Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
Samuel said to all Israel, "I have listened to everything you said to me and have set a king over you. Now you have a king as your leader. As for me, I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have been your leader from my youth until this day. Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the Lord and his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes? If I have done any of these, I will make it right."
"You have not cheated or oppressed us," they replied. "You have not taken anything from anyone's hand."
Samuel said to them, "The Lord is witness against you, and also His anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand." "He is witness," they said.
1 Samuel 12:1-5
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
You’ll recall that at the end of Chapter 11, Saul was reaffirmed as the one chosen by God to be king of Israel while all of Israel was gathered in a great celebration at Gilgal.
As we open Chapter 12, we see where Samuel, the former leader of the people, speaks to the people of Israel in what will be his farewell address. Through his words, we see that Samuel spent a lifetime of service to the Lord…and in doing so, he gained an important benefit…the benefit of innocence.
We know this because Samuel presents his life for prosecution by the very people he led. For after he reminds the people that he listened to their call for a king by going before the Lord and having Saul selected to lead them, Samuel begins to also remind the people about the way he lived among them as their leader.
First, we read where he refreshes their memory as to how long he has been in a position of leadership over them. For he had been their “leader from (his) youth” up to the very day that he was speaking to them…a very long time indeed since Samuel was now “old and gray”.
Next, Samuel essentially places himself on trial against the people he led. He dares the people to bring a charge of wrongdoing against him saying:
“Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the Lord and his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes? If I have done any of these, I will make it right."
Note that Samuel was pretty much asking for anyone to speak against him if he had done anything wrong against the very people he had led…and he did so, not just in their presence, but in the presence of the Lord as well. Of interest is that the people had been warned about what was going to happen if they went through with their request to have a king. In essence, they would suffer all the injustices they didn’t suffer under Samuel’s rule.
For we see where Samuel is blameless in the sight of his people who proclaim:
"You have not cheated or oppressed us…You have not taken anything from anyone's hand."
And with that judgment of innocence, Samuel could have asked sarcastically, “then, why did you want to get rid of me and want a king instead?” But Samuel didn’t do this. Instead, he seals their confession of his innocence by saying, “The Lord is witness against you, and also His anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand." And they confirmed their decision by replying, "He is witness."
Now, we know Samuel wasn’t perfectly righteous because no one is perfect. He may have been blameless in the way he led the people but he was still a sinner…just like you and I. And yet, there was something that distinguished Samuel…something that helped him lead his people in a way that allowed them to see him as blameless.
You see, Samuel allowed God to lead him first…and this allowed him to lead others in blameless fashion.
I wonder how we would fare in life if we did what Samuel did. Let’s look at a few examples:
You’re together with your family for the holidays. Everyone is in the room together and you stand up before them and ask if there is any charge of wrongdoing that anyone can bring against you. You ask if you have always been good about keeping in touch with everyone…if you have ever gossiped or spread rumors about any of them…if you have ever mistreated any of them in any way, shape or form. You ask them to bring any charge against you. Then you wait for a reply. What would be said? Would there be anything that anyone would bring against you?
Maybe you’re in your workplace. You and your co-workers are in a meeting with your boss and at the meeting’s end, you ask to address everyone. Given permission, you stand before them and ask if anyone has a charge to bring against you…any charge of wrongdoing that you might have committed against any of them. You ask if you have always been a team player and willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that your co-workers succeed…if you have ever let any of them down when they were depending on you to carry your part of the load…if you had ever backstabbed any of them at any time. What would they say? How would they judge you?
As you can see, we could go on and on with these scenarios but you get the point. Too often, we don’t live our lives in a way that considers the way others might view us and as Christians, that is a dangerous mindset to get into. For we should always be conscientious about living our lives each and every day as Jesus did. After all, we are Christians and Christ is the root part of that word. Christ is our identity…or at least is supposed to be our identity.
For Samuel, he lived his life for God and so his life reflected God. His leadership actions were righteous and just…and his people witnessed it and acknowledged it.
We can only pray that we would have the same experience as Samuel if we presented ourselves in front of anyone or any group of people we have been associated with. Would they see us as blameless? If we live in and through Jesus and the Holy Spirit, 24 hours a day…7 days a week…they will. And before you say, Mark, that’s impossible. Consider the words of Paul when he said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)
Indeed, we can do all things…including living in innocence. And friends, that’s something we need to eternally strive for. Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
http://www.faithhopeandlove.info/
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
No comments:
Post a Comment