September 29 -- "Obedience Trumps Religion"

 Today’s Reading: 1 Samuel 15

"Obedience Trumps Religion"

A lot of people make the same mistake as Saul.  They think that their religious activities will cover-up their life of disobedience to God.  Tragically, this never works.  God is not impressed with our religious acts, nor does He give us credit for our religiosity or dutiful sacrifices. To put this another way, we could say, behold, to obey is better than “going to church,” and to listen to Him is better than “taking communion.”  To obey is better than “working as a volunteer” on the church committee, and to listen to Him is better than “donating to the church offering.”

It is an ugly characteristic of human nature to believe that we can “be good enough” or do enough “good works” to somehow make ourselves pleasing and acceptable to God.  But this is never the case.  There is no amount of human goodness that could ever be enough to satisfy a holy God, because there is no way to cover all of my sins and acts of disobedience.  The goodness that God demands is perfection and our religiosity will never, ever, achieve it.

Saul disobeyed God.  He failed to utterly destroy the flocks and herds of the enemy as he had been clearly commanded to by God.  And then, to make matters worse, he attempted to placate God by offering sacrifices on the altar.  When Samuel arrived, God’s decision to replace Saul for his disobedience had been sealed.  He would no longer be king.  Why?  Because he carelessly handled the word of God and thought he could justify himself by performing “religious activities.”

Oh, how we need to be so careful about this.  We, as followers of Christ are, of course, saved by grace through faith.  There is nothing more we can do to make ourselves acceptable to God than to believe in the sacrifice of His Son on the cross for our sins.  Once cleansed of our sin by faith, we are to embark on a life of obedience to God, listening to His voice, and following His word.  When we fail in our obedience (and we will), we must never make the same mistake as Saul by trying to cover our sins with religious activities, going to church, paying our tithes, reading our bible, etc.  We must return to Him in humility and repentance and be cleansed by the ONLY thing that can truly make us right with God – the blood of Christ – for “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

If only Saul had learned the value of obedience over religiosity.  The outcome of his life would have turned out dramatically different.

September 28 -- "Impaired Decision Making"

 Todays’ Reading: 1 Samuel 14:24-52

"Impaired Decision Making"

We can see from today’s reading that king Saul is beginning to become impaired in his thinking and decision making.  At the beginning of his reign, he had been humble and filled with the Spirit of God.  And the Lord gave him many victories over Israel’s enemies. But slowly the spirit of pride started to grow in his heart which led him to rebellion and disobedience to God’s commands.  This ultimately led to the loss of his ability to make sound judgments. 

Saul arbitrarily issued an order that his soldiers were not allowed to eat any food that day on penalty of death.  This, in itself, was an impaired decision as any military commander would want his troops to be well nourished and strong before entering battle.  But Saul’s mind wasn’t right.  He just couldn’t see the error of his command.  (Now, some believe that the bread in Israel had been contaminated with some sort of toxic substance, and that Saul was simply protecting his troops from sickness.  If that were the case, a command to abstain from the contaminated bread would have sufficed.  There was no rational reason to mandate abstaining from all food). Saul’s judgment was impaired.

When Saul found out that Jonathan had disobeyed his command and ate some honey (even though he had done it unintentionally), he ordered his execution.  This was another sign of Saul’s cognitive decline.  He had reached a point in his mental state where he just couldn’t reason things out rationally and sensibly.  Fortunately for Jonathan, the people rallied around him and rescued him from Saul’s rash sentence.

It has been noted that Saul’s prideful departure from God led to his mental deterioration.  Because God was no longer ruling in his mind, he became disassociated with reality.  It is known that some of the signs of manic depression are “exaggerated optimism and self-confidence,” “aggressive behavior,” “inflated sense of self-importance,” “poor judgment, distractibility,” and “reckless behavior.”  Saul was experiencing all of these symptoms.

Tragically, this is often the result of anyone who allows the spirit of pride to grow in their heart and it leads to rebellion and disobedience to God.  The human mind is a delicate thing.  This is why God has given us the “mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16), to protect us from such folly.  “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)  A sound mind is a terrible thing to waste!

September 27 -- "By Many or By Few"

Today’s Reading: 1 Samuel 14:1-23 

"By Many or By Few"

Vastly out-numbered and out-armed, Jonathan decides to take the battle to the Philistines—but in a very God-dependent way. 

Jonathan, Saul’s son, rightly understood the greatness of God.  He recognized that if the LORD was fighting on his side, it didn’t matter how big his army was, or how strong his arsenal was, or how brilliant his battle strategy was.  He rightly acknowledged that nothing can hinder the LORD from saving when it was His will to do so.

