JOY "Saul's Disobedience Continues" November 14, 2012

November 14, 2012

Saul's Disobedience Continues

1st Samuel 15:1-35

I      The Amalekite Problem    1-3

II     Saul Disobeys God         4-9

III    Saul Loses his Kingdom and Mentor   10-35

Two brothers, were arguing about the wisdom, of their parents. "Father is very wise," said the first brother. "We should listen to him and do what he says."

The second brother disagreed, "Father is not so wise! We are just as smart as he is. I'll prove it to you!"

The next day, the second brother went into the woods near his home and captured a small bird. He brought the bird home and said to his brother, "Let's go find our father. I will show you that he isn't so smart!"

The two brothers went into the father's study, the second one holding the small bird between his cupped hands. "Father, I have a question for you,' he said. "I hold a small bird in my hands. Tell me, is this bird dead or alive?

The boy was confident that his father would not answer correctly, because if he said the bird was dead, the boy would simply open his hands and show that the bird was alive. If the father answered that the bird was alive, he would crush the bird between his hands and reveal that the bird was dead. Then he would prove to his brother, that his father was not so wise after all. 

The boys' father considered the question for a moment and said, "My son, the answer, is in your hands."

Sometimes we come to our Heavenly Father with questions that are just as impossible to answer----"Will this treatment heal my loved one's cancer? Why is our daughter getting a divorce? What should we do about a teenaged child and their loneliness? How can I protect my baby from ever getting hurt?  Can the "less-paying" job, we had to take, pay the bills? What does the future hold? 

------and for Saul----how can I totally annihilate all those Amalekites, and destroy all their stuff, without a backward glance? 

Whether we realize it or not, much of the time,we expect God, to arrange our lives for us, and to make everything work out, in a perfect way. Because, if we answer the question, "what does the future hold" truthfully, isn't that what we think, our all-powerful, all-knowing, loving God is supposed to do?

Well, the answer is No!!!!! That is not what God is supposed to do! In His wisdom, God created us with free-will. He says the same thing to us, that the father, in the story says to his son, "My child, the answer is in your hands."

Don't get me wrong, God does know the future----and He most certainly, has the power to determine it----but, He has graciously given us, control over our own lives. He created us in His image----with the ability to choose---- to be able to decide what we will do, and how we will live and whom we will serve. 

He chose, not to be a cosmic puppeteer, who arbitrarily pulls the strings of our lives, and makes us into people who would automatically, without doubt and without question, love and honor Him. Instead, He gave us the ability to decide for ourselves, whether to love Him or not, whether to obey Him or not, and whether to serve Him or not. He wants us to have eternal life----but the answer is in our hands… Deut 30:19 says "Today, I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now, I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make.  Oh that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live."

God gave Saul the choice to serve Him and obey Him and to be His chosen one, but Saul couldn't see beyond what was right in front of him, so he chose his own ideas and his own wisdom and his own desires, instead of the Lord's, over and over again. He wouldn't listen to Samuel, no matter what he said, and consequently, he lost God's blessing in his life. And, he never did learn total obedience to the Lord------

What about us? where are we on the barometer of obedience? I think most of us would say that we want to obey all the time, but for various and sundry reasons, we wind up obeying, only some of the time. 

My prayer for us, is that this lesson, has taught us, that obedience to the Lord is not a "sometimes" proposition----it's an "all-the-time" responsibility----and that we should never take it lightly. We are frail human beings and we do mess up from time to time, and God knows that, but our desire should be, to obey the Lord, in every situation, no matter what the cost might be.

The Amalekite Problem 15:1-3

God commanded utter destruction of the Amalikites, because they were a band of guerilla terrorists, who made their living by attacking other nations and carrying off their wealth and their families. They were descendants of Esau, which made them cousins of the Israelites. They were the nation that attacked the Israelites 1st, right before they entered the Promised Land, under Joshua, after they had escaped Egypt. 

The Israelites were in a weary and worn-out state, and the sneaky, cowardly Amalekites, attacked the people who were lagging behind---the ones who were very young, very old and sick or infirm.  And, they continued to invade Israelite camps, at every opportunity that they got. God knew that the Israelites would never be able to live at peace, in the Promised Land, as long as the Amalekites existed. He also knew that their corrupt, evil, idolatrous and human sacrificing, religious practices, threatened Israel's relationship with Him. 

God knew that the only way to protect the Israelite's bodies, and their souls, was to utterly destroy the Amalekites and all their possessions, including their idols. No one and nothing could be allowed to live. Although this seems severe to us----the command came from a perfectly just God, and was His perfectly just way, of judging sin. Allowing them to live, would have been the same thing to us, as playing around with sin. Sin is addictive----we may think we can let it go, but the truth is, sin won't let go of us. It may offer us a thrill, or a measure of excitement or a momentary high, but, in the end, it will always lead to heartbreak and many times, to death. God doesn't enjoy meting out punishment, but He won't allow sin to continue forever.

(Burt Hunter, a newspaper reporter and photographer in Long Beach California, found himself on a strange mission one foggy morning. He was scheduled to interview and take pictures of a female snake charmer. 

When Burt got to her house, he was so surprised to find out that she lived in a very nice upper-class neighborhood. And the woman herself, didn't look like someone who played with snakes. Burt couldn't help mentioning that fact to her. "I don't understand why a wealthy, attractive woman , such as yourself, is engaged in this kind of business, " he said, "it seems awfully dangerous to me."

The woman smiled and said, "Oh I don't do it because I have to. It's a fascinating hobby. I really like the element of danger involved. Someday soon, I plan to give it up and spend more time with my flowers. I can quit this any time I want to."

While Burt set up his equipment, the woman brought in baskets containing the cobras. She confidently lifted some of the deadly snakes as he snapped pictures of her handling them.

After replacing the snakes in their baskets, she cautioned, "Be especially quiet now and don't make any quick moves. Im going to take out my newest snake. It isn't completely used to me yet. 

The woman lifted the new snake out of its basket, then suddenly stiffened. "Something's wrong" she whispered to the photographer. "I'm going to have to put him back." She opened the basket slowly and began to lower the snake into it.

With a lighting-fast jab, the cobra buried its fangs into the woman's wrist. The woman forced the snake into the basket and clutched her arm.

She spoke calmly to Burt, "Go quickly to my medicine chest and bring back the snake serum. Hurry!" Trembling, Burt ran to the restroom and returned with a precious vial.

The woman instructed him to take out the syringe and fit the needle on it. Then she told him how to withdraw the serum. Burt struggled with the unfamiliar task, his hands shaking badly. He braced his arm against the table as he tried desperately to get the needle into the vial. Suddenly he gasped. His clumsy fingers had crushed the tiny bottle. The serum, now useless, dripped through his fingers and onto the floor.

"Tell me", he urged, "where can I get another one?" 

In a quiet voice she responded, "That was my last one."

The woman's agony ended when she died a few hours later.)  

Sin is like that for us---- too many times we flirt it----we try to play around with it and try not to get caught by it---we think we can control it----but we can't, because it always winds up, controlling us. When we find ourselves falling into a sin or having already, fallen into one----we can't let, even a smidgen of it remain----we have to get rid of it completely---otherwise it will wind up, rearing its ugly head, in a bigger or stronger way; or morphing itself into something attractive, to trick us into falling for it again-------sin is sin is sin-----it won't back down and it won't give up and it won't go away----the Lord has already given us the victory over sin---just like He gave the Israelites, the victory of the Promised Land----but, in order to claim that victory, we have to obey the Lord's direction and His instruction, no matter what it is. Saul, never did get that truth, to lodge into his heart and mind, so he wound up living a wasted life.

II   Saul Disobey's God  15:4-9

Saul and his men didn't destroy all the plunder from the battle, like God had commanded them to. Saul spared the king, Agag and the choicest of livestock, and there is no telling what else. He picked and chose what he destroyed and what he saved. Saul's decision not to destroy all of the Amalekites, made major trouble for the Israelites down the road----the last descendant of Agag was Haman, the crooked official, who sought to use the power of the Persian Empire, to eliminate the Jews, during the days of Queen Esther and King Xerxes.  

The law of devoting something----setting it aside----entirely for destruction was well known to the Israelites. Anything under God's ban was to be completely destroyed. (Deuteronomy 20:16-18 says, "In those towns that the Lord your God is giving you, as a special possession, destroy every living thing. You must completely destroy the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, just as the Lord your God has commanded you. This will prevent the people of the land from teaching you to imitate their detestable customs, in the worship of their gods, which would cause you to sin deeply against the Lord your God." ) 

God established this law, in order to prevent idolatry from taking hold in Israel, because many of the valuables, they took for plunder, were idols. To break this law was punishable by death. (Joshua 7 is about Ahan's sin in Ai) Saul's action showed disrespect and disregard for God, because it purposefully disobeyed his command. When we gloss over sin, in order to protect what we have, or for material gain, we aren't just disobeying God, we are out right defying Him---- basically, shaking our fist in His face. Saul defended himself----trying to justify his partial obedience as though it was full obedience. But partial obedience is  selective obedience, which is just another form of disobedience. 

