Saul and the Monarchy (1 Samuel 8-15)

Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.

  Saul, Israel's first king, was effective at first, but later failed to live up to God's high ideal for Israel's king.

   The Elders told Samuel his son's were not fit to lead Israel and they wanted a king as the other nations who would lead them into battle.  They wanted a strong leader who would bring all the tribes together and be united.

   Samuel saw this as a rejection of the LORD as king.  Samuel served as Israel's leader, knowing that the true leader was the LORD, the true king of Israel.  Samuel told them by doing so they were rejecting God as their king.

  God brought Saul to Samuel and showed that HE has chosen Saul to be king.  In 1 Samuel, chapter 10-12 you can see all this come to life. To listen to these chapters click here.

   These three chapters show:  Saul's transforming experience with the prophetes (10:6-7); his "heart experience upon leaving Samuel (:9);  Saul's anointing by the Spirit of God (11:6); the victory over the Ammonites (11:11); the promise of God (12:14); God's faithfulness to His purpose (12:22).  And all this was great --- however ---  Saul began his fall from grace.

   Saul failed because he refused to obey God.  In 1 Samuel 13:1-14 you can see where Saul started his downward spiral.  Saul waited for Samuel to come and bless the army by offering a sacrifice.  Saul's troops began to desert and he panicked. Saul offered a sacrifice in disobedience to God's command as this was a duty assigned only to God's priests.  Mistake number one.

   Number two - Saul made a foolish vow (1 Samuel 14:24-45). In the midst of battle he vowed that anyone who ate before the battle was completed would be put to death.  His son, Jonathan, heard not this vow and when he and his men came upon some wild honey after a day of fighting they partook.  Saul's men knew their victory was owed to Jonathan and finally talked Saul out of the vow to put Jonathan to death.

   Mistake number three: after defeating the Amalekites, whom she was to spare no one or any livestock, they let king Agag and some prize livestock survive. (1 Samuel 15).  At this point the LORD came to Samuel saying "I am grieved that I have made Saul king" (1 Sam. 15:11)  Saul turned away from following God.

  When Samuel confronted Saul with his disobedience, Saul justified his actions by claiming the soldiers had taken the animals for a sacrifice to God.  Samuel made certain God wanted obedience, not sacrifice.  Because of Saul's disobedience God rejected Saul as king.

   Think about some of Saul's excuses that we use today as well:

• we excuse our sins
• accuse others of being responsible for sins we have done
• care more about appearances that being right with God
• do we 'redo' God's commandment to make them fit our life
• sometimes we deny our sins

  Yes, we can justify by saying this is human nature; justifying is a way to ease our conscience and we still know we did wrong.  Being obedient to God is paramount to anything else.  Take heart fellow Christians, we are white because of the red blood of Jesus. Love you all.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

Is God first in your life? Exodus 20:3

Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  Just a slight deviation from the Old Testament today.

    Exodus 20:3  "YOU SHALL HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME!"

What are your priorities?  Mornings?  get up, shower, get dressed, breakfast or coffee, go to work, come home, get into relax clothes, putter around (hobby, clean house, wash car, etc), watch some tv, dinner, more tv, go to bed.

   What is missing here in our priorities?

          G            O             D

When God should be the main focus of our lives, HE, who holds our eternal destination in HIS hands, yet HE is not even on our radar.  What truely, then, will be the quality of our life.  vive por el momento   Live for the moment is many peoples attitude.  Don't look ahead or around, just plunder on, pleasing ourselves at the moment.

   Many times we distance ourselves from God by worshipping such things as earthly possessions or personal gratification......then we suffer.

  Exodus tells us to put no Gods before HIM, yet we do.  By doing so, we will suffer the consequences.

  Satan rushes in to encourage us to place our desires for material possessions above our love for the Father - we fall to the temptations bringing complications in our lives.  Does God rule over your heart and your home?

A PERSON'S SPIRITUAL HEALTH IS EXACTLY PROPORTIONAL TO HIS LOVE FOR GOD.  (c.s. lewis)

   Kay Arthur says, "Make God's will the focus of your life day by day. If you seek to please Him and Him alone, you'll find yourself satisfied with life."

As you establish priorities for your day and your life, God deserves first place. And you deserve he experience of putting Him there.  Love you all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

1 Samuel 4 - Fight with Philistines; then Samuel as priest

Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  Count your blessings and praise God for all HE has given you and carried you through.

  If you will read in 1 Samuel 4: 1-3,10-11,12-18; you will find these facts concerning Israel and the Philistines.

