Lasso of Truth

I Samuel 15

Chapter 15

v2 We never have to worry about vengeance or retaliation with our enemies.  God has His own plans for them.

v3 God's orders are clear.  They are ALL to be wiped out.

v8-9 These verses say a lot about the man Saul had become.  God had given him very explicit instructions regarding prisoners or spoil from this battle.  But for the third time (or the third recorded time!) Saul lifts himself up on a pedestal--this time above the direct order of God himself.

He decides to do what is right in his own eyes.  He spares the life of the King, Agag, and keeps the wealth for himself:  "They spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fat-lings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were not willing to destroy them utterly."  The keyword is "willing." Following God's commands is a choice.  When we choose not to, we make idols of ourselves.  "... but everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed."  Do you think that maybe Saul missed the point here?  When we grasp onto things and make idols of them, we are limiting God's blessings in our lives.  Don't you think God wants to bless you?  Don't you think he wanted Saul to have wealth and livestock and fame? Who knows how God might have increased his wealth exponentially. But all Saul would ever get is the wealth that he could plunder on his own power.

The same is true for us.  If we hoard our wealth, because we earned it, our wealth will always be limited to our potential to earn!  But if we trust God and let go of that tight grip, he just might amaze us with wealth we could never have earned on our own!  (This goes for eternal wealth as well as monetary.)

Trust God.  Obey God.  He wants the BEST for you.

v11 I hope I never cause God to regret.  Anything.

Samuel was distressed and cried out to the Lord all night.  He was broken-hearted.  After all, he was the one God used to anoint this man.

v13 These are the words of a greatly deceived man.  At this point he can't even see all the harm he has done.  Satan has a way of making sin look like the moral choice!  And the more time we spend away from God's Word, the harder it is to tell the difference.

v22-23 Poignant words.  What good is offering a sacrifice?  It is just a big show if you don't listen to me (God).  Rebellion = divination.  Insubordination=iniquity and idolatry.

v24 Because I feared the people and listened to their voice.  He got caught up in the spectacle and lights.  He started performing for an audience.

v32 Agag: Surely this anger is a thing of the past...maybe we could work this out?

v33 Samuel is left to do Saul's dirty work.

v35  What does it mean that God regretted something?  Not that He had made a mistake, but that His people had so badly wanted what was not His best for them.

 

Next time: I Samuel 16-17

**And don't forget to leave your own thoughts and insights in the comments.  I love to read what the Lord has taught you through His Word!**

 

 

I Samuel 13-14

Chapter 13

Saul proves himself a worthy opponent to the Philistines, but now they are mad. They press in like a swarm, and the Israelites are feeling the squeeze.

v8 Samuel doesn't show up to give the offering, and the people start to scatter.  Saul is losing his audience and the morale of the people.

v9 So he takes the matter--the sacred act of offering the sacrifice, the act reserved by God only for priests to perform--into his own hands.

v10-11 He greets Samuel.  He doesn't seem to realize the gravity of what he has done.  He did what was right in his own eyes--for timeliness, for morale, and for his audience.

v12..."So I forced myself..." as if he had no other choice.  His reasoning was that they certainly could not act against the enemy before asking the Lord's favor!

v13-14 This one act has changed the entire course of Saul's kingdom.  It seemed small to Saul, but he in essence put his plan above God's.  (He who had been alive for a couple decades thought he knew better than the timeless God.)  He got impatient and forgot that God's will for your life never requires you to sin.  Never. Saul will spend the rest of his life trying to undo the consequences of this impatient act. 

v14  The Lord has sought out for himself a man after His own heart.  I truly believe that this could have been Saul.  Had he chosen to wait, if he had made the Lord his everything, his "audience of One", there might not have been any need for a King David at all.  What decisions are we making that are keeping us from getting God's best?  That are keeping you from being a major player in the plan God has for your community?  His will will be done.  But He doesn't have to let us be a part of it.

v20  The Philistines had the only blacksmiths, so the Israelites had no spears or swords.  Only farm tools.

Chapter 14

v6  I like Jonathan's attitude toward the Lord.  "Perhaps the Lord will work for us, for the Lord is not restrained to save by many or few."  This should be a mantra of evangelical Christians.

v10 asks God for a signal.

v11 funny

v12 Jonathan trusted God, even thoug the next step in the battle was unclear.

v15 This small victory served to demoralize the enemy.  And then God steps in..."the earth quaked so that it became a great trembling."

v16 And the multitude melted away.

v20-22 The Hebrews united finally against their enemy.

v24 Orders like this have been made before, but they were always brought on by God or one of His prophets.  It looks like Saul might be puffing himself up again.  Almost deifying himself.

v27 Jonathan unknowingly disobeys the order.  His eyes brightened.  I'm assuming that they were weary and tired and needed sustenance to withstand their vigorous battle conditions.

v31 They fought all day and were weary.

v32 They were so hungry that they sinned by eating meat with the blood still in it.

v39 Saul is facing the consequences for his foolish order.

v42 God reveals that Jonathan is the source of the problem.

v45 The people rescue him.  Already the people are facing the trouble of balancing loyalty to a human king, and obedience to a sovereign God.

v47-52 Saul's victories and fame are growing during his reign, and he is building his cabinet full of mighty and valiant men.

Next time: I Samuel 15-16

I Samuel 11-12

I Samuel 11

v.2  Yikes!

v.7  The work of the Lord demands a response.

v.15 God paved the way for Saul to enter into the kingdom with a victory, as a hero.  Suddenly he is beloved and popular.

I Samuel 12

verses 1-11 Samuel reminds them that they have had a King all along.  He reminds them ofthe care that this perfect King has taken with them.

verses 12-15  The king can't change the course of this nation.  Success or failure depends on the obedience of the people.  Wow.  It's like he is speaking directly to our current situations.  Whether it be or nation, or even out church.

v.17  It was wickedness for them to ask for a king.  This is a prime example of prayer not being all there is to this Christian life.  We must strive to KNOW God and abide in Him through study of His Word.  It is so easy to lose sight of God's best and focus on what we thinnk we need.  As shown here, sometimes when you ask God for something, He'll give it to you--even if it isn't part of His perfect plan for your life.  The lesson to walk away with here? Seek God.  Seek His heart, His will, and His design for your life.  And "He will make your path straight."

v 22 One to memorize:

"For the Lord will not abandon His people on account of His great name, because the Lord has been pleased to make you a people for Himself."

He's going to watch out for them and love them, because that's who He is.  And no idiot decision on our their part could change that.

v 24 "Only fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider the great things He has done for you."  This is how grace works. God is going to love you and forgive you no matter what you have done.  That is who God is.  And when you finally realize what you have done, and you feel humbled and undeserving, thank Him for the great things He has done for you by serving Him with all your heart.

Next Time: chapters 13-14