Month: December 2020

God’s way or man’s way, which will we choose? 1 Samuel 8

Will we give our lives to serving a loving God or fickle men?

Samuel’s sons, like Eli’s before them, didn’t walk in his ways and thus provoked a leadership crisis in the nation of Israel. Some people have a call on their lives and when they refuse to meet the demands of that call the results can be far-reaching. (King Edward VIII 1936 abdicated to marry a divorced heiress and caused a constitutional crisis in the U.K.)

But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. 1 Sam 8:6

Samuel, like David, took the matter to the Lord in prayer – better to talk to God first, before man. Many believers today do the opposite. Samuel then listened to hear God’s reply!

The verses that follow are a sad reflection on human fickleness or disloyalty to a loving Father;

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 out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 1 Samuel 8:7,8

God told Samuel to warn the people what the king they wanted will do to them, the consequences of rejecting God for an earthly ruler.

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… Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties and others to plough 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. 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. 1 Samuel 8:11-17

Kings and men in power usually TAKE AND KEEP THE BEST FOR THEMSELVES. We need to remember this. God told Israel when this happened and they came to Him for relief He wouldn’t answer their pleas. God has given us free choice and if we choose our way over His way, He may let us live with the consequences.

When David sinned against God and was given three options by the prophet Gad, his answer was;

David said to Gad, “I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into human hands.” 2 Samuel 24:14

David turned to God for he knew God was merciful and so it proved to be, even in punishment.

We serve a good and faithful God, there’s none better to care for us today.

God bless and keep you in this time of Covid. Our God reigns, Hallelujah.

Things had changed and the enemy didn’t know it. 1 Sam 7

For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the Earth to strengthen(show Himself strong to) those whose hearts are fully committed to him. 2 Chronicles 16:9

According to the seer Hanani who spoke these words, God is looking for opportunities to help those fully committed to Him.

Israel under the leadership of Samuel (also a seer) had turned back to the Lord. He’d told them to get rid of their idols and serve God only and they had. Samuel told them when they did this God would deliver them out of the hands of their enemies, the Philistines.

As soon as the Israelites assembled at Mizpah, to worship God under Samuel’s leading, the Philistines gathered to attack them. Samuel poured out a drink offering of water to the Lord and Israel acknowledged their sins. Then Samuel sacrificed a Lamb (Jesus is our Passover Lamb) and cried out to the Lord for the people, who were in fear of their enemies.

GET RID OF IDOLS(anything taking place of God) – REPENT (turn away from sin) – WORSHIP GOD IN TRUTH.

Whilst Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle but that day the Lord thundered with LOUD THUNDER against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites. The men of Israel rushed out and pursued the Philistines slaughtering them along the way. 1 Samuel 7:10, 11

There then follows a list of all the things God now did for His people after they’d turned to Him. Throughout Samuel’s lifetime the Hand of the Lord was against the Philistines. God kept the enemy under His Hand, just as they’d done with Israel. The towns from Ekron to Gath were restored and neighbouring territory delivered. Peace between Israel and the Amorites.

SUBDUED ENEMIES FOR A LIFETIME – RESTORED THE LOST/STOLEN – PEACE

God is still looking for opportunities to show Himself strong on behalf of His people today. The first step is to seek Him for anything that’s going to block His blessings. We must obey fully, the promise is for THOSE FULLY COMMITTED TO HIM. Don’t try to justify something the Spirit of God puts His finger on. Samuel knew God would defeat the Philistines but he had to get Israel to change first. Once that happened their enemies were toast (as in badly burnt).

May we return to God today and see His deliverance in our lives.

God bless and keep you.

 

The journey of the Ark of God, representing God’s Glory and Presence in His people Israel. The Ark was completely covered in gold, inside and out, demonstrating kingship and purity or holiness.

Men didn’t take the Ark, the Ark took the men!

The Ark of God had quite a journey beginning in the battle with the Philistines in 1 Samuel 4:3. Israel had been defeated in battle and decided to bring the Ark of God on to the battlefield to save them from their enemy. But God wasn’t so easily manipulated, Take Note! Israel were defeated again AND the wicked priests, Eli’s sons died by God’s Hand. Eli the High Priest also died when he heard the Ark of God had been captured.