The problem with Saul was, that he didn't take seriously enough, the fact that he was God's anointed one, and he had a commitment to obey. He had been chosen and designated, by God, to do what God wanted done, and to act as God's representative, to His people. There are things that happen in the world that so anger God, that they make it essential for Him to take action against them. The Amalekites and their heinous deeds, angered God that much! And God had called Saul to the task of destroying them completely and Saul had failed, miserably, because he thought he knew better than God did.

The Kenites were another group of people,who lived in the area, that were cousins to Israel, through the ancestery of Abraham.  They had striven to get along with Israel----- even to help them. They were living among the Amalekites and Saul gave them a chance to escape-----and because they Kenites took that chance---their lives and their nation were spared. We are like the Kenites, and if we want to escape God's discipline on the nation we live in, we need to find a way to disassociate ourselves from the Amalekite lifestyle, that is going on all around us. We need to individually, and collectively, be the people, who are called by His name, who humble themselves and pray and seek His face and turn from their wicked ways---so that He will hear from heaven and will forgive our sins and will heal our land. (1st Chronicles 7:14) 

 Saul Loses His Kingdom and His Mentor 15:10-35

When God said He was sorry that He had made Saul king, He wasn't saying that He'd made a mistake. God's comment was an expression of sorrow, not an admission of error. An omniscient God can't make a mistake, so He couldn't change His mind. But God's heart was grieved at Saul's willful rebellion----so He changed His attitude toward Saul, when Saul changed his and began to walk further and further away from the Lord. It doesn't seem like Saul's heart belonged to God, any more, if it ever had. He belonged to his own interests. Saul even built a monument to honor himself----totally different form how Moses and Joshua built monuments to God, to honor Him, alone.

Saul thought he had won a great victory over the Amalekites, but God saw it as a great failure, because Saul had disobeyed Him and then lied to Samuel about the results of the battle. Saul may have thought that his lie wouldn't be detected or that what he did wasn't wrong. But Saul was just deceiving himself.

Dishonest people, will eventually begin to believe the lies that they construct around themselves. Then, they lose the ability to tell the difference between the truth and the lies. By believing your own lies, you deceive yourself, you alienate yourself from God and you lose creditability in all your relationships. But, In the long run, honesty will win out.

When Samuel rebuked Saul for his flagrant disobedience to God's command, Saul claimed innocence, and blamed the rest of the people for taking the plunder for "sacrificial purposes". But Samuel saw right through Saul's explanation and pointed out God's priority, concerning the "why and the how and the when", of sacrifice. (1st Samuel 15:22 "…what is more pleasing to the Lord, your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to His voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.")  This teaches us that sincere obedience, is a prerequisite, for pleasing God, in our service to Him. Outright disobedience is basically an act of idolatry, because it elevates self, above God.

Samuel wasn't saying that sacrifice wasn't important-----he was urging Saul to look at his reasons for making the sacrifice, rather than at the sacrifice itself.

A sacrifice, was a ritual transaction between a person and God, that outwardly and physically, demonstrated a relationship between them. But, if a person's heart is not truly repentant or if he doesn't truly love God, the sacrifice is a hollow ritual. Religious ceremonies or rituals are empty, unless they are performed with an attitude of love and obedience. Being "religious"-----going to church, serving on committees, giving to charities, teaching Sunday School, being a deacon, attending a bible study, claiming to be a Christian; are not enough, if we don't have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus, and if we aren't doing them, out of love and devotion and obedience to the Him, first and foremost.

Rebellion and stubbornness are serious sins. They involve much more than being independent and strong minded. The Lord can use independence and strong-mindedness, but He will not use rebellion and stubbornness. Scripture equates them with witchcraft and idolatry, which are sins that are worthy of death. (Exodus 22:18 "You must not allow a sorceress to live.", Lev. 20:6 "I will turn against those who who commit spiritual prostitution by putting their trust in mediums or in those who consult the spirits of the dead. I will cut them off from the community.", Deut. 13:12-15 "When you begin living in the towns the Lord your God is giving you, you may hear that scoundrels among you are leading their fellow citizens astray by saying,'Let us go worship other gods'----gods you have not known before. In such cases, you must examine the facts carefully. If you find that the report is true and such a detestable act has been committed among you. You must attack that town and completely destroy all its inhabitants as well as all the livestock.", Micah 5:10-15 " In that day", says the Lord, "I will slaughter your horses and destroy your chariots. I will tear down your walls and demolish your defenses. I will put an end to all witchcraft and there will be no more fortune-tellers. I will destroy all your idols and sacred pillars, so you will never again worship the work of your hands. I will abolish your idol shrines with their Ashterath poles and destroy your pagan cities. I will pour out my vengeance on all the nations that refuse to obey me." )

Saul became both rebellious and stubborn, so its little wonder that God finally rejected him, and took away his kingdom. Rebellion against God, is perhaps, the most serious sin of all, because as long as a person is rebelling, the person is closing the door to forgiveness and to restoration with God. God will do everything He can, for as long as He can---to give a person a chance to repent and choose obedience----but He will not wait forever.

Saul's excuses had come to an end. It was the time for reckoning. (For each of us, there was a day, when we had to stand before a Holy God and give Him an account of our lives so far, and to declare to Him, who we were going to serve----and someday, there will come another day, when we will stand before Him, and give an account, of how we have served Him and His kingdom.) 

That day had come for Saul----- and all he could do, was give excuses for his behavior. I don't want us to be like that. I want our service to the Lord and to each other, to be a blessing, that pleases God, not one, that brings Him grief.  

We need to understand that God wasn't rejecting Saul as a person; Saul could still seek forgiveness and restore his relationship with God, but it was too late to get his kingdom back. If we don't act responsibly with what God has given or entrusted us with, eventually, we will run out of excuses, and then time, or God's hand, will allow it to stop growing, or to be taken away from us. All of us one day will have to give an account of our actions. (Romans 14:12 "Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God.")

I told you last week, that I don't believe that Saul understood the sovereignty of God. And, I don't believe that he understood the vileness and the entrapment-nature, of sin either. He thought, because he had partially obeyed, that he had done enough of what he was supposed to do, that neither God nor Samuel could find fault with him. In his mind, he must have thought, that maybe he hadn't done everything that God had told him to do, but at least he wasn't a horrible, murdering king, like Agag and at least, he didn't govern wicked people like the Amalikites. 

Saul just couldn't see that his sin, was pride in the fact, that he honestly thought, that he knew better than God. He didn't understand, like a lot of people don't understand, that there is no such thing, as a little bit of sin, or partial sin (its the same thing as, you can't be a little bit pregnant)-----sin is sin is sin and it's all level at the cross. No one sin, is any greater, than any other. We can't rank a sin, according to how bad we think it is or how minor we think it is---like, we think that white lies are not as bad as murder or that gossip is not as bad adultery. 

In society's eyes, the consequences for specific sins, may vary with severity----but in God's eyes, they're all the same---and Jesus made them level at the cross----there is nothing that cannot be forgiven.

Saul knew what the Lord had commanded him to do!----And to know what the Lord wants us to do, and to not do it, is outright disobedience. If we behave like that, we should be shaking in our boots, knowing that God's discipline will come. But Saul, was more concerned about what others would think about him, than he was about the status of his relationship with the Lord. He begged Samuel to go with him to worship, as a public demonstration, that Samuel still supported him. If Samuel had refused, the people probably would have lost all confidence in Saul. I believe that Samuel loved Saul and that he didn't want to give up on him. Scripture says that he was grieved in his heart, and that he had stayed up and prayed for Saul, the whole night, before going to find him and stripping him of his spiritual calling.

I think Samuel, after first refusing him, went with Saul, because of the love and loyalty that he had for him----- and because, he needed to right the wrong, in front of the Israelites, that Saul had neglected to do. He didn't want Saul's disobedience to be an example for the people. So, he went with him, and did Saul's dirty work, by exacting God's judgement, with his graphic execution of Agag----but once he was done, He walked away, leaving Saul, on his own, without spiritual guidance or support. 

Saul functioned as the man in political power for a long time, after that,(40 years) but he was never, the man of God's choice, again.

How awful---can you imagine, what life would be like, with no hope, no encouragement, no blessing, no peace and no words from the Lord, separated from Him, because of our own stubborn selfishness? I think it, literally, would be hell. I believe that's what makes hell, hell----separation from God.

