ESTABLISHING A GOOD NAME

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

There was a Benjamite, a man of standing, whose name was Kish, son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah of Benjamin. He had a son named Saul, an impressive young man without equal among the Israelites—a head taller than any of the others.

Now the donkeys belonging to Saul's father Kish were lost, and Kish said to his son Saul, "Take one of the servants with you and go and look for the donkeys." So he passed through the hill country of Ephraim and through the area around Shalisha, but they did not find them. They went on into the district of Shaalim, but the donkeys were not there. Then he passed through the territory of Benjamin, but they did not find them.

When they reached the district of Zuph, Saul said to the servant who was with him, "Come, let's go back, or my father will stop thinking about the donkeys and start worrying about us."

But the servant replied, "Look, in this town there is a man of God; he is highly respected, and everything he says comes true. Let's go there now. Perhaps he will tell us what way to take."

Saul said to his servant, "If we go, what can we give the man? The food in our sacks is gone. We have no gift to take to the man of God. What do we have?"

The servant answered him again. "Look," he said, "I have a quarter of a shekel of silver. I will give it to the man of God so that he will tell us what way to take." (Formerly in Israel, if a man went to inquire of God, he would say, "Come, let us go to the seer," because the prophet of today used to be called a seer.)

"Good," Saul said to his servant. "Come, let's go." So they set out for the town where the man of God was.

1 Samuel 9:1-10

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In 1 Samuel, chapter 8, we saw where the elders of Israel insisted to have a king like other nations around them, even despite Samuel’s delivering warnings about it from the Lord and so as chapter 9 opens, we’re introduced to the man who will be Israel’s first king…a man named Saul.

The passage opens with some background information on him as we read where he was the son of Kish who was a member of the tribe of Benjamin…a “man of standing”.  Saul was described as “an impressive young man without equal among the Israelites”, standing “a head taller than any of the others”...traits that speak to the way he was distinguished from his peers.

The scriptures tell us that the young Saul was called to action by his father who had lost his donkeys. He gave his son the following instructions:

“Take one of the servants…and go and look for the donkeys."

So Saul did as his father asked, going after the donkeys with a servant. We read where they passed “through the hill country of Ephraim”, the “area around Shalisha”, the “district of Shaalim” and the “territory of Benjamin” but were unable to locate the lost animals. As they reached the “district of Zuph”, we see Saul beginning to have doubts that they would be successful in their search, saying to the servant:

“Come, let's go back, or my father will stop thinking about the donkeys and start worrying about us."

After hearing Saul’s thoughts, the servant offered one other option for he knew of a “man of God” who was “highly respected” and “everything he (said came) true”. The servant he spoke of was none other than Samuel himself and so the servant proposed the following to Saul:

“Let's go there now. Perhaps he will tell us what way to take."

Here we sense the great confidence the servant had in Samuel’s ability to tell them exactly where to find the lost donkeys as Saul pondered the suggestion, we see where he didn’t actually have a problem with the plan overall but did have one concern. For it was customary in those days for someone to give a gift of gratitude to a prophet or seer and Saul didn’t think they had anything to give since all their food was gone.

The scriptures tell us that the servant put Saul at ease by telling him he happened to have a “quarter of a shekel of silver” that they could give to Samuel in exchange for the information they desired and so they set out for “the town where the man of God was”.

As I meditated on this passage, I loved how Samuel had established such an incredible reputation in Israel…a reputation as being a man of God who was highly respected and who always spoke the truth. What an amazing and awesome way to be remembered among your people!

This got me further thinking about myself and how I might be remembered by other people for I hope and pray that if someone asked whether they knew of someone who could provide sound spiritual counsel and guidance, they might have me come to mind and respond saying:

“I know a man of God who is highly respected and who always speaks the truth”.

It’s something I strive for as I do the Lord’s work every day and I pray you might do likewise.

With this, we might wonder how to get to that point, gaining a reputation among people so they might view us as a man or woman of God who always speaks the truth because the Word they base everything off of is the very Word of the Lord Most High. We get there by being people who are in and of God’s Word and Spirit, each and every day. Consider these words from the third chapter of the Book of Proverbs:

My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.

Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.

Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Proverbs 3:1-4

The first step to establishing a reputation of being a person of God is to not forget His teachings but instead put them into practice in everything we do. For when we keep His commands in our hearts, we stay engaged in practicing holiness and righteousness, reflecting a life that is free from sinful behavior. It’s this life, lived out in a way that is pleasing in the sight of God, that helps to prolong our lives and brings us blessings from the Father above who sees our faithfulness and then rewards it.

Ultimately, we do all this - living in ways that are obedient and loyal to God, His word, and His spirit - because we love Him first and foremost. And the beauty found in this love attitude towards the Lord is that it leads us to extend His love to others because when we make all that we are to be all that God is, then we can’t help but love everyone.

Indeed, we’re reminded that God is love and we only love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). And the closer we draw near to Him, the firmer His love is bound to our necks and written onto the tablets of our hearts.

Friends, when we surrender ourselves to this kind of close connection to the Lord, allowing Him to rule supreme in our lives with our hearts saturated with His love, then we can expect others to see us as men and women of God who have earned their favor as well as His. There could be no better place for anyone to be and it leads me to these closing words of Solomon in Proverbs when he wrote:

A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. Proverbs 22:1

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com 

STUBBORN REJECTION

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

But when they said, "Give us a king to lead us," this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. And the Lord told him: "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected Me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking Me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do."

Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. He said, "This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the Lord will not answer you in that day."

But the people refused to listen to Samuel. "No!" they said. "We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles."

When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the Lord. The Lord answered, "Listen to them and give them a king."

Then Samuel said to the men of Israel, "Everyone go back to his town."

1 Samuel 8:6-22

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As 1 Samuel, chapter 8 opens, we find Samuel, the judge of Israel, confronted by the nation’s elders who were unhappy with the leadership of his two sons. You’ll recall that the scriptures described the sons as not following in Samuel’s ways, instead seeking dishonest gain, accepting bribes, and perverting justice. This sinful behavior led the elders to seek leadership from another.

Specifically, we read where the elders demanded that they be given a king to rule over them just as the other nations around them had. Their appetite to be under a human authority showed that they didn’t understand how they already served a Heavenly, all powerful King (capital K) in the Lord God Almighty. Further, they didn’t go to God to ask about who He wanted to lead His people. Rather, they were going to Samuel and making their demand.

Well, unlike his fellow countryman, we see where Samuel wasted no time taking the matter before the Lord, turning to Him in prayer and receiving the following words from above:

“Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected Me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking Me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do."

There was one statement here that is as condemning as they come for the Lord said:

“…it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected Me…”

Think about that for just a moment and ask yourself this:

Is there anything worse we can accused of by the Lord than rejecting Him in our life?

You see, when we choose to reject God, we are essentially saying we are committed to the ways of the world over anything He can do or give. And when we commit to the ways of the world, we decide to place ourselves under the influence and kingship of Satan for the scriptures make it clear that He has control of the whole world (1 John 5:19).

This is where the elders of Israel were heading and they were taking the Israelite people with them. For by demanding an earthly king over their heavenly One, they were essentially surrendering themselves to the devil and his ways…ways that could and would easily be carried out through the king they asked for. The people would be subject to that king’s laws and rules as well as his word and will, all of which could bring great oppression and hardship on them bringing a harsh realization of the mistake they made in asking for a king in the first place.

We find Samuel trying to get the Israelites to understand what could happen if they stayed adamant about wanting a king when he said the following:

"This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the Lord will not answer you in that day."

In other words, Samuel was trying to warn the people of Israel to consider this:

Be careful what you ask for.

For while the Israelites thought things would get better under a king’s rule, they didn’t properly consider that things could get worse…a lot worse. But the people would have none of what Samuel was telling them, refusing to come to their senses. Instead they were stubborn and “refused to listen to Samuel” shouting:

“No!...We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles."

Here, we see how the people of Israel had quickly forgotten that their victories had never come without God first granting them as He fought for them and often handed their enemies over to them on a silver platter. It was as if they had no recollection of all that their Lord had done for them.

You know, we see the same thing happening today for so many people decide to look to the world for the things they want instead of the One who is the Giver of every good and perfect thing from above (James 1:17).

Why?