As discussed in yesterday’s blog, the Philistines took the Ark of God as plunder but soon regretted it. Their cities were invaded by panic, death, rats and tumours on the people. The Ark of God; The Presence of God in their camp  brought death and disaster. They soon Sent it back. 1 Sam 6

We also saw yesterday that the Ark arrived at Beth Shemesh and they rightly offered a sacrifice to the Lord but later they were much too familiar, opening it and looking inside. Seventy of them were put to death. 1 Sam 6:19

The Ark of the Lord was then taken to Abinadab’s house on the hill (interesting it rested on a High Place) and his son Eleazar was consecrated to guard it there. Abinadab was a Levite, he had a God given position. 1 Sam 7:1 ‘It was a long time, twenty years in all, that the Ark remained there’. God’s Presence dwelt among the people there, ‘and all the people mourned and sought after the Lord’. The people were moved to repentance and Samuel reappeared as leader or Judge of Israel.

David thought to bring the Ark up to Jerusalem, the right place for Ark, but didn’t seek the Lord how to do that and Uzzah died when he touched it. 2 Sam 6:7 Presumption killed him also. The Ark was left, because of fear at the house of Obed-Edom for three months and God blessed him and his household.

Finally David brought the Ark of God’s Presence up to Jerusalem with the priests and sacrifices and worship. It arrived safely, but even then David’s wife Michal, daughter of Saul, became barren because of her disrespect to David dancing before the Lord.

The Ark of God was always destined to make the journey from the Tabernacle in Shiloh to the Temple in Jerusalem, the heart of the Jewish nation but what a convoluted trip and how many died along the way. Could this in some way represent the journey of the believers, God’s Church today. Step by faltering step the Church may well be approaching the climax of our journey, a people looking for the return of the Lord Himself. Thank the Lord that our right standing is in and from Him, none of us could ever stand in our own righteousness before the Holy God.

May God bless you and give you the strength to finish your own journey today no matter what the obstacles. He is a good, good God.

 

The Lord wants to bless and help His people.

“The Ark of God remained with the family of Obed-Edom in his house for three months and the Lord blessed his household and everything he had”. 1 Chronicles 13:14

God removed Eli and his sons from the priesthood by the hands of the Philistines, but the Ark of the Lord was captured. They probably thought that they’d taken a great prize at first, but soon discovered that the God of Israel was not to be mocked. Death and panic broke out in their cities, the people were struck with tumours and rats appeared. Their own god Dagon fell down twice before the Ark of God and the second time his head and hands were broken off. God has no problem dealing with the enemies of His people, but Israel were indulging in idol worship. 1 Sam 7:3

“For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task”? 2 Corinthians 2:15, 16

Paul tells the Corinthians that to people who are being saved, the smell of Christ is fragrant and attractive, but to others it is the smell of death. The Philistines discovered they had the smell of death in their cities, Ashdod, Gath and Ekron. No one wanted the Ark of the God in their city, ‘They have brought the Ark of the God of Israel round to kill us and our rulers’. Eventually their priests and diviners told them to send it back where it belonged, to the people of  God. The Ark came first to the people of Beth Shemesh and they slaughtered the cows pulling the cart and offered sacrifices to the Lord. However, they became too familiar and looked inside it and seventy died as a result. 1 Sam 6:1

The Ark was then moved and stayed 20 years in Kiriath Jearim. In the book of 1 Chronicles 13, David prepared to bring the Ark up to Jerusalem (City of Peace) but even he (a man after God’s own heart) didn’t get it right and Uzzah died when he touched the Ark. David was afraid and left the Ark for a time at the house of Obed-Edom and God blessed the whole household. The Philistines couldn’t wait to get rid of the Ark, but Obed-Edom and his whole house were blessed, what a contrast! We must thank God for Jesus, our Passover Lamb, by whom we’re made righteous before a holy God. We can’t touch God’s presence in our own righteousness, only through Christ. However, God is calling us to come near today, not in wilful sin, and be blessed in His presence.

Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8

God wants to bless us, let’s make any correction necessary to stand in His blessings today, for us and our homes.

God bless you today.

 

Pay attention to what’s happening in your household/family  – God certainly does.

The first book of Samuel begins with the introduction to a family, Elkanah and his wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Immediately in the second verse we’re told that Peninnah has children, but Hannah does not. We’re never told a single word that Peninnah said, (God’s Word just ignores some people) but she tormented Hannah continually, especially when the family went up to Shiloh to worship the Lord. Hannah’s inmost character was revealed when she turned to the Lord in deep distress and promised her first child to Him if He would give her a son.