"Susan Maycinik wrote this, for an article in Discipleship Journal….

The line between obedience and performance can be a blurry one. Yet it's an important distinction to grasp, because obedience leads to life, and performance leads to death…

Obedience is seeking God with your whole heart.

Performance is having a quiet time because you feel guilty if your don't.

Obedience is finding ways to let the word of God dwell in you richly.

Performance is quickly scanning a passage so you can check it off your Bible- reading plan.

Obedience is inviting guests to your home for dinner.

Performance is feeling anxious about whether every detail of the meal will be perfect.

Obedience is following God's prompting to lead a small group.

Performance is reluctance to let anyone else lead the group because they might not do it as well as you would. 

Obedience is doing your best.

Performance is wanting to be the best.

Obedience is saying yes to whatever God asks of you.

Performance is saying yes to whatever people ask of you.

Obedience is following the promptings of God's Spirit.

Performance is following a list of manmade requirements.

Obedience springs from fear of God. 

Performance springs from fear of failure." 

*******Obedience, is at the heart, of our loving God. Jesus said, in John 14:15, "if you love me, you will obey what I command". Obedience, to His way, is the center of what God wants for His children. He knows, that only then, as it says in Deuteronomy 5:29, "will it go well with them and their children forever." 

JOY "The Beginning of the End for Saul" November 7, 2012

November 7, 2012

The Beginning of the End for Saul

1st Samuel 13:1-14:52

I      Saul's Lack of Faith    13:1-23

           

II     Jonathan's Display of Faith 14:1-52

             

             A. A Sign That Inspired Action   14:1-14

             B. God Joins the Battle             14: 15-23

             C. Saul's Foolish Vow               14: 24-35

             D. Jonathan is Saved                14: 36-52

People do some crazy things!!!!!  In 1982, there was a man named Larry Walters, who became famous, at the age of 33, when he tried to become a lawn-chair pilot. In July of that year, Larry tied 42 helium-filled weather balloons, to a Sears lawn chair, in San Pedro, California. He thought he was going to sail across the desert, and hopefully, make it to the Rocky Mountains. He took supplies with him----which included a parachute, a citizens band radio, and a BB gun to shoot the balloons, when he was ready to descend.

Larry's flight, didn't go, quite like he had planned it.  When they released the tethers, holding the lawn chair down, Larry and the lawn chair, shot into the sky, at over a 1000 feet, per minute. Eventually, he leveled out around 16,000, feet. The flying lawn chair was spotted by TWA and Delta Airline pilots. And can you imagine, how unbelievable it must have looked, and how incredulous, the air traffic controllers must have been, when those 2 pilots radioed into the tower, to tell them what they had seen at 16,000 ft.

When Larry's hands became numb, he began to shoot out a few balloons, to start his descent. But then, he accidentally, dropped his BB gun. He used his radio to to call in a mayday, before he and his flying lawn chair, became tangled in a power line. Larry was able to get down safely, but he did succeed in blacking out a small area of Long Beach, California. 

Larry, set the altitude-record, for gas-filled clustered balloons, but, he was also arrested for violating Los Angeles airspace; and he was fined $1,500, by the FFA.

He also, won the top prize, that year, from the Bonehead Club of Dallas, and was a guest, on several daytime and late-night talk shows. But the fame wound up being too much for Larry----eleven years later, he hiked to a remote spot in the Los Angeles National Forest and committed suicide.

It's easy to laugh at Larry Walters, and his dream of flying a lawn chair, powered by weather balloons---- because he had no clue, that so many balloons would catapult him to such a height. And it's just as easy to feel sad for Larry, because he obviously, was so lost, in this world, that he felt like he had no recourse, but take his own life.

Hopefully, none of us would ever pull such a stunt, or find ourselves so broken, that we would go to such lengths----but the truth is----anybody, given any situation, will do anything! 

In a spiritual sense----we all know better, than to disobey God and His perfect will, for this world, and for our lives----but, we still persist, in doing crazy things. 

We wind up acting like Saul did ----we allow our egos and our self-centeredness, to control our thoughts and our actions. When that happens, we shoot up, to dizzying heights, really really quickly, and then, eventually, we crash and burn, because hot air, can only hold us aloft, for just a little while.

Its easier to say, that we are walking with the Lord, and easier to go through the motions of obeying Him, than it is, to actually be accountable to Him, and live our lives with compassion, courage and faithfulness. 

Every day, we need to wake up---- and before our feet, even hit the floor, we need to beg the Lord, to help us be submissive to His perfect will, for this day-----and we need to ask Him, to help us be accountable to Him, for everything, in every way, for this day-----and we need to ask Him, for this day, to help us pattern our obedience to the Father, after Jesus' own obedience to Him, which never faltered, even as He walked to the cross.

I  Saul's Lack of Faith  13:1-23

Saul's first battle against Nahash and the Ammonites had resulted, in a great victory for the Israelites. But instead of striking fear into the enemy's hearts, it just served to stir up more hatred of the Israelites, especially, from the Philistines. The Israelites were vastly outnumbered by them--- so, the Philistines were able, just to sit back and control the whole area, from their various outposts, that they had scattered throughout the region; and from their monopoly on the blacksmith trade, which allowed them to control the number and the type of tools and weapons, that the Israelites were allowed to have. Historians believe, that the Philistines, didn't really want to get rid of the Israelites----they just wanted to use them, as a buffer between themselves, and other more aggressive nations. And that's, mostly, the reason why, the Israelites were in constant conflict, with them, and why they chafed so miserably, under the Philistine yoke of submission. 

The Israelite desire, to be free from oppression and fear, was why they so desperately wanted a human king---- they wanted him to lead them into battle, against their enemies. And after the Ammonite victory, they were thrilled, to have Saul be that king.  

This passage, in most versions, says, that Saul was 30 years old, when he was anointed king and that he reigned for 42 years. When you go back to the original Greek, though, what the text actually says, isn't clear. It leads you to believe, that what happened in this passage, actually happened only a year or two into Saul's reign, because Samuel was still alive and serving as priest and prophet. It's just interesting to me, that this passage, is where we find out that Saul had a son, who was old enough, to lead an army into battle. (I think scripture gives us names and ages and locations and distances, to help us understand, that these things really happened, to real people, in real time.)

We may not know the exact age Saul was, when he became king----- but since scripture teaches scripture, we can be fairly sure, of the number of years that he reigned. Because Paul, in Acts 13:21, says it was 40 years. But, I love and agree with what our workbook commentary says, "that if his age and the exact length of his reign were important for us to know, God would have made sure that we had the information". We can rest assured, that If there is something that God wants us to know, then He will make sure we know it.  James 1:5-6 says clearly---"if anyone lacks wisdom, ask God, believing, without any doubt…and He will give it to them…." 

The Philistines had been somewhat subdued, under Samuel. And it must have been the same way under Saul, in the beginning of his kingship. Until the day that his son, Jonathan, led the attack on the Philistine garrison, which destroyed the delicate de'tente, between the two nations. Scripture says, that a group of 1000 Israelite soldiers, attacked the Philistine garrison, at Gibeah, without Saul's permission. And what began as a minor skirmish, ignited an all-out war between the Israelites and the Philistines. And, it sparked the beginning of the end, of what could have been, Saul's family dynasty.  

Jonathan's reasoning, for attacking the garrison, isn't provided to us. So the only thing we can do, is speculate and assume, that he was acting in faith, believing, that God still wanted His people to drive out the evil, pagan nations, that were inhabiting the land that He'd given to Israel.

But regardless of Jonathan's motivation, the Philistine response was predictable----they went crazy!!!!----At the time---- between them, Jonathan and Saul, only commanded 3000 soldiers. But that didn't deter, or even check, the bloodthirsty Philistines at all. They bore down on the comparatively, minuscule Israelite army, with an angry swarm of 30,000 chariots, 6000 horsemen and countless foot soldiers. 

Saul prepared for the major battle, assembling his troops at Gillgal, the site of his coronation. And the Philistines amassed their troops at Michmash, which was about 3 miles from Gibeah. This battle, played out in a very different way, than the one against the Ammonites had.  

Before that battle, the Holy Spirit had come upon Saul and empowered him in a mighty way; and had enabled him to lead 330,000 soldiers, to defend God's people and to win. But in the battle, we've studied about this week, there wasn't anything, said at all, about God's spirit coming upon him, to give him power. 

And clearly, the number of Israelite fighting men, was much lower. And the soldiers who did show up, were tentative at first, and then, quite understandably terrified, when they discovered the size of the opposing forces. They took "bomb shelter" coverage, wherever they could find it. Most of them deserted, and hid in caves, thickets, cliffs, cellars and pits. Many of them escaped across the Jordan River and some even joined the Philistines. The ones who stayed with Saul, must have been trembling with fear!