Well, I think it’s because the world seems to always play on our personal desires where the Lord calls for us to make His desires our own. And so given the world offers to give us what we want without any concession or sacrifice, we too often choose the path of least resistance. Free from having to follow a ton of rules and regulations or restrictions on the way we act, talk, or think, we think we can get everything without giving up anything but in the end, we really are surrendering our very soul to sin. It’s a truth that led Jesus to ask this question:

“What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Matthew 16:26

Friends, we can’t afford to stubbornly reject the Lord like the Old Testament Israelites did. For to reject Him is like telling Jesus that He died on the cross in vain for us…that we lack appreciation for the sacrifice He made to save our souls. His unselfish act of love and grace ends up taking a back seat to our selfish pursuit of our own desires.

Is that the message we really want to send to our Savior and the Father who sent Him?

If you are reading this today and have turned the wrong way in life toward the world, rejecting the Lord while doing so, there is good news for you today but it requires immediate action on your part. For you can’t delay in turning back towards God, repenting of your sin, and giving your life back to the One who lived and died for you to bring salvation and the hope of eternal life. For God’s word from 1st John assures every person of the following:

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves His child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out His commands. This is love for God: to obey His commands. And His commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. 1 John 5:1-5

So what’s it going to be in your life?

Stubborn rejection of the Lord…or…faithful, obedient, and willing acceptance of Him?

Each of us has the choice to make and we can’t afford to not make the right one. My prayer is that you will choose Jesus.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

KNOW THE KING

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Samuel continued as judge over Israel all the days of his life. From year to year, he went on a circuit from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah, judging Israel in all those places. But he always went back to Ramah, where his home was, and there he also judged Israel. And he built an altar there to the Lord.

When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges for Israel. The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. But his sons did not walk in his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.

So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, "You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have."

1 Samuel 7:14-17, 8:1-5

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In the first part of 1 Samuel, chapter 7, we find the people of Israel confessing and repenting as they turned back to the Lord who in turn granted them victory and deliverance from the Philistines. After this, Samuel, who had interceded for them at Mizpah, carried out duties as judge “all the days of his life”, going “on a circuit from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah” every year before always returning to his home in Ramah where he built an altar to the Lord.

Well, as the years passed, Samuel grew old and “appointed his sons as judges for Israel” but unfortunately, just as we saw with Eli, the sons were nowhere near like their father. For we read where Joel and Abijah didn’t walk in Samuel’s ways or put another way, they chose not to walk in the ways of the Lord. The scriptures tell us that they went after “dishonest gain…accepted bribes and perverted justice”…sinful behavior that didn’t sit well with the elders of Israel for we read them going to Samuel at Ramah with the following ultimatum:

“You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have."

Here we find the elders clearly communicating that they were unsatisfied with their leadership, yearning for new authority to rule them but there was one problem. They thought this would come from a man, not the Lord who had already shown He was with and for them.

For as the elders of Israel expressed the desire for a human king, they did so forgetting that they already had a King (capital K)…a King more powerful than any other king on earth…the King of all kings. And it wasn’t as if their King had been in hiding. Rather, He (the Lord)  had been on the battlefield with His people bringing them victory…most recently over the Philistines.

How quickly they forgot.

Yes…Israel had a King…One who would always lead and guide them into right and righteous living…One who would always protect them…One who would always remain faithful to them and provide for their needs. He was there for them if they would have just turned to Him instead of going to Samuel. Surely, He would have reminded them who He was and let them know it wasn’t His will for them to have a king like the other nations around them.

But they went to Him and so we’ll see as things play out that they get their kings and how those kings will eventually lead to the destruction of the nation.

Friends, we need to learn from this mistake made by the people of Israel. For too often, we think we know what we need in life and will go to great lengths to try and acquire things without first seeking whether the Lord wants us to have them. Like the Israelites, we forget that we have a King who wants to rule and reign over our lives…One who will always lead and guide us to live righteously…One who will always seek to shield and protect us…One who will always remain faithful to us and provide for our needs.

He, the Lord, is there for us all the time. All we need to do is turn to Him.

Do you know your King?

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

TURNING BACK TO GOD

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

It was a long time, twenty years in all, that the ark remained at Kiriath Jearim, and all the people of Israel mourned and sought after the Lord. And Samuel said to the whole house of Israel, "If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the Lord and serve Him only, and He will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines."

So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only.

Then Samuel said, "Assemble all Israel at Mizpah and I will intercede with the Lord for you."

When they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the Lord. On that day, they fasted and there they confessed, "We have sinned against the Lord." And Samuel was leader of Israel at Mizpah.

