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1 Samuel 29 - 31 and Psalm 143

4/2/2012

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         The final chapters of 1 Samuel close the book on the themes of salvation and judgment with tragedy and great solemnity.
         First, in 1 Samuel 29 David finds salvation from his embarrassing and uncomfortable relationship with Achish, king of Gath.  The Philistine lords reject his
participation in the upcoming battle, and rightly so!  And from what we read in 1 Samuel 27, we can see better than Achish how erroneous his words to David are: “As the LORD lives, you have been honest” (1 Samuel 29:6). It also bothers us to
listen to the words of submission that Yahweh’s anointed has to say to a Philistine: “What have you found in your servant from the day I entered your service until now, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?” (1 Samuel 29:8)  Therefore, although the text doesn’t tell us directly, we perceive the
Philistines’ rejection of David as another visible form of Yahweh’s salvation.  And although we may not like to recognize it at times, we should give Him praise and glory for the times when, in His mercy, He has saved us also from embarrassing links with sin and condemnation.
         In David’s case, Yahweh has saved him from even more than is apparent here.  Notice that chapter 29 occurs before the events of chapter 28.  Samuel tells Saul, “Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me”; that is, they will die (1 Samuel 28:19); and according to 1 Samuel 29:1, 11, when the Philistines reject David, they are not even at the battlefield yet.  The biblical narrator not only changed the perspective from Saul to David between chapters 28 and 29, but he went back in time to tell us the events in David’s life several days prior to Saul’s divination request.  This detail is important because now we see that David and his men are completely separated from the events of Israel’s defeat and Saul’s death on Mount Gilboa.  On the day of the battle, the Israelites do not see David and his men slowly marching away from the Philistines in the distance.  Instead, David and his men are nowhere in the area; they haven’t been with the Philistines for days, and as we will see in 1 Samuel 30 and 2 Samuel 1, they are far from the battle and occupied with other matters.
         Therefore we can see that Yahweh completely protects David, His anointed, from the judgment of Saul and his house.  We don’t know what David would have
done if he had to fight on the Philistine side that day.  We would like to think that he would have changed sides to attack the Philistines and guide Israel to victory, but the Bible simply doesn’t tell us.  Neither does it say how Israel would have reacted to David’s participation in the battle that day, even if he had changed sides and led Israel to victory.  Would he be seen as untrustworthy, fighting against Israel for awhile and then changing sides when it was convenient?  Would he be blamed for Saul’s death or for not having arrived in time to save him?  Would there be accusations that he weakened Israel’s hand in battle until Saul died, then took advantage of the situation to win the victory and be named king?
         If we thought like Hollywood, maybe we would send David into battle on the Philistine side, have him repent of his decision when he sees Jonathan under attack, then go and save Jonathan and Saul in a fierce battle. Then Saul could see David’s sacrifice to save his life, repent of the way he’s treated David all these years, and even give the death blow to a Philistine (perhaps Achish himself?) who is sneaking up on David to kill him.  Israel could win the battle that day, and we could end our film with a scene days later in a huge, formal ceremony with all Israel present in solemn joy to celebrate the crown being passed from an aging Saul to a submissive
David, with Jonathan smiling and applauding in the background.
         But because Hollywood celebrates the achievements and potential of men in very dramatic fashion without taking into account Yahweh’s holiness and judgment, He never asked Hollywood to write the Bible.  Instead, Yahweh’s judgment, as disagreeable as it may be to our carnality, has decreed the destruction of Saul and his royal house because of rebellion: “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you.  And also the Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for he is not a man, that he should have regret” (1 Samuel 15:28-29).  “Because you did not obey the voice of the LORD and did not carry out his fierce wrath against Amalek, therefore the LORD has done this thing to you this day” (1 Samuel 28:18).  And we see Yahweh’s mercy in protecting His anointed from any link with His judgment on Saul.
         Second, notice in 1 Samuel 30 that this Philistine salvation and the tribulation caused by the Amalekite attack against Ziklag push David to seek Yahweh again: “David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters.  But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God” (1 Samuel 30:6).  He inquires of the LORD again (1 Samuel 30:7-8).  He recognizes Yahweh’s hand in the recapture of all their family members and wealth (1 Samuel 30:23, 26).  It’s been a long time since we’ve heard the name of Yahweh come from David’s lips; now, in the midst of trouble, David finds his refuge and strength in Him again.
         Third, we read the sad news of the deaths of Saul and his sons.  Worse than Samson’s death, the four die together and are mocked by the Philistines.  Even though it is a complete and shameful defeat, 1 Samuel does not end in complete desperation.  The men of Jabesh-gilead risk their lives to bury their bodies.  Remember that Saul had saved them from the oppression of Nahash the Ammonite in 1 Samuel 11; here they are showing their devotion and gratitude.  Saul’s reign was not a total failure.  Yahweh worked through him to save Israel, although in a limited way and with a lot of time and resources wasted in pursuing His anointed.  But the echo of salvation in 1 Samuel 11 should be an encouraging detail: Yahweh certainly will not forget His people.
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1 Samuel 26 - 28 and Psalm 5