   First the Philistines came to take Israel in battle, Israel struggled, then they went to get the Ark of the Lord and took it into battle with them.  Why?  Because they thought it would bring them "good luck", a lucky charm if you will.  However, because the Ark was there, the LORD was not with them.  Now recall, Eli, the priest who led Israel had wicked sons who showed disregard and no respect for the LORD. Well, with the Ark, the Philistines at first were afraid because they knew how God had delivered them Hebrews from Egypt.  Then they were spurred on to fight and killed 30,000 Israelites and Eli's sons.

   The Ark was not a good luck charm, God had to be with the Ark for there to be HIS power, therefore, because of this battle, the Ark fell into the hands of the Philistines. 

   When word came to Eli that his sons died in the battle he did not seem as affected as when he was told the Ark was in the hands of the Philistines.  At this word he fell backwards, broke his neck and died.  Eli had led the Israelites for 20 years, and this fate fell upon him as he was not strong enough to control his sons who perverted and scoffed at the LORD and his laws.  There ends the saga of Eli, but who should be coming along now but Samuel.

   Israel was under the Philistines for 20 years (1 Sam.7-12) when they were afflicted and returned the Ark of Israel (1 Sam 5-6).  At this time the people began to turn to Samuel saying they wanted to seek the LORD.  Samuel performed his priestly duty by leading the people of Israel to turn away from other gods and to serve God alone.

  Notice the returning theme here: Do evil in eyes of God; enslaved; cry out to God for salvation; and then delivered.  Well, the people repented of their sins and turned to the LORD, who blessed them and gave them victory over the Philistines.

  After this victory over the Philistines Samuel placed a stone near Mizpah and called the name of the stone Ebenezer, a words which literally means "STONE OF HELP"!  The stone reminded the people that God had been their help in defeating their enemy and would continue to help them in years to come.

   Samuel also served as a judge.  As a judge, Samuel helped the people settle disputes and solve their problems.  He rode a circuit in his service as judge, going between four towns in Israel - Bethel, Gilgal, Mizpah, and Ramah (his home).

   Next we will move into the Monarchy of Saul (1 Samuel 8-15).  Thank you for reading. Love you all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

1 Samuel 1-3 -- -- Eli's fate and Samuel's calling

Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  YES, TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!!!

   God does work in ways of which we do not always understand.  However, when we look back we can say, Oh, God orchestrated that!  One thing that is hard for us to do is accept the fruits of our labor ----if they are bad fruits.

   Once Samuel was weaned he was given to Eli to study and learn about the LORD.  Now, Eli's son's were very rebellious against Eli and the LORD.  They had no regard for the LORD himself (1 Sam. 2:12); they treated the offerings of the LORD with contempt by not handling it according to God's law (1 Sam. 2:17); and they slept with the women who served at the entrance to the tent, showing their immorality and disregard for worship and worshippers (1 Sam. 2:23).

   This would come to haunt Eli and his sons as the sons did evil in the eyes of the LORD.  However, Samuel was refreshing to Eli as he was a direct 180 from Eli's sons.  In 1 Samuel 2:26 you will see where Samuel grew in stature, grew in favor of the LORD, and grew in favor of the people.  Also, understand that Samuel slept in the same dwelling place as Eli.  Next comes the call of Samuel by God.

  1 Samuel 3:7-18 God calls Samuel.  Samuel hears God calling but thinks it is Eli and runs to him.  The third time Eli realized God was calling Samuel and told him to say "Speak, your servant is listening", of which he did.  It was at this point that God revealed what would happen to Eli and his sons because of the sons evil.

   Eli asked Samuel what the LORD said, Samuel was hesitant, but Eli said to Samuel, “Do not hide it from me. May God deal with you, be it ever so severely, if you hide from me anything he told you.”  So Samuel revealed everything.

   Now here is a part we need to learn from. Once Eli heard this he said:
“He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes.”  What a lesson in obedience and faith.

   God blessed the ministry of Samuel (1 Sam. 3:19-21) and as he grew the LORD blessed him.  All the people who heard recognized Samuel as God's prophet because of God's blessing His message through him.

   Eli and Samuel - great lessons for us to learn to be obedient to God, listen to God, and accept what God is giving us (good or bad).  Samuel will continue on in the next lessons.  If you want to read more go to the Bible or my blog.  Love you all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

The next major judge - Jephthah (part 2)

Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good. 