When the Philistines heard that Israel had assembled at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines came up to attack them. And when the Israelites heard of it, they were afraid because of the Philistines. They said to Samuel, "Do not stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, that He may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines."

Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it up as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. He cried out to the Lord on Israel's behalf, and the Lord answered him.

While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day, the Lord thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites. The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a point below Beth Car.

Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far has the Lord helped us."

So the Philistines were subdued and did not invade Israelite territory again.

Throughout Samuel's lifetime, the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines. The towns from Ekron to Gath that the Philistines had captured from Israel were restored to her, and Israel delivered the neighboring territory from the power of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.

Samuel continued as judge over Israel all the days of his life. From year to year, he went on a circuit from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah, judging Israel in all those places. But he always went back to Ramah, where his home was, and there he also judged Israel. And he built an altar there to the Lord.

1 Samuel 7:2-14

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As chapter 6 of 1st Samuel closed, the ark of the Lord had been returned to the Israelites at Beth Shemesh and we saw where they rejoiced and celebrated until seventy of their men were struck down by God for looking into the ark.

Instead of seeing the act as it was, God’s judgment on a group of disobedient men, the people of Beth Shemesh thought the problem was the ark itself and so they sought to give it away, finding takers in the men of Kiriath Jearim who kept it for twenty years. During this time, the scriptures tell us “all the people of Israel mourned and sought after the Lord”. Actually, I like the New Living Translation’s version of this text as it actually gives us a better feel for what the people were going through. It reads:

“During that time all Israel mourned because it seemed the Lord had abandoned them.”

Quick question…

Have you ever gone through a period of time when you felt a sense of grief over feeling the Lord had abandoned you?

Well, going back to our scripture passage, we find the Israelites at Kiriath Jearim receiving counsel from Samuel, the once young boy who had grown up in the temple under the tutelage of Eli, the high priest. Now grown and a judge of Israel, we see him offering spiritual guidance to the “whole house of Israel” saying:

"If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the Lord and serve Him only, and He will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines."

In other words, the reason that God seemed so distant from the Israelites is because they had spiritually distanced themselves from Him, turning instead to the false gods of the Canaanites.

Well, we read where the Israelites listened to Samuel’s counsel and “put away their Baals and Ashtoreths”, choosing to serve God only, and it was then that we find Samuel going before the Lord and interceding for them after calling them to assemble at Mizpah.

Here, we find an important life application principle for we’re reminded that we can only get right with God when we give up everything in our lives that distance us from Him, namely our sin. We have to fully commit to surrender our sinful nature, exchanging it for the righteousness that only He can give.

This is just what we see the Israelites do as they “assembled at Mizpah”. We read where they drew out water and pouring it out before the Lord, an expression of remorse, before fasting and confessing:

"We have sinned against the Lord."

To repair our relationship with the Lord today, we only need to follow this lead of the Israelites, coming clean about the sins He is already very well aware of in repentance with the desire of returning to a life of obedience and a will to follow His way and His way alone. When we do this, we can expect that the Lord will extend His gifts of forgiveness, grace, and love. Then, and this is the most important step, we need to make sure we don’t repeat the sinfulness again. We need to stay true to our word and turn away from anything that could once again distance us from our Lord.

Back to the scriptures where we know Israel had repented and confessed before the Lord, giving up everything that had distanced them from Him. Now they were ready to experience His favor.

For we read that the Philistines had heard about Israel’s assembly at Mizpah and decided to attack them, an act that threw the Israelites into fear of another slaughter and so they went to Samuel saying:

“Do not stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, that He may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines."

And Samuel did just that, interceding for his brothers and sisters by taking a suckling lamb and offering it up as a “whole burnt offering to the Lord” while crying “out to the Lord on Israel's behalf”, an act that led to the Lord listening to him.

We see first-hand here how the Lord will listen to our cries for His help once we turn from our wicked, sinful ways and pour out our sincere, heartfelt confessions before Him. We need to remember that He loves us more than we could ever know and wants to partner with us to ensure we live in ways that are righteous, holy, and pleasing in His sight. The truth is that God can’t yoke Himself to sin and so if we continue to allow it to dominate what we think, say, and do then we can’t expect that the Lord will be close to us. We must choose to either embrace Him or our transgressions. We can’t have both.