He got to thinking "You know, there's a whole army of the Philistines over there. Maybe God wants to give Israel the victory over that army of the Philistines today. Now if the Lord wants to give the victory to Israel over those Philistines, He doesn't need a whole army. He can give the victory to one man as well as six hundred or to two. It really doesn't make any difference to God whether we have a huge army, or whether we just have a few if God wants to give the victory to Israel, He will.

There’s no rule that says God can only deliver by using a big army. No one can stop God from saving when He sets His mind to it.  Unlike human strength, which has limitations and requires substantial resources, God’s strength knows no limitations.

What ministry has God called you to?  What battle does the Lord want you to win? Has He called you to take His word to a hostile world?  Has He called you to stand up for the innocent?  Has He called you to take the Gospel into uncharted waters or to an unreached people? Do you feel inadequate for the challenge? While it may seem to be an insurmountable challenge from a human standpoint, God is not limited by human frailty or inadequacy. 

It has been said, “Me plus God is a majority.”  You alone will outnumber armies of thousands, if God is with you.  You can accomplish great victories if you take your battle to the enemy in a very God-dependent way.  This doesn’t mean to be cocky or foolish.  It means to make certain God is leading you and, if He is, He will work powerfully on your behalf.  Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few.

September 26 -- "Saul's Folly"

Today’s Reading: 1 Samuel 13 

"Saul's Folly"

For Saul to presume that he could improve on God's ways was sheer foolishness. Saul thought his way was better than God’s way. What folly!

Saul, the king of Israel, disobeyed the LORD on at least three different counts.  First, under the Law of Moses, kings weren't supposed to offer sacrifices on behalf of the community. Kings could offer sacrifices for themselves, but never for the nation. That was to be done only by priests. Saul acted foolishly by ignoring this holy precept of God.  Second, he was explicitly commanded by the LORD to wait for Samuel to come before offering the sacrifice. But he didn’t wait.  He got nervous about his dwindling army and decided to take matters into his own hands.  Rather than waiting upon God, he felt it would be more expedient to rush into the sacrifice.  To him it was a matter of utmost “expediency” in order to bolster his own position. Third, and most important, Saul made the foolish decision to trust himself and his “common sense” rather than trust in the LORD whose ways are not man’s ways.

Saul’s decision may have looked very pragmatic and practical in the moment.  After all, he really couldn’t afford to lose any more support from his people and his armies.  Many may have looked and thought, this was a good practical decision (from a human standpoint).  But the reality is that obedience to God, although it may not look practical or pragmatic to others, is always the right thing to do.  Even if it looks foolish.  Even if it looks like it is against your own best interest.  Even if another course of action would improve your position.  Obedience to God is always the right course of action.

Saul’s punishment may appear excessively severe at first. Stripped of his kingdom. However, the king of Israel was the Lord’s lieutenant. Any disobedience to his Commander-in-Chief was an act of insubordination that threatened the whole administrative organization of God’s kingdom on earth. Saul failed to perceive his place and responsibility under God. 

Remember, any time you think you can improve your position by disobeying God, that's sheer folly.  It may seem the right course of action to your “common sense,” but God’s sense is not always common, and His way is always the right way.

September 25 -- "Empty Things"

 Today’s Reading: 1 Samuel 11 & 12

"Empty Things"

The Hebrew word translated as “empty” in this verse is “tôû.” This word comes from a root word which means “to lie waste.”  It literally means “empty; void; hollow; worthless.”  Samuel, here, exhorts the Israelites to be careful about turning their lives over to empty things that cannot profit or deliver.  Tragically, it is a symptom of the human condition to seek after anything that will fill the empty longing in our hearts.  Even if that “thing” is empty, void and hollow.

People have been known to seek fulfillment in personal pleasure, philosophy, popularity, relationships, riches, education, fame and other vain pursuits.  But the truth of Scripture is that none of these things can (or ever will) bring satisfaction and contentment to the human heart.  None of these empty things can make us complete.  True contentment can only be found in the LORD!  It is only when we turn to Him to satisfy the longing of our hearts that we discover the Holy Spirit and the thirst in our soul is quenched by His living water.

There is only one place to find “completeness” for your human heart.  And that is in Christ. “For in Him [Christ] dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power” (Colossians 2:9-10).  Watch out for people who try to dazzle you with big words and intellectual double-talk. They want to drag you off into endless arguments that never amount to anything. They spread their ideas through the empty traditions of human beings rather than pointing you to Christ, who is the Only One who can fill the emptiness of the human heart.

In today’s chapter, Samuel is addressing the people of Israel and exhorts them not to turn aside after “empty” things.  Why? Because they cannot profit or deliver. No amount of following emptiness will ever fill the void in the human heart. Worship and serve the LORD heart and soul! Don’t chase after false-gods. There’s nothing to them. They can’t help you.  True fulfillment and spiritual rest come only through the true and living God.

