THE POWER OF GODLY MUSIC

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Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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

Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him. Saul's attendants said to him, "See, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. Let our lord command his servants here to search for someone who can play the harp. He will play when the evil spirit from God comes upon you, and you will feel better."

So Saul said to his attendants, "Find someone who plays well and bring him to me." One of the servants answered, "I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the harp. He is a brave man and a warrior. He speaks well and is a fine-looking man. And the Lord is with him."

Then Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, "Send me your son David, who is with the sheep."

So Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine, and a young goat and sent them with his son David to Saul.

David came to Saul and entered his service. Saul liked him very much, and David became one of his armor-bearers. Then Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, "Allow David to remain in my service, for I am pleased with him."

Whenever the spirit from God came upon Saul, David would take his harp and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.

1 Samuel 16:14-23

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

At the beginning of 1st Samuel, chapter 16, we saw where the Lord sent Samuel to Jesse of Bethlehem for the purposes of selecting and anointing the next king of Israel. You’ll remember this was because the first king, Saul, had been sinful and fallen out of favor with God who rejected him in favor of a man after His own heart…a man who we know would be David. As he (David) was formally chosen by God, the scriptures tell us that the “Spirit of the Lord came upon (him) in power.” Conversely, we see in our passage that “the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul”, replaced with “an evil spirit from the Lord” which “tormented him”.

Through this, we’re reminded of how the Lord holds control over all things, including wicked and evil spirits.

Well, part of Saul's consequences for willfully disobeying God and rejecting the guidance of His Spirit was to be tormented by a demon. Fortunately, he had some very faithful, caring attendants who were concerned for him. They asked the king to allow them to “search for someone who can play the harp” because they felt that Saul would feel better if the harp was played whenever “the evil spirit from God” came upon him.

We read where Saul agrees with their plan, giving his attendants the following order:

“Find someone who plays well and bring him to me."

Given this approval, the scriptures tell us that “one of the servants answered” Saul saying:

"I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the harp. He is a brave man and a warrior. He speaks well and is a fine-looking man. And the Lord is with him."

Of course, the servant was talking about none other than David…the man chosen to replace Saul as king however he (Saul) didn’t know it yet and so we find him sending a message to Jesse saying:

"Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.”

We read where Jesse complied with the request, sending David along with a “donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine and a young goat”. After arriving, we see where David quickly integrated himself into Saul’s service, becoming one of his armor bearers. In fact, David was valued so greatly by Saul that he “sent word to Jesse” saying:

"Allow David to remain in my service, for I am pleased with him."

Again, Jesse complied with Saul’s request.

Well, we know that David was far more than just an ordinary armor bearer. He was far greater than that because he had the Spirit of the Lord within him as well as the sure election by God to be Israel’s new king.

As far as his harp playing skills, we read that “whenever the spirit from God came upon Saul” and afflicted him, “David would take his harp and play”, bringing relief to the king who would “feel better” as “the evil spirit (left) him”. This was because the music David played was holy music, inspired by none other than the Spirit of God that was within him. The power of this Spirit within the music overcame the evil spirit within Saul, bringing him comfort and peace.

Indeed, there is a special, inspirational energy found in Spirit-filled, godly music that is like no other. I discovered this in my own life after being born again more than 33 years ago as I accepted Jesus into my life as Savior.

You see, before coming to Christ, I had always loved music and listened to a lot of different genres, none of which were Christian. I knew all the top artists and songs on the radio, owning over 200 CDs and cassettes. But this music came to me from a world view and perspective…and after coming to Jesus, I was a new creation and that included the way I viewed the music I enjoyed listening to.

I vividly remember getting back into church with my new wife and re-learning the hymns that I had known as a young child going to a small Pennsylvania Presbyterian church with my parents. Oh how I cherished the awesome power in the words of some of those songs…

“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found. Was blind but now can see.”

“Holy, Holy, Holy. Lord, God Almighty. Early in the morning, our song will rise to Thee. Holy, Holy, Holy. Merciful and Mighty. God in three persons. Blessed Trinity.”

“Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart. Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art. Thou my best thought by day or by night. Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.”

"Blessed assurance. Jesus is mine. O what a foretaste of glory divine. Heir of salvation, purchase of God. Born of His Spirit. Washed in His Blood. This is my Story, this is my song. Praising my Savior, all the day long. This is my story, this is my song. Praising my Savior, all the day long.”