4/1/2012

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         Today we find two desperate men.
         David surprises us by saying, “Now I shall perish one day at the hand of Saul.  There is nothing better for me than that I should escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of seeking me any longer within the borders of Israel, and I shall escape out of his hand” (1 Samuel 27:1).
         It surprises us for two reasons.  First, we never imagined that David could join with his enemies or be accepted by them (we remember what happened in 1 Samuel 21:10-15 the first time that he tried to find refuge in Gath).  But remember that this time David is not alone; now he is the head of a group of seasoned war veterans.  Obviously they are enemies of the king of Israel.  The phenomenon of mercenaries (professional soldiers who are hired to fight in a war under the flag of the highest bidder) was much more common in past times than it is today.  For the king of Gath, here is an opportunity to hire good soldiers for his protection; for David, it’s a way to relieve the constant pressure and risk caused by Saul. Therefore, we watch an unexpected alliance take place between David and the king of Goliath’s hometown.
         Second, we’re surprised because in the previous chapter we saw an outstanding example of Yahweh’s protection of His anointed one.  This time Saul
doesn’t fall into his hands like at the cave, but David and Abishai daringly enter Saul’s camp and take his spear and a jar of water.  Yahweh’s protection is evident: “No man saw it or knew it, nor did any awake, for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the LORD had fallen upon them” (1 Samuel 26:12).  Wouldn’t this sign from God be enough to encourage him through any trial?  It shocks us that on
entering 1 Samuel 27, David puts his trust in the protection of a mere man, and a pagan at that,… but aren’t we capable of doing the same thing, especially when we are in the midst of long-standing pressure and tribulation?  We also feel the temptation to find relief in any way, shape or form as long as we don’t have to suffer any longer.  That’s the kind of desperation that drives David to Gath.
         Please recognize that I am not trying to justify what David did, just explain it.  First Samuel 27 is a strange chapter.  Yahweh’s name doesn’t appear.  It seems like David never sought His direction.  We feel uncomfortable with his deception of Achish and especially with the extreme violence that he uses to cover his tracks.  He gets the relief from Saul that he is looking for (1 Samuel 27:4), but at what cost?  Will David end up just like a pagan king, ready to use violence to advance his own agenda?  Will he get swallowed up in the downward spiral of spiritual degeneration just like so many judges in previous generations? Yahweh’s anointed is in great danger, not only physically but even more so, spiritually.  What will Yahweh do in response?
         Meanwhile, Saul also has to battle with desperation in 1 Samuel 28. He’s
looking for spiritual direction and relief from his fears, but he can’t find them: “When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly.  And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets” (1 Samuel 28:5-6).  His desperation drove him to sorcery. We can’t avoid hearing the echo of the prophet Samuel’s words when he informed Saul of Yahweh’s decision to remove the kingship from him: “For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry” (1 Samuel 15:23).  Now Saul hits bottom in his decline in becoming a king just like the rest of the nations.  He is indistinguishable from them.  And Yahweh does not relieve his desperation but instead announces judgment: “The LORD will give Israel also with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me.  The LORD will give the army of Israel also into the hand of the
Philistines” (1 Samuel 28:19).  The judgment on Saul's pride, rebellion and now his use of divination will consume his family, his army and a large part of the nation.
         Two men are in desperate circumstances.  Both sin to relieve the pressure. 
What hope is there that they will not both be destroyed?
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1 Samuel 23 - 25 and Psalm 142