Well thankfully, Israel chose right. They chose the Lord and He rewarded them with deliverance. For “while Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering”, the scriptures tell us that “the Philistines drew near to engage…in battle”. Little did they know that Israel’s God was waiting for them as He “thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed”. We read where the “men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a point below Beth Car”. The victory was so one-sided that the Philistines were “subdued and did not invade Israelite territory again”.

Further, we see where God continued to keep His hand “against the Philistines” throughout Samuel’s lifetime and He restored all the towns that had been captured from Israel, from “Ekron to Gath” to the “neighboring territory”. The Lord removed it all from “the power of the Philistines” and also brought “peace between Israel and the Amorites”.

All and all, we see where a lot changed for the good of the Israelites after they turned back to God and restored their relationship with Him.

The same can be true for any of us today when we follow the simple steps outlines within this passage.

First, we need to turn from our sinful ways, confessing our wrongs with genuine repentance.

Next, we need to receive the Lord’s grace, mercy, and love with thanksgiving.

Finally, we need to dedicate ourselves toward not sinning again, crying out to the Lord for His help because none of us are strong enough to fight off temptation on our own. And as the Lord empowers us to avoid transgression, He also leads and guides us to right and righteous living through the power of His Word and Holy Spirit. Ultimately, we trade in the enemy for the Savior who longs to walk alongside us in this life as we journey to the better life to come, the life when we abide with Him forever and will never have to worry about sin again.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

SHOWING THE LORD PROPER RESPECT

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

"Now then, get a new cart ready, with two cows that have calved and have never been yoked. Hitch the cows to the cart, but take their calves away and pen them up. Take the ark of the Lord and put it on the cart, and in a chest beside it put the gold objects you are sending back to Him as a guilt offering. Send it on its way, but keep watching it. If it goes up to its own territory, toward Beth Shemesh, then the Lord has brought this great disaster on us. But if it does not, then we will know that it was not His hand that struck us and that it happened to us by chance."

So they did this. They took two such cows and hitched them to the cart and penned up their calves. They placed the ark of the Lord on the cart and along with it the chest containing the gold rats and the models of the tumors. Then the cows went straight up toward Beth Shemesh, keeping on the road and lowing all the way; they did not turn to the right or to the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed them as far as the border of Beth Shemesh.

Now the people of Beth Shemesh were harvesting their wheat in the valley, and when they looked up and saw the ark, they rejoiced at the sight. The cart came to the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and there it stopped beside a large rock. The people chopped up the wood of the cart and sacrificed the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. The Levites took down the ark of the Lord, together with the chest containing the gold objects, and placed them on the large rock. On that day, the people of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the Lord. The five rulers of the Philistines saw all this and then returned that same day to Ekron.

These are the gold tumors the Philistines sent as a guilt offering to the Lord - one each for Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron. And the number of the gold rats was according to the number of Philistine towns belonging to the five rulers — the fortified towns with their country villages. The large rock, on which they set the ark of the Lord, is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh.

But God struck down some of the men of Beth Shemesh, putting seventy of them to death because they had looked into the ark of the Lord. The people mourned because of the heavy blow the Lord had dealt them, and the men of Beth Shemesh asked, "Who can stand in the presence of the Lord, this holy God? To whom will the ark go up from here?"

Then they sent messengers to the people of Kiriath Jearim, saying, "The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Come down and take it up to your place."

So the men of Kiriath Jearim came and took up the ark of the Lord. They took it to Abinadab's house on the hill and consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the Lord.

1 Samuel 6:7-21, 7:1

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

At the start of 1 Samuel, chapter 6, we read where the Philistines were trying to get rid of the ark of God because God send a plague of tumors on the people of every city the ark ended up. This led to the nation desperately wanting to get rid of the ark and so they consulted their pagan priests and diviners for guidance, being advised to not return the ark to Israel without also providing a guilt offering. You’ll remember that the prescribed guilt offering was to be in the form of five gold tumors and five gold rats.

As we turn to today’s passage and the rest of this chapter into the opening verse of chapter 7, we find the priests and diviners offering additional direction to the Philistine people, saying:

"Now then, get a new cart ready, with two cows that have calved and have never been yoked. Hitch the cows to the cart, but take their calves away and pen them up. Take the ark of the Lord and put it on the cart, and in a chest beside it put the gold objects you are sending back to Him as a guilt offering. Send it on its way, but keep watching it. If it goes up to its own territory, toward Beth Shemesh, then the Lord has brought this great disaster on us. But if it does not, then we will know that it was not His hand that struck us and that it happened to us by chance."