I could go on and on but you get the point.

There was a mightiness in that music that the secular world couldn’t come close to matching. This is because there is a power in the Holy Spirit that transcends everything else by comparison…because the Lord Himself transcends everything as the “God in three persons”…Father, Son and Holy Spirit…the ”Blessed Trinity” that spiritually empowers all things to include music.

Well, from there, sitting in the church pew every Sunday, my musical spiritual awakening was just starting because I discovered that I couldn’t get enough of music that energized me spiritually. In Christian music, I found a relief, comfort, and peace that I couldn’t find in any other music.

One day, I found myself watching a Gospel music video program called Video Gospel, playing on the Black Entertainment Television channel and instantly fell in love with my first contemporary Christian song ever. Titled “Addictive Love” and performed by BeBe and CeCe Winans, the lyrics were as follows:

All I want do is just explain

Why that we feel the way we do

What a joy to share with you

For me to live is Christ, to die is gain

If anymore I need to say

The list goes on and on all day

I'll cherish that moment for life

And I know it might sound crazy

It's alright, take a seat, hold tight

 

Chorus:

Time to admit it

I'm so addicted

You see He's taken my heart

And showed me the right way

No doubt about it

See I'm lost without it

You see this love takes me higher

I didn't know why then

I found it was addicted love

 

Now that we've evened up the score

What do you mean there's so much more

I need to tell why we adore

The reason why I smile when I, when I wake up

And also the reason why I dream

My love, my joy, my everything

And I'll cherish that moment for life

And I know it might sound crazy

It's alright, take a seat, hold tight

 

Time to admit it

I'm so addicted

You see He's taken my heart

And showed me the right way

No doubt about it

See I'm lost without it

You see this love takes me higher

I didn't know why then

I found it was addicted love

 

So much love

He's given to me everything I longed for

And everything I need

That means I'm never alone, so glad

And everything I've dreamed and much more, so much more

And I'll cherish that moment for life,

For the rest of my life, yeah

And I know it might sound crazy, but it's not crazy,

I'm not crazy

I've never known anyone to love me

Quite the way you do

And I'll tell you it's hopeless

I've finally noticed that I'm just forever addicted, forever, forever in love

 

Time to admit it

I'm so addicted

You see He's taken my heart

And showed me the right way

No doubt about it

See I'm lost without it

You see this love takes me higher

I didn't know why then

I found it was addicted love

Friends, this song spoke to my soul then and still does today. For indeed, the Lord had taken my heart and shown me the right way and after receiving the Holy Spirit in my life, I found that I would be lost without it and the connection to the Lord it brought…a connection that kept me in the midst of an almighty Love like no other I had ever experienced…an addictive love that I couldn’t get enough of.

I couldn’t then…and I still can’t now.

In fact, the addictive love of the Lord’s Spirit took me from this first contemporary Christian song to many others thereafter and before long, I found that my secular music held no more meaning for me…no power or substance anymore when I listened to it. In fact, I started to be more acutely aware that the secular music actually was trying to pull me towards the world and its ways…and away from the ways the Lord wanted me to live.

And so, I did something radical back in 1993. I sold all my secular CDs and cassettes…over 200 of them…and in their place, I bought nothing but Christian music. A trip to the local library was exciting because I would check out Christian music and then go home to listen, seeking to add more artists and groups to my playlists. If I liked that particular artist, then I would but there music and add to my connection. If I didn’t, I just returned the item to the library.

Before long, my Christian library grew to be as large as my secular library had been and today, my collection has grown far beyond that. Even today, I still can’t get enough of the power of the Holy Spirit in the music I listen to…a power that Saul discovered from the harp that was played by a Spirit-filled David.

As you read this, maybe you have your own testimony concerning a Christian song that changed your life in some way…or maybe just a Christian song that you love for some special reason. If so, I invite you to leave a comment in response to today’s message with a song or songs and your personal testimony.

Together, let’s promote the awesome, amazing power found in Christian music, praising and thanking the Lord for the gift of it.

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.

WHAT'S IN YOUR HEART?

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.

When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, "Do you come in peace?"

Samuel replied, "Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me."

Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, "Surely the Lord's anointed stands here before the Lord."

But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, "The Lord has not chosen this one either."

Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, "Nor has the Lord chosen this one."

Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, "The Lord has not chosen these."

So he asked Jesse, "Are these all the sons you have?"

"There is still the youngest," Jesse answered, "but he is tending the sheep."

Samuel said, "Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives."

So he sent and had him brought in. He was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features.

Then the Lord said, "Rise and anoint him; he is the one."

So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power.

Samuel then went to Ramah.

1 Samuel 16:4b-13

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

Early on in 1 Samuel, chapter 16, we find the Lord motivating Samuel to get over his disappointment from Saul’s failure as king, providing specific guidance as to what He wanted his servant to do. Through the God’s actions, we learned that He doesn’t expect us to linger and prolong within sadness or despair but rather turn to Him for the peace, comfort, and strength needed to move on and get back on our feet again. As this chapter continues, we see Samuel do just that.

You’ll recall that the Lord had told Samuel to go to Jesse of Bethlehem with his horn filled with oil because he was going to anoint one of Jesse’s sons…the one that the Lord had chosen to replace Saul. Samuel was apprehensive at first because he was fearful that Saul may try and have him killed but God reassured him that all would be well and that He would show Samuel what to do once he got to Jesse. With this, Samuel set out to fulfill the Lord’s will.

Well, as this chapter continues, we see Samuel arriving in Bethlehem, causing a stir among the town elders who “trembled when they met him” as they were fearful that the well-known messenger of the Lord was coming with bad news for them. We read where they probed Samuel asking:

“Do you come in peace?"

They had to be relieved when he replied:

"Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me."

The town elders would have automatically breathed a collective sigh of relief for they knew sacrifices were holy sacraments, something Samuel was qualified to carry out. They required all who participated to be prepared for the occasion and so this is why Samuel commanded they become consecrated. Ultimately, the final outcome of all that was to come was the revelation of Israel’s new king.

Back to the scriptures where we read that after arriving at the place of sacrifice, Samuel was able to get a good look at all of Samuel’s sons, so much so that he began to predict who God had chosen. Specifically, he saw the eldest son, the one who would have been entitled to Jesse’s birthright, and thought:

“Surely the Lord's anointed stands here before the Lord."

As we see, Samuel was dead wrong and the Lord, who seeks and knows our every thought, addressed Samuel saying:

“Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

You see, Samuel’s attempts at sizing up the competition were fruitless because he was making his choice based only on what he could see…on outer appearance. This was far short of what God could see for as we learn through His own words, He can look into the deepest parts of a person…and fully know what resides in their heart.

One quick question to ponder before we move on:

What would the Lord see if He looked into your heart right now?

Well, with Eliab rejected, we see a procession of Jesse’s sons come before Samuel in order of the oldest to the youngest. First, Abinadab passed “in front of Samuel” with the Lord denying him as He did Eliab. Shammah would be next only to be rejected as well and this would carry on until all seven sons present had been passed over. This led Samuel to ask Jesse:

“Are these all the sons you have?"

Well, it’s came as no surprise that there was still a son left. After all, the Lord promised Samuel that a son of Jesse would be the one who would be Israel’s next king and if all of the other sons were turned down, there had to be at least one at large. That son was the youngest, David, who we read was “tending the sheep." Samuel orders Jesses to do the following:

"Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives."

And so Jesse did as Samuel demanded and as David arrived, we read where “he was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features”. Samuel wastes no time making everyone informed that David was the one the Lord had chosen saying:

“Rise and anoint him; he is the one."

He (Samuel) “took the horn of oil and anointed (Jesse’s youngest son) in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power”. Israel had a new king…King David…who would eventually end up in the genealogy of the King of Kings…our eternal Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Well, earlier in this book, we found Samuel delivering a stern message to Saul from the Lord, saying:

"You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, He would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after His own heart and appointed him leader of His people, because you have not kept the Lord's command." 1 Samuel 13:13-14

Indeed, the Lord had sought out a man after His own heart to lead His beloved people…and He did so because He looks at the heart when He chooses someone to represent Him properly. David’s heart was obviously so inclined towards God that he was an easy choice. And perhaps, we get more of a view into David’s heart than any other man in the Old Testament as he provided us with a book of wonderful Psalms, many of which he composed.

Today, the Lord still looks into the hearts of people and so we, as believers, had better make sure all is in order there so He will be pleased with what He sees when He looks inside.

