POWER IN NUMBERS

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

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

Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh Gilead. And all the men of Jabesh said to him, "Make a treaty with us, and we will be subject to you." But Nahash the Ammonite replied, "I will make a treaty with you only on the condition that I gouge out the right eye of every one of you and so bring disgrace on all Israel." The elders of Jabesh said to him, "Give us seven days so we can send messengers throughout Israel; if no one comes to rescue us, we will surrender to you."

When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and reported these terms to the people, they all wept aloud. Just then Saul was returning from the fields, behind his oxen, and he asked, "What is wrong with the people? Why are they weeping?" Then they repeated to him what the men of Jabesh had said.

When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God came upon him in power, and he burned with anger. He took a pair of oxen, cut them into pieces, and sent the pieces by messengers throughout Israel, proclaiming, "This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone who does not follow Saul and Samuel." Then the terror of the Lord fell on the people, and they turned out as one man. When Saul mustered them at Bezek, the men of Israel numbered three hundred thousand and the men of Judah thirty thousand.

They told the messengers who had come, "Say to the men of Jabesh Gilead, 'By the time the sun is hot tomorrow, you will be delivered.'" When the messengers went and reported this to the men of Jabesh, they were elated. They said to the Ammonites, "Tomorrow, we will surrender to you, and you can do to us whatever seems good to you."

The next day Saul separated his men into three divisions; during the last watch of the night they broke into the camp of the Ammonites and slaughtered them until the heat of the day. Those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.

1 Samuel 11:1-11

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

In today’s passage from the opening eleven verses of 1 Samuel, chapter 11, we see where it doesn’t take long for Saul, Israel’s new king, to lead his people to ward off an enemy.

The story unfolds as the people of Jabesh Gilead were confronted and besieged by Nahash the Ammonite. This threatening encounter led “all the men of Jabesh” to ask Nahash to make a treaty with them, offering to be enslaved to him if spared. The scriptures show us that Nahash had no interest in striking any deal as he said this with evil disdain:

“I will make a treaty with you only on the condition that I gouge out the right eye of every one of you and so bring disgrace on all Israel."

His words must have chilled the people of Jabesh to the bone but we see where the elders remained clear in their thinking as they attempted to buy some time before being maimed, saying to Nahash:

“Give us seven days so we can send messengers throughout Israel; if no one comes to rescue us, we will surrender to you."

Given that Nahash took no action, we know he agreed to the request undoubtedly confident in his superiority over them. His arrogance and over confidence would soon cost him for we see where the elders of Jabesh used the time allotted to dispatch messengers to “Gibeah of Saul” where they shared Nahash’s threat to the people there. The sheer horror of what was soon to come caused all the people to weep aloud, an action that caught the attention of Saul who was “returning from the fields, behind his oxen”. And after inquiring about what was wrong, they told Saul about “what the men of Jabesh had said”.

Well, we see where the testimony of what Nahash was going to do to the people of Jabesh had an immediate effect on Saul for as he heard their words, “the Spirit of God came upon him in power” and “he burned with anger”. Saul became determined that no harm was going to come on Jabesh if he could help it but he needed to muster help because an army would be needed to ward off the legitimate Ammonite threat.

And so to rally the people of Israel, Saul did something very profound…something that would surely get his people’s attention. We read where “he took a pair of oxen, cut them into pieces, and sent the pieces by messengers throughout Israel, proclaiming”:

“This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone who does not follow Saul and Samuel.”

Of importance here is that Saul keeps Samuel in a position of power alongside him. He knew the people had long respected Samuel and saw him as a man of God. This truth helped support Israel’s new king who was much less established with the people. Saul reaped immediate benefits, garnering maximum support from the Israelites against the pending Ammonite threat.

The scriptures tell us that “the terror of the Lord fell on the people and they turned out as one man” with 300,000 from Israel and 30,000 from Judah showing up as Saul “mustered them at Bezek”. And so with the army assembled to go against Nahash, we read where a message was sent to the “the men of Jabesh”, assuring them that they would be delivered “by the time the sun is hot tomorrow”. When that message arrived in Jabesh, we see where the people were elated and with the confidence that they were going to be protected, they told the Ammonites:

"Tomorrow we will surrender to you, and you can do to us whatever seems good to you."