Here we see where the direction the cart and cows would travel would indicate whether the suffering they were going through was from God or just by happenstance.

And so the Philistines followed the guidance given. The scriptures tell us that they “took two such cows and hitched them to the cart and penned up their calves” before placing “the ark of the Lord on the cart” with “the chest containing the gold rats and the models of the tumors”. They then set the cart on its way and watched as the cows went “straight up toward Beth Shemesh, keeping on the road and lowing all the way”…not turning to the right or to the left. In keeping watch over the path the cows took, we read where “the rulers of the Philistines followed them as far as the border of Beth Shemesh”.

The end result made things crystal clear. The judgment that came down on the Philistines was definitely intentional and from the God of Israel.

Well, as the cows and cart carrying the ark of God and the guilt offering reached the Israelite territory of Beth Shemesh, we read where it stopped beside a large rock in the “field of Joshua” and was seen by the Israelites who were “harvesting their wheat in the valley”. The mere sight of the ark caused the people to rejoice and the scriptures tell us that they “chopped up the wood of the cart and sacrificed the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord”. The Levites then “took down the ark of the Lord, together with the chest containing the gold objects, and placed them on the large rock” and “the people of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the Lord” that day.

As for the “five rulers of the Philistines, they “returned that same day to Ekron” after viewing the sacrifices being made.

So all seemed to be fine in Beth Shemesh. The ark of the Lord had returned and the people celebrated, bringing their offerings and sacrifices before God. Indeed, all was well and would remain that way as long as the people remained faithful and loyal to God’s commands but unfortunately, as we have seen in the past, this didn’t seem to be in the Israelites’ nature. For no matter how hard they tried, they just couldn’t seem to avoid the temptation of disobedience.

So what happened in Beth Shemesh to spoil all the celebrating?

Well, we read where seventy men were struck down by God because they “looked into the ark of the Lord”. The law found in the 4th chapter of the Book of Numbers provided strict guidelines for the handling of the ark and this included anyone who was not a priest looking “at the holy things”, even “for a moment” for if they did, they would die (verse 20). And that’s just what happened in this instance as the seventy men violated the law and paid the price for it.

Within this, we’re reminded of just how powerful an evil temptation is when unchecked. The inability to restrain from looking into the ark brought fatal consequences for the seventy men at Beth Shemesh and it left the people mourning as they wondered among themselves:

“Who can stand in the presence of the Lord, this holy God? To whom will the ark go up from here?"

The question was valid indeed for God has no rival or equal. No mere human being is on His level. Not even close.

The fact of the matter is that no one this side of Heaven will see Him face-to-face until they pass from this earthly life and into the eternal promise that He has given them through their belief in His son, Jesus Christ. Until then, they are to be His humble servants, ever bowing down in worship and ready to carry out His will and way. For all Christian believers, He is their Heavenly Father and they are His children who are to honor their Father in all they do.

So let’s make sure that we never become so bold as to think we are on an even level with God for He and He alone is perfectly holy, infinitely omnipotent, mighty, and sovereign over all things. In response to this, all believers are to approach Him with absolute meekness and reverence, showing utter admiration for who He is and will always be. Our every day needs to be lived out with a mindset of total surrender, submission, and thanksgiving for the incredible mercy, grace, and love He gives those who place their faith in Him.

My friends, this is the proper way to show our Lord proper respect and when we do, we will find ourselves in good standing before Him, the place we should always want to be.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

NOT LEARNING FROM THE PAST

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

When the ark of the Lord had been in Philistine territory seven months, the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners and said, "What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us how we should send it back to its place."

They answered, "If you return the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it away empty, but by all means send a guilt offering to Him. Then you will be healed, and you will know why His hand has not been lifted from you."

The Philistines asked, "What guilt offering should we send to Him?"

They replied, "Five gold tumors and five gold rats, according to the number of the Philistine rulers, because the same plague has struck both you and your rulers. Make models of the tumors and of the rats that are destroying the country, and pay honor to Israel's God. Perhaps He will lift His hand from you and your gods and your land. Why do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh did? When He treated them harshly, did they not send the Israelites out so they could go on their way?”

