GET OVER IT AND GET GOING

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark

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

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 this 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 God had ordered that all the Amalekites be destroyed when Saul and his men attacked them. But Saul had spared the king, Agag, who we read now felt confident that “the bitterness of death” was past him. He was wrong.

For Samuel, God’s faithful servant, did what Saul was not willing to do. He ordered Agag brought to him and said to him, “As your sword has made women childless, so will your mother be childless among women." No…Agag was not going to get away with his sinful actions. It was God’s judgment that he be put to death and Samuel carried out this action “before the Lord at Gilgal”. Finally, God’s will had been carried out fully.

Afterwards, we read where “Samuel left for Ramah” while “Saul went up to his home in Gibeah”. And they would remain separated “until the day Samuel died” because “he did not go to see Saul again”. It wasn’t as if Samuel didn’t love and care for Saul. He did because scripture tells us that he “mourned for him”. And Samuel wasn’t the only one who felt bad about Saul. As we have seen earlier in the scriptures, the Lord “grieved that he had made Saul king over Israel”.

And Chapter 15 ends with this…Samuel in mourning and the Lord grieving.

Question: How often do we sit and feel bad over our circumstances in life?

Whether it’s mourning over loss of a loved one or regret over a mistake we might have made…whether it’s disappointment over not reaching some goal or the pain from being hurt by someone…whatever might happen to us negatively, we’re not very good at getting over our circumstances 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…despair over hope.

I believe that if we would truly turn our hearts to the Lord in these times, He would bring us the peace, comfort, love and joy we need to move forward…and then He would expect us to do just that…to get over our circumstance and get going…for He has much for us to do.

This is supported in our passage as 1 Samuel 16 opens up. As Samuel mourns Saul, the Lord comes to him and says, “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."

The Lord is asking Samuel how long he intends to sit around and feel bad about Saul’s actions which led to his rejection by God. He doesn’t want or expect Samuel to be idle. He expects him to get over it and get going…to “fill (his) horn with oil and be on (his) way. For the Lord wanted Samuel to go to “Jesse of Bethlehem” because He had “chosen one of his sons to be king." And as we will soon see, that will be David.

Question: How often do we come with excuses as to why we can’t get over matters and move on, denying the Lord’s call to action?

Too often, I’m afraid. Samuel did because he doesn’t just get up and go to Jesse as God commanded but instead asks, “How can I go?” concerned that “Saul will hear about it and kill me." Samuel, a man who has shown such a devout faith in the Lord, now allows his mournful mindset to skew his trust. Why would God send him to Jesse and allow a king he has rejected to kill him? That wouldn’t make any sense…and yet, Samuel had the concern. Actually, I believe this was nothing short of Satan trying to keep Samuel from fulfilling God’s purpose…just like he does to us today. And Satan was succeeding…at least until God reassured Samuel and got him moving forward.

We read where the Lord tells Samuel, “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 didn’t need to worry about what to do when called to go to Jesse. He only needed to go because the Lord was going to show him what to do. And finally, that’s exactly what he did…doing “what the Lord said.”

Friends, the Lord isn’t saying in the passage that we shouldn’t mourn or feel badly when life’s circumstances come against us. Remorse and sadness are natural human emotions. But the Lord doesn’t expect us to wallow in our problems but to turn to Him, get over them and get going…because He has a plan and purpose for us beyond our negative circumstance…just as He did for Samuel.

Question: Where are you this very moment? Are you at a place in your life where you need to get over it and get going?

If so, the Lord is awaiting you…to bring you peace…to bring you comfort…to bring you love…and to bring you a purpose that will get you back on your feet and experiencing joy in your life again.

All you need to do is get over it and get going.

What are you waiting for?

In Christ,

Mark

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