We get a picture, of King Saul! the acclaimed king of the Israelites, who's reputation, for great military prowess against the Ammonites, totally defined him----being suddenly, threatened, from a gigantic, frenzied, Philistine army and almost certain defeat. (When we forget who is on our side, or only see our own resources, we tend to panic at the sign of the opposition. The Israelites forgot that God was on their side and that He couldn't be defeated. When we face problems and temptations, we need to keep our focus on God and trust Him, to deliver us, because greater is He who is in us, than He who is in the world".)

Saul had been given specific instructions by Samuel to go to Gilgal, and wait 7 days for him to get there, so that Samuel could offer the necessary sacrifices and hear from God, about how they were to execute the battle. Saul went, but as the 7 days went by, he agonized over his shrinking army. He managed to make it through 6 days and most of the 7th----

I imagine, as the light of day began slipping away, so did Saul's desire to be obedient to the Lord---- he couldn't stand it anymore----he called for the burnt and peace offerings to brought to him. And it looks like he made the offerings himself---there is no mention of a priest. But, just when Saul was finishing the burnt offering, Samuel arrived, in plenty of time, to have made the offerings himself. When we're faced with difficult situations, we have to be careful not to let our impatience drive us to disobedience. When we know what God wants, we need to follow His plan regardless of the the circumstances around us.   

Saul and Samuel had been given their jobs by God----Saul was in charge of fighting and Samuel was in charge of praying-----and Saul had not kept his part of the bargain. When Samuel hadn't gotten there, by the time Saul thought t hat he should have, Saul took over. He stuck his nose into a place, where he had no business. His offering, of the sacrifices, wasn't, just a technical violation of an agreement-----it was a lack of trust in God.  Saul was afraid, and he knew that Samuel always made sacrifices before battles, so he was trying to do the same thing. He was trying to cover all his bases. He forgot, that God always acts in His time, and that, sometimes, we have to wait for Him. 

He stepped over the line-----in playing the part of Samuel, he was playing the part of God. Our true spiritual character, will be revealed when we're under pressure. We need to remember, that the methods we use, to accomplish our goals; are every bit as important, as achieving our goals. 

It's like, Saul thought, that by burning the offerings, he could manipulate God; in the same way, that the Israelites had  thought, earlier, that they could manipulate God, by bringing the Ark of the covenant to the battlefield. 

To be honest, it's really hard to resist the temptation, to manipulate circumstances and situations and events, especially when we think we've been called to a special task by God or when we are serving Him for a specific purpose. We expect Him to do us special favors----we think He owes it to us------we don't mean to play that kind of game with God, we just let our wants and our needs and our fears, get in the way. But God is the ruler of the universe and He called the world into being, with just a word-----He will not be forced and He will not be coerced, He will not go back on His word and He will not play favorites. 

Samuel was supposed to give spiritual instruction, offer sacrifices to God and bless the people before they went into a battle. But Saul was impatient and wouldn't wait. His impatience resulted in disobedience, because, "waiting on the Lord" is an act of faith. How often do we find it difficult to wait on God? What we have to trust, is that God's timing is always perfect… and it is always the right thing… (tell about double-faced clock)

Samuel's response to Saul was direct and stern. He told Saul that his actions were foolish and willfully disobedient, to him, and to God. If Saul had obeyed the command of God, his kingdom would have endured forever. But as it was, his disobedience cost him, a dynasty-----Samuel prophesied, that there would be no son who would succeed him---the house of Saul would die with Saul. God had already chosen another leader whose heart was more in tune with His. And although Saul's kingdom would last for a number of years, we will see, that it did end with Saul. 

Samuel departed without giving Saul any guidance, for how to handle the Philistine threat. When Saul counted heads, he discovered that he only had 600 fighting men, left in his army, and they were scared to death. To top it off, the Philistines were camped nearby, with an array of modern instruments of warfare, at their finger tips. In the whole Israelite army, no one even had swords, except Saul and Jonathan. Suddenly, instead of living in fear of God, Saul was living in fear of the Philistines. When you step in front of God and try to do things in your own strength and your own way----it is never good, and it never works, the way you think it will.

And if the difficulty, with the mainline Philistine army, wasn't enough of a challenge, they started sending raiding parties, out in various directions, throughout the land. They seemed to be special troops, whose task it was, to destroy human life, cattle, buildings and crops. But Saul just continued on, with business as usual. Listening doesn't seem to be one of Saul's strong points-----I don't know if he paid attention to a single word that Samuel said!

If you don't know God's character, when you read this account, it seems like He was being unnecessarily harsh. Saul had only made one little mistake and had lost his kingdom for it----But God isn't like that---He isn't capricious or fickle and he doesn't wax and wane, in the wind and the circumstance.

The truth is, it was Saul's duty as king, to know God's laws, and to carefully observe them, and to teach them to the people, with words and with actions. Saul ignored those general commands, as well as, the very specific instructions from Samuel. He had no real understanding of his calling and the gift he'd been given. And I don't think he really understood who God was. I don't think He understood His sovereignty or His power or His character or His love.

And like Saul, if we don't have an understanding of our calling, and an understanding of who God is, and who we are in Him----we'll be headed for trouble. The emergencies of life are not excuses to disobey God's commands; they're tests of our faith and our obedience. God chooses to work through us, even though we aren't perfect. If we could just learn to be more obedient through our difficulties, then we would become more effective, in our witness to the people we come in contact with. ( I have a friend who lost her son in a tragic car accident----throughout the long days that followed his funeral, and even on into years, now----I've often asked her how she gets up with a smile on her face and goes on about her business---- and her answer has never wavered----"I'm being obedient…it's a conscious choice--- the Lord has said "to count it all joy", so that is what I'm doing---- I'm going about my Father's business, so that I can bring some peace and comfort to someone else, and I count it as joy, that my pain, has made me more compassionate and loving to other people.)

II Jonathan's Display of Faith   14:1-52

A.  A Sign That Inspired Action  14: 1-14

Up until now, we've only seen glimpses of the fact, that Saul didn't seem to be a deeply spiritual man. The 

Holy Spirit, initially, came upon him, to prove that he had been chosen by God to be king; and then He came upon him, to rally the troops, so the Israelites could be saved, from the Ammonites.

We don't know a whole lot about him, other than this, but when you compare what little we do know about him, to what little we know about Jonathan, there is a big difference!!!!! 

Saul's hometown of Gibeah, is only 3 miles from Samuel's hometown of Ramah, but he didn't know who Samuel, the holy man, was, when he first met him. And, God's Spirit helped him recruit 330,000 men to defeat the Ammonites, but Saul didn't keep them together, so that they could continue to be strong and destroy the Philistines and the other nations who didn't fear God----he sent them home except for 3000 of them. (sounds like President Obama--wanting to downsize our military----it sends the message that we are weak, not strong). Saul was sending the message that they didn't really have to worry about the Israelite's God----that He wasn't serious about getting rid of the paganism and the idolatry in their land. It seemed like Saul, wanted to do, just enough to get by, but not step out and do the hard things, that would please the Lord and bring glory to Him. 

And he misused the things of the Lord----burning the offerings, instead of waiting for Samuel, was an indication, that he didn't value God's words or His law and that he was going to do what he wanted to do, oblivious, or maybe, ambivalent, to his own disobedience.   

Its no wonder that Samuel goes to such great lengths to remind Saul and Israel, that always and only, God has been their deliverer and their protector and their Savior-----it has never been human leaders, unless God allows them to be His voice and His hands. Saul seemed to have a hard time embracing that simple truth-----but Jonathan seems to have understood it very well, and with his whole heart.

There is quite a contrast between the father and son in this passage. With Israel at war, desperately outnumbered, and miserably equipped with weapons, Saul was seen under a pomegranate tree----out of the sun and safely out of reach of the Philistines-----I think he wanted to lay low and not call any attention to himself---it makes you wonder if he was trying not to fight in a war, unless he had to, or unless God made him. 

Samuel hadn't given him any guidance after his disobedience at Gilgal, but Saul had a priest with him wearing the ephod---the piece of priestly clothing that stored the urim and thumin(the means of discerning the Lord's will), but he never got around, to telling the priest to take out the urim and thumin, and use them, to ask God what to do. He didn't make it a priority. 

Jonathan, on the other hand, had a definite sense of God's will, that prompted him to take action. He seemed to have been troubled by the influence, the Philistines held over Israel and was eager to do something about it. He recruited his armor-bearer to go out on a mission with him. He didn't ask permission and he didn't inform his father of what they were going to do. While Saul seemed to do anything he could, to keep from causing trouble for the Philistines, Jonathan seemed to do just the opposite-----he did anything he could, to antagonize them. He wanted them out of the lives of the Israelites. 

Jonathan didn't have the authority to lead all of Saul's troops into battle, but he could start a small skirmish, in a corner of the enemy camp-----so that's what he did-----When we face difficult situations that are beyond our control, we need to ask the Lord, what steps we can take, to begin to work toward a solution. A few small steps, one at at a time, one foot, in front of the other, can be footsteps of faith, that begin a chain of events, that will lead to to eventual victory.

Jonathan appeared to know a lot about the will and character of God whether it was from Israel's history, or from the nature of God Himself, we don't know. But, his words to the armor-bearer from 14:6, are filled with a sense of faith and duty, to the Lord,  he said "perhaps the Lord will help us, for nothing can hinder the Lord. He can win a battle, whether He has many warriors or only a few!" ( He will do this for us too, and this is true for physical, emotional, cognitive and spiritual battles) The question in Jonathan's mind was not whether or not God could deliver the Philistines into the Israelite's hands, it was whether or not it was God's intention to deliver them, at that time. 

Jonathan had another way to figure out the Lord's will----and his hope was so sure in the Lord, that He was ready to trust and accept, which way the Lord answered his prayer. That's the way we have to pray to, with such trust, that, whatever the answer to the prayer is, we know that it's from God, and and we know that it's for our good-----it is ok and right, to specifically ask him, boldly, for a positive answer, to our prayers----but its also right that we ask Him in Jesus' name and in His will----trusting and believing, that whatever His will is, is what needs to happen---even if it isn't what we think we want. 

(The Lord taught me this, very tenderly, and very clearly, in the middle of a heartbreak-----about 25 years ago, my friend Mary Katherine, had a brain tumor----she had had surgery and chemotherapy and radiation----she was doing great! And I believed, from the bottom of my heart, that the Lord had healed her----if anybody, from sheer will, could have made it be true---it was me-----one day we were just sitting, playing with our children, and out of the blue, she said to me, "I'm going home." and I laughed and said, "You are home" and she said, "no, hear me and understand, I'm going home."  I realized that she was talking about heaven. Of course, I immediately protested, and started reminding her, of all the good things that were happening with her condition----but she didn't say another word, she just smiled.

 Not long after that day---the doctors discovered that the tumor had come back, and that there was nothing else, that they could do. I prayed and prayed for the Lord to heal her, but she kept fading away----and then, late, the night before she died, I was at the hospital, alone with her in the room. She had just slipped into a coma, and I heard the Lord speak to my heart, that He was going to heal her, but not on this earth, He was going to give her perfect healing, and that it was time-----suddenly, I found myself praying different words---instead of praying to keep her, I started praying for Him to take her home, "not my will, but thine be done". I learned, that God's will, is God's will and that no matter what it is, or how it affects me, it is right----- and ultimately, it will be for His glory and for my good.)

There was a group of Philistines, who were stationed at Michmash, at the top of a very narrow pass. Jonathan's plan was to make his presence known---if the Philistine soldiers came down to fight him, He would know that God wasn't going to deliver them; and if they called him to come up to where they were, that would mean, that God was going to give them the victory. 

The Philistines did tell Jonathan and the armor-bearer to come up. The two men began wielding their swords, as soon as they had climbed to the top. And before long, 20 Philistines were dead. Jonathan had started the fight that had resulted in the massive mobilization, of the Philistine troops, and a retaliation of revenge, from them, that spelled what seemed like certain doom for the Israelites. And then Jonathan ended it, with his daring, God-blessed assault, on the Philistines, which quickly turned into a full-scale battle----leaving the Michmash Pass open, so that the Israelites could pursue the fleeing enemy.  

B.  God Takes Over the Battle   14: 15-23

It's a testimony, to the power of Almighty God, and to His sense of humor, that one minute we've seen the Israelites trembling in fear of the Philistines, and hiding from them anywhere they could; and the next minute, we've seen the ground trembling from a God-sent earthquake, that left the Philistines running for cover, when their smug sense of security, up there on that Pass, became the most dangerous place to be, in the area. The scripture describes the confusion that seized the Philistines as "a panic sent by God." The Philistines were terrified and disabled, but at first, the Israelites were too----The earthquake seemed to have been limited to the place where the Philistines were -----so the Israelites couldn't really tell what was happening----they just knew that something, was making the Philistine army disintegrate before their eyes. 

Saul did a quick inventory of his army and discovered that Jonathan and the armor-bearer were missing. Saul didn't seem too happy about it! That was the second time that Jonathan had initiated conflict, which wound up involving the whole army; and had taken Saul outside off his comfort zone. (nobody likes to have to step outside of their comfort zone, especially if it's prompted by someone who shows us up)

Finally, Saul decided to consult God. My Bible says that Saul called for the ark---but I don't believe that it was the Ark of the Covenant----David, when he was king, retrieved the ark and brought it back to the center of the people, in Jerusalem. The Greek actually says, that Saul called for the priest, wearing the ephod, so that they could consult the urim and the thumin----The priest was standing there,holding out his hand, so that he could cast the lots, but Saul felt like the process was taking too long, and the commotion in the Philistine camp just kept escalating, so he told the priest "to just forget it". 

So, once again, without consulting God---Saul sent the Israelite army, in hot pursuit, after the panic-stricken Philistines, with Jonathan and the armor-bearer leading the charge. And just like God had given Jonathan the victory, over the 20 men, he had just killed----and he had caused the earthquake that had thrown the Philistines into chaos, He also chose to swell the Israelite army that day, the 600 soldiers were joined by the deserters, who had been hiding, and the ones, who had defected---- and they thoroughly routed the Philistines.   

Israel, was vastly outnumbered, by the Philistines, and pitifully unequipped to fight them. How often do we feel overwhelmed by what is threatening us? Do we react like Saul, or Jonathan, when we face overwhelming odds. Saul panicked! and Jonathan, went forward to meet them, knowing that God was in control! (Zechariah 4:6 " ..Its not by force, nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven's armies." Matthew 19:26, "Jesus looked at them intently and said, humanly speaking, its impossible but with God, everything is possible." ( Romans 8:31 "…If God is for us, who could ever be against us.") God is never intimidated by the size of the enemy or the complexity of a problem. God always has enough resources, to resist the pressures and win the battle. We need to commit whatever  we have, to the Lord, and then trust Him, to give us the victory.

C.  Saul's Foolish Vow               14: 24-35

I don't know if Saul, had the desire to have a real relationship with the Lord; but just didn't want it bad enough, to commit himself 100%. I don't know if he just played lip-service to it, because the role of king, had been chosen for him, and he was such a coward, that he couldn't bring himself to embrace it and trust that God would see him through, anything He called him to -----I don't know if God had chosen him to be king, because He knew, that Saul would go his own way and that He would be able to use that, to discipline the Israelites, for their disobedience. 

What ever it was, Saul, the young man who had started out, with such promise; the young man who had been given such opportunity to trust the Lord and build a relationship with Him; the young man who only had to trust God's hand and His heart, to be able to see the power of the universe, displayed, as a love letter to his people----- chose to go his own way. (I don't think there's anything in the world that is sadder than that---the Lord promising Himself to us, and we choose to turn our backs on him and walk away----its easy to point our fingers, at other people, when it seems like, that's what they're doing---I think of the pop-singer Katy Perry---she was raised in an evangelical home---I have no idea where her heart is and its not my place to judge her---but her life style and her song lyrics and her behavior, don't match the ways of the Lord-----

But are we any different----how many of us are like Saul---we look good on the outside---we know all the right things to say and do-----but when push comes to shove, we choose to go our own way, and ignore the Lord in the process?  It might be in a little thing or it might be in a big thing, but it doesn't really matter--- because disobedience is disobedience… 

"Life goes up and it goes down, and how we ride that roller coaster, is what defines our faith.")

Even though the Israelites took advantage of the situation, their victory was not what it could have been. Their soldiers were not in top form, largely, because of Saul's foolishness. 

Reading between the lines, it looked like Saul was intimidated by the Philistines. And he must have felt humiliated, too, by their ability, to keep the him and the people, under their thumb, because of the monopoly, on the iron trade. So, when he saw his greatest enemy had begun to suffer defeat, he felt a little braver, and decided to turn the screw just little tighter. 

Without any real thought, he placed his soldiers under a ridiculous oath, forbidding them to eat until it was too dark to battle anymore. His reasoning, appeared to be, so that they could avoid wasting valuable time and daylight by stopping for a meal. (the action had begun suddenly and spontaneously, so neither he nor his men were prepared.)

But Saul was dead wrong, on two counts. 1st--He wasn't able to maximize the daylight hours well enough, because the fighting spread eastward, and the Israelites had to pursue the Philistines, over 20 miles of mountainous territory. And without food, they had just gotten tireder and weaker. 2nd---Saul had just assumed, that there wouldn't be any time for his soldiers to stop for food. But God had provided the fastest and best food available in nature---a reserve of honey. The soldiers could have dipped their staffs into the honey and transferred it to their mouths, for a boost of energy, as they were moving forward. 

Saul's real reason for the vow, was, that he wanted to defeat the Philistines, in order to carry out his own vengeance. He even said, in verse 24, "Let a curse fall on anyone who eats before evening----before I have full revenge on my enemies." He was fine with putting the lives of his men in jeopardy, in order to satisfy his own selfish desire. (Regardless of who you think should be president this was a bad move on Obama's part and right on Romney's----- The whole Obama issue of " voting for revenge" and Romney's response "vote cause you love this country"….) Romans 12:19-21 tells us what our attitudes are supposed to be when we face an enemy. "Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the scriptures say, "I will take revenge; I will pay them back, says the Lord. Instead, "If your enemies are hungry; feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads." Don't let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good."

But Jonathan benefited from the honey, because he hadn't heard his father's edict. He said what a lot of the other soldiers must have been thinking, "that Saul wasn't the source of Israel's military successes, he was more like a hindrance to them."

The other soldiers, complied with Saul's senseless order, not to eat until evening---- but there were fewer Philistines killed, as a result. And more importantly, the ridiculous oath, was the means, of leading the Israelites into sin. The Mosaic Law strictly forbid them, from eating meat, while it was still dripping with blood. Blood represented the sanctity of life and life belongs to God, and they were to respect that. But the Israelites were so hungry and so battle-weary, that when they came upon the Philistine cattle, they couldn't wait to prepare it, in the way they were supposed to---so they killed it and ate it with the blood still flowing, which was, in clear defiance, of God's law. It was a very telling and unfortunate thing, that they feared disobeying Saul's commands, more than they did, breaking God's law. (We should always follow the laws of our land, and the wishes, of the leaders over us, unless they conflict with God's laws----we should never choose the laws of this world, over what God tells us to do.) 

When their atrocious behavior was brought to Saul's attention, he self-righteously, pointed an accusing finger at his famished men, and blamed them for their misconduct. Even though his foolish demand had started the whole thing. Maybe on some level, he recognized that, and he wanted to make amends; or maybe he was scared that God would punish them, right then and there, for their disobedience, him included; or maybe he just wanted to look like he was more spiritual than his men. Whatever it was, he tried to effect damage control, by building an altar, so that the soldier's appetites, could be sanctified, and they wouldn't be sinning, any further. 

See, you can tell that Saul knew what he was supposed to do. He just didn't do it. The Israelites worshiped God by their sacrifice ritual----and that was the first altar, that we've seen Saul build. And we know, that he had a priest there with him------so there must have been many times, when Saul could have led the people, in worship, but he didn't. It makes you wonder if it had to take a crisis, for him to finally seek to worship God. God is too great to be an afterthought----things would have been so different, if Saul had built Him an altar, as his first official act as king. If we would turn to God first, we would never need to turn to Him, as our last resort. 

D.  Jonathan is Saved                14: 36-52

When their meal was over, the Israelites were ready to fight again, and that time, the priest did try to get direction from the Lord. (This reminds me, of when we barrel on ahead with some plan, and then, after the fact, ask God to bless it.)

But the Lord didn't provide an answer for them. Saul immediately jumped to a number of conclusions: that someone had sinned; that the sin was a violation of his own foolish order, rather than God's law; and that the sin was worthy of death.

I don't know why he singled out Jonathan-----maybe because he had been the instigator the last two battles, without any input from Saul. 

I think the discord between the father and son, was more indicative, about what was going on inside Saul's heart, than almost anything else that happened, in this story. Whatever it was, we can tell it wasn't good!

After Jonathan was identified by the casting of lots, he confessed that he had eaten a little bit of honey. And even though, Jonathan hadn't known about his father's command and they had still won the battle-----Saul decided, that the reason that Israel, hadn't totally annihilated the Philistines and had left some, to fight another day, was because of Jonathan's infraction. He decided that Jonathan would have to die. 

The defining line between these two men is getting clearer and clearer----Saul is starting to look like a selfish, arrogant coward, and Jonathan, is starting to look like a man of honor--- Jonathan didn't make any excuses for himself and he didn't make any accusations against his father, either.

With great flair, Saul pontificated about the certainty and necessity of Jonathan's death. But, thank goodness, the other soldiers recognized, the foolishness of Saul's words and actions and they wouldn't let him put Jonathan to death. The men credited Jonathan with their victory, not Saul. Clearly Jonathan had been working with God, not against Him.

Its a funny thing-----God will carry out His plan, with or without us---- and when we fail to do what God calls us to do, He will raise up another person to accomplish it instead. 

Jonathan was allowed to live, and that marked the end, of that particular battle with the Philistines. It ended sooner and less decisively than it should have. The war could have been over, but the door was left open, so Saul spent the rest of his life, in one conflict after another, with the Philistines. And in spite of Saul's glaring shortcomings, he had a reputation as an excellent fighter. There have been other men in history that were moral and spiritual failures, but that were great military leaders, too. God doesn't just restrict Himself to using godly people, to accomplish his promises and purposes. 

And from a historian's point of view, when battles are won or lost, regardless of who the general is that achieved the victory, the credit goes to the man calling the shots---the Commander in Chief---------so, all of Israel's victories were credited to Saul. We don't know why God allowed Saul to reign for so long and gave him such military success. It could have been for the sake of the people; and it could have been to make the nation politically secure, before David came to power, so that he could concentrate on the nation's spiritual battles. 

We have no way of knowing; but we do know, that the timing of God's plans and promises are known only to Him. Our responsibility is to commit ourselves to Him, and then trust Him for the outcome.

Saul did have the title of king and the responsibility of leading the nation, but from the minute Jonathan appeared in the pages of scripture, he consistently demonstrated a strength of faith and character, that upstaged his father. And this gives us an early insight, into why it was no surprise, that he and David had an almost immediate bond. 

How often do we find ourselves, today, in a place like Jonathan did -----with no official power or control over our circumstances. In those situations, we have to make sure that we act faithfully, and winsomely and truthfully, so that the Holy Spirit, in our hearts, will spill over, and make a difference in the lives of the people around us. 

JOY "And So: The Kingdom Begins" October 31, 2012

October 31, 2012

And So:  The Kingdom Begins

1st Samuel 11:1-12:25

I     Saul Steps Up     11:1-15

II    Samuel Steps Down   12:1-25

"Once upon a time, there was woman who was married to a perfectionist husband. No matter what his wife did for him, it was never enough. At the beginning of each day, he would make out his list of chores for her to do, and at the end of each day, he would scrutinize it, to make sure, that she had done all that she was supposed to do. The only complement she ever received was a disinterested grunt, if she finished everything. She grew to really resent her husband. When he died unexpectedly, she was embarrassed to admit to herself, that she was relieved. 

Within a year of husband's death, she met a warm and loving man who was everything her former husband was not. They fell deeply in love with each other, and were married. Each day that they spent together, seemed better than the day before. 

One afternoon, as she was cleaning out boxes in the attic, a crumpled piece of paper, caught her eye. It was one of the old chore lists, that her first husband used to make out for her. In spite of her bitter feelings, she couldn't help but read it again. To her shock and amazement she discovered, without even thinking about it, she was now doing for her new husband, all the things that she used to hate to do, for her old one. Her new husband never once suggested that she do any of those things. But she was doing them anyway-----because she loved him, and she wanted to please him.

A lot of people think of the Christian life as a list of "thou shalts" and "thou shalt nots"------But that was never what God intended. The truth is, all God has ever wanted from His children, was to have a relationship with them, that was based on love and obedience. From the beginning, His plan, was always to send Jesus to the world, so that He could put an end to the long list of rules and regulations, that had governed Israel for so many years. Jesus came with a new understanding of a very old law-----"the law of loving the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and loving your neighbor as yourself." (Matt. 22:37)

Jesus came to teach His fellow Jews and everybody who came after them, including us, that if we love God, we will do the right things-----not because we're afraid of breaking the law, but because we want to please Him. 

Living as a believer has very little to do with laws and lists---- and it has everything to do with love and obedience. When Peter needed forgiveness and healing, after he had denied knowing Jesus---the Lord asked him the same question, 3 times, "Peter do you love me?" And Peter answered, "Lord, you know I do." And we know from the scripture, that Peter wasn't just giving lip-service to his words----he went out and proved with his life, how much he loved Jesus.