3/30/2012

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         In these chapters we continue our reading of Yahweh’s protection of His anointed one: “Saul sought him every day, but God did not give him into his hand” (1 Samuel 23:14).
         Among his deliverances, we notice two surprises.  First, David does not take vengeance on Saul in the cave in 1 Samuel 24.  According to many, it seems like he has every reason to kill him in the darkness of the cave: “Here is the day of which the LORD said to you, ‘Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you’” (1 Samuel 24:4).  Yahweh has told you precisely about this day, and He has given you permission to kill him!  And we can
conjure up many more reasons to justify that action: “Saul’s reign has become
diabolical.”  “He reigns in pride and for his own benefit; he doesn’t think about Israel’s good.”  “Here you can avenge the destruction of the priestly city of Nob.”  “Hasn’t Yahweh anointed you?”  “Hasn’t He abandoned Saul?”  “Look here, David; Yahweh has handed him over to you!”
         But there is one inconvenience.  More than an inconvenience, it is sin, an act of rebellion against Yahweh: “The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the LORD’s anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the LORD’s anointed” (1 Samuel 24:6).  He says Yahweh’s name three times in one verse because he recognizes against whom he would commit that action.
         Although most of us never will have to decide between killing or not killing another person, I cannot help but think of how many times this same kind of temptation presents itself to Christians.  An impressive “opportunity” appears (or
rather, “temptation”) to take advantage of some benefit, refund or favor from the government, to earn money quickly and easily, to get an unexpected reimbursement, to enjoy an illicit pleasure secretly, to take a decisive step forward in our careers or in our studies. And it has fallen into our hands so easily that we are convinced that it is God’s plan for us!
         But it requires only one inconvenience… or rather, act of rebellion. You must
present a false document (or bear false witness); or you must tell a lie (just one!); or you must take something that is not yours; or you must pretend something is true when it really isn’t; you must deceive another; you must cover up a key part of the truth…  And while we consider doing it, we can make a long list of people – even
Christians!– who will tell us, “Do it!  Everyone does it.  Don’t you see that God is rewarding you for your patience and faithfulness to Him?  Look at how God wants to bless you…”
         Thanks be to God for those who, like David, recognize Yahweh’s dominion even despite having to relate to unjust leaders, governors, supervisors and teachers, those who see against whom they really rebel when they follow the path of unrighteousness solely to promote their own interests. David will not be a king
like Saul; he values the just dominion of Yahweh more than he values his own
interests. Therefore he is satisfied in sparing Saul’s life and saying, “May the LORD judge between me and you, may the LORD avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you” (1 Samuel 24:12).
         And therefore it is so surprising to see David’s reaction in 1 Samuel 25.  It is as if David has forgotten righteousness from the previous chapter.  He is going to make Nabal and all his hacienda pay for his offense: “Who is David?  Who is the son of Jesse?  There are many servants these days who are breaking away from their
masters.  Shall I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers and give it to men who come from I don’t know where?” (1 Samuel 25:10-11)  Praise God for His protection of His anointed one again, this time in the
form of Abigail, Nabal’s wife: “When the LORD has done to my lord according to
all the good that he has spoken concerning you and has appointed you prince over
Israel, my lord shall have no cause for grief or pangs of conscience for having shed blood without cause or for my lord taking vengeance himself” (1 Samuel 25:30-31).  May David esteem Yahweh’s just dominion more than vengeance, more than unjust violence, more than the fulfillment of his own interests.  May Nabal’s hacienda not become David’s version of the city of Nob.
         Thank you, Heavenly Father, for the times you have protected us from our own propensity to sin.
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1 Samuel 19 - 22 and Psalm 52

3/29/2012

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         Yesterday we read in 1 Samuel 18 how Saul’s envy and anger against David was born: “The women sang to one another as they celebrated, ‘Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands.’  And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him.  He said, ‘They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands, and what more can he have but the kingdom?’  And Saul eyed David from that day on” (1 Samuel 18:7-9).
         But notice that Saul’s reaction to David is more than a personal envy; it is another manifestation of his distance from Yahweh: “David had success in all his undertakings, for the LORD was with him.  And when Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in fearful awe of him” (1 Samuel 18:14-15).  Ironically, as he gives more military opportunities to David so that he can be killed, David gains more fame through Yahweh’s power: “All Israel and Judah loved David, for he went out and came in before them” (1 Samuel 18:16).  “When Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David, and that Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him, Saul was even more afraid of David.  So Saul was David’s enemy continually” (1 Samuel 18:28-29).
         In today’s reading we see just how far Saul has distanced himself from Yahweh.  Despite being convinced in 1 Samuel 19:6 that he should never harm David, he tries to kill him again.  He reveals the motive of his hatred: “For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established” (1 Samuel 20:31).  Once again he trusts only in himself and in his own capabilities to manage the affairs of the kingdom.  For Saul, his reign over Israel is not something granted and sustained by Yahweh but a right that he must grasp hold of, a dominion which he himself must secure.  But, isn’t that exactly what Israel asked for?  “Appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations” (1 Samuel 8:5).  Now they have a king just like the other nations, one who reigns in pride, who governs through his personal interests, who resorts to violence to fulfill his desires and who pays more attention to the preservation of his privileges over the generations rather than righteousness.
         May Yahweh save us from this kind of leader!
         And it reaches a point that would never have been imagined even in the darkest hours of the judges when Saul has 85 priests killed in 1 Samuel 22:18.  Even his most loyal servants know better: “The servants of the king would not put out their hand to strike the priests of the LORD” (1 Samuel 22:17).  Therefore he commands a foreigner to do it, an Edomite. And as if that is not enough, he destroys the entire city of Nob, the city of the priests, as if they were Canaanites (1 Samuel 22:19).  That is how Saul has elevated his own justice and the preservation of his privileges above Yahweh’s law.
         Considering Saul’s diabolical reign, Yahweh’s preservation of His anointed one is impressive.  He makes three groups of soldiers abandon their mission of capturing David when they prophesy before Samuel (1 Samuel 19:19-21).  When Saul himself tries to hunt him down, suddenly we feel like we are in 1 Samuel 9 – 10 again, with Saul looking for the donkeys and discovering that Yahweh has orchestrated each detail of the trip… but this time for David’s protection.  Saul himself has to abandon his search because he strips himself of his clothes and prophesies before Samuel all day and all night long (1 Samuel 19:24).  Jonathan makes a covenant with David, and when David is at the lowest point of his desperation, he finds protection for his parents with the king of Moab (1 Samuel 22:3-4) and receives a prophetic word to direct his next steps (1 Samuel 22:5).  Therefore, when we see that one of the priests escapes the destruction of Nob to join with David (1 Samuel 22:20-23), we realize that Yahweh’s will admits no obstacle.  Even in the deepest desperation, He will protect His anointed one and
will act so that His just dominion eventually will manifest itself.
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1 Samuel 16 - 18 and Psalm 59

3/28/2012

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         Today Samuel, Yahweh’s prophet, almost makes a serious mistake. When Jesse’s sons are presented to him to anoint one of them as king: “He looked on Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the LORD’s anointed is before him’” (1 Samuel 16:6).  Yahweh corrects him: “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him.  For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).
         We also are in danger of committing the same error, but in a different way.  We aren’t called upon to identify and anoint the next king of Israel like Samuel was, but when we read the Bible, we must be able to recognize Yahweh’s perspective and message.  Sometimes we are so impressed by the accomplishments of Bible figures that we glorify these men and women and miss Yahweh’s brilliant glory that the reading attempts to highlight.  That’s the danger that many fall into when they read about David and Goliath.
         The battle between David and Goliath, although it is the center of the action, is not the central message of 1 Samuel 17.  Neither did Yahweh include this chapter in His word to teach us “how to identify the Goliaths in our lives” or encourage us “to pick up the five stones of victory against our enemies”.  Those are the kinds of
conclusions reached by people who read the story of David and Goliath like Samuel looked at Eliab: centered on the appearances and actions of men.
         What is the purpose of 1 Samuel 17, then?
         To find it, we must first look for God’s name.  Notice that it doesn’t appear until verse 26 when it says, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17:26)  Up to this point, 25 verses and 40 days have passed by… with no mention of Yahweh’s name!
         This silence is strange when we remember another recent battle against the Philistines: “When the Philistines heard that the people of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the people of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines” (1 Samuel 7:7).  It’s a similar
situation.  How do the Israelites immediately respond?  “And the people of Israel said to Samuel, ‘Do not cease to cry out to the LORD our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines’” (1 Samuel 7:8).  What happened next?  “Samuel cried out to the LORD for Israel, and the LORD answered him…  The LORD thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were routed before Israel” (1 Samuel 7:9, 10).  Yahweh was the center of Israel’s hope in this battle against the Philistines.
         But remember too how Saul has distanced himself from Yahweh in the conflict with the Philistines at Gilgal in 1 Samuel 13 and in 1 Samuel 14 when Yahweh defeats the Philistines through Jonathan in spite of Saul.  We attributed his
distance from Yahweh as being the result of his pride, his conviction that Israelite redemption depended on him.  Now we see in 1 Samuel 17 that the divide between Saul and Yahweh has grown wider. Samuel isn’t in Socoh.  Nor is there mention of any priest.  The Ark of the Covenant has not appeared; there is no mention of any prayer, sacrifice or petition to Yahweh.  His name isn’t even mentioned.  The only one whom Saul and the Israelite army can see is this Philistine soldier.  And for 40 days with no reference to Yahweh, Israel’s army is paralyzed in fear.
         Enter David.  He speaks for the first time in the Bible.  He makes the first
reference to God in the entire chapter.  And he calls Him by a title that appears rarely in the Old Testament, a significant title: The living God (1 Samuel 17:26). 
Why does he call Him that?
         Up to this point in the Bible, the title has appeared only once. When Joshua
gave the Israelites instructions on crossing the Jordan River, he said, “Here is how you shall know that the living God is among you and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites” (Joshua 3:10).  By the miracle of crossing the Jordan River on dry land, the Israelites will see that their God lives while the gods of the pagan nations are only sticks and stones.  We also see a reference to Yahweh as living in 2 Samuel 22:47 (and Psalm 18:46) when King David glorifies God near the end of his life because the nations have submitted to him.  Centuries later, the prophet Jeremiah will declare, “The LORD is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King.  At his wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure his indignation” (Jeremiah 10:10).  Notice that the truth of Yahweh as the living God is declared in situations: 1) in relation to pagan nations, and 2) when they are judged for their idolatry and must submit themselves to Yahweh.  It is a title born of the conflict between the nations who are committed
to idolatry and Yahweh who is unique and exalted above their false gods, a title that looks to Yahweh’s victory over them.  And as the entire Israelite army in Socoh trembles on seeing: “a champion… a man of war from his youth” (1 Samuel 17:4, 33), David sees the living God, the God who makes the nations tremble before Him.
         Notice also that Yahweh’s name has a central role in the rest of the chapter. 
David is convinced that this uncircumcised Philistine will end up like the lions and the bears that he has killed because:“he has defied the armies of the living God” (1 Samuel 17:36).  He testifies, not about his military prowess but about Yahweh’s
salvation: “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw
of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine” (1 Samuel 17:37).  Saul tries to convince David to depend on his own strength and armor, but David approaches the Philistine: “in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied” (1 Samuel 17:45). Goliath: “cursed David by his gods” (1 Samuel 17:43); David declares, "This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head.  And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel” (1 Samuel 17:46).  And the lesson is not only for Goliath and the Philistines but also for Israel who has forgotten Yahweh for 40 days: “And that all this assembly may
know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear.  For the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give you into our hand” (1 Samuel 17:47).
         If we finish reading this chapter impressed with David, with Goliath, with the Goliaths that torment us and the five spiritual stones that we need to throw against them, we have not gone beyond Samuel’s erroneous reading of Eliab when he saw him and said, “Surely the LORD’s anointed is before him” (1 Samuel 16:6).  But if we look at the real Warrior in this chapter, at Yahweh the living God, we will be impressed by the God that makes His glory shine in brilliance through His humble and despised anointed one, even when His people have neglected His name.  Salvation still comes through Yahweh by grace.
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1 Samuel 13 - 15

3/28/2012

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         First Samuel 13 – 15 gives us a summary of Saul’s reign.  On the positive side it tells us, “When Saul had taken the kingship over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, against the Ammonites, against Edom, against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines.  Wherever he turned he routed them.  And he did valiantly and struck the Amalekites and delivered Israel out of the hands of those who plundered them” (1 Samuel 14:47-48).  Saul fought hard and opened the way for Israel to live in liberty in the midst of their neighbors.
         But on the negative side there are many reasons for concern in Saul’s reign.
         First, when he sees that the people are deserting him in Gilgal in 1 Samuel 13, he hurries and offers the burnt offering before Samuel’s arrival (1 Samuel 13:8-10).  Samuel tells him, “You have done foolishly.  You have not kept the command of the LORD your God, with which he commanded you” (1 Samuel 13:13).  When Saul felt the danger of the situation, what should he have done?
         We can find many examples from Moses and Joshua, but we’ll content ourselves with a more recent example, with Samuel’s guidance of Israel in 1 Samuel 7: “Gather all Israel at Mizpah, and I will pray to the LORD for you” (1 Samuel 7:5).  On that occasion they feared just as Saul will in 1 Samuel 13, but
everyone’s reaction was different: “The lords of the Philistines went up against
Israel.  And when the people of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines. 
And the people of Israel said to Samuel, ‘Do not cease to cry out to the LORD our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines’…  And Samuel cried out to the LORD for Israel, and the LORD answered him…  The LORD thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were routed before Israel” (1 Samuel 7:7-9, 10).
         Instead of conforming to this pattern and depending on Yahweh and Samuel, Saul places himself in the middle, as if everything depended on him. Pay close attention to his justification of his actions: “When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines has mustered at Michmash, I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the LORD.’  So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering” (1 Samuel 13:11-12).  According to his answer, all movement depends on Saul.  The others didn’t fulfill their responsibilities… Yahweh will not move until somebody petitions Him… therefore Israel’s salvation from Philistine hands depends on someone who sees the situation more clearly than everyone else, someone who can take charge in the midst of everyone else’s inactivity. Salvation depends on Saul.  And with that pride and self-centeredness, Saul justifies his disobedience.
         The consequences of his rebellion are heavy: “You have not kept the command of the LORD your God, with which he commanded you.  For then the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.  But now your kingdom shall not continue.  The LORD has sought out a man after his own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be prince over his people” (1 Samuel 13:13-14).  Moses lost the privilege of entering the Promised Land for not sanctifying Yahweh in Numbers 20, but his descendants could enter.  Saul has lost much more!  All of his descendants will suffer for his rebellion.
         And for now, his consequences put Israel under enormous pressure.  Instead
of a decisive victory against the Philistines like in 1 Samuel 7, the one that led Samuel to set up the memorial stone Ebenezer, this time the prophet goes up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin without praying (1 Samuel 13:15).  There is no Ebenezer raised along the way.  The Philistines send out three raiding parties to devastate Israel, and there is no way to stop them.
         When Yahweh gives them victory in 1 Samuel 14, it is striking to see how Saul remains separate from Yahweh’s saving work.  He is sitting under a
pomegranate tree, not with Samuel but with a descendant of the cursed priestly
house of Eli (1 Samuel 17:2-3).  (What a sad gathering of Israel’s leadership!)  He doesn’t know that Jonathan and his servant have left (1 Samuel 14:3, 17).  When the panic starts that will end in Israel’s victory, he doesn’t know what’s happening. 
He asks for the ark of God; then he decides there is no time for that (1 Samuel 14:18-19).  He declares an oath that hinders the victory and motivates the soldiers to sin (1 Samuel 14:24, 29-32).  He is ready to kill his own son, the young man through whom Yahweh won a great victory that day (1 Samuel 14:44-45).  When the Bible says, “So the LORD saved Israel that day” (1 Samuel 14:23), we realize that He did it despite the king, not through him.
         But instead of recognizing his distance from Yahweh’s work in order to repent and seek him again, Saul sinks further into pride.  He disobeys Yahweh’s word
again in 1 Samuel 15 and elaborates an even bolder justification to cover it.  When Samuel denounces his disobedience, Saul reveals what truly motivates him.  He fears the people more than he fears Yahweh (1 Samuel 15:24).  But instead of repenting of his sin, he’d rather preserve it! “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.  Now therefore, please pardon my sin and return with me that I may worship the LORD” (1 Samuel 15:24-25).  His concern is that he wants to be appear before the people with Samuel and Yahweh’s approval: “I have sinned; yet honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may bow before the LORD your God” (1 Samuel 15:30).  He’s willing to
admit his sin in private, as long as he can remain everybody’s center of attention.
         Samuel tolerates the king’s pride with amazing compassion: “So Samuel turned back after Saul, and Saul bowed before the LORD” (1 Samuel 15:31). But we recognize that this supposed approval covers a grave spiritual reality: “And Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul.  And the LORD regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel” (1 Samuel
15:35).  How long will Yahweh tolerate this pride?
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1 Samuel 9 - 12