To that end, preparing our hearts so they will gain the Lord’s favor when He looks into them, Jesus gave us excellent guidance when He said this during His Sermon on the Mount:

“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21

Here, Jesus is telling us to value the right things in life because whatever we choose to treasure will be the thing that our hearts will connect to. As Christians, that one true treasure needs to be Jesus, now and forever. For if we commit ourselves to do this, making Jesus as our one and only treasure, then it’s Him and Him alone who will be in our hearts. And given that Satan, our enemy, cannot so-exist in the same space with Jesus, keeping our hearts grounded in our Savior is a sure way to drive out the devil. Or put in other words, Satan will never have a place in our heart if Jesus occupies it.

Further….when we make Jesus our treasure and place Him and Him alone at the center of our hearts, then we will embody everything that is found in Him…and as a result, our lives will begin to totally reflect Him. Coming back around full circle, this means that when God looks in our heart, He will see everything He wants to see because His Son is there and dwelling within.

Given all this, why would anyone not want to follow Jesus?

It’s completely baffling to me but we know that three-quarters of the world’s population isn’t Christian…and therefore 75 percent of the people on earth will die and go to Hell forever. It’s sobering thought but everyone has a choice…a choice as to what they treasure which dictates what the Lord will find when He looks in their heart.

My prayer is that a major shift happens in this world we live in, a radical shift towards Jesus as people open up their minds and hearts to receive Him as their treasure. We will never see things in a better place if it would only happen.

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.

GETTING OVER THINGS...AND MOVING FORWARD

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark
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** 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.

Then Samuel said, "Bring me Agag king of the Amalekites." 

Agag came to him confidently, thinking, "Surely the bitterness of death is past." But Samuel said, "As your sword has made women childless, so will your mother be childless among women." 

And Samuel put Agag to death before the Lord at Gilgal.

Then Samuel left for Ramah, but Saul went up to his home in Gibeah of Saul. Until the day Samuel died, he did not go to see Saul again, though Samuel mourned for him. And the Lord was grieved that he had made Saul king over Israel.

The Lord said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king."

But Samuel said, "How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me." 

The Lord said, "Take a heifer with you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.' Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for Me the one I indicate."

Samuel did what the Lord said.

1 Samuel 15:32-35, 16:1-4a

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

Once Samuel escorted Saul back to Gilgal to worship the Lord, there was one last bit of unfinished business to make things right with God. For He (God) had ordered that all the Amalekites be destroyed when Saul and his men attacked them but you’ll remember that Saul decided to spare the Amalekite king, Agag, who was feeling as if the “bitterness of death” was past him but he was wrong.

For as we see in our scripture passage, Samuel, God’s faithful servant, did what Saul was not willing to do, ordering Agag to be brought forth before saying this:

“As your sword has made women childless, so will your mother be childless among women." 

And with that, Samuel put Agag to death “before the Lord at Gilgal” because it was His will that it be done. 

Afterwards, we read where “Samuel left for Ramah” while “Saul went up to his home in Gibeah”. Of interest, they would remain separated “until the day Samuel died” because “he did not go to see Saul again”. We shouldn’t read into this believing Samuel had lost his love for Saul. Quite the opposite actually for the scriptures tell us that he still “mourned for him”. 

Samuel wasn’t the only one who felt bad about Saul. For as we saw earlier in this book, God also “grieved that he had made Saul king over Israel”.

This is how chapter 15 ends…with Samuel in mourning and the Lord grieving. It reminds us of how life can bring us sorrow at times. 

Indeed, whether it’s mourning over the loss of a loved one or maybe regretting a bad choice we may have made…whether it’s disappointment over falling short of an accomplishment or the pain from being hurt by someone…anything that impacts us negatively is hard for us in our humanity. And if we’re honest, we really struggle with getting over things and moving on. Too often, we want to just sit around and feel sorry for ourselves…choosing misery or depression over joy…inactivity over purpose…disruption over peace…and despair over hope.

You know, I believe that if we would truly turn our hearts to the Lord in these times of difficulty and sadness, He would bring us the peace, comfort, love, and joy we need to move forward…to get over our circumstances and get going…for there is no questioning that He has much for us to do.

As we move to chapter 16, we find the Lord supporting these thoughts. For as Samuel is morning over Saul, we find God coming to him saying:

“How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king."