God gave Saul and the Israelites many opportunities to declare their love for Him and to show their desire to obey Him. In the passage this week, we've witnessed what a fine start Saul got off to, as God's man and as the people's king----- and, we've seen how repentant the Israelites came to be, for their sin of disobeying God, when they clamored for a king, and chose to accept him, because they had decided, that they were entitled to him. But, as Billy Graham says, God doesn't call us to be successful-----He calls us to be obedient. And we can't be obedient, if we don't understand and trust the love, that God has for us. 

Saul and the Israelites started out doing what God told them to do-----but they didn't really understand His love, so, in the long run, they didn't trust Him enough to stay the course that He called them to------so their obedience, ultimately, didn't last------but for this week, at least----- there is much for us to learn, from their beginning, shining example…

Saul Steps Up    11:1-15

About a month, after Saul's public appointment as the king of Israel, the Israelite city of Jabesh-gilead, came under siege by Nahash, the commander of the Ammonites. The Ammonites, were descended from the incestuous liaison of Lot, with one of his daughters, after Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed. They occupied the desert-fringe territories of the tribes, of Gad and Manasseh, on the east side of the Jordan River. 

The terms of surrender, that were demanded by Nahash, included thrusting out the right eye of all the inhabitants of the city. And, he'd already gouged out, the right eye of thousands of Israelite men, that he'd previously warred against, from the tribes of Gad and Reuben. Not only, was it a way of humiliating them, but it disabled their warriors, too----in battle, their right eye was the one exposed, because the left one was typically behind their shields----

They would have had to learn a whole new way of combat. Can you imagine an army or one-eyed men?

Nahash, ranks right up there, with the world's most brutal oppressors----he rubs shoulders with Herod the Great and Nero and Genghis Khan, and Hitler, and Stalin and Saddom Hussein and Osama Bin Laden. 

The elders of Jabesh asked for a 7 day delay, before they surrendered themselves, hoping for deliverance from the Israelites, west of the Jordan. Nobody knows why Nahash agreed to their proposal, but it's been speculated, that it was because he wasn't prepared to take the city by force, and he certainly didn't expect, for anybody to come to their rescue. 

That was the first time, that Israel had had a king, so nobody knew how the king was supposed to act or what he was supposed to do. Samuel had told everybody to go back home, so that seems to be the reason, why Saul had gone  home and picked up, where he left off---- dirt-farming. He had no court, no palace, no throne. He did have a job, but he had no job description. The king, having no kingly work to do, went back to his family's farm, to wait to see what would come next.  

He had just come in from plowing, when he heard the news about Jabesh-gilead. It made him livid! And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, in a mighty way, and empowered him to take charge of the leadership reins, and deliver the desperate citizens of Jabesh-gilead from their tormenter. (This is a remarkable demonstration of the wonderful grace of God. On a personal level, it shows what can happen when someone is going about their mundane, every-day, even irksome tasks, and the Lord reveals Himself, and calls us to come work with Him. Saul went our looking for lost donkeys and was anointed king, with holy oil, by the time he got back home. He was out plowing his field and came home, to be anointed by the Holy Spirit, so that he could lead a victorious army, into battle, before the week was out. Who knows what God will call us to do, on any given day, and how He will use our daily tasks to get us ready for it, or to accomplish it. God regularly, provides more balance and blessing and glimpses of Himself, than we can even think of asking for.) And God's timing is always perfect----He equips us for the task, when the task is at hand, and we need the strength and the power and the wisdom to do what He tells us too.

Theologians believe, that Saul's anger and quick response to the request, might reflect the fact, that his very existence was owed to Jabesh-gilead. Back during the period of the judges, in the time of the Benjamite War (Judges 20-21)----all the other tribes had declared that none of them would give their daughter to a Benjamite, in marriage----but after a little while, the people regretted, that the tribe of Benjamin had almost been wiped out, except for 600 men----- so they went to Jabesh-gilead and took 400 young virgins, and gave them to the men, to be their wives, so that the tribe would be restored. And it's very probable, that Saul was descended from one of those marriages.

It also could have been, that Saul truly did, feel responsible for his people, and that rescuing them, would have proven ,that he was a king worth having. Whatever it was, the scripture says, that "the spirit of God came upon him powerfully, and he became very angry. (Anger is a powerful emotion. Way too many times it can drive people to hurt others with words or physical violence. But anger directed at sin, or moral injustice, or the mistreatment of others, is not wrong. Saul was angered by the Ammonites threat to humiliate and mistreat his fellow Israelites. And the Holy Spirit used Saul's anger, to being justice and freedom to them. When injustice or sin, makes us angry, we need to ask God to help us channel our anger in a constructive way, to help bring about a positive change, and provide a means, for bring glory to Him.) 

To call the tribes to arms, in one of the Israelites, ancient, time-honored traditions, Saul slaughtered his own oxen, and sent the pieces throughout Israel, with the message that the same thing would happen to any one who didn't come and follow Saul and Samuel. (Even God had had used that same kind of graphic illustration, with Abraham, when He made His covenant with him---Abraham had cut sacrifice-animals into pieces and then fallen into a deep sleep---and then God, in the image of a smoking firepot, had walked in-between them, vowing, to keep His promise to Abraham---Abraham, would have understood God's implication to be, "If I don't do what I promise, then may what has happened to these animals, happen to me." not that could have happened to God, but, that was a way that ancient men cemented their vows to each other, and God was using it, as an example that Abraham could understand, to prove the seriousness and the validity of His promise.)   

All the Israelite tribes, responded to Saul's call to arms, and 330,000 warriors assembled at Bezek. Saul employed a surprise tactic----He divided his troops into 3 companies and then attacked the Ammonites at the morning watch, sometime around dawn. Jabesh-gilead was delivered and the Ammonites were soundly defeated. The survivors were scattered so far and wide, that no 2 of them escaped together.

As a result of the victory over the Ammonites, Saul gained even more support and allegiance from the people of Israel, as their king. And the people were so moved by patriotic pride, that they cried out for Samuel, to being out the men who had opposed Saul, when he had first been announced as their king---- and to execute them. But Saul recognized, that God, had accomplished the deliverance for Israel, not him, and certainly, not the people, and he refused to heed the suggestions, of his over-zealous supporters. 

Samuel concurred with Saul's decision, and then commanded, for all the tribes to reconvene for ceremonies and sacrifices of thanksgiving, to God, at Gilgal, and to reaffirm Saul, as their earthly king.  

II     Samuel Steps Down    12:1-25

Hannah had promised the Lord, that her son would devote his whole life, in service, as His priest. But, God must have told Samuel, that it was time, to step down from the political leadership, of the people, because, that, more than anything, would have encouraged the Israelites to start looking to Saul, as the leader of their nation.

The people of Israel were hardly ready for a complex government with rigid controls. Although, on an earthly level, unity, was their goal---- the old tribal borders were still observed. The manner, that Samuel used, to encourage Saul to begin his reign, which Saul did espouse, showed insight and good judgement, because the new central form of government, had to be accepted gradually, and not forced on the people, overnight. There was huge learning curve.   

Samuel began his charge to the people, seeking to establish his own integrity. He reminded them, that he could be trusted to tell the truth, and that they needed to listen to him, so that they could understand the magnitude of their sin, in choosing a human king over God. 

But he also reminded them, that even though they had sinned against him, God had not taken his hand off of them, and that they could trust Samuel's words, about how to follow God in their future. And Samuel wanted them, to trust him enough, to believe, that if he was reminding them, that Saul was the man, whom, they had chosen to follow---- then they needed to follow him---- and trust him with all the loyalty, that they had always given Samuel---- as long as Saul kept following God.

Samuel invited anybody who would, to come forward and bring any charges of injustice against himself-----he even made an obvious reference, to the failed administration of his sons------He wanted to make everything right, between himself and the people, before he stepped away from them politically, and certainly, before he died. But, there was nobody who came forward, which is remarkable------because, Samuel, had been in the public eye, his whole long life, and there was not one person who could step forward and say a negative thing about him. What a lesson for us-----what a remarkable testimony of a man of honesty and integrity, who exemplified a life, spent walking close to the Lord!(Samuel lived the scripture passage (Proverbs 16:7)  that says, and I'm paraphrasing, "walk in such a way that even your enemies have to respect you…)

Israel's history, as a nation, had begun at the Exodus. Samuel pointed out to them, that their demand for a human king like the rest of the nations, was just one more instance of their rebellion against God, in a long history, of rebellion against him. He mentioned some of their great leaders and he emphasized, that it hadn't been Moses and Aaron, who had delivered them from Egyptian slavery--- it had been God. In the same way, He wanted them to understand, that it hadn't been Saul ,who had delivered them from Nahash and the Ammonites, it had been God. He wanted them to comprehend and believe, that God will work through human leaders, but ultimately, it is God's will, that delivers His people, from evil and bondage.

