It is much easier to mock something as stupid if you only know a small part about it. On the other hand, the wise are always seeking to know more. The fool is satisfied with misinformation.
I have been using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study for almost a year. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I started writing this blog because the only way I can get myself to read the Bible everyday is to pretend that I am teaching someone about what it says to me. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.
Here we have the story of Goliath. Goliath challenged the Israelite army. He called them servants of Saul and dared one of them to step forth and face him, a Philistine. The passage tells us that Saul and the Israelite army were shaken and terrified by Goliath and his taunts. I think this passage shows the failing of Saul’s political philosophy. As I discussed yesterday, Saul was constantly looking to do what bolstered his power and authority. He had not led his men to believe in and rely on God. He had led his men to believe in and rely on him.
The passage tells us that David went back and forth between tending his father’s sheep and the encampment. Why he made the other trips is unclear, but on one occasion he was sent by his father to bring supplies to his brothers who were serving in Saul’s army. On this occasion, he arrived just as the armies were drawing up to face each other. David rushed out to the battle lines to greet his brothers (and perhaps get a chance to join the battle?). As David was talking to his brothers, Goliath came forth and made his challenge. David overheard some members of the Israelite army discussing the reward that Saul had offered to the man who killed Goliath. David then asked some other men about the reward which Saul had offered. They told him the same thing. David’s oldest brother, Eliab, got angry with David. Since I am the youngest of six, I suspect that Eliab’s anger was partly justified and partly protective. Eliab thought that David was trying to stir someone up to go fight Goliath (I think that is likely) because he wanted to see a battle. But Eliab was also afraid of what might happen to his baby brother if battle broke out while David was there.
David continued to ask questions about the reward for fighting Goliath. When word was brought to Saul, Saul sent for David. When David appeared before Saul, he told Saul not to worry about Goliath, he, David, would go fight him. Saul told David that he would not have a chance against such an experienced warrior as Goliath. David responded that when a lion or bear went after the sheep he guarded, he would go after it and strike it and rescue the lamb it had taken. If it responded by attacking him, he would kill it. In David’s mind Goliath was no more than a lion or bear going after his sheep, if God would protect him from the lion and bear, than God would surely protect him from Goliath. I never noticed before, but this statement by David was a subtle dig at Saul. David went after the lions and bears which threatened the sheep he was responsible to guard, with no thought to his own safety. He relied on God to protect him from danger. He further said that he would rely on God to protect him when he went out after Goliath. Yet, Saul, who as king was the shepherd of the people of Israel, had himself failed to go after Goliath who was threatening those people.
Seeing that David was determined to go out after Goliath, Saul offered David his armor (or perhaps to dissuade him). David tried it on, but after just a moment in it he realized that he could not fight in Saul’s armor. So David went out to face Goliath with just a staff and a sling. When Goliath saw David coming toward him, he was contemptuous. David’s answer to Goliath’s contempt was not to make the claim that his peasant weapons were all he needed because he was such a great warrior. Rather David responded that while Goliath was bringing the full force of his might against David, David was fully relying on God as he came against Goliath. As Goliath moved in to attack David, David took his sling and struck Goliath down. When the Philistine army saw that Goliath had been defeated, their morale was completely broken and they fled in panic. Meanwhile the Israelite army was encouraged and pursued the Philistines, wreaking great destruction on them.
Jesus once more told the crowds that He was going away. The people would look for Him, but be unable to find Him and die in their sins. Where He was going, they could not follow. The people began to question whether He was talking about killing Himself. Jesus answered them by saying that they would die in their sins if they did not believe that “I am who I claim that I am.” By phrasing it in that manner Jesus was very definitely making a reference to the way in which God identified Himself to Moses at the burning bush.
When Jesus recognized that the people did not understand what He was saying, He told them that when He was lifted up, they would begin to understand. The word that the writer used for lifted up also means exalted. I believe that the writer was intentionally juxtaposing a veiled reference to Jesus’ crucifixion and to Jesus being glorified. This connection between suffering and glory is something we should bear in mind. Tribulations and suffering will come, we should not just bear up under them but embrace them as opportunities to glorify God (this is not a lesson I have mastered).
I will thank the Lord with all my heart
as I meet with His godly people.
That is a sentiment that I strive to live up to, thanking the Lord with all of my heart. Of course, when we meet with those who actively seek to serve God it will make us more desirous of praising God and thanking Him.
All He does is just and good,
and all His commandments are trustworthy.
Something that I definitely believe is true. And of course towards the end this psalm has a phrase that I used for the title of the blog today. The starting place for wisdom is being afraid of being disrespectful of God. We should be afraid of doing that which will make God unhappy, not because of what He will do to us but because His unhappiness stems from the suffering we will experience from doing those things.
Another purple wildflower
I want to say up front that today was a challenging day for me to complete this blog. I had a lot of things that I needed to get done and was not able to dedicate the amount of time to this as I believe today’s passages deserve. I am going to need to work on how I prioritize my day so as to give my writing on here the effort it deserves.
I have been using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study for almost a year. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I started writing this blog because the only way I can get myself to read the Bible everyday is to pretend that I am teaching someone about what it says to me. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.
Samuel delivered a message to Saul in which he told Saul that God wanted him to destroy the Amalekites. Samuel told Saul that he was to destroy all of the Amalekites and all of their livestock. In response to this command from God through Samuel Saul mustered the armies of Israel. Before beginning his attack on the Amalekites, Saul sent word to the Kenites living among them warning them to move away from the Amalekites. The passage tells us that the Kenites packed up and left. Saul then attacked the Amalekites and killed all of them, except that he took their king captive. In addition, rather than destroying all of their livestock, the Israelite army spared the best of the Amalekites livestock. They only destroyed those animals which were undesirable.
