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I remember a difficult situation I had at work this week. There are new privacy regulations going into place and these laws have made for some animated situations. One customer in particular had an issue that I was trying to resolve and my efforts weren't proving to be very fruitful, due to the lack of information I could release. I was getting a little frustrated that this matter wasn't going away and the customer was becoming downright mad at me for this. The phrase "kill them with kindness" came up and that seemed to be the best way to continue. I spoke with the person again after a deep breath and used the kindest tones in my speech I could muster. I also looked for other avenues available to them to see this matter solved. After all, Proverbs says that a soft answer turns away wrath.
I knew that this wrath wasn't directed at me and I remembered that my job would be easier if I would use only kind words and tones. Lo and behold, the blood pressure of my customer dropped and (eventually) we came to a conclusion in our matter that worked out in the best of both of our interests.
Kindness is an attitude that replaces harshness with understanding. This means that sometimes we must place the needs of others over our own with the idea that this kindness will pay off in the dividends of our actions. Give it a try! You'll be glad you did.
Links to an online Bible for these passages are here, here and here.
What a fascinating beginning! Hannah was unable to bear children, but through the power of prayer, God granted her fondest wish. In return, she gave Samuel, her son to Eli the priest to serve in the temple. We saw some examples here of how Eli's sons were wicked men, and at first I wondered why Eli would be punished for the deeds of others. But what is a child but a view of the parenting they were given? Eli may have been a great priest, but he didn't stop his sons from doing their evil deeds. That is why the curse on him was made.
I'm not sure how old Samuel was by the time God spoke to him, but whatever his age, he must have been nervous about telling the news to Eli. But he showed a good deal of God-given fortitude by holding nothing back when he reported what had been told to him.
Links to an online Bible for these passages are here, here, here, here and here
The Israelites put their hopes in the Ark of the Covenant, hoping that it's presence on the battlefield would bring them victory. It almost sounds to me like they were treating it like some kind of a good luck charm. This is kind of like being a weekend believer. Do as you want Monday through Saturday, then clean up your act for Sunday at church. That didn't do the trick then and it doesn't do you a whole lot of good now. I'm not saying that attending church is a waste of time, mind you. I'm just saying that your life should reflect your faith every day, not just when you are attending worship services.
Consider what happened once Samuel convinced the people to turn away from their false gods and serve God only. The Israelites owned the Philistines! They couldn't lose any of the conflicts. This only happened once they turned to God and worshipped Him as He should be worshipped.
Despite all of this, the people decided they wanted an earthly king, instead of a heavenly one as God had planned. In defense of the people, they were a bit tired of seeing corrupt people placed over them and wanted someone with some perceived authority to lead them. Eli's sons were terrible, partly due to the poor parenting of Eli. Samuel learned how to be a father from Eli, so I can't say that I'm overly surprised that his sons didn't turn out any better.
Links to an online Bible for these passages are here, here, here and here.
So God told Samuel that if the people truly wanted a king, then they should have one. This was not a part of His plan, but He would still play a determining role in it. You may have noticed times in your life like this as well. You may not have been doing what God would have you do, but you still sense his loving hand guiding you to a course of His choosing within your path. Perhaps He was guiding you to a lesson to be learned. Maybe He was just steering you toward the correct path. Once He claims you as His own, He will care for you in the way that is best for you despite your actions. The Israelites wanted a king and God gave them one that would be the best choice for the circumstances.
God changed Saul's heart on that day. I wonder if that is why he kept the exciting news from his father, then hid in the baggage when the nation was seeking their new king. He seems a little reluctant, if you ask me. Nevertheless, he was the right man to lead the Israelites into battle. They slaughtered their enemies, but had ten times the fighters as did their enemy and no mention is made of God fighting for them. Yes, they were victorious, but at a terrible cost. The cost of following a man rather than God. Samuel did a better job than I could at explaining this.
Links to an online Bible for these passages are here and here.
| The Genealogy of Saul (1 Chronicles 9:35-39) Jeiel the father of Gibeon lived in Gibeon. His wife's name was Maacah, and his firstborn son was Abdon, followed by Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab, Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah and Mikloth. Mikloth was the father of Shimeam. They too lived near their relatives in Jerusalem. Ner was the father of Kish, Kish the father of Saul, and Saul the father of Jonathan, Malki-Shua, Abinadab and Esh-Baal. |
Continuing where we left off before, Saul again took the battle to the enemy, this time to the Israelite's chief rivals at the time: the Philistines. He certainly was a brave man. Having three thousand troops to fight 3 thousand chariots and uncounted enemy troops took a lot of guts! I haven't seen much in the way of faith from Saul, so I won't go that far, though. On the contrary, he sacrificed an offering to the Lord to seek His favor. This was a duty that God had specifically given to the priests, not to Saul, so shortly into the reign of Saul, it is shown that his rule would not last. I think Saul was just a king to begin Israel's education of what a putz their king(s) could be if they don't follow the wishes of God.
The battle was joined, nonetheless. And to make matters a little more difficult, the Israeli army fought without metal swords or spears! So Jonathan and his armor-bearer began a fight that killed many Philistines and sent them running and killing each other in panic. When he expressed his faith, and only then, did God fight on their behalf.
I'm not sure if the people rising in support of Jonathan for eating the honey was done because it was his faith that started the Philistine rout, because they were upset about the order to eat nothing until Saul was happy, or because they didn't believe the orders Saul gave were in the best interests of the nation, but their refusal to do his will can be seen as Saul's weakened control over his kingdom.
Links to an online Bible for these passages are here, here and here.
Once again, Saul breaks trust with God. It was made explicitly clear that ALL of the inhabitants and ALL of the livestock of the Amalekites were to be killed. Saul then spared the king and the best of the livestock. I know they didn't have Q-tips back then, but this guy seems to have some trouble listening. I can just picture him stammering to Samuel that he meant well, but Samuel would have none of it. He told Saul to do things right from the outset and that would be better than fixing their situation - to paraphrase. Samuel did fix the situation himself, though, when it came to Agag, though.
Saul hadn't been in power very long before Samuel was sent to find a replacement for him. He was sent to Jessie's home in Bethlehem to annoint one of his sons as the next king. Samuel was looking at the outer attributes of the candidates, but God looks in the heart. The youngest son, David, was to be the next king. On top of that, David's musical talents gained him Saul's favor when his mood was bad.
Links to an online Bible for these passages are here, here, here and here.
Next comes one of the most famous tales of the Bible. The Philistines and the Israelites were facing off with battle imminent when Goliath, a Philistine champion, came out and challenged the Israelites, and they were all afraid of him. All save David, who was angered that this man would taunt God and His army. He convinced Saul to let him fight Goliath one-on-one and met Goliath dressed in his usual Shepherd garments. One stone was enough for David to be victorious over Goliath, and with Goliath's own sword, David beheaded him and presented the head to Saul. With their champion gone, the Philistines ran and were cut down as they fled.
Life changed pace for David from that moment. He became the best friend, practically a brother, to Jonathan and gained a high rank in the army because everything he was sent to do was done. He became popular with the troops and also with the population. This didn't sit well with Saul, who was looking out for number one. Jealousy began to gnaw at Saul and he began to look for ways to kill David.
The direct approach didn't work very well, so Saul offered his daughters in marriage at the cost of Philistine foreskins. The plan was for David to die in the attempt. Of course he didn't and his success and marriage into Saul's family only worsened the jealousy of Saul. God was the protector of David and he did not forget that by the tone of his Psalm.
Links to an online Bible for these passages are here, here and here.
Most brothers don't love each other as much as David and Jonathan did. Jonathan saved David's life by verifying the fact that Saul wanted him dead and warning him to flee. Under normal circumstances, the son of a king would be the heir to the throne and would do whatever it took to protect that birthright. All of that was unimportant to Jonathan if it meant the loss of his dearest friend.
David took the sword of Goliath and a mouthful of food and travelled on. At Gath, he feared for his life and actually feigned insanity to keep his enemies from coming to kill him. During this time, he wrote a beautiful psalm that is included in our reading. Two favorite parts of this one are:
- Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
- Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned. The LORD redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.
Weekly Linkhttp://unicity.net/reine/smoothie/ I loves smoothies. Usually, I'll stop at the Orange Julius at the mall if my wife can manage to drag me that far in and get a little treat. The ones they have there are really not that healthy and they do cost a bit more than they ought to, but they are so good! I'm starting to see my age a bit, with my pants seeming to shrink a bit, so I really need to look for some more healthy ways to treat myself. Smoothie Central.com has several recipes and tips that will make this a little easier and a lot tastier than anything I could come up with in my blender! |
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