Samuel basically, summoned the Israelites to take their stand before God, and to hear the charges against them, as if they were in a courtroom, on trial. History was a witness to the fact, that the blessings they had received, were not a result of their own righteousness. Their "modis of operandi" had been----- that they would love God; then they would turn to the worship of idols, like the people around them; then they would become oppressed by another nation; then they would cry out to God to deliver them; and God would hear them, and have compassion on them, and finally, He would deliver them. Samuel reminded the Israelites, that repeatedly, God had graciously delivered the people, from their enemies, but, that they persistently, kept falling into the same pattern of behavior. Samuel cited illustrations from major experiences in their lives---the Exodus, the wilderness wanderings, the possession of the land under Joshua, and the ruling period of the judges, to prove his words. 

Then he linked Israel's past, to the situation they were experiencing, at that moment. Like the Israelites, who had gone before them, they had once again, been oppressed by a neighboring nation. But unlike the people of previous generations, who had realized that their outside oppression, had come as a result of their sin, and they had repented, before crying out to God for deliverance------the generation under Samuel and Saul, had not acknowledged their sin and had not repented. Instead, they had blamed their circumstances on bad leadership---- and had demanded a king, so that they could be like all the other nations. Samuel wanted them to see the error of their ways and to repent, so that they could go forward.

Although God had given the Israelites a king, in accordance with their demands, Samuel warned them, that the king would only be able to procure deliverance for them, if they would fear the Lord and give up any rebellion against Him, and look only to Him, for all things. 

Samuel underscored the importance of what he was saying, with a sign of divine intervention. He wanted to drive home the point, that God is powerful, and that He can use anything He wants to, to get our attention.  

It wasn't the rainy season. (In Palestine the rainy season is in winter)  And I think, it's an extreme rarity for it to rain there, unless it is the rainy season. The people would have been astounded-----there was no reason for them to have, even short, gentle showers, much less, a huge storm. I think that it must have been, an unprecedented storm. And right on cue, in response to Samuel's prayer, a great thunderstorm immediately blew in---- at their harvest time. That would have terrified the people, because they would have been afraid for their livelihood----the untimely storm, would have been a threat to their crops. (harvest was in late May or early June) Plus, it must have been violent enough to make them fear for their lives. The unexpected storm, reminded the Israelites that God is in control of all things, and that there was nothing that they could do to change that, or get away from it. If God doesn't prevent something, then He is allowing it------in both calamity and in blessing. 

(I'm reminded of listening to the news on Monday morning, when the media was making all the projections for the storm this week-----apparently it was an unprecedented storm, especially for the northeast. The media were listing all the preparation measures, that the different states and governors, and the cities and mayors were taking---- and one thing that struck me, was the fact that President Obama and Governor Romney, had to change their plans for campaigning-----they had been rendered helpless to visit, any states on the east coast, because of the storm----it made me think of just how small this election is, in light, of the big picture, of God's plan-----in the long run, its a "nevermind"------God's Will, will be God's will----and it's how we fall in line with His will, that makes the difference in our lives, and in the lives of those around us.)

Samuel's message----- which was punctuated by the sudden storm----did result in great fear, among the people and they began to comprehend, the severity of their sin, in general, and their demand for a king, in particular. They didn't want to be disciplined any further than they already had been, by the Ammonites, and the ever-present threat of the Philistines. 

They plead for Samuel to pray for them!! And they admitted their guilt in requesting a king to lead them, instead of turning to God and trusting Him.

Samuel, as the man of God that he was, was gracious and he tried to reassure the people with words full of mercy and hope. Without minimizing the magnitude of their sin, he gave them good reason, for faithfulness, patience and endurance. We have talked before, about how it wasn't wrong for them to have a king, but that, it was wrong, for them to espouse the idea, that any human being, could be trusted with salvation, and with the deliverance, from the guilt of sin. (We can't let past sins and mistakes spoil our lives-----regardless of who we are or what we've done, if we turn to Him in repentance, the Lord will forgive us; and He will accept us, as if we had never sinned; and He will richly bless us. We can't let the past, destroy the future, and ruin the present, for us-----we have to trust, that when God says He has forgiven us, that He truly has, and live like it.) And by the same token, we have to forgive other people. If God doesn't give up on people , then neither should we….

Samuel never suggested, that Israel's salvation would, ever, be based ,on their good works, or their faithfulness to laws and regulations. And he never suggested, that they try harder, in order to receive God's blessings. Samuel told them that obedience and service to God, is the result of God's grace, it isn't it's source. There is no evil, unless we deny the Lord, Himself, that can separate us from God's gracious mercy toward us. Nothing we can ever do, other than denying Him, can put us outside the power of God's grace to forgive and reconcile.

----a thousand years later, Jesus embodied what Samuel preached-----"do not be afraid….yes, you have sinned, but don't let your sin paralyze you with guilt-----don't let your sin, dupe you into thinking, that you are irredeemable; don't for a minute, suppose that God has called it quits on you. He never will! It is God's business, to save us and He wouldn't give up----He will save anybody who will  turn from their wicked ways, and humble themselves and pray, and seek God's face…

Samuel's farewell as Israel's political leader, was precious. It was honest and sincere and spiritual. It was loving and kind and gentle. It was the way God treats us, when He moves us from one season in our lives to another or from one ministry to another, so that the transition doesn't tear our world apart, or make us go off the deep end. God is not the one who creates stress for us, when life's changes come----what isn't physically based, on hormones, or situationally, based on our environment and other people, I believe, is stress, that we create for ourselves. 

We can't forget, that God is a God of order----we just need to keep our focus on Him----the circumstances may not change, but focusing on Him, will help us to walk through the stress, with joy and victory. 

Samuel left them with 2 wonderful promises! 

After having exhorted the people to faithfully serve the Lord, Samuel promised, that Yahweh would never forsake His people. That promise was based on God's own name. In the ancient Bible days, a person's name represented their character and their reputation. The Israelites could rest assured, in the truth, that God would never abandon them, because it would be inconsistent, with His name and His reputation----- because Yahweh, means I Am that I Am, and that defines His faithfulness. 

The second promise, was given by Samuel, in response to the request of the people. Samuel promised the people that he would not ever sin against God, by ceasing to pray for them. 

The way that Samuel had lived his life, illustrated the truth, that prayer is an essential ingredient, to an effective ministry, and to a worthy life. Do we think that failing to pray for others is a sin?----Samuel seems to have…His words indicate that God's people have a responsibility to pray for each other----Samuel assured the people, that even though he didn't agree with their demand for a king, he would continue to pray for them, and teach them. 

We may disagree with each other, and we may hurt each other, but we should never stop praying for each other. Because God has given us the responsibility to pray for each other. Sometimes that is the only thing we can do. But  it's always the thing that we should do. We need to take everything to the Lord in prayer---first, middle and last! 

When we pray for people and we tell them that we have, or that we're going to----it encourages them-----when people tell me that they're praying for me---it encourages me, but more than that, it redirects me and my focus, to the Lord, and off of myself and whatever circumstances, I might be dealing with. 

And then he closed his address, with a formula for blessing, and a dire warning, "Be sure to fear the Lord and faithfully serve Him. Think of all the wonderful things He's done for you---- but know, that if you continue to sin, you and your king will be swept away." (This is the second time, in his farewell address, that Samuel had reminded the people to take time to consider, what great things, that God had done for them. Taking time to remember, allows us to focus our attention on God's goodness and it strengthens our faith. Sometimes we are so future-oriented, that we forget to take time to remember everything that God has already done, and be grateful to Him, for it. In Jesus' farewell address, in the upper room, He told us to remember Him every time we take the cup and eat the bread, so that we won't forget the greatest gift He has given us, eternal life.)

I went to the Wake Forest/Clemson game last week. I sat behind a man who was rooting for Clemson! I was not. I have to tell you---he acted like a crazy person---I think he was drunk, but I couldn't be for sure. Clemson would move an inch on the field and he would jump to his feet and tune around to everybody all around him to get a high-five. The silly thing was---Clemson was killing us----so his wild enthusiasm was unwarranted! He irritated the fire out of me and I wanted to tell him to calm down! But, after a while, I got so annoyed, with how bad Wake was playing, that I tuned the game out, and started focusing on this lesson, in my mind----and it occurred to me, that the excitement and the commitment of the man, in front of me, might be a terrible example of sportsmanship, but it was a great example of how we should be, about the things of God----we should be sold out, on fire, unrelenting and unembarrassed, to shout our love and loyalty for Him, to everybody around us!