Little did the Ammonites know what was ahead for the “next day Saul separated his men into three divisions” and “during the last watch of the night, they broke into the camp of the Ammonites and slaughtered them until the heat of the day”, delivering the people of Jabesh, all because God had empowered Saul with His spirit and the Israelites came together as one for a common cause.

Friends, there’s a very important lesson for us to learn from today’s passage as we enter the battlefield of life every day. For we all are all up against a formidable enemy in Satan who wishes to do nothing short of destroying us with evil disdain, maiming us spiritually and physically through sin. In order to counter him, we could each fight on our own merit that is too often ineffective. We know this because it is the way we are too often fighting today, finding mixed results.

Unfortunately, this mentality is carrying over into the church as well. For although the church is comprised of a body of believers, too often each body (each church) tries to do its own work, measuring success by what it accomplishes within its four walls. And just as when we try and fight the devil individually, the church misses the mark in fighting efficiently and effectively when it fails to do so as a collective.

So how should we better align ourselves to fight Satan?

The key is found within verse 7 of our scripture passage for when the terror of the Lord fell on the Israelite people, they came forward as one man…many people coming together as one against a formidable enemy with the goal of ultimate victory. With this came power in numbers and the Israelites were far more powerful together than they ever could have been fighting individually.

Brothers and sisters, we need to remember that when Christ sent His disciples out to start the church, He never intended that church to be as divided as we are today. In the Book of Acts, where we find the Christian church begin, there weren’t a multitude of denominations. Rather, there was one church under the authority of Jesus, the Head, sharing one Gospel message.

One body of Christ under the leadership of one Savior united by one salvation message to fulfill one mission purpose…making disciples of all nations. And as the church grew, it multiplied and became a powerful movement, experiencing first-hand that there is indeed power in numbers.

Today, I can’t help but think we’re missing the way to an all-out, worldwide revival for Jesus Christ, unlike any this world has ever seen in the history of mankind. It would be a revival of such magnitude that no one or nothing could get in its way. It would be unable to be slowed or stopped.

You see, there have always been a large segment of the world’s population who seem to wait around for the next newest and most popular fad to emerge, then jump on the bandwagon to become a part of that movement. As believers, we should ask ourselves:

Who couldn’t this be Christianity?

Why couldn’t it be possible for non-believers to be swept up by the groundswell that would happen if all Christian churches would just come together for the common cause of Jesus, putting their divisiveness aside to make it happen?

In my view, the Christian church universal is falling way short of the mark and as always, the enemy is right at the heart of it, convincing individual churches and denominations of how great they are in the things they are doing while blinding them to the possibility of greater possibilities through unity with incredible, saving outcomes. It’s high time that we start to join hands and come together as one body of Christ as the scriptures command, united for the common cause of making saved disciples who then go and make disciples…all in obedience to the Savior Jesus who called us to do just that (Matthew 28:18-20).

If a revival movement happened like this, Satan, like Nahash and his Ammonites, would be overwhelmed by the Army of Christ that would be comprised of all His believers, joined as one to gain victory through the One who lived and died for all.

As believers, isn’t this what we all should want in the world we live in?

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.

SET UP FOR SUCCESS

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.

As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul's heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day.

When they arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit of God came upon him in power, and he joined in their prophesying. When all those who had formerly known him saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, "What is this that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?" A man who lived there answered, "And who is their father?" So it became a saying: "Is Saul also among the prophets?"

After Saul stopped prophesying, he went to the high place.

Now Saul's uncle asked him and his servant, "Where have you been?"

"Looking for the donkeys," he said. "But when we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel."

Saul's uncle said, "Tell me what Samuel said to you."

Saul replied, "He assured us that the donkeys had been found." But he did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about the kingship.