Here, we find the Lord wondering how long Samuel intended on just sitting around and feeling bad about the way things turned out with Saul and his kingship. The question is centered on God’s desire for Samuel to get over things and get focused on what’s next, leaving the past in the past and pointing himself towards the future. 

And so we see that he doesn’t desire for Samuel to be idle. Rather, He called him to get over everything and get to work which included filling “(his) horn with oil” before being “on (his) way”. 

Where was he to go? 

God commanded him to go to “Jesse of Bethlehem” because He had “chosen one of his sons to be king"…and as we will soon see, that son will be a shepherd boy named David.

And so Saul rose up immediately and got to work carrying out the Lord’s wishes, right? 

Not exactly. 

For as we see, he had some concerns over the plan God proposed. Specifically, he knew the journey to see Jesse would take him through Saul’s territory, fearing that this could lead to death if Saul was aware of what he was doing. 

It’s interesting that we see a character flaw emerge from Samuel here. For as devout and obedient a believer he was, we find his trust wane in the moment, not considering the foolishness of his thoughts. For would God order him to carry out something as important as anointing Israel’s next king only to kill him on the way there? 

That wouldn’t make any sense…and yet, Samuel still worried. Actually, I think this was nothing short of Satan trying to keep Samuel from fulfilling God’s purpose…just like he does to us today. And as we see, the enemy was succeeding in the moment…at least until God reassured Samuel and got him back on track. 

For we read where the Lord gives Samuel the following instructions:

“Take a heifer with you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.' Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate."

Here, we see that Samuel didn’t need to worry about what to do when he got to Jesse for the Lord was going to show him what to do. And that’s exactly what Samuel did…carrying out “what the Lord said.”

Friends, in this passage, our God isn’t saying that we shouldn’t mourn or feel badly when life’s circumstances come against us. Remorse and sorrow are natural human emotions and as we saw, even the Lord grieved. The point is that there’s a point where we need to move on and God will dictate that, just as He does everything in life. He will let us know when to get over things and get going because He always has a plan and purpose for us beyond our mourning…just as He did for Samuel.

I don’t know what place you might be in as you read this today but if you are feeling sadness over some life circumstance, I encourage you to draw near to God so to receive His comfort…His love…and His peace, committed to allow Him to bring you along and through whatever it is that you’re going through. Eventually, that will mean getting over things and moving on…moving on to the future and the purposes He has for you…purposes that will bring Him…and you…joy, something that you should be ready to welcome back into your life. 

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. 

MAKING THINGS RIGHT

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

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

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

Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned. I violated the Lord's command and your instructions. I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them. Now I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord."

But Samuel said to him, "I will not go back with you. You have rejected the Word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you as king over Israel!"

As Samuel turned to leave, Saul caught hold of the hem of his robe, and it tore. Samuel said to him, "The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors — to one better than you. He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man, that he should change his mind."

Saul replied, "I have sinned. But please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel; come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord your God."

So Samuel went back with Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord.

1 Samuel 15:24-31

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

At the beginning of 1st Samuel, chapter 15, we saw Samuel confront Saul about his failure to obey God and carry out His commands during the attack on the Amalekites. You’ll recall that Saul and his men were told to completely destroy everything during the attack but instead took Agag the king hostage and kept all the best sheep and cattle from the plunder for themselves. Everything else was destroyed.

After this sinful act, we saw where Samuel confronted Saul about the matter only to find Saul respond as if he had done nothing wrong, making up a lie to cover his transgression by telling Samuel the best sheep and cattle had been taken so they could be sacrificed to God. The scriptures showed us that Samuel would have nothing of Saul’s attempt of deception, letting the king know that the Lord desired obedience over sacrifice and therefore was rejecting him since he had decided to reject God’s commands.

As we now turn to the closing verses of chapter 15, we see where Saul finally gives up his lie and comes clean saying to Samuel:

“I have sinned. I violated the Lord's command and your instructions. I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them. Now I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord."

After seeing he couldn’t talk his way out of his sin, Saul tried to gain forgiveness for what he had done, asking that Samuel “come back” with him so he (Saul) could “worship the Lord”.

How did Samuel respond to Saul’s request?