After Saul’s victory, Samuel received word from God that Saul had not obeyed the command that he had been given. Samuel went looking for Saul. When Samuel found Saul the first thing Saul said to Samuel was to claim to have followed the command from God that Samuel had given him. When Saul said that, Samuel said, “If that’s true, why do I hear the sounds of livestock?” Saul responded, “Oh, we only kept the best of the livestock in order to offer them as a sacrifice to God, but we destroyed all the rest.”
Samuel pointed out to Saul that at one time Saul was humble but God made him leader and king over Israel. Now Samuel asked Saul why he had failed to obey God’s command to completely destroy the Amalekites and their livestock. Rather than at that moment confessing his sin and begging for forgiveness, Saul claimed that he had followed God’s commands and his troops had only kept the best of the livestock in order to offer them as a sacrifice to God at Gilgal. Notice the deflection of blame; Saul said that he hadn’t done anything wrong and if it was wrong not to destroy the livestock it was his men who did it, not him. And they only did it in order to offer sacrifices to God.
Samuel rejected Saul’s defense of his actions and told Saul that God had rejected him as king. And at this point we begin to see Saul’s error more clearly. Only now when Samuel refused to accept Saul’s attempts to justify his actions does Saul admit that he had done wrong. But even now, he attempted to blame others for his own shortcomings, Saul claimed that he only did it because he was afraid of the men and gave in to them. Saul asked Samuel to forgive him and come back with him to the victory celebration. Samuel initially refused and began to leave. Saul grabbed Samuel and begged him to come back. Saul asked Samuel to honor him before the elders and people of Israel. In this passage we see summed up the error that Saul made throughout his reign. Throughout his reign, Saul first consideration was the politically expedient. Saul’s remorse was not because he had sinned, but because Samuel would no longer lend him his support. Saul judged actions on the basis of what would increase his hold on power, rather than on the basis of what was the right thing to do.
Today’s passage begins with the story of the woman caught in adultery. This story is not in the oldest manuscript copies of John that we have, which suggests that it was a later addition (although not necessarily). Nevertheless the story is to my eyes consistent with the rest of the book of John. In this story, when the religious leaders brought the woman caught in adultery to Jesus for Him to pass judgment, Jesus does not ask, if they caught her in adultery, where is the man she was having adultery with? No, he points out their hypocrisy in an even more personal way. When they first ask Him whether He agrees with the Mosaic Law command that she be stoned, He does not answer. Jesus merely stooped down and wrote something in the dust. They kept demanding an answer, so finally Jesus told them, “Sure, go ahead, but the one of you who has not broken the Mosaic Law goes first.” Then He stooped down and wrote something else in the dust. We don’t know what Jesus wrote in the dust, but I imagine He was writing references to the Laws of Moses. One by one those who had come to accuse the woman (and to trap Jesus) slipped away. Jesus then turned to the woman, asked her where her accusers were and then told her that He would not accuse her either. But He did not give her a free pass, He told her to go and sin no more. This very definitely applies to each of us. Jesus tells us that He does not accuse us, but He also tells us to go and sin no more. Jesus calls us to repent of our sins and turn from them.
I was not going to touch on the next section. However, I felt the need to touch on Jesus’ statement, “I am the light of the world.” He tells us that if we follow Him, we will not be walking in the darkness, rather we will be working in the light. If you want to have a clear light on how to know right from wrong, follow Jesus.
This psalm is a clear Messianic prophecy. Everyone will acknowledge that Jesus is Lord. Those who refuse to accept His Lordship willingly will be subdued by the force of God’s glory.
Today’s proverbs warn us that God despises those who think they can do wrong and then later make restitution. If we wish to be righteous, we must seek after righteousness. We cannot excuse our bad behavior by saying, “Well, yes, I know that is wrong, but I give to the Church (or whatever other ‘good’ thing we think offsets our sin).”
I have been using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study for almost a year. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I started writing this blog because the only way I can get myself to read the Bible everyday is to pretend that I am teaching someone about what it says to me. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.
While Saul was camped with his vastly outnumbered force not far from the Philistine army, Jonathan secretly slipped out of the camp with his armor bearer. Jonathan suggested to his armor bearer that the Lord was with them, they could defeat the Philistines. The Lord could defeat the Philistines, whether He had a large force or a small one to work with. Jonathan and his armor bearer approached the Philistine camp. When they got close, Jonathan suggested they show themselves. He asked God for a sign as to whether he and his armor bearer should attack. If the Philistines called out to them to keep their distance, or they would kill them, Jonathan would know that God did not want them to attack. If, on the other hand, the Philistines called out for them to come up to them to fight, he would know that God was with them and would give them victory.
When Jonathan showed himself, the Philistines called out for him to come up to them. So Jonathan climbed up the cliff face to them and attacked the small outpost of the Philistines that was at the top of the cliff. Jonathan and his armor bearer killed about twenty men. As the sound of battle and word of what was happening (apparently a confused version) spread throughout the Philistine army, panic set in. As the confusion set in an earthquake struck, terrifying the entire Philistine army. When Saul first heard the confusion in the Philistine camp, he called for the priest to bring the ephod in order to consult what action he should take. However, by the time the priest got to him, the confusion in the Philistine camp had become so pronounced that Saul ordered the attack without a divination of God’s will. The Hebrews who had previously joined the Philistine army revolted and fought with Saul and the rest of the Israelites. In addition, those Israelites who had been hiding in the hill country came down and joined the pursuit of the Philistine army.