September 24 -- "Hearts Touched By God"

 Today’s Reading: 1 Samuel 10

"Hearts Touched By God"

We all have “special” days in our lives.  Days which stand out as being unlike any other.  Usually, those days are marked by special occasions – the day we got engaged, our wedding day, the birth of a child, and other events.  At the top of this list for most of us is the day we met Jesus and our hearts were touched by Him.  On that day we became “new creatures” – our old life passed away and all things became new (2 Corinthians 5:17). We seem to remember these types of days for the rest of our lives.  In today’s passage, Saul has one such day.  A day in which his heart was touched by God.  A day he will never forget!

What a day for Saul, Israel’s newly found king.  First, he is approached by Samuel and told that he is to become king.  Then he is anointed with a flask of oil as Samuel inaugurates him into his new office. Then two men approach him and tell him his father’s lost donkeys have been found.  Next, a group of prophets arrive with their harps, tambourines, flutes, and lyres, prophesying over him.

Then, in arguably the most momentous event of the day (and of Saul’s life), the Spirit of God rushes upon him, he begins to prophesy, and is turned into a “new man.”  Verse 9 tells us that “God gave him another heart.”  As this amazing day nears the end, Saul is publicly proclaimed as the new king and the crowds of people shout, “Long live the king!”

As night falls, Saul heads for home.  He has just experienced a day like no other in his life.  When the morning began, he was just a boy looking for some lost donkeys.  As the day comes to an end, he is a man with a new heart and has become Israel’s first king.

Take note of verse 26, where we are told that when Saul heads for home, he is accompanied by “men of valor whose hearts God had touched.” This scripture always excites me because of its potential. There is nothing more exciting and fraught with possibility than to get a bunch of men and women together whose hearts have been touched by God. To me the potential of a band of people, hearts touched by God, is just incomprehensible. What God can do when He touches the hearts of men and women!

These are the kind of people you want surrounding you.  People who have been in contact with God.  People who will stick by you and endeavor always to support you in your life and ministry.  People who will pray for you and challenge you and walk with you into adventures for God.  Oh, how we need our hearts to be touched by God.  And oh, what a blessing it is when our lives are encircled by others whose hearts God has touched.  Nothing can stop a band of Christ followers who have had their hearts touched by God.

September 23 -- "A Promising New Leader"

Today’s Reading: 1 Samuel 9

"A Promising New Leader"

The Israelites insisted on having a king “like the other nations” around them.  God directed Samuel to give in to their request, although He delineated many of the hardships they would experience under the rule of such a king.  That’s when we meet Saul, a Benjaminite from the family of Kish.  Saul was a tall and very handsome young man. There was none finer—he literally stood head and shoulders above the crowd!  Samuel and Saul met one day when Saul was out looking for some of his dad’s donkeys who had wandered off.

The day before their meeting, the LORD had revealed to Samuel that He heard Israel’s cries for help and that He was sending a man from the land of Benjamin to meet him. “You’re to anoint him as king over my people Israel.”  So, when Saul arrived in town, Samuel was not surprised.  The moment Samuel laid eyes on him, God said, “He’s the one, the man I told you about.”

Saul appears to be a good choice for king.  He was strong, yet humble. He expressed sincere humility when he said to Samuel, “But I’m only a Benjaminite, from the smallest of Israel’s tribes, and from the most insignificant clan in the tribe at that. Why are you talking to ME like this?”  It seems that Saul was genuinely taken aback at Samuel’s words.

As Israel’s King, Saul was a great success!  At least, at first.  Saul’s chief contribution as king would be to defend Israel against its many enemies, especially the Philistines.  He was a very strong military leader and would lead the Israelites to many victories during his reign.  Together with his courageous son Jonathan and an army composed largely of volunteers, Saul would win significant victories over the Philistines and would succeed in driving them out of the central hills of Israel.

We will see in the following chapters, however that Saul’s humility was gradually replaced with pride and self-reliance.  His dependence upon God and obedience to His will would deteriorate into a self-serving and self-willed lifestyle.  Saul’s story will become that of someone who “started out well” but did not “finish well” as he let his successes inflate his heart with pride and arrogance.

It is so important that all of us take inventory of our own hearts and lives.  That we dedicate our entire lives, from start-to-finish, to a full life that ends well for the glory of God.  We too, are susceptible to the same weaknesses as Saul, so we must be constantly on guard against the pride and self-sufficiency that can bring us down.  Those who finish well maintain an ongoing and humble lifelong relationship with God by His Holy Spirit.