Samuel summoned the people of Israel to the Lord at Mizpah and said to them, "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed you.' But you have now rejected your God, who saves you out of all your calamities and distresses. And you have said, 'No, set a king over us.' So now present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and clans."

When Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, the tribe of Benjamin was chosen. Then he brought forward the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, and Matri's clan was chosen. Finally Saul, son of Kish, was chosen. But when they looked for him, he was not to be found. So they inquired further of the Lord, "Has the man come here yet?"

And the Lord said, "Yes, he has hidden himself among the baggage."

They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people he was a head taller than any of the others. Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see the man the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people." Then the people shouted, "Long live the king!"

Samuel explained to the people the regulations of the kingship. He wrote them down on a scroll and deposited it before the Lord. Then Samuel dismissed the people, each to his own home.

Saul also went to his home in Gibeah, accompanied by valiant men whose hearts God had touched. But some troublemakers said, "How can this fellow save us?" They despised him and brought him no gifts. But Saul kept silent.

1 Samuel 10:9-27

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

As we have moved through the first nine chapters of 1 Samuel, we have seen a period of leadership dysfunction on the horizon for the nation of Israel. Unsatisfied by the leadership from the judges, particularly the two sons of Samuel, the people demanded to have a king rule over them like the surrounding nations.

You’ll recall that the Israelites did this without first asking God if it was even His will for them to be led by a king. Then they doubled down on that mistake by refusing to consider and heed the Lord’s warning about the hardship that would fall upon them if they fell under the rule of a king. When it came right down to it, the people wanted what they wanted, even if it meant rejecting the Lord, the one true King over them and all mankind.

As we saw in yesterday’s message, God started the process of giving the people what their asked for. We read where He told Samuel to expect a man from the tribe of Benjamin to come to him and he would be the one to be king of Israel. That man ended up being Saul who you’ll remember sought out Samuel with the hope he could provide the location of his (Saul’s) father’s lost donkeys. After meeting with Samuel, we saw where Saul got more than he had come for, being anointed with oil by Samuel  before receiving the following instructions:

“When you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel's tomb, at Zelzah on the border of Benjamin. They will say to you, 'The donkeys you set out to look for have been found. And now your father has stopped thinking about them and is worried about you. He is asking, “What shall I do about my son?”’”

“Then you will go on from there until you reach the great tree of Tabor. Three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you there. One will be carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and another a skin of wine. They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from them.”

“After that you will go to Gibeah of God, where there is a Philistine outpost. As you approach the town, you will meet a procession of prophets coming down from the high place with lyres, tambourines, flutes, and harps being played before them, and they will be prophesying. The Spirit of the Lord will come upon you in power, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person. Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you.”

“Go down ahead of me to Gilgal. I will surely come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, but you must wait seven days until I come to you and tell you what you are to do." 1 Samuel 10:3-8

And so Saul left Samuel and the signs occurred just as he said they would. We read where “God changed Saul's heart” and as he arrived at Gibeah and met a “procession of prophets”, the “the Spirit of God came upon him in power, and he joined in their prophesying”. This happened much to the surprise of those who witnessed the event as they asked, “What is this that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?"

There had been an obvious, measurable change in Saul…all because he now had the power of God inside him.

Next, Saul had an encounter with his uncle who asked where he had been. Saul told him he had been out looking for his father’s donkeys when he had met Samuel who had assured him that “the donkeys had been found”. And that’s all that Saul told his uncle, leaving out what had been said “about the kingship”. So no one else in Israel knew Saul was to be their king until Samuel “summoned the people of Israel to the Lord at Mizpah”.

There at Mizpah, we read where Samuel gave the Israelites a message from the Lord saying:

“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed you.' But you have now rejected your God, who saves you out of all your calamities and distresses. And you have said, 'No, set a king over us.' So now present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and clans."

Of note here is Samuel reminding the people of Israel that they had rejected God by asking for a king before lots were cast before all the tribes of Israel to identify who their king would be. We read where the lots first determined what tribe the king would hail from and in this instance, it was the tribe of Benjamin, eliminating the other eleven tribes from the running.

Next, Samuel “brought forward the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan” and lots were again cast with Matri's clan chosen. All other clans were eliminated from consideration.

Finally, lots were cast to determine what family the king would come from and who within that family would be selected. We read where this final step chose “Saul, son of Kish” and thus the nation of Israel had their first king…or did they?

For as the people looked for Saul, he was nowhere to be found and so “they inquired further of the Lord” about Saul’s whereabouts and learned that he had “hidden himself among the baggage”. Given this, we read where the people “ran and brought him out” before the nation who saw that he stood “a head taller than any of the others”. And to seal the deal, we see Samuel says this to the Israelites:

“Do you see the man the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people."

To which the people replied:

"Long live the king!"

Well, Samuel finished the ceremony by explaining the “the regulations of the kingship” to the people, writing the regulations “down on a scroll” and depositing “it before the Lord”. This would leave little doubt as to the Lord’s expectations of the one He had chosen to rule over His people.

Following this, the scriptures tell us that “Samuel dismissed the people, each to his own home” and as Saul returned to Gibeah, he was “accompanied by valiant men whose hearts God had touched”.

Unfortunately, we read where not everyone was a fan. For there were some troublemakers who showed skepticism, wondering to themselves, “How can this fellow save us?" And so they shoes to despise him, refusing to being him any gifts, but we see where Saul didn’t show retribution. Instead, he “kept silent”, opting to not stoke conflict with his fellow Israelites.

And so Israel had their first king and his name was Saul, a ruler who had come from a place few people would have predicted. His origins were from within the smallest Israelite tribe, Benjamin, and the least of the clans within that tribe, the clan of Matri. As we saw in yesterday’s message, our Lord is indiscriminate, willing to select and use anyone in order to fulfill His will and carry out His mission. And since He is perfect, we can never argue with the people He selects. If anyone fails within what He calls to be done, it’s always the person chosen, not the divine chooser.

Indeed, as we see in our passage today, God isn’t looking for a certain set of qualifiers in order to employ someone to carry out His purposes. Rather, He gives the people He selects what they need to succeed, providing the gifts and talents they need to go forth and carry out His plan.

To support this, we didn’t read where Saul had any incredible gifts or talents that distinguished him from anyone else with the exception of his height. God chose him because He wanted Saul to be the king of His people. It was as plain and simple as that. And after He chose Saul, He gave Him what was needed to succeed in ruling and leading the Israelites…just as He will do with anyone He chooses today.

So what did the Lord do for Saul to set him up for success?

First, He changed Saul's heart.

If anyone is going to thrive in carrying out what the Lord wants, then their hearts have to be changed and transformed to be fully committed to what the Lord calls them to do. And in order for this change to happen fully, a person needs to set aside their own desires so that Lord’s desires reign supreme within them.

Saul’s kingship was only going to be truly successful if he ruled under the guidance of the one true King. We’ll only succeed ourselves if we do likewise.

Second, the Lord sent the Spirit of God on Saul in power.

As a result, we see where he joined in the act of prophesying with a procession of prophets. It was the Lord’s will for Saul to prophesy at that particular time and so He sent His Spirit upon Saul and made it happen. And since Saul’s heart was already changed, he was ready to fully receive the Spirit and be controlled by its power.

The Lord yearns to do the same with us…to change our hearts from the inside out so we’re ready to commune with Him and once that happens, He activates the power of His Spirit within us to do whatever He wishes us to do.

Finally, the Lord set Saul apart from his peers.

Saul’s heart had been changed and he had been given the special power of the Holy Spirit to carry out God’s purposes. We see where he was then revealed to the Israelites by Samuel as the man who had been chosen to lead them. The Lord had given nobody else that distinct privilege.

Given all this, the application question today is as follows:

What has God set you apart to do for Him?

You should always be seeking the answer to that question for one thing is certain…He has a purpose for each and every person He has created but each person must show themselves ready to accept that purpose.

That requires that we allow the Lord to change our hearts so to prepare us to receive His Spirit in power and then carry out His will for our lives. For then and only then will we be fully set apart from others to fulfill the specific purpose God has for us, beginning a life of service to Him that is like no other…a life of service that is predicated on the self sacrificial care for our brothers and sisters.

Thanks be to God that He is mindful of us, the sinners that we are, and willing to use us to do great things in His name, equipping us to succeed in doing so.

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.

AN INDISCRIMINATE LORD

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.

As they were going up the hill to the town, they met some girls coming out to draw water, and they asked them, "Is the seer here?"

"He is," they answered. "He's ahead of you. Hurry now; he has just come to our town today, for the people have a sacrifice at the high place. As soon as you enter the town, you will find him before he goes up to the high place to eat. The people will not begin eating until he comes, because he must bless the sacrifice; afterward, those who are invited will eat. Go up now; you should find him about this time."

They went up to the town, and as they were entering it, there was Samuel, coming toward them on his way up to the high place.

Now the day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed this to Samuel: "About this time tomorrow, I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him leader over my people Israel; he will deliver my people from the hand of the Philistines. I have looked upon my people, for their cry has reached Me."

When Samuel caught sight of Saul, the Lord said to him, "This is the man I spoke to you about; he will govern My people."

Saul approached Samuel in the gateway and asked, "Would you please tell me where the seer's house is?"

"I am the seer," Samuel replied. "Go up ahead of me to the high place, for today you are to eat with me, and in the morning, I will let you go and will tell you all that is in your heart. As for the donkeys you lost three days ago, do not worry about them; they have been found. And to whom is all the desire of Israel turned, if not to you and all your father's family?"

Saul answered, "But am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why do you say such a thing to me?"

Then Samuel brought Saul and his servant into the hall and seated them at the head of those who were invited—about thirty in number. Samuel said to the cook, "Bring the piece of meat I gave you, the one I told you to lay aside."

So the cook took up the leg with what was on it and set it in front of Saul. Samuel said, "Here is what has been kept for you. Eat, because it was set aside for you for this occasion, from the time I said, 'I have invited guests.' " And Saul dined with Samuel that day.

After they came down from the high place to the town, Samuel talked with Saul on the roof of his house. They rose about daybreak and Samuel called to Saul on the roof, "Get ready, and I will send you on your way." When Saul got ready, he and Samuel went outside together. As they were going down to the edge of the town, Samuel said to Saul, "Tell the servant to go on ahead of us" - and the servant did so – “but you stay here awhile, so that I may give you a message from God."

Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on Saul's head and kissed him, saying, "Has not the Lord anointed you leader over His inheritance? When you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel's tomb, at Zelzah on the border of Benjamin. They will say to you, 'The donkeys you set out to look for have been found. And now your father has stopped thinking about them and is worried about you. He is asking, "What shall I do about my son?’”

"Then you will go on from there until you reach the great tree of Tabor. Three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you there. One will be carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and another a skin of wine. They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from them.

"After that you will go to Gibeah of God, where there is a Philistine outpost. As you approach the town, you will meet a procession of prophets coming down from the high place with lyres, tambourines, flutes, and harps being played before them, and they will be prophesying. The Spirit of the Lord will come upon you in power, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person. Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you.”

"Go down ahead of me to Gilgal. I will surely come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, but you must wait seven days until I come to you and tell you what you are to do."

1 Samuel 9:11-27, 10:1-8

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

Earlier in chapter 9 of 1st Samuel, we saw the young man Saul and his servant dispatched to search for his father’s lost donkeys. After hours and hours of looking, you’ll remember that he was ready to give up before the servant gave him a suggestion. He knew of a local seer who had a reputation of being a man of God who always highly respected by the people and always spoke the truth. The servant believed the seer could tell them where the donkeys were and so they went to seek the man out who was none other than Samuel himself.

As today’s passage opens, we see where they were approaching Samuel’s town when they encountered “some girls coming out to draw water” and so they asked them if the seer was there. The girls tell them that he (the seer) was in town for that day to be with the people as they had a “sacrifice at the high place”, adding that they could catch Samuel before the sacrifice began if they hurried ahead. And so Saul and the servant did just that, encountering Samuel just before they entered the town.

Now, you would have thought that this meet up would have taken Samuel by surprise but we learn where it didn’t because the Lord had come to him the day before and told him this:

“About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him leader over my people Israel; he will deliver my people from the hand of the Philistines. I have looked upon my people, for their cry has reached me."

And so when Samuel caught sight of Saul, he knew he was the man that God had told him about…the man who would govern the people…the selected king of Israel.

Now, of course Saul has no prior knowledge of this. All he wanted to do was locate his father’s donkeys and went to Samuel for that explicit purpose. He didn’t have the divine vision that Samuel had and so not surprisingly, we find him completely unaware that it is Samuel who approaches him. We know this because Saul asks him:

“Would you please tell me where the seer's house is?"

To which Samuel tells Saul that he is the seer.

Of interest, we read where Saul doesn’t get the information he wanted right away. Rather, Samuel tells him to do the following:

“Go up ahead of me to the high place, for today you are to eat with me, and in the morning, I will let you go and will tell you all that is in your heart. As for the donkeys you lost three days ago, do not worry about them; they have been found. And to whom is all the desire of Israel turned, if not to you and all your father's family?"

Samuel’s words come as a total surprise to Saul for he wasn’t just given information regarding the donkeys but about his future…a future that would have “all the desire of Israel” turned to him and his family.

At first, we see where Saul doesn’t understand how he could ever be elevated to such a renowned position. After all, he was from Benjamin, the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and even within that tribe, his clan was the least of them all and so how could Samuel say what he was saying? To Saul, it was a complete impossibility but he would soon find out that when it comes to God, the improbably often becomes probable.

And so Samuel invites Saul to dine with him and stay the night because he had a “message from God” to give him, a message he delivered the next day as Saul was ready to depart. We read that after Saul sent his servant ahead by Samuel’s request, “Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on Saul's head” before kissing him and saying:

“Has not the Lord anointed you leader over His inheritance?”

Indeed, Saul had been anointed king of Israel…king over the Lord’s inheritance, and with that, Samuel sent him away, telling him of several events he would encounter on the way…events that would serve as signs that what Samuel told him was true. Here’s what Samuel said regarding these signs:

“…once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you. Go down ahead of me to Gilgal. I will surely come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, but you must wait seven days until I come to you and tell you what you are to do."

And so Saul departs, fully knowing that He had been chosen by God to lead the Israelites. He further knew that the Lord was with him and all he needed to do was wait seven days for Samuel to return to him when he would receive further instruction as to what to do next. Unfortunately, we will see where Saul doesn’t waste any time showing a willingness to disobey God and squander all that had given to him.

Within this passage for today, we learn a very important thing about God. For we have the honor and privilege of serving an indiscriminate Lord…a Lord who is willing to do anything through anyone, regardless of that person’s earthly stature or status.

In the case of Saul, we learned that he wasn’t some descendant of Israelite royalty or from some powerful tribe or clan. Rather, he was from the smallest tribe and the least significant clan in that tribe. Surely, if one were to wager on where the first king of Israel might come from, Saul’s tribe and clan would certainly have been given astronomically poor odds…and yet, God had chosen Saul to be king.

Friends, we should never underestimate our Lord and what He is willing to do at any particular time through any particular person. We should never doubt for a moment that He can and will use any of us in amazing ways for amazing purposes. For the scriptures remind us in Paul’s letter to the Philippians that we can do all things through Him and the strength He provides (4:13).

Rest assured of this. If it’s God’s will for you to do something, then you can and will do it as long as you submit yourself to His service and trust Him to complete His work while partnering with you. For in the end, it’s not really you doing His work but Him doing His work through you. You are merely an instrument of His will…used by Him to advance His kingdom here on earth so that in the end He might be glorified.

So what might God have in store for you in your life?

My suggestion is to not rule anything out for we do indeed serve an indiscriminate Lord who can and will do anything through anyone He chooses. We just need to be ready and willing when He picks us.

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.

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

** 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.

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

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

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

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.