After Samuel has been given over to the work of the Tabernacle, Hannah utters her powerful prophetic praise and thanksgiving to the Lord, including these words;

She who was barren has borne seven children, but she who has had many sons pines away. 1 Samuel 2:5

It would seem that in the end things had not gone well for Peninnah, her unrecorded words may have brought trouble on her.

A second family is also highlighted in the book, the family of Eli the High Priest. The misconduct of members of this family provoked God’s intervention in the priesthood at Shiloh.

Eli‘s sons (though priests) were wicked men; they had no regard for the Lord. 1 Samuel 2:12

The young men treated the Lord’s offerings with contempt, taking the best part for themselves, even before the fat was burnt. Eli did confront them about their conduct, including immorality, but he didn’t stop them. They refused to listen to him, because God had decided to put them to death.

Now a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “… Why do you scorn My sacrifice and offering that I prescribed for my dwelling? WHY DO YOU HONOUR YOUR SONS MORE THAN ME by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel”? 1 Samuel 2:27,29

God in effect cursed the whole house of Eli because of the sins of his sons. In future they would lose their privileged position and live far from the blessings of God. God’s reason for all this is given in His appearance to Samuel;

At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family – from beginning to end. For I told him that I would judge his family for ever because of the sin he knew about; his sons made themselves contemptible and HE FAILED TO RESTRAIN THEM (as their father and High Priest). 1 Samuel 3:12, 13

Eli was guilty before God of failing to restrain his sons and THE FUTURE DESTINY OF THE ENTIRE FAMILY WAS CURSED BY GOD HIMSELF. They had stood closer to God and so their sin was greater.

Don’t turn a blind eye to wrongdoing in your family, correct while you still can.

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God bless and keep you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Theme songs are standard in many major movies today (the backdrop to the whole story, played louder at key moments). Sometimes the Bible gives us songs or prayers recording a mighty victory/deliverance for God’s people.

Such is the case in the account of Hannah and the birth of Samuel.  When Hannah handed Samuel, her only child, over to serve the Lord, there’s no record of sadness as would be natural. Instead, Hannah rejoices with powerful prophetic worship of the Lord (the theme music to Samuel’s life story). On her last visit to the Tabernacle she’d been saddened at having no son, now she rejoiced at God’s goodness.

My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn(strength) is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. 1 Samuel 2:1

Hannah begins with personal worship at what God has done for her. She goes on to say there’s no one like God!

There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides You; there is no Rock like our God. 1 Samuel 2:2

Then a warning to the proud and arrogant that, ‘God is a God who knows and weighs deeds’. 1 Samuel 2:3

Her song/speech continues with three reversals by God; warriors weapons broken and the weak strengthened. The full are hungry and the hungry satisfied. Finally, the barren have plenty of children and ‘she who has had many sons pines away’, perhaps her rival.

Then three more authoritative statements about God’s interventions in the affairs of men;

The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave AND raises up. The Lord sends poverty AND wealth; he humbles AND he exalts. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honour. 1 Samuel 2:6, 7, 8

The earth is the Lord’s, all authority is His and He distinguishes between His saints and the wicked.

He will guard the feet of his saints, but the wicked will be silenced in darkness. 1 Samuel 2:8, 9

It is not by strength that one prevails; those who oppose the Lord will be shattered. He will thunder against them from heaven; the Lord will judge the ends of the Earth. He will give strength to the king and exalt the horn of his anointed. 1 Samuel 2:9, 10, 11

Hannah rejoices and praises God for His goodness to her, but reminds us that in the end all power and authority are His. New Testament believers need to remember we’ve been given authority to rule here for Him.

Hannah had a song in her life after she gave up what was most dear to God. We need such a theme of worship as the music behind our story. May God bless us with such a worship song as the backdrop to our lives.

God bless and keep you today.

Place, Process, Position – 3 phases in the dealings of God.

God had Hannah’s consent to bring up her son, Samuel, as He wanted. As soon as the child was weaned they brought him to the Tabernacle, he never knew any other place.