This passage shows Jonathan’s faith and gives an example how a single individual who is willing to step out in faith can make a large difference. Jonathan did not worry that it was only himself and his armor bearer against the entire Philistine army. He knew that God could bring victory, even from so small of a force. Do I have similar faith to act when God calls me forth? When God gives me the sign I have asked for, do I step forth in faith, despite the risks?
Many among the crowds listening to Jesus in the Temple began to believe that He was the Messiah, telling each other, “What more would the Messiah do than this man has done?” When the Pharisees heard that the people were saying such things, they sent the Temple guards to arrest Jesus. When the Temple guards came to arrest Him Jesus told the crowds that He would only be with them a little longer and then He would return to Him who sent Him. They would search for Him, but be unable to find Him. He told them that they would be unable to go where He was going. The Jewish leaders were puzzled by this statement and wondered if He was going to go teach among the Gentiles.
On the last day of the Festival, Jesus stood in the Temple and cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.” (This is another time where I prefer the NIV for this passage.) He continued by saying that whoever believes in Him would have rivers of living water flowing from their heart. After He said this the crowd was divided. Some thought He was the Prophet who Moses said God would send, others thought He was the Messiah. Both of these groups felt that Jesus was a messenger from God, announcing His coming kingdom. However, others felt that Jesus could not be either of those because they knew where He came from and that place was Galilee. They did not believe that God would call a Redeemer for Israel from Galilee.
When the Temple guards failed to arrest Jesus as they had been instructed, the Jewish religious leaders demanded an explanation. The Temple guards responded that they had never heard anyone preach like Jesus did. The religious leaders mocked the guards, asking them if any of the religious leaders believed in Him? Telling them that only fools would believe in Him, only those who were ignorant of the law. At this point Nicodemus spoke up, pointing out that it was against the Law to convict a man without giving him a hearing. At which point the rest of the religious leaders turned on Nicodemus and belittled him. Notice how the religious leaders did not argue against the substance of Jesus’ teachings. They merely called those who believed in Him fools and declared that He could not be sent from God because He was from Galilee. As Paul pointed out in 1 Corinthians, the message from God is considered foolishness by those this world considers wise. But always remember, for all of their supposed wisdom, they have no answer to the teachings of Jesus.
The psalmist calls on God to bring misfortune to those who repay good with evil and friendship with hatred. The psalmist tells us that there are people who never think of doing kindness for others, who hound the poor to death. The psalmist says that those who love to curse others will have those curses visited upon themselves. Let us rather be the opposite of that, repaying evil with good and looking all of time to how we can do kindness for others. Rather than cursing those around us, let us strive to bless them. IF we stand beside the poor and needy, we will be standing beside God. If on the other hand, we stand against the poor and needy, we will be standing against God, and that is a losing proposition.
I have been using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study for almost a year. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I started writing this blog because the only way I can get myself to read the Bible everyday is to pretend that I am teaching someone about what it says to me. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.
After Saul’s victory at Jabesh Gilead, Samuel addressed the people of Israel. He summed up the history of Israel from the Exodus to the then current time. He told them how when they cried out to God for rescue from oppression, God sent leaders to overthrow the oppressors. Yet time and again the people returned to worshiping idols, despite having seen the mighty works of God. Finally when threatened by Nahash, they asked for a king, even though God was already their king. God granted their request and gave them a king. Samuel went on to tell them that if they listened to God and obeyed His commands, all would be well with them under their new king (and his successors). But if they rebelled against God and refused to listen to Him, then God would bring judgment against them as He had against their ancestors.
Samuel then pointed out that it was the time of year when it did not thunder and rain before telling them that thunder and rain would come up to show how sinful they had been in asking for a king. Thunder and rain came at Samuel’s prayer. The people were frightened and asked Samuel to pray for them, they acknowledged their sin in asking for a king. Samuel told them not to be afraid, as long as they worshiped the Lord with all of their heart, and did not worship idols, God would not abandon them. But if they continued to sin, they would be swept away. When I read this passage, I see a warning to all peoples. If a nation of people listen to God and follow His commands, they will have a good government that looks after the interest of all of the people, no matter what form it takes. On the other hand, if they rebel against God and refuse to listen to His commands, they will have an oppressive government, not matter what form it takes. In either case, it does not matter if the government is a monarchy, a democracy, a dictatorship, or some other form of government. The key factor is whether the people listen to and obey God’s commands.
After this Saul kept approximately one percent of the men he had mustered to go against Jabesh Gilead (3,000 men) as his professional fighting force. Saul divided the force between himself and his son Jonathan. Shortly after this Jonathan took his force and attacked a Philistine garrison. The Philistines mobilized for war and Saul once more summoned the entire Israelite army. Saul was camped at Gilgal with the army, waiting for Samuel to come and offer sacrifices to God for their victory. On the seventh day, when Samuel had not yet arrived and men were slipping away from the encampment to go into hiding, Saul called for the sacrifices to be brought and offered them himself. Just as Saul completed the sacrifices, Samuel arrived. Samuel confronted Saul for what he had done. Saul explained to Samuel that the men were abandoning his army, he needed to make a sacrifice to God to bolster the morale of his army and Samuel had not yet come. Samuel told him that if he had kept God’s command in this, God would have established his throne over Israel for all time. But because he had violated God’s command, his kingdom would not endure and God would find Himself a more faithful servant to be king over Israel.