  We ended with Gideon on Friday. Today we start with Jephthah (Judges 10:6-12:7)  Now you know God does not always use the person we would have chosen.  Here is Jephthah, see his coming into this world, and his burden to bear because of his mother: 

11 Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior. His father was Gilead; his mother was a prostitute. ² Gilead’s wife also bore him sons, and when they were grown up, they drove Jephthah away. “You are not going to get any inheritance in our family,” they said, “because you are the son of another woman.” ³ So Jephthah fled from his brothers and settled in the land of Tob, where a gang of scoundrels gathered around him and followed him.

  Jephthah was driven out, when the Ammonites were fighting against Israel, the elders of Israel came and said be our leader.  He questioned them about being run off.  The elders basically said, all that is over, come now and we want you to be our leader.  He did, and he repeated all his words before the Lord in Mizpah.

  On the way they defeated the Amorites and sent a message to the Ammonites.  Upon going into battle Jephthah made an impulsive and devastating covenant with God. Here is his vow to the Lord: “If you give the Ammonites into my hands, ³¹ whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the Lord’s, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.”   

Upon returning victorious: ³⁴ When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, who should come out to meet him but his daughter, dancing to the sound of timbrels! She was an only child.    Because of his vow, he did sacrifice his daughter. She asked for 2 months to go into the hills with her friends to weep as she will never marry and was a virgin.  This brought about Israelite tradition that each year the young women of Israel go out for four days to commemorate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.

  A sad, but yet great day as Jephthah was obedient to God and followed up with his vow (V31).  Next comes Samson, and most of us know the story, but let us dig a little deeper.  See you tomorrow.  Love you all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

1 Samuel 1 - Hannah

Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!

   Take time to read 1 Samuel 1.  However, if you don't have time (or think you don't) to read it click here to hear 1 Samuel 1, listen to the story about Hannah.

   Hannah was sad, resided in the house of sorrow as she had no child; also she was constantly provoked by Peninnah, the other wife of Elkanah-who had children.

  The power of prayer and faithfulness; believing without doubt. Hannah prayed at the temple, Eli the priest thought she was drunk, she said no that she was praying.

   Eli told her - her prayers were heard and the LORD would grant her the prayer.  Hannah had not be eating as she had tended to remain in a state of sorrow; however, after the prayer and talk with Eli she went away, ate, and laid with Elkanah and then was with child.  She said in her prayer that if given a child she would dedicate him to the LORD.

   Here is the power of prayer and heart.  God knew her heart; heard her prayer, and granted her her prayer.  In her prayer of dedicating the child to GOD she did not return to the temple until the child was weaned.  Also, She named him Samuel, saying, “Because I asked the Lord for him.”

   Upon being weaned they took sacrifices and Samuel to the house of the LORD and Samuel stayed at the house of the LORD with Eli.

   Hannah was faithful, had a faithful heart, and GOD rewarded her with a child, and after Samuel she bore more children.  How faithful is your heart and are your prayers without question?  Food for thought.  Love you all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

Ruth - ancestor of David

Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.

   Ruth - The book of Ruth shows David's Moabite blood.  This reveals that Ruth is David's ancestor, shows that God loves and care for all people, even non-Israelites.

   The setting of the Book of Ruth is the time of the judges.  The book of Ruth was written at a later date and this is evidenced in Ruth 4:7 --  ⁷ (Now in earlier times in Israel, for the redemption and transfer of property to become final, one party took off his sandal and gave it to the other. This was the method of legalizing transactions in Israel.)

   This phrase suggests that this custom no longer was practiced in Israel when the book of Ruth was written.  Then, as we read along we find that as Ruth was obedient to her mother in law, Naomi, she marries Boaz, a relative of Naomi, and through this uniting she bears a son.  Ruth 4:17 - ¹⁷ The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

     Now, if you recall, in ancient times it was important for the women to bear a son for the husband and the eldest was to inherit the major portion of the estate.

  Here is a quick summary of Ruth:

•  Naomi and her family moved from Judah to Moab
• Naomi lived in a foreign land for 10 years.
• Naomi was bitter because she had suffered the loss of her husband and sons
• Naomi encouraged her daughters-in-law to stay in Moab
• Ruth insisted on remaining with Naomi
• Ruth gleaned in fields belonging to Boaz who was kin to Naomi's husband Elimelech
• After Ruth was married (to Boaz) and bore a son, Naomi's friends cited her blessings from God

And there you have Ruth in a nutshell.  Thank you for reading, tomorrow we will begin in Samuel.  Have a wonderful and blessed day. Love you all.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny