Category: 1 Samuel

 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds.

So says James in verse 2 of chapter 1.

Of course, that’s a lot easier said than done.  I don’t know of anyone who enjoys going through tough times in their lives.

But the question we need to ask ourselves is how do we respond when they come?

That’s what David and his men had to decide.

They were sent back from the Philistine army, but when they arrived home, they found that their town had been attacked and burned, all their wives and children taken, and all their other possessions gone as well.

And so it says that David and his men wept until they had no more strength to weep.

Then came the next response of the men.  What was it?  Bitterness.  And anger.  They were so upset, they were ready to kill David, blaming him for their troubles.

But how did David respond?

But David found strength in the Lord his God. (1 Samuel 30:6)

David could’ve sunk down into depression.  He could’ve become bitter and angry himself.

But instead, he turned to God and found strength in him.  Instead of turning away from God in his hard times, he sought God and his wisdom.

And with God’s leading, he then went out and took action, going with his men to find the attackers, and recover all they had lost.

How do you respond when hard times come?  Do you get bitter?  Do you get angry at God and at others, blaming them for your troubles?  Or do you find your strength in God?

Do you seek him and his wisdom, following his leading?  Or do you just wallow in self-pity?

Let us learn from David, who refused to let bitterness, anger, and despair get the best of him.

Rather, let us turn to God for our strength and wisdom, and take action as he leads us.  And as we do, we will find that our trials will become pure joy.

The fall of Saul happened pretty rapidly.  And it reaches its depth here.

Unable to hear from God through prophets, priests, or dreams, he turns to a medium to try to call up Samuel’s spirit.

There is some debate among Bible scholars on whether Samuel actually appears or if a demon impersonating him appears.

I believe God intervened in this one instance and allowed Samuel to appear.  It is notable, however, that when God does, it is to pass judgment.  He by no means approves of the usage of mediums.

But as I read this passage, it reminds me of the consequences of willful, unrepentant disobedience.

First, God no longer speaks to us.

Why not?  Because we have already closed our ears to him.  And if we close our ears to him, and refuse to listen to him, he will stop speaking.

Time and again, Saul ignored God’s voice and his commands.  And it got to the point where God said, “Fine.  If you don’t want to listen to me, I’ll won’t bother you anymore.”

Second, it leads to fear.

Why?  Because instead of relying on God’s wisdom, we start relying on our own.  But soon we start to realize that our wisdom is not enough.  Particularly when we start to lose control of a situation.

And that’s what happened to Saul.  After ignoring God’s commands earlier, he now found himself in an impossible situation in which he desperately needed advice from God, but could not get it.

Third, sin begets more sin.

And in this case, Saul got so desperate, he sought out a medium, something he knew was wrong.

But with God not speaking, he was willing to do anything to get answers, even something he knew God condemned.

Finally, disobedience leads to death.

In Romans 6:23, it says, “For the wages of sin is death.” And the next day saw the end of Saul’s life.

How do we avoid becoming like Saul?

Keep a soft heart to God.  Believe that God knows best and wants our best.  Do the things he asks.  And when you do sin, be quick to repent.  Confess your sins, and ask God’s help to obey him.

And God says that if we do this, “he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”  (I John 1:9)

It’s strange.  When you see the sins of David, especially adultery and murder, Saul’s sins pale in comparison.

But the difference between the two was that Saul never did repent, and he ended up dying for it.  David did repent and was forgiven.

How about you?  What do you do when you disobey?

With Saul constantly chasing after him, David was getting tired, and so he returned to Philistia, hoping to convince their king Achish to take him in.

Perhaps by this time, Achish had heard of David’s troubles and was more inclined to trust him.  And so he gave David and his men some land to live in.

While he was there, David and his men started attacking Israel’s other enemies.  But whenever Achish asked David what he had been doing, David lied and said he had been attacking Israel.

Why did he do this?  Undoubtedly, he was trying to win the favor and trust of Achish.

But I can’t help but think that David also thought to himself, “This is for a good cause.  I’m attacking Israel’s enemies.  I’m helping God’s people.”

He may have been helping Israel, but he was also lying.  And it got him into trouble.  His act was so convincing that when Achish gathered his troops to attack Israel, he told David,

You must understand that you and your men will accompany me in the army. (1 Samuel 28:1)

And at that point, David was stuck.  What was he going to say?  “I can’t attack my own people?”  Because of his lie, all he could say was,

Then you will see for yourself what your servant can do. (28:2)

It was only through God’s mercy and working, causing the other Philistine commanders to complain about letting David and his men fight with them, that David avoided having to attack his own people.

How often do we convince ourselves that our sin is not really wrong because it’s for a good purpose.

Remember that in God’s eyes, sin is never good, and we are to avoid it at all costs. Otherwise, we’ll find ourselves with the same kinds of problems that David had.

Are there any sins in your life that you’re trying to justify?

“But he hit me first!”

How often do we hear this from kids when they get into fights?  And yet, so often as adults, we make the same kind of excuses when it comes to unforgiveness and revenge.

“Why should I forgive?  He hasn’t even apologized.”

Or,

“Of course I’m bitter!  I have a right to be bitter after what he did!”

Or,

“I’m not the one who started this!  But I am going to finish it!”

But in the words of Abigail, we find a different way of thinking.

In pleading for forgiveness on behalf of her husband, she said to David,

Please forgive your servant’s offense, for the Lord will certainly make a lasting dynasty for my master, because he fights the Lord’s battles.

Let no wrongdoing be found in you as long as you live.

Even though someone is pursuing you to take your life, the life of my master will be bound securely in the bundle of the living by the Lord your God. But the lives of your enemies he will hurl away as from the pocket of a sling. (1 Samuel 25:28-29)

“Let no wrongdoing be found in you as long as you live.  Even though…” 

I should make it clear that these are actually two completely different sentences, and the “even though” is linking “someone is trying to kill you,” and “the Lord will protect you.”

But as I was reading this passage, “Even though” seemed to also click well with “Let no wrongdoing be found in you.”

And it made me think, “It doesn’t matter what the circumstances are.  It doesn’t matter how badly someone has treated you.  God desires that no evil or wrongdoing be found in you.”

In David’s case, that meant, “Even though Nabal treated you badly.  Even though Saul is seeking your life.”  Even though…let no wrongdoing be found in you as long as you live.

Even though someone has hurt you, let no wrongdoing be found in you. 

Even though someone has treated you badly, let no root of bitterness sprout up in your heart. 

Even though someone deserves it, let no thoughts of revenge float up in your mind. 

Rather, as Paul puts it,

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (Ephesians 4:31-32)

I really think God brought Abigail into David’s life to remind him of this, and that these words resonated with him when, shortly after, he had yet another chance to kill Saul.

Here he had spared Saul once before, and yet Saul came after him once again.

It would’ve been so easy for David to get angry and say, “Fine!  I spared you once, but you insist on seeing me as your enemy.  If you want me as an enemy, I’ll be your enemy.”

But instead, he remembered the words of Abigail.  “Let no wrongdoing be found in you, even though someone is pursuing you to take your life.”

And so he spared Saul once again.

How about you?  Do you make excuses for the bitterness in your heart?  Do you make excuses for thoughts of revenge?  Do you make excuses for unforgiveness in your heart?

Remember the words of Abigail.

Let no wrongdoing (or evil) be found in you.  Even though…

Lots of lessons to be learned in this passage.

Lessons about forgiving not only big sins, but also slights. (It’s amazing to me that David was willing to spare Saul who was trying to kill him, but was unwilling to show any mercy to man who slighted him).

Lessons about how to deal with people’s anger.  (Abigail’s soft words and tact — did you notice also how she even used the imagery of a sling as she made her appeal to David?)

But the thing that strikes me is the difference between David and Nabal.

When Nabal (whose name actually means “fool”) refused David’s request for provisions for a feast in return for the protection David had provided for his men, his servants apparently tried to change his mind.

But Nabal refused to listen.  So they went to Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying,

Disaster is hanging over our master and his whole household. He is such a wicked man that no one can talk to him. (1 Samuel 25:17)

When Abigail heard this, she told them to prepare provisions for David and his men, and she went out to meet David.

And when she made her plea, to David’s credit, he listened.  He let go of his anger, and said to Abigail,

Go home in peace. I have heard your words and granted your request. (35)

There are of course, many differences between a wise person and a fool.  But one main difference is that a wise person listens.  A fool doesn’t.

In particular, a wise person listens to correction.  A fool doesn’t, and suffers for it.

David always listened to correction in his life, and God blessed him for it.  Nabal didn’t, and he suffered as a result.

What kind of person are you?

So often in our lives, we struggle with hearing God’s voice in our lives.  God speaks to us and leads us in many ways.

He may do so through the people around us giving us advice that comes from him.

He may do so through our circumstances, bringing opportunities into our lives.

He may do so through books we read or podcasts we hear.

Or he may do it through his still, small voice.

But the main way he leads us is through his Word.  And whenever you feel like he’s speaking to you through one of these other ways, you should always test it by his Word.

God doesn’t contradict himself, and he will never tell you to do something that is contrary to his Word.

That’s what David had to deal with in this passage.

Here were David and his men huddling in fear in a cave.  They see Saul and his men just outside the cave, and they’re probably thinking, “This is it.  We’re dead.  Saul knows we’re here.  We’re trapped.  What are we going to do?”

But instead of Saul’s entire army approaching the cave, only Saul does.  And to their shock and perhaps amusement, Saul starts to “relieve” himself.

As they’re watching this, David’s men say to David,

This is the day the Lord spoke of when he said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.’ (1 Samuel 24:4)

What were they talking about?  Did God really say that to David?  We certainly don’t see it anywhere in the Bible.

It could be they interpreted Samuel’s prophesy that he would be king to mean that David would kill Saul.

Or, it could be that they were saying, as the alternative reading in the NIV puts it,

Today, the Lord is saying, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.’

In other words, “Hey!  This is an opportunity from God!  He’s giving you the chance to kill your enemy here and now!”

What must have been running through David’s mind in that moment?

“Yeah!  This must be from God.  He led Saul straight to me.  I can put an end to this!”

So at the urging of his men, he crept up to Saul.  But even as he did so, his conscience started to strike him.  And so instead of killing Saul, David cut off a corner of his robe.

But even that caused David’s conscience to prick him.

He went back to his men and said,

The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lift my hand against him; for he is the anointed of the Lord. (6)

And he spared Saul’s life.

Here it seemed that God was leading David by circumstance.  That God was giving him a chance to kill Saul.  All of David’s men agreed.  “God’s telling you to kill Saul!”

But David refused.  Why?  Because it went against what he knew God had commanded the people.

First, “You shall not murder.”

And second, honoring Saul as God’s anointed king.

How often do we mistake our will for God’s?  How often do we misinterpret our circumstances to mean God wants us to do something?

How can it happen?  It can happen if we are ignorant of what God has already said in his Word.

Do you want to know God’s will in your life?  Do you feel God is directing you to do a certain action?

Then compare what you’re feeling or what you’re hearing to what God has already said.  If it matches, then move forward.

If it doesn’t, then know that it’s not God’s leading.  It’s just someone’s opinion.  Or coincidence.  Or perhaps, God is testing you to see if you will truly obey him in everything.

But whatever the case may be, let us be like David and ask, “Did God really say that?”

And let us test all things, holding fast to what is good.  (1 Thessalonians 5:21)

True friends are a gift from God.  And David surely must have felt that most keenly at this time in his life.

Once again, he heard that King Saul was after him, and he must’ve been getting tired.  He’d been running all over the desert, hiding in caves, and Saul just wouldn’t give up.

Maybe David started wondering, “Is God really still with me?  Samuel said I would be king, but is this really going to happen?   How can I be king if I’m dead?”

But at this time of exhaustion and discouragement, Jonathan sought him out.

I kind of wonder how that happened.

Was Jonathan with Saul and the army and did he sneak off while they weren’t looking?  Or did Saul leave him behind because he knew that Jonathan loved David?

Whatever the situation, Jonathan managed to do what Saul couldn’t.  He found David.

And when Jonathan saw his friend feeling tired, afraid, and discouraged, verse 16 says that he “helped [David] find strength in God.”  Jonathan told him,

Don’t be afraid.  My father Saul will not lay a hand on you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this. (1 Samuel 23:17)

What Jonathan did for David, God calls us to do for others.  I love how the NASB translates Ephesians 4:29.  It says,

Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.

“Good for edification.” 

The NIV puts it, “helpful for building others up.”

Do our words build others up or tear them down?

So often, we find pleasure in tearing others down “in fun.”  And most times, there are no hard feelings from it.  After all, it’s just “in fun.”

But sometimes the words we speak “in fun” can cut most deeply.  How much better would it be if instead we found words that built people up?

“According to the need of the moment.” 

David desperately needed to hear Jonathan’s words at that point and time.

We should be giving those kinds of words to others, looking at each person’s need of the moment and asking God, “What does this person need to hear? What do you want to say to them?”

“That it will give grace to those who hear.” 

Do your words impart grace to people?  Are they gifts that bring people closer to God?  Are they words that help people to understand God’s grace and working in their lives?

That’s what Jonathan’s words did for David.

Good for edification.  According to the need of the moment.  Giving grace to those who hear.  What kind of words flow out of your mouth?

I suppose on the list of betrayals recorded in the Bible, this is near the bottom of the list.

No one ever thinks about the betrayal of David on the part of the people of Keilah, mostly because it never quite happened.  It would have, however, if David had not acted.

Still, it must have been painful for David and his men.

Here they had risked their lives to save the lives of the people of Keilah from the Philistines.

But when Saul mustered his army to capture David at Keilah, David found that the people would do nothing to help him.

Instead, they would rather surrender David to Saul than risk battle against the king.

And when David found this out, he and his men swiftly left the city before Saul could get there.

What can we learn from David’s actions when faced with betrayal?

First, forgiveness and understanding.  And actually, the latter makes the former possible.

David had every right to be angry with the people of Keilah.  He had risked his life and the life of his men, and yet they would not lift a finger to help him.

But from what we can see, David never took out his anger on them.  He never condemned them.  Instead, he showed understanding and forgiveness.

He understood why they acted as they did.  In this case, the people of Keilah were unable to defend themselves.

That’s why they needed David’s help against the Philistines.  And that’s why when Saul came with his men, it would’ve been easy for them to give in to fear and betray David to Saul.

I heard the story of a man who was abused by his father.  And it took a long time for him to forgive.

The turning point came when he found out that his father had been abused too.  With that knowledge came understanding of his father, and it allowed him to forgive his dad.

If you’re struggling with forgiveness of people who betray you, one key thing to pray for is understanding.  Because often times, as Jesus said, the people who hurt us “know not what they do.”  (Luke 23:34)

But the second thing to learn from this is that even though we need to learn to understand and forgive the other person, there’s no need to keep ourselves in a place where they can hurt us.

David understood the people’s weaknesses in Keilah.  He had a forgiving heart towards them.  But when he knew they would betray him, he left.

Sometimes, people feel like forgiveness means permitting the other person to continue their actions.  To allow them to keep hurting us.

But that’s not true.  We should forgive, but as long as there is not repentance, we would be foolish to keep ourselves in a place of vulnerability to them.

David didn’t do this with the people of Keilah.  And he certainly didn’t do it with Saul.

Have you been betrayed?  God calls us to understand.  He calls us to forgive.

But he doesn’t call us to continue suffering under their hand.

Even when David was in fear for his life, he still managed to make a difference in the lives of the people around him.  It says in verse 2 of chapter 22,

All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their commander.

This was David’s first army.  People who were hurting.  Who for some reason were in trouble or were finding emptiness in their souls.

Why did they gather around David?  Was it just because he was hurting like them?  Or was it something more?

I think it was because they saw in David something they were missing.  Yes, David was hurting.  Yes, he was scared.  But he had something they didn’t have.  A relationship with the living God.

They saw him continually seeking God for direction in all that he did.  And they saw him refuse to become selfish, thinking only of himself when he was in trouble.

Rather, when he saw the people of the city of Keilah being attacked by the Philistines, he went up to help them.  David’s men were afraid to go, saying,

Here in Judah we are afraid. How much more, then, if we go to Keilah against the Philistine forces! (1 Samuel 23:3)

But when God reassured David that he was with him, they saw David’s courage and determination to do what God had commanded.  And they saw God give them a great victory.

All of us go through hard times.  But it’s during those hard times that we can make the biggest impact in others’ lives.  It’s easy to have faith when everything is going well.  But when things are difficult, how do you respond?

People are watching you.  And they’re especially watching to see your reactions in times of trouble.

Will you be like David?  Will you be an influence to the people around you in spite of your troubles?

I hate lying.  I don’t even like telling “white” lies.

The only time I ever really lie is when I play the guessing game “True Lies” where you tell two true things about yourself and one lie, and the other person has to guess which is the lie.

Other than that, I tend to avoid them.

This is not to say that I’ll throw truth in people’s faces when it will hurt them.

“You know, your dress is really ugly.  Why did you buy that?”

If they ask, I’ll try to soften my words or perhaps deflect the question.  But I generally avoid lying.

Why is lying so bad?  I think the story of David, Saul, and the priests of Nob highlight two reasons.

First, when you lie, even if you think it won’t hurt anyone, it often does.

I strongly doubt David expected Saul to wipe out the priests of Nob for giving him aid.

David probably thought, “They’re priests.  Even if Saul finds out that they helped me, he’ll believe them when they say they didn’t know I was running from him.”

But Saul didn’t believe them, and so David was responsible for the deaths of 85 priests as a result.

We may not think our lies will not hurt anything.  But there can be unintended consequences that you didn’t imagine when you told the lie.

Several years ago, I was working at a company that was having financial problems and would eventually go bankrupt.

One month, our salaries came late.  It was supposed to come in on Friday, but it came in on Monday instead.

I actually didn’t find out about it until Monday because I didn’t check my bank account on Friday.  The only reason I knew about it was our company wrote an explanatory note that I saw on Monday.

Anyway, my wife later asked me how work was, and I debated whether to tell her or not.  “After all,” I thought, “We did get the money.  It was no big deal.”

But I decided to be honest and tell her what had happened.  And when I did, she said, “Yeah!  So and so told me about that yesterday.”

Apparently one of my friends who worked for the same company asked, “Is Bruce alright?  We didn’t get paid on Friday.”

When my wife told me she already knew, I thought, “Well, I guess it’s a good thing I told her after all.”

And it taught me that even when I think someone doesn’t know the truth, they very well might.  And if I don’t tell the truth, it could hurt our relationship.

I kind of wonder what would’ve happened if I didn’t tell my wife.  What would she have thought, especially when the truth came out and I could no longer deny it?

The second reason lying can be bad is that sometimes we end up believing our own lies.  You see that in Saul’s case.

Saul had no reason to believe that David was rebelling against him or trying to kill him.  But he told so many people this in justifying his actions against David, that he actually started to believe it himself.

And when his son Jonathan and the priests confronted him with the truth, he could no longer recognize truth as truth.  He killed the priests and even tried to kill his own son as a result.

How truthful are you?  Has lying become a convenient way to escape uncomfortable situations?  Are you lying to yourself or to others to justify your actions?

Even the smallest lies can come back to hurt you or others.

So as Paul wrote,

Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.  (Colossians 3:9-10)

The love that Jonathan had for David was probably one of the greatest examples of love we have in the Bible.

In 1 Corinthians 13, it says that two characteristics of love is that it does not envy and is not self-seeking.  And that’s the kind of love that Jonathan had for David.

Here was the king’s son, next in line for the throne, with a man that he probably knew by this time was God’s choice to be the next king.

And yet Jonathan didn’t care.  He didn’t envy David’s success.  He wasn’t threatened by God’s plans for David.  Instead, it says in verse 17 that Jonathan “loved him as he loved himself.”

He wanted the best for David no matter the cost to himself.

And so even though he knew he had no chance at the throne as long as David was alive, Jonathan went out of his way to protect David from his father Saul.

He defended David before Saul, and when Saul refused to listen, Jonathan quickly went to warn David to run away.

How about us?

Do we care more for others than we do ourselves?

Do we rejoice at God’s plans for others?  Do we rejoice when others have success?

Or do we get upset because God doesn’t seem to be blessing us as much as he bless others?

It’s so easy to compare ourselves to others and wish we had the things that they did.  It’s so easy to get jealous and resent them.

But a true love is selfless.  It rejoices when others rejoice and weeps when others weep.

What kind of love do you have?

“I’m just no good at confrontations,” replied George McFly when asked by Marty why he wouldn’t stand up to Biff, in the movie Back to the Future.

We kind of laugh at that line, but for many of us, including me, we can identify it.  Confrontations are uncomfortable, especially when they’re with people we love.

And that’s the problem Jonathan faced with his father Saul.  Saul had told Jonathan to kill David, who just happened to be Jonathan’s best friend.

What do we do when someone we love are wrong?

Sometimes, we ignore what they do hoping it somehow it gets better, that somehow they’ll just change without our confronting them.

Sometimes, we just avoid them and refuse to associate with them.  “I don’t want to deal with them,” we say.  “Just let them do whatever they want.”

Other times we hold it in, and then when we reach our breaking point, we explode at them.

But all of these reactions are wrong.  What did Jonathan do?  He went to his father and confronted him.  The Bible says,

Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, “Let not the king do wrong to his servant David; he has not wronged you, and what he has done has benefited you greatly.

He took his life in his hands when he killed the Philistine. The LORD won a great victory for all Israel, and you saw it and were glad.

Why then would you do wrong to an innocent man like David by killing him for no reason?” (1 Samuel 19:4-5)

Jonathan confronted his father, but did it respectfully, trying to reason with his father in gentleness.

And that’s what we need to do, whether it’s with our parents, children, friends, coworkers, bosses, or whoever it may be.

Of course as parents, sometimes we need to take firmer steps in discipline when dealing with our children, but even then, we need to be careful that we deal with them not in anger, but in love.

As Paul wrote, we need to speak the truth to people.  We cannot shirk from that responsibility.  But we also need to do it in love (Ephesians 4:15).  And that’s what Jonathan did.

It should be pointed out, however, that once we’ve told the truth, we cannot force people to follow it.

Again, as parents, we have more power in that respect and we should exercise it, but in most other cases, we don’t.  People have to make their own decisions.

Saul for a time heeded his son’s words, but soon started trying to kill David again, forcing him to flee.

At that point, all we can do is pray for the person that God, who can change the heart, will work in them.

And if that person’s actions are injurious to yourself or others, then you need to do what you can to protect yourself and the people who are threatened.

That’s what Jonathan would ultimately do, warning David to stay away from his father, and keeping David safe.

But what we can’t do is let the truth go unspoken.  Speak the truth.  Do it in love.  Do it with respect.  But tell the truth.

Discipline is never a pleasant thing.

I remember getting caught lying by my dad once, and he told me, “I can’t trust you anymore.  If I’m ever going to trust you again, you’re going to have to earn it back.”

Those were very painful words for me.  I still remember them clearly.  But it caused me to change, and eventually I did regain my dad’s trust.

Saul, unfortunately, didn’t respond well to God’s discipline.

As I read this passage, I can’t help but compare his response to the priest Eli’s response when God disciplined him.

Eli failed to rein in his sons when they were doing all kinds of evil in the temple, and because of that, God passed judgment on him and his family, saying that the day would come when he would strip the priesthood from them.

When Eli heard this, he didn’t rant.  He didn’t rage.  He didn’t throw a fit.  Instead, he said,

He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes. (1 Samuel 3:18)

More importantly, he raised Samuel in a way that was completely different from the way he raised his sons.

When he saw Samuel was hearing from God, he wasn’t jealous of what God was doing in his life.  He didn’t abuse Samuel because God was blessing him and not Eli.

Rather, he trained Samuel on how to respond to God, and how to be responsible with what he was given.

He told Samuel to always relay the word of God to people honestly, without holding back, even when it was unpleasant.

Samuel took that lesson to heart and became a great prophet of God.

God didn’t let Eli off the hook for his sin.  Discipline did come and eventually his descendants were relieved of their duties by King Solomon (1 Kings 2:27).

But to Eli’s credit, he accepted God’s discipline, and continued to serve God as best as he could.

Contrast that to Saul in this chapter.

When he saw that God’s Spirit had left him and was on David, when he saw that the people praised David above himself, and when he could see that David was to take his place, he became afraid of David and tried to kill him.

He tried to do so by his own hand, and by the hand of the Philistines.  And when he was unable to do so, he became even more afraid of David.

His life became a miserable mess because instead of accepting God’s discipline and moving on trying to serve God as best as he could, he fought the decision of God, trying to hold on to what he had.  As a result, he lost everything.

Imagine if he had embraced David instead.  Imagine if instead of fighting God’s decision, he would’ve said to David, “I failed.  That’s why God has chosen you.  Please learn from my mistakes.”

Chances are, God would’ve sent Samuel to Saul once more instead of keeping him away.  God would’ve kept speaking to Saul and working in his life.

But by fighting God’s discipline in his life, he found himself getting further and further away from God.

I’m not saying if he had accepted God’s discipline that God would’ve reversed his decision.  But it could’ve been a stepping stone to a closer walk with God.

Instead, he lived the rest of his life in misery.

How about you?  How do you respond to God’s discipline?  Do you try to fight it?  Or do you embrace it and let God change you.

Remember that God never disciplines us because he hates us.  Rather he disciplines us because he loves us and wants the best for us.  As the writer of Hebrews said,

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves,and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?

If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.

Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it.

How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!

Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.  (Hebrews 12:5-13)

This is probably one of the most famous stories in the Bible.  I’ve probably read or heard it hundreds of times in my lifetime.

But as I read it this time, the thing that came out most clearly was the difference between men of faith and fear.  Or to be more politically correct, people of faith and people of fear.  🙂

The Israelites were being confronted by the Philistines again, and this time, a Philistine champion challenged the army of Israel to a one-on-one duel.

If the Israelite champion won, the Philistines would serve them.  If the Philistine champion won, the Israelites would serve them.

But when the Saul and the Israelite army heard this, they all cowered in fear.  And in the midst of this, a man of faith appears:  David.

It’s very interesting to see the reactions the men of fear had to the man of faith.

1.  Anger.

When David heard about Goliath’s challenge, he said,

Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God? (1 Samuel 17:26)

When Eliab, David’s older brother, heard this, he lashed out at David saying,

Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert?

I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle. (28)

Why did Eliab lash out?  Perhaps because David’s words pointed out his own fear.  Perhaps, Eliab felt like he should go out to face Goliath, but his fear kept him from going.

Now here was his little brother saying these big words of faith, and it shamed him.

How often do we do the same?  We face a difficult situation, and instead of facing it in faith, we cower in fear.

As a result, we lash out at the people around us, especially the ones who show a faith we don’t have.

2.  Discouragement.

When Saul heard that someone was willing to stand up to Goliath, he must have been excited.

The truth is, probably everyone was hoping Saul would face him.  After all, Saul was head and shoulder’s taller than anyone else in Israel.  It only made sense for him to face Goliath.  But Saul too cowered in fear.

So when he heard someone was willing to fight Goliath, he immediately sent for him.

But when he saw David, Saul’s face must’ve fallen.  “A boy?  A mere boy is going to try to take on Goliath?”

Not only was Saul discouraged, he tried to discourage David as well.  He said,

You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth.  (33)

How often do we have the same reaction as Saul?  Discouraged by our own fears, we try to discourage others from walking out in faith.

But how did David respond?  He didn’t let his brother’s anger or Saul’s discouraging words get to him.  Instead, he put his faith fully in God.

How could he do this?  He remembered what God had done for him in the past.  That when he faced a bear and a lion that attacked his sheep, God had helped him kill them.  And now he said,

The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine. (37)

David didn’t see the circumstances so much as he saw the God who was bigger than the circumstances.

And by doing that, he was able with God’s help to defeat Goliath and give the Israelites a great victory.

Saul, on the other hand, never did learn this as also seen in chapter 13 when his men’s fear dripped on to him, and he panicked and sinned as a result.

How about you?  Are you a person of faith or a person of fear?

When you face difficulties in your life, how do you respond?  Do you respond in fear?  Or in faith?

Let us not be like Saul and Eliab who focused on the problems and were ruled by their fear.

Rather, let us be like David and focus on the God who is bigger than our circumstances.

Let us trust in him who has delivered us in the past, knowing in our hearts that he will continue to do so in the future.

After Saul turned his back on God, God turned his back on Saul, and it says in verse 14 that an evil spirit from the Lord tortured him.

This is admittedly a tough scripture for us to understand.  How could God, who is good send an evil spirit to torture anyone?

But I think the thing that needs to be understood is that God’s greatest desire is that people would turn to him.

And sometimes the only thing that can get their attention is for him to take his hand off their lives and let Satan take his shots at them.

You see this in 1 Corinthians 5 where Paul gives instructions on what to do with an unrepentant sinner.  He said,

Hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.  (1 Corinthians 5:5)

The hope is by doing this, their lives become so miserable that they finally turn to the Lord and be saved from their sin.

In the case, of the Corinthian man, it seems to have worked (2 Corinthians 2:5-10).  But in Saul’s case, he never did turn back to God.

Instead, he settled on temporary fixes.  His attendants suggested bringing in a good harpist to play music when he was feeling bad, and as a result David was brought into the courtroom to play for Saul.

Saul liked him so much, he became an armor-bearer for the king.  And whenever the spirit afflicted him, he would call in David, and eventually the spirit would leave and Saul would feel better.

But that feeling of relief never lasted.  Why?  Because Saul never dealt with the root of his problem.  A heart that refused to follow God.

So many people today turn their backs on God and as a result, God sends trouble into their lives in order to turn their eyes toward him.

But instead of doing so, they settle for temporary fixes to make them feel better.

For some, it’s music.  For others, it might be drugs or alcohol.  For yet others, it may even be going to church.  When they go to church, they are encouraged by the loving people there, the music, and perhaps even the message.

But while they may enjoy going to church, they never deal with their biggest problem, a heart that refuses to follow God.  And so very quickly, the relief they feel fades away.

How about you?  When trouble comes into your life because of your sin how do you respond? Do you turn to God, or turn to temporary fixes? 

Don’t turn to temporary fixes in your life.  Instead, turn to the one who can bring true peace and contentment to your life.

As David wrote,

Blessed is the one
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.

Blessed is the one
whose sin the LORD does not count against them
and in whose spirit is no deceit.

When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.

For day and night
your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped
as in the heat of summer.

Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.

I said, “I will confess
my transgressions to the LORD.”

And you forgave
the guilt of my sin.  (Psalm 32 :1-5)

How God looks at people and how we look at people can be radically different sometimes.

When God sent Samuel to search for the next king of Israel from the family of a man named Jesse, Samuel was impressed when the oldest son was brought out.  But God said,

Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at.

Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7)

Six more sons were brought out before Samuel, but God rejected each one.

Jesse thought David was so insignificant, it never even occurred to Jesse to bring him out before Samuel.  “David’s the youngest.  He’s just a shepherd.  He’s just a boy.”

It was only when Samuel asked, “Isn’t there another?” that Jesse said, “Oh yeah.  Well, there’s David.  But he’s nobody special.  He’s just a shepherd.  Are you sure you want to see him?”

But when David came, God said,

Rise and anoint him; he is the one. (12)

As humans, we tend to judge people by their appearance.  By how handsome they are.  Or beautiful they are.  Or how smart they are.  Or how rich they are. Or how talented you are.

But God doesn’t look at these things.  He sees the heart.  And as  I’ve mentioned before, the thing he wants more than anything else is your heart.

You may be impressing other people with your looks, your intelligence, or what you have.  But God doesn’t look at these things.  Instead, he looks at you and says, “Do I have your heart?”

If he has your heart, then it doesn’t matter how you look or how talented you are, or how much you have.  God can use you to do great things for his kingdom.

God did that with a simple shepherd boy who was overlooked by his own family.  He can do the same with you.

What does God see when he sees you?  Does he see a person who belongs to him?

And the downfall of Saul continues.

God commands Saul through Samuel to wipe out the Amalekites because of how they had attacked the Israelites while they were wandering in the desert during the time of Moses.

The Amalekites were apparently still around, making trouble for the Israelites, and undoubtedly for the other people around them.

So God told them that they were to be utterly destroyed.  Nothing was to be spared, not even their animals.

That may seem harsh, and it was.  But the Amalekites had had more than enough time to repent of their ways, and it had only gotten worse.

And so God was bringing judgment on them, just as he will judge every person someday, good or evil.

But Saul disobeyed.  He spared the king, and kept all of the sheep and cattle because “they were too good to waste.”

And so God told Samuel,

I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions. (1 Samuel 15:11)

At first, when Samuel confronted him, Saul denied any wrongdoing.  He said,

The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions. (13)

One gets the impression that Saul was kind of hoping Samuel didn’t know about the sheep and cattle.

But when Samuel asked why the sheep and cattle were still there, Saul just said, “Oh that.  The men wanted to keep them to sacrifice to the Lord…but we destroyed the rest!” (15)

But Samuel replied,

Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord?

To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

For rebellion is like the sin of divination,
and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.

Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
he has rejected you as king. (22-23)

Only then, did Saul admit his wrongdoing, but even so, he continued to try to pass the blame to his people.  “I was afraid of them, so I gave into them.”  (24)

The problem with Saul is one that’s very common today.  He paid lip service to serving God, but in his heart, he was serving only himself.

Earlier, when Samuel was looking for Saul, he found out that Saul had gone off to a mountain to build a monument to honor his own greatness.

And although Saul said he planned to sacrifice the animals to the Lord, it’s pretty clear he had no such intention.

His “repentance,” as mentioned before, also wasn’t very sincere.  Rather than taking responsibility for his own actions, he tried to pass the blame to others.

And even his worship of God seemed to be more of an outward show than anything else.  When Samuel turned to leave, Saul begged him to stay, saying,

Please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel; come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord your God. (35)

He seemed more concerned about his personal reputation before the people than his reputation before God.

And so God rejected him as king.

How about you?  Do you merely pay lip service to God?  Do you only say religious things and do religious thing to impress people?  Or does God truly have your heart?

God isn’t so much interested in your words or actions as he is your heart.  And if he doesn’t have your heart, then nothing else matters.  That’s what he had in David, that he didn’t have in Saul.

Does God have your heart?  Or does he merely have your lip service?

When we looked at Samuel, we saw many qualities of a good leader. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of Saul. He draws a blueprint of what a bad leader is.

1. He relied on his own wisdom instead of God’s.

When the Philistines seemed to be in confusion, he sought God’s word through the priest.

But then when things really seemed to be going crazy in the Philistine camp, he basically told the priest, “Never mind,” and went to battle without seeking the Lord.

Later on, when he was planning to attack the Philistines again, he again was ready to go without consulting God, and had to be reminded by the priest that he should seek God first.

Relying on his own wisdom possibly led to his second mistake.

2. He made rash decisions.

First, during the first attack, he made an oath that anyone who ate before he had avenged himself on the Philistines would be cursed.

As a result, his army quickly tired, and although they won a great victory, the victory could’ve been more complete had he not made that oath.

Not only that, because his army was so famished, they started breaking God’s law by eating meat with the blood still in it. So by his actions, Saul caused his people to sin.

Further, when God was silent, Saul vowed to kill the person that God revealed as the one who caused his silence.

And when that person turned out to be his son Jonathan, whose only crime was unknowingly breaking Saul’s foolish oath by eating honey, Saul was ready to kill him.

Only the people that were there were able to save Jonathan from Saul’s hand.

3. He lived to serve himself more than he did to serve God or others.

The whole reason he made the oath was an entirely selfish one. He put personal revenge over the needs of his army, and that’s what caused the whole mess in the first place.

4. Probably his biggest problem was pride.

Saul started out as a humble man, who felt incapable of leading a nation. Had he kept that attitude, and sought the wisdom of God, his kingdom would’ve lasted longer.

Instead, he pushed ahead in his own wisdom, put himself ahead of his own people, and stubbornly continued down the wrong path, even when he knew he was wrong. And as a result, he lost everything.

How about you?  Are you a leader ruled by your own pride?  Or are you a leader ruled by God’s wisdom?  As James wrote,

“God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.”

Submit yourselves, then, to God.….Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. (James 4:6-7, 10)

While his father Saul was a man lacking in faith, Jonathan was a man who was full of faith, and he showed it in this battle against the Philistines.

Without telling his father, he went out to the Philistine outpost.

I doubt he was planning to attack at first, but when he was there, he suddenly got the idea to attack.

Now normally this would have been fool-hardy, but Jonathan’s reasoning was quite sound,

Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few. (1 Samuel 14:6)

Whether by loyalty or faith, or possibly a combination of both, his armor-bearer replied,

Do all that you have in mind.  Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul. (7)

But before they went up, they came up with a plan.  While they knew the Lord could help them defeat the Philistines, Jonathan wanted to know if it was truly God’s will.

And so he said, “If the Philistines tell us to come up to them, we’ll go, for that means God is with us.  But if they say they will come down to us, that means God will not help us.”  (9-10)

When they went up, the Philistines saw them and challenged them to come up, and so full of faith, Jonathan and his armor-bearer went up and led the Israelites to a great victory.

I get two things from this.

First, when you stand in faith, it doesn’t matter how the odds are stacked against you, God can do great things through you.

But second, when you stand together with others in faith, he can do even greater things.

Christians aren’t meant to stand alone.  We’re meant to stand together.  Some people think, “I don’t need the church.  I’m fine by myself.”

But while you may be “fine” by yourself, you still cannot accomplish as much on your own for God’s kingdom than if you stand together with others.

So the question is not, “Am I fine by myself?”

The question is, “How much more can I accomplish for God’s kingdom if I stand with others.”

Never forget:  A Christian that stands alone with God can do great things.  A Christian that stands together with others and God can do even more.

I sympathize with Saul in this passage.  I really do. 

Here he is, with an army of 3000 reduced to an army of 600. 

The enemy is literally knocking on the door, and Samuel, a man he was counting on to intercede for him before God was late, and there was no way of knowing when he would come.

And so with everything falling apart, Saul panics, and offers sacrifices he had no business offering. 

I can see why he did it.  Honestly, I wonder how I would’ve responded.  Would I have done the same thing that he did?  I don’t know.

But in this story we see one of the core problems in Saul’s life.  He had trouble trusting God with all his heart. 

And so when things started to fall apart, instead of waiting on God, and asking for his help, he started to act in his own wisdom and strength. 

In doing so, however, he disobeyed direct orders from God.

Contrast that with David who would succeed him as king, “a man after God’s own heart.”  David wrote,

Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then will I be confident. (Psalm 27:3)

and,

I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.

Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD. (Psalm 27:13-14)

These were not just words in David’s life.  He lived them.

David had his faults.  And he sinned horribly at points in his life.

But at times in his life when Saul was seeking to kill him, when even his own son Absalom tried to kill him, you never see David make the mistakes that Saul did. 

He didn’t panic.  He didn’t take matters into his own hands.  Instead, he faithfully kept on doing what he knew was right.

Why could David do this?  Because he trusted God.  Because he was confident that God would deliver him.    And time and again, God did deliver him.

How about you?  When life seems to be falling apart at the seams, how do you respond?  Do you panic?  Do you take things into your own hand?

Or are you like David, and continue to do things God’s way?  Do you continue to trust God, and wait for his deliverance?

Samuel was by no means a perfect man. But he did exhibit many of the qualities of a good Christian leader, and it shows in this chapter. How was he a good leader?

1. He was honest.

He said to the people,

Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the Lord and his anointed.

Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes?

If I have done any of these, I will make it right.” (1 Samuel 12:3)

But all the people affirmed that Samuel had been honest with them during his time as judge.

In America, the words “honest politician” are often scoffed at. It seems impossible to us that a leader would be truly honest. But Samuel was just that.

2. He wasn’t afraid to confront the people when they were wrong.

And he did just that as he explained to them that God should have been their king, but in their desire to be like the other nations, they had in actuality rejected God as their true leader.

A good leader doesn’t sugarcoat the truth. True leaders tell it like it is. And that’s what Samuel did.

3. He encouraged and admonished the people to follow God and do what was right.

He said,

Do not be afraid…You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. (1 Samuel 12:20)

In other words, “Yes you messed up. You sinned. But God hasn’t given up on you. He still loves you. So don’t give up following after him. Keep serving him.”

And that’s what a Christian leader should do. They should confront sin in people’s lives.

But when they repent, the leaders should encourage them to move forward. To not keep looking back on their mistakes, but rather focus on the future.

4. Good leaders pray for the people they lead. Samuel said,

As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. (23)

It’s interesting to me that Samuel considered it sin not to pray for the people.

So often, we think of sin as doing bad things. But sin is also not doing what we are supposed to do. And good leaders pray for the people they lead.

5. Good leaders teach their people God’s word.

Samuel said,

And I will teach you the way that is good and right. (23)

A good leader knows God’s word well, and is able to teach it to the people they lead.

How about you?  Who are you leading?

It may be people in your church. It may be your family. Your wife. Your children. It may be people in your workplace. Whoever you lead, these are the things God asks of you.

Are you a good leader?

Whatever you might say about Saul’s later life, he actually got off to a good start.  One of the cities in Israel was under attack, and all the people could do when they heard the news was weep.

When Saul saw all the people weeping, he asked what was wrong, and when he found out, he burned with anger.

What was he angry about?  Probably two things.  First, that someone would attack the people that he cared about.  Second, that nobody was willing to do anything about it.

And so he took charge, rallying the people around him, and together they attacked their oppressors, and with God’s help, won a great victory.

Last Saturday, I went to a church leader’s meeting, and one thing that we talked about was how the number of Christians has not really changed in Japan in years.  It’s been stuck at 1% for seemingly forever.  And many Christians in Japan weep about it.

But to weep is not enough.  We need to do something about it.

The Israelites wept that their own people were going to be destroyed but were not going to lift a finger to help.

How often do we as Christians weep for the lost, but are not willing to lift a finger to help them.

How can we stand around doing nothing, while the world around us is dying?

Let us be like Saul and work with one another to bring change in this world.  Let’s do what must be done to reach a dying world.

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”

And I said, “Here am I.  Send me!”  (Isaiah 6:8)

And so we come to the story of King Saul.  It’s amazing to think about where he came from.  He came from a tribe that was nearly wiped out because of their sin. (Judges 20-21)

As a result, they were the smallest tribe in Israel.

Saul himself, felt like a nobody.  So when Samuel told Saul about God’s plans for him, Saul replied,

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? (1 Samuel 9:21)

But God is not put off by what others consider small or insignificant.  And so Samuel said to Saul,

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. (1 Samuel 10:6-7)

How about you?  Do you feel small and insignificant.  Do you feel like God could never use you?

The same Spirit that came upon Saul has come upon you if you are a Christian.   Because of that, God is working in you and changing you even now.

All you have to do is cooperate with him, and do whatever he shows you.  And if you do, God will be with you and will do great things through you.

Jesus told his disciples,

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

Just as God empowered Saul to do his work, just as God empowered Jesus’ disciples to do his work, he will empower you.  You don’t have to do God’s work in your own strength.  Our strength comes from him.

As the old children’s song says, “We are weak, but he is strong.”

And he will use us to change our world.  All we have to do is say yes to him.  Will you?

“But everyone else has one.”  “Everyone else is doing it.”

How often do we hear that from children when we ask why they want to do something, whether it has to do with fashion, having an X-box, or whatever it may be.

But whatever the current fad may be, this kind of attitude is not restricted to children.  Even adults can be prone to thinking this way.  The Israelites certainly were.  They told Samuel,

“Appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.”  (1 Samuel 8:5)

After God had Samuel warn them what having a king would be like, the Israelites continued to insist,

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. (1 Samuel 8:19-20)

And so God asked them what they asked for, to the Israelites’ later sorrow.

To be sure, they had some good kings, but they were far outnumbered by bad ones.  And even the good ones like David sometimes did things that had adverse affects on the nation.

It would’ve been far better for them had they not followed after the nations and instead followed after God.  But they didn’t, and it cost them.

Who are we seeking to imitate?  Are we seeking to imitate those around us?  Are we seeking to be like those we see on TV or in the news?  Are we seeking to be like our neighbor?  Or our friend?

Or are we seeking to be like God?

Now am I saying that it’s wrong to have role models in our lives?  Of course not.  Everyone needs role models.

But there are two things we need to be careful of.  Do our role models have God as their role model?  Are they patterning their lives after him?

Because if they’re not, they are likely to make mistakes that we will end up emulating as well.

That leads to the second point:  never forget that even the best role models are not perfect.  They fail.  They make mistakes.

And so we need to make sure that the things we emulate in their lives are things that God would have us emulate.

The apostle Paul recognized this, and so he wrote,

Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.  (1 Corinthians 11:1)

In other words, Paul was saying, “To the extent that I live my life in a way pleasing to the Lord, follow my example.”

Who are you modeling your life after?

The Israelites modeled their lives after the nations around them, nations that were not following after God, and it ultimately led them into sin and, eventually, exile.

The same can happen to us.  By following others, we can find ourselves deep in sin, and far from God.

How much better to instead follow after the God who loves us.  As Paul also wrote,

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.  (Ephesians 5:1-2)

After the ark was returned to the Israelites, they rejoiced, and offered burnt offerings and sacrifices to the Lord.

But in the midst of rejoicing was sorrow, as the Lord killed 70 people for looking into the ark, treating as common, something that was holy.  And the people cried out,

Who can stand in the presence of the Lord, this holy God? (1 Samuel 6:20)

The truth was that none could stand before God, because they were still doing what was right in their own eyes.  And so Samuel spoke to them and said,

If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. (1 Samuel 7:3)

In other words, Samuel said, “Are you finally serious about serving the Lord?  Then you need to stop living your own way.   You need to stop following these false gods and commit yourself to the one true God.”

And so the people repented, and only from that point did they start finding victory over the Philistines who had oppressed them for years.

David wrote,

Who may ascend the hill of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place?

He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to an idol
or swear by what is false.

He will receive blessing from the Lord
and vindication from God his Savior.

Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek your face, O God of Jacob.  (Psalm 24:3-6)

That’s what the people of Israel learned.  It’s not enough to serve God with your lips.  To offer sacrifices.  To do religious things.

If we are to stand before God, we need a total change in heart.  A heart that is pure and offers itself to God alone.  And we need hands that do what is right.

We can’t separate our spiritual life from our physical life.  One affects the other.  But when we have clean hands and clean hearts, that’s when we’ll find blessing from God in our lives.

How about you?  Do you have a pure heart, committed fully to God?  Do you have hands that are clean from sin?

The truth is, all of us struggle with it.  None of us are pure.  None of us are clean.  In Romans 3:10, it says

There is no one righteous, not even one.

And that’s why Jesus came.  He died on a cross, and took the punishment for all of our sins.

It is by his blood that we are made pure and clean before God.  And it is by his blood alone that we can stand before God with confidence.

But we need to get serious about our relationship with God, repent of our sins, and make Jesus Lord of our lives.

Then, and only then, can we possibly stand before God someday.

An almost amusing story, were it not for what happened to the Philistines.

After capturing the ark of the covenant, they brought it into the temple of their god Dagon.

The next day, the idol of Dagon was on the ground face down before the ark of the Lord.

They set him up again, and the next day, not only was it face down before the ark, but its head and hands were broken off.

Then everyone started getting tumors.  They moved it to another Philistine city, and then another, but everywhere it went, the tumors and death followed.

Eventually, the rulers went to their priests and diviners for advice, and basically all they could say was, “Don’t be like Pharaoh.  Send it back to the Israelites before we are destroyed like the Egyptians were.”

What is the point?  I think it’s found in the book of Isaiah, where God says,

By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear.  (Isaiah 45:23)

The apostle Paul then applies these words to Jesus in the New Testament when he writes,

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.  (Philippians 2:9-11)

In other words, sooner or later, everyone will bow before God and submit to him.  Sooner or later, everyone will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

The only question is, what will our attitude be when we do so?

Will we do so with eyes full of love and wonder for the Savior who redeemed us?  Or will we do it with fists and teeth clenched, words pulled out of our mouths with hearts that refuse to yield to him even then?

I don’t say these things to threaten or scare anyone.  It is God’s desire that all be saved.  It’s his desire that you come to know him and his love in a personal way, and that you would follow him in response to that love.

But he will not force anyone to follow him.

You do not have to follow Christ if you do not wish to.  But you do need to know that ultimately, you will bow down, and you will confess that he is Lord whether you want to or not.

What will be your attitude when that day comes?

As you look at the Israelites, a lot of their problems stemmed from the fact that while they often maintained the outward appearance of godliness, their hearts truly didn’t belong to God.

In this passage, they went to battle against the Philistines and were badly defeated.  Discouraged, they asked themselves, “Why did this happen?  Why did God let us be defeated?”

The answer was found in the fact that in their hearts, they were not wholeheartedly following after God.  They were just doing their own thing.

As the book of Judges said, everyone was doing what was right in their own eyes, not what was right in the eyes of God.

This is clearly seen in their decision to bring the ark with them in their battle against the Philistines.  They were saying, “See God.  We’re bringing you with us.  So you’ll give us the victory, right?”

But while they seemed to be following a form of godliness by “inviting God along,” they weren’t truly following him in their hearts.

They pretty much treated the ark as a good luck charm, and on top of that, violated God’s command that only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place (where the ark was) once a year, and that to offer atonement for the people.

But in an attempt to get God to bring them victory, the high priest’s two sons went into the Most Holy Place, took the ark out, and brought it out to the battle against the Philistines.

The result:  The Philistines not only defeated Israel, but took the ark as well.

When the pregnant wife of Phinehas the priest, Eli’s son, heard that her father-in-law and Phinehas were both dead, and that the ark was captured, she went into labor.

She died giving birth, and as she did, she named her son “Ichabod” which means “no glory,” or “where is the glory?” She said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.” (1 Samuel 4:22)

But the truth is that God hadn’t abandoned Israel.  Israel had abandoned God.  They had an outward appearance of godliness, but their hearts did not truly belong to him.

The apostle Paul wrote of such people to Timothy, saying,

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.

People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power.  (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

That’s a description of the Israelites of that time, and you see it all throughout the book of Judges.

Unfortunately, the same can be said of some Christians today.  People who look so godly on Sunday, but live ungodly lives the rest of the week.  And as a result, they suffer lives of defeat and are blind to the reason why.

How about you?  Does your heart truly belong to God?  Or do you just live for yourself, doing what is right in your own eyes?

You may fool others.  You may even fool yourself.  But you’re not fooling God.  And God will not be manipulated, as the Israelites tried to do by bringing the ark.

Do you merely have the form of godliness?  Or do you have a heart that’s truly his?

I’d like to say that I hear God’s voice clearly and often, but I can’t.  I think that often times, I feel like the Israelites of that time.

In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions. (1 Samuel 3:1)

I can’t say I’ve ever had visions.  I think I’ve had dreams that were from God, though I’m not sure.

And while there are definitely times in my life where I can say with confidence “God spoke to me,” it’s not as often as I’d like.

I really do wish that God would speak out loud as he did with Samuel.

Of course, then the question is, “Would I listen to him if I could?”

I think the problem back in those days was not that God didn’t want to speak, but people really didn’t want to listen.  Or at best, were indifferent.

Many times, people didn’t do anything about the things God did tell them.  And God won’t waste too much of his breath on people like that.

I wonder if I’m like that.  Indifferent.  Not doing what God has already revealed to me.

My desire is to be like Samuel, who when God spoke, said, “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.”  (10)

I want to be a man who, when God speaks, shares what he has heard even when it’s difficult for others to hear.

I want to be a man in whom God’s word never drops to the ground.  From what I gather, that means whenever Samuel spoke God’s word, it always came true.

God’s words to Samuel were never empty ones.  And I don’t want God’s words to be empty in my life.

I want his words to come with power in my life, transforming me and transforming the people around me.

But if that’s ever to happen, I can’t be indifferent.  I need to be seeking him as Samuel was.

And I need ears to hear his voice, even when he says difficult things.  I need to do the things he says even when I don’t feel like doing so.

Otherwise, I’ll be like the rest of Israel who rarely, if ever, heard from God at all.

Lord, teach me to listen to you.

I confess that many times I’ve hardened my heart towards you.  That I’ve shut my ears to the difficult things you’ve said at times.  That sometimes I’ve just been indifferent to hearing from you instead of actively seeking you.

Lord, please change me.  Don’t let your words drop to the ground in my heart.  Rather transform me.  Change me.

And through me, change the world around me.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

It’s a tale of two kinds of people in this passage.  Two honor God (Hannah and Samuel), while three don’t (Eli and his sons).

Hannah starts out the chapter by worshiping God for what he had done.

Throughout, she talks about how God lifts the downtrodden and honors those who follow him.  And she praises God, saying,

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

But she also says,

Do not keep talking so proudly
or let your mouth speak such arrogance,
for the Lord is a God who knows,
and by him deeds are weighed. (3)

And arrogance was certainly a problem with Eli’s sons.

They stole from God, taking the fat of the meat that was to be offered to him, they bullied the worshipers who wanted to do things God’s way and burn off the fat, and they slept with the women who worked in the temple, defiling the women and themselves.

Maybe they thought God didn’t know.  More likely, they just didn’t care.  They refused to honor God as holy.  But God did know their deeds, he weighed them, and then he judged them.

Eli’s problem was that he honored his sons over God.  He knew what they were doing.  But all he did was give them a weak chastisement.  He did nothing else to stop them.

Why?  I don’t know.  At the very least, he should have stripped their priesthood from them.  But he refused to do so, and so he too was judged by God.

In contrast to all this corruption was Samuel, who despite all this, honored God and was himself honored by God and men.  It says in verse 26,

And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the Lord and with men.

So what do we get from this?  Several things.

God is holy.  He is righteous.

When we refuse to acknowledge that, and we just do whatever we want regardless of how God feels, we are despising him.  And God will not let that kind of behavior go on forever.  He will judge it.

But if we honor God, he will honor us.  The prophet that confronted Eli said this,

Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained. (30)

How about you?  Do you honor God, not only with your words, but with your actions?  Do you take to heart the words God has spoken and obey them?

Or do you behave as if God doesn’t take notice.  Do you honor other people or other things over God?

God does notice what you do.  He then weighs your actions.  And ultimately, he will judge you for what you’ve done.

What does God see in your life?  A person who honors him?  Or a person who disdains him?

Names often have great significance in the Bible.  God renamed Abram, “Abraham” which meant “father of many” because Abraham would become a father of a great nation.

God renamed Jacob, “Israel,” which meant “he struggles with God” and also “prince with God,” to reflect on how Jacob’s relationship with God changed upon meeting him and getting to know him.

And now in this passage, a little boy is named “Samuel,” which means “God has heard.”

A woman named Hannah was miserable because she was childless, which was a shameful thing back in those days.

Worse, it’s probably because of her childlessness, that her husband took on a second wife who bore him children.  And while he still loved Hannah dearly, her rival constantly reminded her of her shame.

And so one day, she went to the tabernacle, and wept before God, promising that she would dedicate her son to him if he would only give her one.

God answered, taking away her shame, and bringing her a joy that was beyond words.

Still one has to believe that she and her husband had prayed for years that God would give them a child.  And though God heard, he chose for his own purposes not to say yes until much later.

Sometimes we pray for things, and we wonder if God is really hearing.

We pray for a husband or wife.  We pray for a job.  We pray for healing.  And yet nothing happens.  And we wonder, “Is God hearing?  Does he really care?”

Yes he does.  He hears every word you pray.  He sees every tear that falls out of your eye.  He hears every groan that comes out of your mouth.

Yet there are times he tells us to wait.  What’s even tougher is when he says no.

The question is, will we trust him regardless of his answer.

I know a woman that has been praying for a child for years, and yet has not been able to get pregnant.  I don’t know why.  And it must be painful for her to think about it.

But she has chosen to keep trusting in God, and in his goodness regardless.

I don’t know if she’ll ever have a child.  Perhaps God’s just saying to wait.  Perhaps God is saying no.

What I do know is that he has heard her.  And that he cares.  And that regardless of whether she ever has a child or not, he has a plan for her and he will bless her life, because she has chosen to follow him no matter what.

Lord, I thank you that you hear our prayers.  I thank you that you don’t ignore us.

Still Lord, sometimes it’s painful to have to wait for an answer, or to hear your nos.

Lord, help me to trust you.  Help me to keep following you.  And help me to believe that you do have something good in store for me.  Because I know you do.  In Jesus’ name, amen.