Here we see in clear light that Saul acted according to what he perceived as his political advantage. Just as when he invoked Samuel’s name when he mustered the Israelite army to battle against Nahash of the Ammonites, here he did what he thought he needed to do to bolster his power. In the first case, he did nothing wrong, he merely claimed the mantle of Samuel’s authority when Samuel was not actually involved. In this case, he did that which he knew was wrong in order to shore up his short term power. He offered the sacrifices in order to keep his army from deserting him and even there it failed. When he took a count of the men who were still with him, he was down to a force of 600. There is an important lesson here for us. we cannot accomplish God’s purpose, or advance His cause, by acting against His commands. When planning an activity, we must first ask what actions are within God’s will before we address the question of what will accomplish our goals. If we are start examining how to accomplish our goals before we have carefully examined what the parameters God calls us to operate in, Satan will get us to convince ourselves that the only way to accomplish our goals is something that goes against God’s commands. We will then convince ourselves that it does not go against God’s commands.
Jesus was traveling around Galilee and teaching there. He wanted to stay out of Judea because the Jewish leaders in Judea were looking for a way to kill Him. When the Jewish Festival of Shelters approached, Jesus’ brothers told Him that if He wanted to become known, He should go to Jerusalem for the Festival. Jesus replied that it was not time for Him to go, His brothers should go on without Him. When I read this passage, I get the impression that Jesus’ brothers wanted to bask in the reflected glory of being the brothers of this celebrated teacher. How often do we promote someone, not because we truly believe in what they do, but because we want to shine in the reflected glory of being the person to introduce others to them?
After His brothers had gone to the Festival, Jesus also went. But He went secretly and kept a low profile. The Jewish leaders were watching for Him, fully expecting that He would show up for such a high profile event. The crowds were buzzing with speculation about Him. Some people were saying that He was a good man, while others contended that He was a fraud and a deceiver. However, no one spoke publicly about Him because they were afraid of the religious leaders.
It was not until half way through the Festival that Jesus began to teach in the Temple. When people heard Him speak, they were amazed because by this time everyone knew that He had not studied under any of the religious teachers of the day. Jesus replied to this amazement by telling the people that His message was not His own, but came from God. He further told them that those who desired to do the will of God would know if His message was from God, or merely His own. He then gave us a tool we can use to determine if a teacher is preaching a message from God or from themselves. Those who speak from themselves want glory from preaching the message they bring. Those who are sent from God seek to honor God and the truth. I actually see two things we can use to test the message that someone preaches. First, do they attempt to use their message to gain glory for themselves? If so, their message is not from God. Second, do they avoid lies and deception and strive to speak only that which is true? If they do this, their message is from God. On the other hand, if their message contains deception and lies, no matter how much it seems to contain good elements, it is not from God.
Another uplifting psalm. “My heart is confident in you, O God;” Yes, yes it is. I will praise God among the people. I will not hide my love for God, nor my trust in Him. I will not reject human help, but it is only with God’s help that I, or anyone else, can accomplish great things. I pray that God will lead me to serve Him according to the gifts He has given me. May He use me to bring glory to His name over all of the earth (or just this corner and use someone else to bring glory to His name elsewhere).
I am not much of a singer, but this psalm makes me wonder if I should sing more as I work on these devotions.
If we speak gently and soothingly to those who are struggling we can bring life to them. Actually, I prefer the King James translation of this proverb. “A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.” Let us strive to speak wholesome words and wholesome messages, so that we might bring life to those around us. And let us avoid perversion in our speech because that will cause a breach in our very own spirit and may crush the spirits of those around us. Speaking wholesomely brings life to ourselves and to others, speaking perversion splits apart our very spirit and damages those who hear it.
Today, I struggled with the message God had for me and for those who read this blog. The story in Samuel has so much in it, but not of it truly touched my heart today. The passage in John is a hard passage and while the Spirit gave me a message for my life from it, it also did not truly touch my heart. Then I read the psalm. “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.” That lifted my soul and made me rejoice. “His faithful love endures forever.” Yes! My heart leapt for joy. Let me read on, “Has the Lord redeemed you?” He certainly has. “Then speak out!” Now that is a challenge. Am I willing to speak out to tell others how the Lord has redeemed me? But they might laugh at me!
Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out!
But they might think I’m a hypocrite!
Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out!
Oh Lord, put your Spirit in my heart and on my tongue so that I will indeed speak out. Give me the words to tell others of your great love and power.
I have been using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study for almost a year. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I started writing this blog because the only way I can get myself to read the Bible everyday is to pretend that I am teaching someone about what it says to me. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.
Samuel anointed Saul and told him that God has appointed him ruler over Israel. Samuel then told Saul that a specific series of events would happen to him on his journey home. Finally Samuel told Saul to meet him at Gilgal, where Saul was to wait until Samuel arrived to offer sacrifices and give Saul further instruction. Saul left Samuel and things transpired exactly as Samuel had foretold.
After Saul had left him, Samuel called the people together at Mizpah. Once the people had gathered, Samuel recounted how God had saved the people in the past, but now they were rejecting God and demanding a king. Since they were demanding a king, God would give them a king. Samuel had the tribes present themselves before the Lord and the tribe of Benjamin was selected. Then each family of Benjamin was presented and the family of the Matrites was chosen. Finally, Saul was selected but when they looked for him, he could not be found. They inquired of God as to whether Saul had arrived and God revealed to them that he was hiding among the supplies.
Saul was brought forth before the people. He stood a head taller than everyone else and the people declared, “Long live the king.” Samuel explained to the people the rights and duties of the king and wrote them on a scroll. Samuel then dismissed the people to return to their homes. Saul returned to his home as well. A group of valiant warriors accompanied Saul, but another group rejected him as king and grumbled about him. Every time I read this passage I am struck by how the first king of Israel was chosen because of his physical attributes. Yes, God appointed Saul king over Israel, but God knows peoples’ hearts. God knew that the Israelites would desire a king who was physically impressive, so He gave them Saul, who was handsome and tall, but lacked certain leadership skills. Although, as we see in the next portion of the passage, he had many of the qualities that one would desire in a leader.