‘So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he shall be given over to the Lord’. And he worshipped the Lord ‘THERE’. 1 Samuel 1:28

The first step in Samuel’s young life was separation from his biological parents to the PLACE where God was worshipped in the heart of His people. Samuel was ‘taken from a home’ and separated onto God (same thought as holiness). It’s interesting that though Shiloh was God’s Place for Samuel that there was a lot of wickedness there. God kept the young Samuel in the midst of the wickedness until He removed those responsible. We should never knowingly expose ourselves to evil as that will be dangerous for our souls;

And if He rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard) – if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials. 2 Peter 2:7, 8, 9

Lot chose the wrong environment for himself and his family and had to flee for his life, losing his wife on the way.

Joseph was separated from his family at an early age, taken down to Egypt and thrown into prison. He reconnected with his family a long time later and rescued his father and brothers and their children from the severe famine that gripped the land.

Moses lived in two places, in Pharaoh’s Palace and then a hasty escape to the desert for 40 years. God had to uproot him and remove him from all he knew. He eventually came back to deliver Israel from their bondage after a long time of waiting before God.

We may be asking today why isn’t God using me (I’m sure Joseph and Moses did). Maybe we need to ask are we in the right place? It may not be a geographical location, it might be part of a ministry or group of believers. God has things to teach all of us, that’s the Process Part, usually humbling and serving. Never be afraid to serve because ultimately it’s all to Him and He sees our hearts.

God prepared the land of Israel for His people and He’s bringing them back into it in our day. They didn’t choose their own place, they were led there (Lot’s own choice almost led to disaster). We don’t know enough to choose our own way, we need His place, more especially in these days.

Some of Jesus’ last words to His disciples, ‘I go to prepare a place for you’. The Lord’s preparing a place for us for eternity, shouldn’t we trust Him for the time we’re here on earth. When Anne and I were married a few years ago, a gracious American lady, told us, ‘our lives would be a great adventure’. May I encourage you to seek God’s Place and sign up for your God inspired adventure.

God bless and keep you today.

 

 

 

 

God uses imperfect people for His purposes, don’t attack them.

…but the boy ministered BEFORE THE LORD UNDER ELI the priest. 1 Samuel 2:11b

Eli means ‘ascension’ in Hebrew and ‘God is abundance’, ‘God is my oath’, (from Elisabeth). Interesting that the name of Eli has a connection with an ‘oath’ which Hannah had to make before God for Samuel.

Eli was present from the very beginning of Samuel’s journey, even before he was conceived. His blessing as High Priest was instrumental in the birth of his successor (he didn’t know that), God’s choice to lead Israel. Eli, though he was guilty before God for his sons’ wicked behaviour, was GIVEN A SACRED TRUST by God concerning Samuel. God uses ‘imperfect people’ to fulfill His purposes here on earth! We are so quick to see faults and weaknesses in others but we should remember before we attack people, God may have chosen them. IMPERFECT BUT CHOSEN!

The first part of Eli’s role was his blessing upon Hannah and later upon her husband, Elkanah;

Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, “May the Lord give you children by this woman to take the place of the one she prayed for and gave to the Lord (five children later; our gracious God blessed them). 1 Samuel 2:20, 21

Eli’s second role was training/mentoring Samuel, in the things of the priesthood. Samuel set apart from before birth with a calling from God to lead/ judge God’s people Israel still had to submit to training and so may we. Many times God will put us alongside an older mentor to learn by association, for example ‘Elisha poured water on the hands of Elijah/served him’.

The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions. 1 Samuel 3:1

Now we come to Eli’s third role in the life of Samuel, introducing him to the voice and presence of the Lord. Samuel was trained in the duties of the Tabernacle but still didn’t know the Lord. It’s one thing to know about God, quite another to have a living relationship with the Lord Himself. Eli, now old and hardly able to see was the one who  made that final connection possible for his charge, Samuel.

Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.  Then Eli realised that the Lord was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down (the Lord first spoke to Samuel when all around him was still: Be still and know that I am God Ps. 46:10) and if He calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening’”. 1 Samuel 3:7, 8, 9

Eli had almost fulfilled his trust of raising Samuel in the duties of the priesthood, but also as a national prophet for the God’s people Israel.

The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up and He let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognised that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord. 1 Samuel 3:19, 20

Unfortunately the first thing God spoke to Samuel was the coming judgement of the house of Eli, his master.

In modern parlance the elderly priest had literally, ‘worked himself out of his job’. Samuel’s training and mentoring where he’d been so intimately involved for so long a period, ended his own ministry. God chose the weak and imperfect old priest to raise up His prophet and judge for the nation and Eli did a good job with Samuel his spiritual son, though not with his own physical sons.

God bless and keep you today.