Well, maybe not as mercifully as he might expect for his words reflect a deep sensitivity and hatred for sin, almost as much as God did. Look again at what Samuel said in response:

“I will not go back with you. You have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you as king over Israel!"

Here, we get a sense that Samuel, a devout man of God, wanted nothing to do with a man who didn’t respect the Lord the same way…a man who had shown an inclination to not only willingly sin but then try and cover it over. Samuel had to ask himself if this was the kind of man he wanted to associate himself with.

At first, it seems like he decides to abandon Saul for we read where he turned away only for Saul to grab a “hold of the hem of his (Samuel’s) robe”, tearing it in the process. We see where this only further angered Samuel who made an illustration out of his ripped garment saying:

“The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors — to one better than you. He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for He is not a man, that He should change his mind."

Samuel intended his words to cut like a knife through the sin-hardened, arrogant heart of Saul, who you’ll remember decided to erect a monument to honor himself before Samuel arrived to let him know the Lord’s judgment for his self-centered behavior that served to steal away the glory reserved for God and Him alone. Now, Samuel made sure Saul knew that the Lord was ripping his kingdom from him, giving it to a new leader who was better than him…someone who we know from prior scripture was a man after God’s own heart, something that Saul wasn’t.

And to further attack Saul’s inner issues, we read where Samuel reminds him that God was not like any human man and therefore wouldn’t “lie or change His mind.” In other words, the Lord was nowhere close to being like Saul and the only way the rejected king was going to return to some sense of good favor was to repent, return to God in humility, and commit to be the man He wanted him to be.

Well, we see where Samuel’s words had an impact on Saul for he repeats his confession saying, “I have sinned” but does not try and justify his sin as he did the first time, blaming his actions on his people instead of himself. No, here we see Saul being accountable and admitting his culpability…at least for now (More on that later as we continue to see his life play out).

Saul then asks Samuel to honor him before the elders and before Israel by returning with him so he could worship the Lord. We know Samuel had already rejected this request earlier but we get a sense he felt Saul’s apology and repentance were sincere this time around because he decided to do as Saul asked, returning with him so he could worship God…a good first step in him getting his life back in order with the Lord he had disrespected so much…a start toward making things right again.

Today, many believers have strayed away from the Lord themselves, often allowing their selfish desires to override what the Lord calls them to do. And lest any Christian become too self-righteous, I don’t think there’s one Jesus follower who can say they have had a perfect relationship with the Lord.

The truth of the matter is that we’re all works in progress and if you’re like me, you see that every day offers an opportunity to be better in Christ than the one before. It’s this ideal that is at the center of this ministry, The Christian Walk, for we get the privilege to walk alongside the One who saved us daily as we carry out what He called us to do…make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20). My prayer is that our study from God’s Word every day exposes the sin we need to correct, driving us to repent and seek to make things right with our Lord. And with that relationship restored and repaired, we need only stay connected to Him through prayer and the study of His holy Word. This will ensure we always stay in tune with what He wants as we seek to fulfill His perfect will each and every day, a perfect will that always keeps us living in His favor.

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.

ARROGANT REBELLION

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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

Early in the morning, Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal.”

When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.”

But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?”

Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.”

“Stop!” Samuel said to Saul. “Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.”

“Tell me,” Saul replied.

Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. And He sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; make war on them until you have wiped them out.’ Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?”

“But I did obey the Lord,” Saul said. ”I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.”

But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you as king.”

Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned. I violated the Lord’s command and your instructions.”

1 Samuel 15:12-24a

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

How many times does a person commit a sin and then try and cover it up with a lie…in essence  another sin?

Perhaps it’s a question we really don’t want to know the answer to.

Why the question?

Because we see the behavior at the center of today’s scripture passage from our continuing study of 1 Samuel, chapter 15…a rebellious, disobedient behavior that doesn’t sit well with the God who actually grieved over allowing Saul to rule and reign in the first place.

As we move to the scriptures, we read where Samuel gets up “early in the morning” and goes “to meet Saul” but as he travels there, he is informed that the king was in another location, first to Carmel where he “set up a monument in his own honor” and then to Gilgal, the place Samuel had anointed him as king.

Here, we find Saul digging an even deeper hole in his relationship with the Lord For not only had he shown a willingness to violate God’s demands but now he sought to glorify and honor himself. Unfortunately, the latter happens way too often in our society today.