3/27/2012

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         In today’s reading we follow the Lord’s hand through two chapters to find the first king of Israel.  Then Saul demonstrates his capabilities in 1 Samuel 11 by directing Yahweh’s people in his first battle against the Ammonites, and in 1 Samuel 12 the prophet Samuel closes his ministry as judge in Israel and officially inaugurates Saul’s reign and a whole new age in Israel’s history: the monarchy.
         Since this is a momentous occasion, it’s appropriate for Samuel to follow the examples of Moses and Joshua by preaching to the people at the close of his ministry and reconfirming their faithfulness to Yahweh. Imitating the concerns of these two great men of God, Samuel gives a summary of Yahweh’s past faithfulness in Israel’s history (1 Samuel 12:6-12) to portray two possible future paths the Israelites may take, one of obedience and the other of disobedience (1 Samuel 12:14-15), and he insists on a present decision to confirm their reception of the promised blessings (1 Samuel 12:13, 16-21).
         Previously, the Israelites responded to Moses and Joshua by expressing confident obedience and a secure commitment to Yahweh.  This time, they respond
with repentance: “Pray for your servants to the LORD your God, that we may not
die, for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask for ourselves a king” (1 Samuel 12:19).    Can it be that the experience of their spiritual decline over the generations has made them more sensitive to their sinful nature and their inability to obey Yahweh with all their heart?  At least they recognize that the thunder and rain testify of their sins against Yahweh (1 Samuel 12:17-18).  Saul commands them to obey: “Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil.  Yet do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart” (1 Samuel 12:20).  And he directs them to Yahweh’s grace through His covenant with Abraham as a solid foundation for their obedience: “For the LORD will not forsake His people, for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you a people for himself” (1 Samuel 12:22).
         Samuel points out one more risk: the false sense of security in a mere human being for the redemption that only God can give: “But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king” (1 Samuel 12:25).  If they don’t fear and serve Yahweh with all their heart, not even their new king will be able to save
them.  Instead, he’ll be swept away in condemnation right along with them!  Even with a new king, salvation only comes from Yahweh.
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1 Samuel 5 - 8

3/25/2012

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         Yahweh’s Presence manifests His holiness again in today’s reading.  Yesterday in 1 Samuel 4 Yahweh showed that He would not be Israel’s puppet, that He would not be manipulated to give them victory whenever they wanted.  Today in chapter 5 He shows that He will not be a Philistine trophy, but instead even in the midst of
Dagon’s temple, Yahweh is exalted and worthy of exclusive praise and honor.  In 1 Samuel 6, after the arrival of the ark at Beth-shemesh, He teaches that He will not be an object of curiosity, either.
         So if He is not a puppet or a trophy or an object of curiosity, how should Israel respond to Yahweh’s holy Presence?  Exactly as they respond in 1 Samuel 7:
         In repentance by faith: “And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, ‘If you are
returning to the LORD with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.’  So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the LORD only” (1 Samuel 7:3-4).
         In prayer: “And the people of Israel said to Samuel, ‘Do not cease to cry out to the LORD our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines…’  And Samuel cried out to the LORD for Israel, and the LORD answered him” (1 Samuel 7:8, 9).
         With continual thankfulness for His redemption: “Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, ‘Till now the LORD has helped us’” (1 Samuel 7:12).
         Notice that these elements were absent in the battle against the Philistines in 1 Samuel 4 when they lost the ark of the testimony.  Yahweh’s Presence is the same; Israel’s reaction to Him has changed.  And this change in reaction in part is
due to the change in spiritual leadership, from the corrupt house of Eli to Yahweh’s prophet, Samuel.
         But according to the behavior of his sons in 1 Samuel 8:1-3, the resolution of Israel’s long term spiritual problems will not happen through raising up a prophetic dynasty.  What should the Israelites do?  They have suffered under corrupt priests and self-promoting judges.  Maybe they need another kind of government: “Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations” (1 Samuel 8:5).
         Notice that Yahweh is not opposed to a monarchy as a system of government.  The law includes instructions for the behavior of a king over Israel.  What is important here is the kind of king that the Israelites want.  For example among the laws described in Deuteronomy 17:14-20, Moses told the Israelites, “He must not acquire many horses for himself…  He shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold.  And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself
in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests.  And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes” (Deuteronomy 17:16, 17-19).  But now in 1 Samuel 8, they don’t ask for a king who lives in concert with Yahweh’s heart; they ask for: “a king to judge us like all the nations” (1 Samuel 8:5).  Therefore, Yahweh recognizes: “They have rejected me from being king over them” (1 Samuel 8:7).  And although they are
informed of the high cost they will suffer to support a king, the Israelites still say, “No!  But there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles” (1 Samuel 8:19-20).  Although Yahweh commands them to be holy as He is holy, they respond that they don’t want to; instead, they want to be like all the rest of the nations around them.
         Therefore, there is a big step forward in Israel’s repentance under Samuel’s leadership… and at the same time, a refusal to take another step forward when they reject a national government in line with Yahweh’s holiness. The attraction of a pagan lifestyle is very strong…
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1 Samuel 3 - 4

