Too Much to Take In...

I Samuel 9:22 Then Samuel took Saul and his young man and brought them into the hall and gave them a place at the head of those who had been invited, who were about thirty persons. 23 And Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the portion I gave you, of which I said to you, ‘Put it aside.’” 24 So the cook took up the leg and what was on it and set them before Saul. And Samuel said, “See, what was kept is set before you. Eat, because it was kept for you until the hour appointed, that you might eat with the guests.” So Saul ate with Samuel that day. 25 And when they came down from the high place into the city, a bed was spread for Saul on the roof, and he lay down to sleep. 26 Then at the break of dawn Samuel called to Saul on the roof, “Up, that I may send you on your way.” So Saul arose, and both he and Samuel went out into the street.

Samuel had grown up and become the man of God people listened to and to whom God spoke. They had requested a king to protect them from the Philistine kings and God had come with an answer. What began as a wild donkey chase ends up at a banquet where Saul is seated as the guest of honor with a special portion of food set aside for him and given a cool place to rest for the night.  Overwhelmed is too mild of a word to describe Saul's reaction. He realizes he has been chosen as prince, to become king of Israel. In what ways has God overwhelmed you by choosing you? 

What a Contrast!

 

I Samuel 2:22 Now Eli was very old, and he kept hearing all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who were serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 23 And he said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all these people. 24 No, my sons; it is no good report that I hear the people of the Lord spreading abroad. 25 If someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death. 26 Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man.

Eli was very old; Samuel was young and grown. Eli's sons were carrying on the spirit of the time of the judges with their immorality and lack of concern for God's will.  The Lord was doing something in Israel, and it demanded men with a heart for God.  One cannot help but notice in the last verse above a description used of Christ Himself - the ultimate Man God has used for His plan and purpose.  May He do a thing in our lives and churches which is out with the old and in with the new. 

He Is Yours, Lord.

 

I Samuel 1:24 And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and she brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. And the child was young. 25 Then they slaughtered the bull, and they brought the child to Eli. 26 And she said, “Oh, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the Lord. 27 For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him. 28 Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord.”

The book of I Samuel comes like a breath of fresh air after all the immorality, self-centeredness and violence of Judges. One feels like he has been walking through mud for a few hundred years, but now is standing in the warmth and dry of the morning sun. Here who is finally someone who gets it, who is not out to get everything she can for herself, but to be a part of God's plan. She fully trusts in God and wants Him to be glorified. May we be such a contribution to our families, our people, our world. May we be a breath of fresh air in a dark and dirty world.

Turning On Each Other...

Judges 20:24 So the people of Israel came near against the people of Benjamin the second day. 25 And Benjamin went against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed 18,000 men of the people of Israel. All these were men who drew the sword. 26 Then all the people of Israel, the whole army, went up and came to Bethel and wept. They sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. 27 And the people of Israel inquired of the Lord (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, 28 and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, ministered before it in those days), saying, “Shall we go out once more to battle against our brothers, the people of Benjamin, or shall we cease?” And the Lord said, “Go up, for tomorrow I will give them into your hand.”

Things seem to go from bad to worse in the accounts of the judges.  The passage above was a response to the terrible things we saw in the last chapter. The cycle of disobedience spiraled downward to the point that the Israelites were turning on one another instead of driving out the pagan nations.  Many lives were lost. Three times Israel had to call out to God for direction. Finally, things came to a resolution, and all were set into the territories assigned, but many lives were lost and long-term distrust was created, which pops up again when a king was chosen.  How often do God's people turn on one another instead of the real enemy?

Things Can Get Worse...

Judges 19: 23 And the man, the master of the house, went out to them and said to them, “No, my brothers, do not act so wickedly; since this man has come into my house, do not do this vile thing. 24 Behold, here are my virgin daughter and his concubine. Let me bring them out now. Violate them and do with them what seems good to you, but against this man do not do this outrageous thing.”25 But the men would not listen to him. So the man seized his concubine and made her go out to them. And they knew her and abused her all night until the morning. And as the dawn began to break, they let her go. 26 And as morning appeared, the woman came and fell down at the door of the man's house where her master was, until it was light. 27 And her master rose up in the morning, and when he opened the doors of the house and went out to go on his way, behold, there was his concubine lying at the door of the house, with her hands on the threshold. 28 He said to her, “Get up, let us be going.” But there was no answer. Then he put her on the donkey, and the man rose up and went away to his home

The further we get into Judges, the darker things got. The unbelievable was going on: a Levite who was supposed to be a servant of God had a concubine; there was a lack of hospitality, which was supposed to be a characteristic of God's people; things looked a lot like Sodom and Gomorrah all over again. And if you read on, things got worse.  We are looking at a culture falling apart, and it's almost like looking in a mirror.  How much worse can things get?

How Far Will You Go?

 Judges 18:23 And they shouted to the people of Dan, who turned around and said to Micah, “What is the matter with you, that you come with such a company?” 24 And he said, “You take my gods that I made and the priest, and go away, and what have I left? How then do you ask me, ‘What is the matter with you?’” 25 And the people of Dan said to him, “Do not let your voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows fall upon you, and you lose your life with the lives of your household.” 26 Then the people of Dan went their way. And when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his home. 27 But the people of Dan took what Micah had made, and the priest who belonged to him, and they came to Laish, to a people quiet and unsuspecting, and struck them with the edge of the sword and burned the city with fire.

A couple of times in this chapter we are reminded that it was a time when everyone was doing what was right in their own eyes.  The tribe of Dan was still wandering around trying to settle down. They finally found a place they wanted to settle, which they took from a quiet, unsuspecting people. They also took their own priest with their own ephod with their own idol and set up their own place of worship. They were not keeping with the original plan of the unity of Israel and not acting like a people for his name. How far will you go to get what you want?

Fighting for What Really Matters

Judges 16:24 And when the people saw him, they praised their god. For they said, “Our god has given our enemy into our hand, the ravager of our country, who has killed many of us.” 25 And when their hearts were merry, they said, “Call Samson, that he may entertain us.” So they called Samson out of the prison, and he entertained them. They made him stand between the pillars. 26 And Samson said to the young man who held him by the hand, “Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests, that I may lean against them.” 

Samson had quite a wild life.  Set apart and called by God to deliver His people from the Philistines, Samson usually made it all about him. His great feats were often driven by his personal desires and punishing those who offended him.  But now that he had forfeited his freedom and lost his sight, all he could hear were the jeers of his enemies against God and for their false God. Samson had this one last chance to be the deliverer God had always intended. As he pushed the pillars, the walls came tumbling down, and the chronicler concludes: So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life. When you are fighting for what really matters - the Glory of God, you can really make a difference.