Thankfully, we have the Word of the Lord that can serve as a deterrent when we take it to heart as we should. For heading back to the scriptures, we find Samuel finally tracking Saul down and amazingly, Israel’s king behaves as if all is well and he has done nothing wrong. In fact, Saul acts like he has carried out all of the Lord’s instructions perfectly when in reality, he simply contrived a story to try and cover up the sinful behavior of he and his men.

Before that, a lie as Saul states that he had “carried out the Lord’s instructions” to which Samuel replies:

“What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?”

You see, Samuel, God’s messenger and faithful servant, was well aware that the Lord told Saul to completely destroy everything when he conquered the Amalekites, not sparing a single person or animal. And yet, Saul decided to spare the life of Agag, the Amalekite king, while allowing his men to keep all the best of the sheep and cattle from the plunder.

And so Samuel called out Israel’s king, challenging his assertion that he had obeyed God fully but as we see, Saul was ready for him, showing that he had already thought out the progression of deceit he would follow well before it happened. For we find him saying this to Samuel:

“The soldiers brought them (the sheep and cattle) from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.”

Through his own words, we see where Saul was only compounding the sins already committed. For not only was he lying about fully keeping the Lord’s commands but he now used God as a part of his excuse, trying to convince Samuel that the best of the sheep and cattle were only taken in order to present sacrifices to the Lord.

Obviously, the problem was that God never ordered Saul to do this. If He had wanted the best sheep and cattle to be set aside for offerings, He would have told Israel’s king to do so but He didn’t.

Well, the scriptures show us that Samuel gets fed up with Saul’s falsehoods and demands that he stop before sharing what Lord had told him the night before about the consequences that were coming. We should note here that Samuel is not speaking on his own behalf but for the Lord and had Saul just done this, putting God ahead of himself, he would have found himself in a much better place…in the favor of the Lord instead of His judgment.

And so here’s what Samuel says, speaking on behalf of God:

“Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. And He sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; make war on them until you have wiped them out.’ Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?”

Through these words, we find Samuel speaking volumes of wisdom, not only to Saul but to us as well. Here are the key takeaways we should remember:

1. God and God alone brings us to greatness.

Samuel tells Saul, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel.”

Indeed, Saul was from the smallest of the Israelite tribes and the least of the clans within that tribe. If one were going to predict where the king of Israel would come from, no one would have thought it would be from the tribe of Benjamin let alone Saul’s clan and family within it…no one except God, that is.

We know it was the Lord who selected Saul and placed him in an important position of leadership over His people… a position where Saul was expected to represent his God honorably. Unfortunately, Saul did everything but that, disregarding just how much he had been blessed while getting consumed by his power and accomplishments, so much so that he saw himself as more significant than the One who had actually made him a success.

As we go through each day that the Lord blesses us with, let us ever remain grounded in humility, realizing that everything we have achieved or are achieving came from the providence of a God who is willing to take sinners like you and me…and elevate us to do great things in His name. Because of this, He and He alone deserves the credit and glory.

2. Once God brings us greatness, He sends us forth to do His work.

Once Saul was “anointed…king over Israel”, God “sent (him) on a mission”. In this instance, Israel’s king was supposed to “completely destroy (the) wicked people…Amalekites”, making “war on them until” they were wiped out. As mentioned prior, we know didn’t carry out God’s plan as ordered. Instead, he modified the calling to suit the desires of himself and his army…such was the degree of Saul’s arrogance and disrespectfulness towards the Lord.

Well, just as God sent Saul on a mission back in Old Testament times, He does the same to all of us today who He has called into service. Because of this truth, we need to be always seeking His will for our lives and then be obedient to doing what He tells us to do.

When it comes right down to it, the Lord chooses us to do great things and then calls us into action…action that He will always make clear to us…action that demands our obedient response.

3. God demands and expects our obedience centered on complete compliance with His commands.

Once Samuel reminds Saul that God had selected him and elevated him to greatness, expecting Him to obediently carry out the mission He set forth, he asks Saul:

“Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?”

Indeed, why?

It’s a question God would ask each of us as well.

Why would we ever decide to turn from Him and His will for our lives?

Why would we refuse to give Him all the credit and glory when we accomplish His purposes?

Why do we sin and then lie to try and cover it up as if it’s a good idea?