Shortly after Saul was appointed king, Nahash king of the Ammonites attacked Jabesh Gilead. The people of Jabesh Gilead asked for terms of surrender. Nahash replied that he would accept their surrender on the condition that they allowed him to gouge out the right eye of each of them. They requested seven days to consider his terms and send to the rest of Israel for support. If at the end of seven days, no one had come to their aid, they agreed that they would surrender to his terms.
When the messengers from Jabesh Gilead arrived in Saul’s town, he was out in the fields. The people of the town wept when they heard the terms which Nahash was offering. When Saul returned from the fields, he asked why people were weeping. When they told him, he became furious and cut a pair of oxen in pieces. He sent the pieces throughout the land of Israel and summoned the people to rally to follow Saul and Samuel. Saul declared that he would cut up the oxen of any Israelite that did not join his campaign. Fear of the Lord came upon the people and they joined Saul’s campaign en mass. Saul mustered an army of 330,000 men. He sent word to the people of Jabesh Gilead that by the time the sun was hot the following day, his army would strike. When the people of Jabesh Gilead got this word, they sent word to Nahash that they would surrender the following day. That night, just before dawn, Saul attacked the forces of the Ammonites and slaughtered them.
After the battle was over, the people wanted to execute those who had initially rejected Saul as king. However, Saul refused to do so, saying that God had just given the people of Israel a great victory and it was a time for celebration, not reprisal. Instead, Saul called an assembly at Gilgal for sacrifices and for the people to reaffirm his kingship.
Saul did not seek power and was reluctant to exercise it until it was thrust upon him by circumstances. Yet later in life he became jealous of those he perceived as a threat to his power. He eventually became incapable of distinguishing between his personal interest and that of the kingdom. He should serve as a warning to those who become leaders among men. Power can be corrupting. I will touch on this theme as I read more about Saul’s kingship. But even in this passage we can see Saul’s use of others to further his power. When he called the people to battle, he did not call them just in his own name. He tied his name to that of Samuel. He did not summon the people of Israel to follow himself into battle, but to follow “Saul and Samuel into battle.” He used the name recognition and respect that Samuel had gained over a lifetime of serving God and the people of Israel to bolster his claim to authority. Saul had not spoken with Samuel before he sent out this message. He was using Samuel’s name for his own purposes.
Jesus responds to the grumbling by the people from yesterday, grumbling that amounted to, “Who does he think he is? He’s just Joseph and Mary’s son. What makes him so special.” Jesus tells them (and us) that no one can come to Him unless they are drawn to Him by the Heavenly Father who sent Him. On the last day Jesus will lift up those whom the Father has called to Him. Jesus told them (and tells us) that those who are called to Him will be taught by God. Everyone who actually listens to the Father and is willing to learn from Him will come to Jesus. Those who believe what He teaches will have eternal life. Jesus is the bread of life. If we take what He taught, both with what He said and what He did, and make it our essence, we will have never die. We need to take everything about Him into ourselves much like we take food and drink into ourselves. Jesus lives because of the Father and we live because of Jesus.
There were many among His disciples who grumbled that Jesus’ teaching about eating His flesh and drinking His blood was hard to understand (and it most certainly is, I struggled with finding meaning in this passage today) and expressed an unwillingness to accept it. Jesus did not pamper them and soften His teachings rather He emphasized them more. He went on to say that it is only through the Spirit of God that we can have eternal life. Our efforts accomplish nothing. We cannot be righteous by our own efforts (I was going to put “in God’s eyes” there, but the truth of the matter is that we cannot even be righteous in our own eyes if we are honest with ourselves). Jesus then told His disciples that some of them did not believe Him.
Many of Jesus’ followers gave up following Him at that point because they could not accept His teachings. Jesus then turned to the Twelve and asked them if they were going to leave as well. Peter responded for them by asking Jesus who they could turn to? This passage causes me to ask, which are we? Those who find His teachings too hard? Or those who ask, where else would we turn? I put myself in the latter class. I know that it is hard to follow Jesus’ teachings, and I often fail to live like Him as He calls me too, but too what other teachings can I turn? Every other teaching about how to live my life falls short of bringing me eternal life.
There is one more point I want to make here. When many of His followers turned away Jesus did not change His teachings and start to pander to them, or to His remaining followers. He continued to preach His message. We should not change our message just because people find Jesus teachings too hard. If we are faithful to God’s word His Spirit will guide us to where we can serve Him best. We may not see the results but God will.
What a psalm to sing! It should be in our heart every day.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out!
As you read through this psalm can you identify with those the psalmist speaks of:
“Some wandered…lost and homeless.”
“Some sat…imprisoned in iron chains of misery.”
“Some were fools…and suffered for their sins.”
But of these the psalmist says they had one thing in common, they cried out, “Lord, help.” Then God led them to safety, snapped their chains and healed them. The land of the wicked will be turned to wasteland, but God will turn what is now wasteland into fertile land for those who love Him. To paraphrase the psalm, those who are wise will see in history the faithful love of the Lord.
Tulips ip close
The first of today’s proverbs tells us how we should behave when those around us (and perhaps ourselves) are under stress, we should work at giving a gentle answer. If we follow our all too natural reaction, we will only make matters worse and cause tempers to flare. Let us rather strive to give a gentle answer and help calm everyone down (even ourselves).
The second proverb tells us that the wise are able to speak in such a manner that others find learning entertaining, but fools spout nonsense and everyone knows it.
The final proverb tells us that God is watching everywhere all the time, both the good and the evil. God is not like those authority figures you remember from childhood who were only watching when you did something wrong. Nor is He like those authority figures who were never watching when the “good” kid who was really a bully was instigating trouble and always blamed others for that child’s misbehavior. No, God is always watching everywhere and He sees when you do wrong, but He also sees when you do right.
In today’s passage we have the people of Israel rejecting God as their king, desiring instead to have a human king so that they can be like the people around them. To what degree do we as Christians seek to have a human king (our government) do the things that God has tasked us to do as His servants? Do we strive to get laws passed to coerce people to follow God’s commands rather than relying on His Spirit to change their hearts so that they desire to do His will? Do I act as if God is my king, to whom I owe total fealty?
I have been using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study for almost a year. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I started writing this blog because the only way I can get myself to read the Bible everyday is to pretend that I am teaching someone about what it says to me. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.
As Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges over Israel. However, his sons were greedy and accepted bribes to pervert justice. This led the leaders of Israel to come to Samuel to ask him to appoint a king over Israel, so that they could be like other nations. Samuel was unhappy about this request and sought the Lord’s guidance about how to respond. God answered Samuel that the request was not a rejection of Samuel, but a rejection of God as their king. God told Samuel to do as they ask, but to warn them about how a king would rule over them. Samuel then tells the people of Israel that a king will take their freedom from them, taking the best for his own use (the best people, the best land, the best produce, etc).
When I read this I am struck by how often we as Christians in democratic nations have chosen to turn to the government to address problems that we should turn to God to deal with. We, like the Israelites, are seeking a king to lead us rather than accepting God as our King. In the same way as Samuel warned the Israelites, when we ask the government to take on roles beyond those ordained for it by God, we subject ourselves to restrictions on our liberty. When we ask the government to care for the poor, we are rejecting God as our king and His call for us to do that ourselves. When we as Christians get involved in politics and attempt to get laws passed to force our non-Christian neighbors to follow God’s commands, we are rejecting God as king and His call for us to bring His transforming Spirit to our neighbors so that they will choose of their own free will to follow His commands. In what ways am I rejecting God as my king? There is one last piece to the Israelites request for a king. They wanted a king in order to be like everyone else. Am I willing to be different and have only God as my king?
The passage goes on to tell the story of how the Lord led Saul to meet Samuel. The story is a classic example of how God uses the mundane events of our lives to guide us to the place He wants us to be at the time He wants us to be there.
Another shot of the redbud on the edge of the woods
In the morning the crowd that Jesus had fed realized that Jesus was not there any longer, even though they knew that He had not gotten into the boat with His disciples. So, they crossed over the lake to Capernaum to look for Him. When they found Him, they asked when He had gotten there. Jesus responded that they were looking for Him, not because they understood His message, but because He had fed them. He told them (and us) that they should not put so much effort into things which will perish, rather they should focus on things which would endure. We should focus on that which feeds our spirits eternal life.
The people responded that they wished to perform the works of God and asked Jesus what they needed to do in order to do so? Jesus answered that God desired that they believe in the one He has sent. The crowd clearly understood that Jesus was saying that He was the one that God had sent because they asked Him for a sign that He was indeed the one sent by God. I find it very interesting that they use the Exodus story of the manna from heaven to justify their demand for a sign, the day after Jesus had miraculously provided food for them.
Jesus then tells them that it was not Moses who gave them bread from heaven, but God the Father. He goes on to say that now God is offering them the bread of God which gives life to the world. The crowd immediately asked Jesus to give them this bread all the time. To which Jesus replies that He is the bread of life. Those who come to Him will never be hungry, those who believe in Him will never be thirsty. He then tells them that they do not believe in Him, even though they have seen Him. But those whom the Father has given to Him will come to Him and He will not reject them. Jesus said that He had come down from heaven to do the will of God. It is the Father’s will that all who see the Son and believe in Him have eternal life. When Jesus said this the people began to mutter, “How can this be? We know his father and mother.”
How often do we reject something as being from God because we know the back story? Do we see how God is working through the mundane events in our life, or do we dismiss that as being merely coincidence? When someone tells us that God has shown them some revelation we would rather not hear, do we dismiss it because we know their background>
As I continue reading Psalm 106 today, the psalmist continues to talk about how the people of Israel sinned against God repeatedly, yet every time they cried out to Him He rescued them. In this section the psalmist tells us that the people worshiped idols, going so far as to sacrifice their sons and daughters to those idols; that they shed innocent blood. He goes on to tell us that because of this God’s anger burned against His people. Whenever I read such passages I cannot help but think of abortion in the United States. If God’s anger burned against His chosen people for sacrificing their innocent children to their idols, how much more will His anger burn against us for sacrificing our children to our idols? Abortion is infanticide. Our society sacrifices over one million innocent babies a year on the altars of the gods we worship (convenience, self interest, materialism, the list goes on). How long will God withhold His judgment for the shedding of innocent blood? How long will we as Christians turn to an earthly king (our government) to stop this evil before we turn to the King whom we claim to serve? The answer to stopping abortion is not earthly laws making it illegal. The answer is the Spirit of God moving in people’s hearts to change the way they view the world.
Despite their many sins, the psalmist tells us that when the people of God turned back to Him, He heard their cries and delivered them. It is not too late for us to repent of our sins, both as individuals and as a nation, and turn back to God. If we repent of our sins and turn to Him, He will hear our cry and redeem us. I will praise His name for He has redeemed me? Are you willing to serve Him, and Him alone, as your king?