1 Samuel 6:1-6

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

After capturing the ark of God from Israel, the Philistines held it for seven months during which time the Lord sent great affliction on them in the form of tumors which struck people wherever the ark was being held. This led the Philistine people to desperately seek to get rid of the ark and so we see in today’s scripture passage from the opening verses of 1 Samuel, chapter 6, that they consulted their pagan “priests and diviners”. Look again at those words here:

When the ark of the Lord had been in Philistine territory seven months, the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners and said, "What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us how we should send it back to its place."

They answered, "If you return the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it away empty, but by all means send a guilt offering to Him. Then you will be healed, and you will know why His hand has not been lifted from you."

The Philistines asked, "What guilt offering should we send to Him?"

They replied, "Five gold tumors and five gold rats, according to the number of the Philistine rulers, because the same plague has struck both you and your rulers. Make models of the tumors and of the rats that are destroying the country, and pay honor to Israel's God. Perhaps He will lift His hand from you and your gods and your land. Why do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh did? When He treated them harshly, did they not send the Israelites out so they could go on their way?” Vv.1-6

Here we read where the Philistines were advised to “return the ark of the God of Israel” away empty but rather with “a guilt offering to Him” (Israel’s God). The pagan advisors told the people that if they sent a guilt offering they would “be healed and…know why His (God’s) hand has not been lifted from you."

This led to the Philistines next inquiring about what guilt offering to give to Israel’s God and the guidance was to take “five gold tumors and five gold rats, according to the number of the Philistine rulers” as the “same plague” that had struck the people had struck the rulers as well. And so the people were to “make models of the tumors and of the rats” that were “destroying the country and pay honor to Israel's God”. If they did this, then there would be a chance that the God of Israel would “lift His hand from (them) and (their) gods and…land”.

Of interest here, we don’t know where the rats came into play but perhaps they were the instrument by which the people became infected with the tumors. This is pure speculation but we do know that the rats were involved somehow and this is why they were to be modeled in gold like the tumors.

We should also note here that there was absolutely no certainty that what the pagan priests and diviners prescribed would even work. They certainly weren’t speaking on behalf of God and we know He is the only One who was (and is) in control. No one can dictate to Him as to what He will do.

Going back to the passage for today, we see where the priests and diviners weren’t done counseling the Philistines. For we find them asking one very important question:

“Why do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh did? When He treated them harshly, did they not send the Israelites out so they could go on their way?”

In other words, the Philistines were being rebuked for not learning from the past mistakes of other nations who tried to go against Israel’s God and failed. The pagan priests and diviners were essentially accusing their people of repeating the mistakes of the Egyptians and Pharaoh by hardening their hearts and stubbornly discounting the power of Israel’s God. And so like Egypt and Pharaoh before, the Philistines were now paying a heavy price while experiencing the might of Israel’s God the hard way.

Now, consider how often people today are like the Philistines. They read the scriptures and see all these examples of stubborn, hard-hearted people who willingly choose to either disregard or disobey God. They also can clearly see how God doesn’t tolerate this attitude and behavior, dealing with it harshly with severe consequences, and yet, they refuse to learn from the mistakes of the past and end up being disciplined just as the Lord did in the past.

Further, too many people then repeat their past mistakes over and over again. The truth of the matter is that in our humanity, we each have weaknesses that we seem to struggle with. I know I do.

So how do we deal with those weaknesses, especially when Satan knows how to exploit them and draw us into sin?

We turn to the One and only One who always leads us into righteousness and away from wickedness. For we can only find the strength to overcome our temptations and shortcomings when we place our full faith and trust in Him and Him alone. The bottom line is that we are no way near strong enough to deal with them ourselves for if we were, we wouldn’t keep failing over and over again.

So friends, it’s time for us to let go and let God take control of our lives. If we do then we will find ourselves able to withstand sin’s attacks when they come. If we don’t, then we’ll end up like the Philistines, the Egyptians, and countless other people groups throughout history who had to learn the hard way through God’s imposed consequences and discipline.

There is no doubt that sin is not going away until Jesus returns and will continue to afflict us all until that day comes or when we die, whichever comes first. Until that time, we had better pay attention to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the scriptures…the only guidance that is always perfectly true and reliable…committing ourselves to willful obedience and loyalty towards our almighty Maker and Master for He deserves and expects nothing less than that.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.