Why would we ever willingly decide to do evil instead of good in plain sight of the Lord?

Why? Why? Why? Why?

Well, going back to the scriptures for today, did Saul get a wake-up call from the words of the Lord shared by Samuel?

Unfortunately, the answer is no for we find him decide to continue his dishonesty to try and justify his blatant sinfulness. Here’s what he says in reply to Samuel:

“But I did obey the Lord…I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.”

Here, we clearly see that Saul just didn’t get it, convinced that he could keep going and twist what happened until Samuel bought his story but as we see, he (Samuel) wasn’t about to give up either until Saul gave up his ruse and came clean. For here’s his reply to Israel’s king:

“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you as king.”

Again, here we see Samuel speaking great words of wisdom, providing Saul…and us…some additional points to ponder:

1. The Lord delights the most in our obedience.

Earlier in this chapter, we learned how willful disobedience grieves God and certainly Saul had done that. But note how Samuel takes this a step further and personalizes it so to apply to Saul’s lie saying:

“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord?”

Essentially, Samuel then answers his own question, telling Saul that the Lord doesn’t delight in those things more than being obedient:

“…to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”

The bottom line here is that no one should ever expect to balance out their transgressions by doing good things for God. We can’t simply cancel out the sin of carrying out our own desires instead of doing what the Lord wants us to do, unless we sincerely repent.

The Lord expects our utmost compliance with His commands and expectations, carrying out His purposes just the way He wants…without any deviation.

2. Rebellion and arrogance are evil in the eyes of God.

As we have seen throughout our study of the Old Testament to date, the Lord despises divination for in doing it, the diviner is seeking guidance from spiritual sources outside of Him…all despite Him making it crystal clear that He would have no others gods before Him.

In essence, a diviner, in denying trust in the one true God, was equivalent to a rebeller…one who chose his own way over God’s and this is why we find Samuel drawing the comparison between the two in his words to Saul.

We also find Samuel touching on something else Saul had displayed, the subject of arrogance which was compared to idolatry. We have seen how this sin of idolatry had begun to run rampant during the Old Testament period of the Judges as the Israelites chose to worship the Canaanite gods over the one true God, the God who had demanded that there would be no gods or idols worshipped ahead of Him.

Such was the case with Saul, but in his case he chose to erect a monument in his own honor therefore essentially making himself an object of worship above God. This self-idolizing behavior is what made him evil in God’s sight.

3. Willful disobedience, rebellion, and arrogance unto God will result in rejection.

We see in the scriptures where Saul’s actions were reprehensible and inexcusable in God’s eyes and so he lost the privilege to lead the Lord’s nation. The Lord removed his authority and privilege to rule over His people and although this didn’t happen instantly, God’s promise did happen over time as He paved the way for David, a man after His own heart, to be the next king.

Here’s what Samuel said, sealing the Lord’s verdict and penalty:

“Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you as king.”

The message here is clear.

God will not tolerate any person rejecting Him...period. He is God and only He is to be praised and worshipped…lifted up high and honored above anyone and anything…singularly respected and obeyed.

Nothing short of this is acceptable and if test His resolve by choosing to reject Him and His Word, then we can expect to fall from glory ourselves…from the only glory that matters and that’s His glory.

Well, before I close this message, we need to return to our passage for it’s there that we finally see Saul speak some words of truth, saying to Samuel:

“I have sinned. I violated the Lord’s command and your instructions.”

It sure would have been a lot easier if Saul had just confessed and repented earlier but even better yet, it would have been far more favorable if he had just decided to be an obedient leader in the first place, one who honored God and God alone by strictly obeying His Word, will, and way. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen and Saul ended up paying a heavy price for going down the path of sinful, arrogant rebellion and pride.

Friends, we all have a choice to make ourselves. As Christ believers, we are God’s children…created in His own image and called by Him to be fully obedience in our service to Him.

So how will we respond?

Will we be like Saul and choose to do what we desire instead of what He wants, even though the Bible shows us that this is a path that leads to sinful destruction and God’s rejection?

Or will we learn from the mistakes of Saul and fully apply ourselves to obey everything that God asks us to do, fully heeding His commands and word?

The choice is ultimately up to us.

Righteousness or evil?

Obedience or sin?

Favor or rejection?

So what’s it going to be?

God is watching and to see how you answer through your actions.

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.