What more can I say? This proverb fits right into what I wrote about the psalm. The only true measure of a nation’s greatness is its godliness. Greatness is not measured by military might, nor is it measured by wealth. True greatness is measured by how closely a person or nation heeds the will of God. Such behavior cannot be enforced by laws, but only by the choice of each individual who composes that nation to strive to do God’s will. Am I striving to do God’s will in all aspects of my life? Do I spend enough time listening to His commands?
If God is my king, as I say He is, am I a wise servant who causes Him to rejoice? Or am I a servant who brings disgrace to His name?
I have been using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study for almost a year. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I started writing this blog because the only way I can get myself to read the Bible everyday is to pretend that I am teaching someone about what it says to me. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.
The Philistines first took the ark of God to the city of Ashdod and put it in their temple to Dagon. When they entered the temple the following morning the idol of Dagon had fallen face down in front of the ark of God. They set the idol back up. The following morning it had once more fallen face down before the Ark, however this time the head and hands had broken off. Then the city of Ashdod and surrounding villages began to experience a plague of tumors. The people of Ashdod called on the rulers of Philistia to move the ark of God. It was decided to send it to Gath. When the Ark arrived in Gath, the plague began to break out there as well. So the people of Gath sent the Ark to Ekron. The people of Ekron by now had heard about the tumors and demanded that the rulers of Philistia send the Ark away.
The Philistines put the Ark on a cart, along with a chest containing five gold “tumors” (golden objects made to look like the tumors caused by the plague) and five gold rats. They hitched two cows which had recently calved to the cart, while penning the calves up away from the cows. The cows went straight up the road from Philistia towards Beth Shemesh. The people of Beth Shemesh rejoiced when they saw the Ark arrive. Levites took the Ark off of the cart and set it on a large rock. They offered sacrifices and burnt offerings to God for the return of the Ark. However, seventy of the people of Beth Shemesh looked into the Ark and were struck down (the passage does not say how they were struck down, but it reads to me that they may have been struck by the same plague that had struck the Philistines). So, the people of Beth Shemesh sent and asked the people of Kiriath-jearim to come and get the Ark (which they did).
The people of Israel heard the stories about what happened with the Ark when it was in Philistine hands and how it was returned (my interpretation) and turned back to God. Samuel told them that if they were truly turning back to God they needed to get rid of their foreign gods and Ashtoreths and worship God alone. The Israelites followed Samuel’s advice, got rid of their idols and worshiped God alone.
Samuel then assembled the Israelites at Mizpah for a time of worship and repentance. When the Philistines learned that they had assembled at Mizpah they mustered their forces to attack them. The people of Israel were in great fear and asked Samuel to continue crying out to the Lord for them. Samuel took a lamb and offered it as a burnt offering. While Samuel was offering the Philistines prepared to launch their attack. However, as they launched their attack loud thunder came forth and threw them into confusion and panic. The Israelites rushed out in a counterattack driving the Philistines from the field. For the rest of the time that Samuel served as leader of Israel, they had the upper hand over the Philistines.
There is a lot going on in this passage about the power of God and how He reveals Himself even to unbelievers. The thing that especially struck me on this reading was the foreshadowing of Christ’s sacrificial death in Samuel sacrificing a lamb as part of his crying out to God for the Israelites rescue from the Philistines.
Jesus went to the far side of the Sea of Galilee and a crowd followed Him there. He was on a hill with His disciples when the crowd caught up to Him. As the crowd approached, Jesus asked Philip where they should buy bread for these people? Philip answered that it would cost about a half year’s wages to feed all of these people. Andrew pointed out a boy with five loaves and two fish, but asked what good that would do with so many people? Jesus had His disciples get the people to sit down. Then He took the food that the boy had, gave thanks for it and distributed it to the people (around 5,000). When everyone had enough to eat, Jesus had His disciples gather up the leftover bread so that it would not be wasted. They gathered twelve baskets full of bread. The people who were there began to say that Jesus must be the Prophet and were preparing to make Him king by force (the passage is not clear whether they intended to force Jesus to become king or to use force against those who opposed that idea). To prevent that Jesus withdrew by Himself to the mountain.
As evening approached Jesus’ disciples went down to the shore of the lake, got into a boat and began to cross over to Capernaum. A strong wind came up and the waters became very rough. After they had rowed a distance of several miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water. The disciples were frightened until Jesus told them not to be afraid and said, “I am.” When He said that the disciples were willing to take Him into the boat, at which point they arrived at their destination.
When Jesus used the phrase, “I am,” it would have been taken as a declaration of identification with God by His disciples. In Exodus 3, when Moses asked God who he should tell the Israelites had sent him, God responded, “I am who I am. Say this to the people of Israel: I Am has sent me to you.” So the use of the phrase “I am” was close to declaring that one was God (depending on the context). There was something very comforting to the disciples when they heard Jesus say, “I am”. Perhaps we would all do well to remember that the phrase “I am” was used by God to identify Himself. I know that I am going to strive to think about the fact that I am made in the image of God every time I use the phrase, “I am”.
Yesterday’s portion of this psalm talked about how God rescued the people of Israel from Egypt despite their sins against Him. This caused the people of Israel to believe His promises and praise His name. Today’s portion tells us that they quickly forgot what God had done for them and turned away from Him. God’s anger burned against them and He brought judgment against them for their sins. They ignored His commands about right living and each time they suffered for it. But the passage tells us something else as well. On two occasions, when God had reached His limit and was prepared to destroy Israel for their sins, when their sins had reached the point just shy of no return, righteous men stood up and intervened so that the people were saved. “But Phinehas had the courage to intervene, and the plague was stopped.” Do I have the courage to stand up and intervene? Am I willing to risk myself in order to stop the plagues among us today that come from our sin and lawlessness? Am I willing to call those around me away from sin, even though I will be called a hater and intolerant for doing so, for caring enough to point out the consequences of people’s choices?