3/25/2012

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         One of the most scandalous events in our reading of the Bible up to this point must be the loss of the ark of the testimony.  Who would have imagined that the ark, so holy that the high priest can enter the room where it is held only once a year and with blood for his own sins and the sins of the people, could fall into the hands of the Philistines?  How can the throne of Yahweh’s Presence that defeated Jericho and overcame all its enemies in the conquest of the Promised Land leave behind 30,000 dead Israelites while it is carried into the enemy camp?  It is so shocking that the event is mentioned five times in only 12 verses.  It seems unbelievable.
         But as we think more about it, isn’t the robbery that Eli’s sons committed regularly at the tabernacle before the Presence of the Lord more scandalous? (1 Samuel 2:13-16)  Doesn’t it seem more incredible that they converted the tabernacle into their private harem? (1 Samuel 2:22)  Isn’t the judgment declared against the priestly house of Israel more shameful? (1 Samuel 2:27-36; 3:11-14) 
How could they have dared to blaspheme Yahweh’s holiness for so long? The loss of the ark is simply a reality made manifest: the house of Eli has despised Yahweh’s Presence.  Eli, Hophni and Phinehas abandoned Him much earlier than He abandoned them on the battlefield.
         But Yahweh has not abandoned His people.  Although His ark is in the hands of the Philistines, He has given ample evidence that He is alive, not captive and in
regular communication with His young prophet, Samuel.  As if to protect the nation for the shock that was coming, He demonstrated clearly: “Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.  And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the LORD” (1 Samuel 3:19-20).
         It is scandalous and shameful when Yahweh’s judgment falls. May His people tremble before its appearance and repent of its sin while there is still time.
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1 Samuel 1 - 2 and Psalm 138

3/24/2012

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         We’ve just read about the redemption of a widow in Israel, a redemption that unexpectedly in a few generations will extend throughout the nation and transform the relationship between Yahweh and Israel.  Today in 1 Samuel 1 – 2 we read of another salvation, this time of a sterile woman who by Yahweh’s grace will give birth to a son destined to prepare the way for this change.  Silently, imperceptibly and unexpectedly, Yahweh is working through people like Boaz, Ruth, Naomi, Hannah and Elkanah to redeem His people from the spiral of spiritual degeneration in the book of Judges.
         Today’s reading contrasts those two elements.  Shortly after Hannah praises Yahweh and prophecies, “The LORD will judge the ends of the earth.  He will give strength to his king and exalt the power of his anointed” (1 Samuel 2:10), the reading identifies some of the powerful who will be humbled: the corrupt priestly house of Eli.  In contrast with Hannah’s rejoicing in 1 Samuel 2:1-10, Yahweh’s judgment thunders through His word sent through the anonymous prophet in 1 Samuel 2:27-36.
         The news is clear.  Yahweh’s devastating holiness will not tolerate sin like Eli tolerates it, reproving his sons by his word but without punishment, without banning them from their priestly responsibilities.  And in evidence of Yahweh’s power and sovereignty, He is raising up an important part of the coming salvation right in the midst of the tabernacle that they have corrupted.
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    Author

    Ken Kytle serves as pastor of Iglesia bautista La fe en Cristo near Atlanta, Georgia.

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