When disaster comes the wicked will suffer, but even in death the righteous have a safe place with God. For the second proverb I prefer the NIV and other translations which stick with the Hebrew rather than using the Syriac and Septuagint to base their take on this passage. All agree that the first part says that wisdom rests in the hearts of the understanding. However, the NIV translates this as saying that even fools have access to wisdom, if only they would pay attention.
Today we have the passage where God first spoke to Samuel. When Eli realized that God was calling to Samuel he instructed Samuel to answer by saying, “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.” Before you read the scripture passages for today, I want you to say that as a prayer. I want to make it my goal to do that each day when I read the passages for the day. But not only then, I want to make that my prayer throughout the day. Of course, it is not enough to just say that. Once we have said it, we have to actually listen (I am sure that is as hard for some of you as it is for me).
I have been using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study for almost a year. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I started writing this blog because the only way I can get myself to read the Bible everyday is to pretend that I am teaching someone about what it says to me. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.
Eli was olde, but he knew that his sons were doing wrong. He confronted them verbally, but did nothing more. God sent a prophet to Eli who told him that all of his descendants would die young and his family would no longer serve as priests. The prophet told him that both of his sons would die on the same day.
Meanwhile Samuel assisted Eli and by doing so served the Lord. One night after Eli had gone to bed, Samuel, who slept in the Tabernacle near the Ark of God, heard a voice call out his name. He thought it was Eli and ran to his side. Eli said that he had not called him and sent him back to bed. Samuel heard the voice a second and third time and went to Eli’s side each time. The third time it happened Eli realized what was going on. He told Samuel that it was the voice of God and that he should tell God that he was listening. When the voice called his name once more, Samuel did as Eli had instructed and said, “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.” God told Samuel that he was going to carry out his threats against Eli and his sons because Eli had failed to discipline his sons. In the morning Eli insisted that Samuel tell him what God had said to him. When Samuel told Eli what God had told him, Eli responded, “It is the Lord’s will. Let Him do what He thinks best.”
In some ways, I think that Eli in this story is a tragic character. He had failed to discipline his sons and restrain them from using the office of priesthood to blaspheme against God. Yet, he raised Samuel to love and honor God and when God sent word of judgment against him he responded, “It is the Lord’s will. Let Him do what He thinks best.” How many of us can face the Lord’s judgment for our failure with such equanimity? However, the real lesson for us is in what Eli told Samuel to say when he heard the voice call his name. “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.” Do we respond to the Lord in this manner? More importantly, do we actually listen? I think that we have a tendency to say that we are listening and then keep on talking. In order to listen to what God has to say to us, we need to stop talking. That is my biggest challenge when it comes to prayer, I all too often don’t stop talking long enough to hear what God is saying.
Shortly after the above encounter the Israelites went to war against the Philistines and lost the first battle badly. They sent for the Ark of the Covenant. They thought that if they had it with them in battle, God would have to give them victory. Eli’s sons went down to the battle with the Ark. When the Israelites went into battle again, once more they were defeated and the Ark was captured by the Philistines. Eli’s two sons were killed in the battle.
A messenger rushed from the battle to the town where Eli resided. We are told that Eli was waiting beside the road for news of the battle, not out of concern for his sons but out of concern for the Ark of the Covenant. When the messenger told him that the Ark had been captured, Eli fell backward out of his seat and broke his neck. He died immediately because he was old and overweight.
Jesus makes a statement that gives me great joy. He says that those who listen to His message and believe in God who sent Him will have eternal life. If you listen to Jesus’ message and truly believe in the God who sent Him, you will act on that message. Jesus goes on to say something that I have never seen in quite the same light as I see it today.
Jesus said that the time has come that those who have died will hear his voice and those who listen will live. I am not sure what this means, but I will choose to interpret it according to the idea that C.S. Lewis wrote in “The Great Divorce”. In that book, C.S. Lewis suggests that those in Hell have the option to leave Hell and enter Heaven, if they would just surrender to God. He goes on to say that they will refuse. I am not completely sure about that idea. But this passage suggests that people get at least one more chance to accept God’s gift after death. If you read it that way, it also suggests that most will continue to refuse to surrender to God’s sovereignty. The original sin was the desire to usurp God’s position, unless we are willing to yield the throne to God, we cannot be saved.
Today’s psalm, like so many others, calls on us to praise the Lord. It asks us, “Who can ever praise him enough?” And I answer that question, “Certainly not me.” Like my ancestors, I have sinned against God and, like my ancestors, God has nevertheless intervened in my life to save me from my just deserts. And like my ancestors, I will believe His promises and praise His name. I am undeserving of God’s grace but He has given it to me anyway, so I will praise His name.
If you want to be physically healthy, you need to start by being at peace with yourself and with God. If you indulge in jealousy of others, it will eat at you like cancer and lead to various physical symptoms (which sooner, or later, will be real physical problems).
The easiest way to honor God is to help the poor. Those who oppress the poor insult God, who made them. Helping the poor is more complicated than just giving them things or money (although it certainly at some point involves that). We cannot meet God’s call to help the poor simply by throwing money at them. We need to be personally invested in showing them how to get out of the situation they are in and then providing, to the best of our ability, the means to do so.
