Random Survey

Hey guys, this is a survey my mom is going to use for a conference she is speaking at on raising teenagers.

If you want to, then fill it out anonymously in the comments.

1. Are you a Christian?

2. If your relationship with your parents could be different, what changes would you like to see?

3. What would you like your parents to know about you?

4. What do you like about your relationship with your parents?

5. What do you dislike about your relationship with your parents?

6. How does your parent's relationship with each affect your relationship with them? Their relationship with you?

7. Do you believe their is favoritism shown between siblings?
(one child preferred over another)

2 Samuel 2

But Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, took Ishbosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim; and he made him king over Gilead, over the Ashurites, over Jezreel, over Ephraim, over Benjamin, and over all Israel.
(2Sa 2:8-9)

David was finally made king!!! There was a catch. He was only made king over one tribe, Judah. Abner, commander of Saul’s army, was quick to make sure that the son of Saul would become king. Why? Because Abner knew that if a descendent of Saul of on the throne that he would still have power and right to be called Commander of Israel.

What a bummer for David. Here he has been waiting to become king of Israel and he gets only one tribe. As usual, David does not complain about what has happened. He does not try to overthrow Israel and cause a rebellion. Instead, he continues to wait on the Lord. Compare this to Abner, who, in protection of his title and power quickly devised a scheme to put Ishbosheth on the throne.

Our power comes from the Lord. Unfortunately, we can get confused and seek after the honor and power of the world. Ever wish you had a fancy title: Manager, Dr. Operator, Pastor, Lawyer, governor etc… Do not! God is our fancy title. We are Christians, and it is He that we proclaim! We need not pursue after the titles of this world. We need only pursue after the Lord.

Be like David. Allow the Lord to position you where He wills. Maybe David was just not ready to be handed over an entire kingdom. Maybe it was time for him to prove himself faithful with something smaller. Perhaps it is the same for you. Prove yourself faithful with what you have, and in time, the Lord will grant you greater or different responsibilities.

2 Samuel 1

So I stood over him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them here to my lord."
(2Sa 1:10)

David hears the news of Saul and Jonathan from an Amalekite. David has been through a rollercoaster of a week. Just three days before he had been off fighting to get his wife and the rest of the captives back. David was now taking a well deserved break. As he is sitting there an Amalekite runs in and announces the awful news. The Amalekite also announced that he himself had killed Saul, which of course we find a different account in 1 Samuel 31:3-6.

Why would the Amalekite claim to have killed Saul right in front of Israel? The reason was that this Amalekite, like the rest of the surrounding area, knew that David was the next big stuff in Israel. Being from a different culture, it was shameful to say that Israel’s king had committed suicide. Instead, the Amalekite boldly and proudly shares how instead of torturing poor Saul, he obediently put Saul out of his misery by running him through. Not only that, he also brought Saul’s crown and bracelet. The Amalekite was sure he had scored some points to be in David’s favor. David’s reaction was swift, “Execute him.”

Why was David always saving Saul? Why was David so fixed on the fact that he could not touch Saul for he was God’s anointed? David was God’s anointed too! David, in wisdom, was waiting for God to give him what was promised. Unlike so many stories where people attempt to kill the king to put themselves on the throne, David wanted everything to be in God’s time. Why? Because David knew, if it had not been for the Lord, then Saul and he would be any other guy. The only reason they were kings and conquering warriors was because God had anointed them. Guess what, God has anointed you. He has put the Holy Spirit to come into you and upon you that you might do His work. Also, God has anointed your Christian brothers and sisters. Therefore, do not execute judgment on them, but like David, protect them for they are God’s anointed. Love each other, for you are the Lord’s.

Finally, we see the contrast in the Amelakite. He was just trying to score points with the king. He did it by fabricating some story. David had been given the kingdom yet never took it until it was the Lord’s timing. Who are you? Are you trying to score points with the higher ups or with the Lord that you might get a little recognition or some riches? Or are you waiting on the Lord, like David?

1 Samuel 31

“So Saul, his three sons, his armorbearer, and all his men died together that same day.” (1 Samuel 31:6).

1 Samuel is focused around the first king of Israel, Saul. Though he was the greatest man in Israel in terms of size, he did not follow after the Lord. Where David found strength in the Lord, Saul found strength in his own commodities. In the end, because of his sin, it ended up costing not only his own life, but that of his sons as well.

Sin is a sad thing. Too often we live as if our own decisions only affect us. However, as shown by this story, sin affects others too! Jonathan, Saul’s God fearing son, would also die in this battle. When we study the life of Jonathan we see one of complete selflessness. He knew his throne would be given over to David so instead of fighting David, he recognizes the Lord’s will and becomes best friends with David. Jonathan also knew that he must stand by his father if he were to honor him. He faithfully fought with Saul until this battle.

Do not live as if you are in a bubble. Remember, sin = death. Your sin affects those around you. If Saul could have gone back to the beginning of his career as king, and watched all the choices he made to lead him up to this point, do you think he would of made them? Satan is patient. He will chip away at you until he can take down as many people as he can because of your fall. When Saul fell, his sons fell, and all his men fell. What a tragic end to the first King of Israel.

Our scene is going to turn now from Saul to David. 2 Samuel is the kingship of David. Although David made mistakes, he truly was a man following after the Lord. He sought to do the Lord’s will. Nevertheless, keep in mind how David’s sin would cause chaos in his life. We cannot go back. Be careful of the decisions you make. Read you Bibles, and weigh everything accordingly.

1 Samuel 30

“Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep.” (1 Samuel 30:4).

Crying is an interesting thing. Sometimes it is shameful to cry and sometimes it is valiant. Sometimes you have no other choice but to cry because you are too overwhelmed by what happened. Sometimes crying prevents other negative emotions from being released. Here we say David and his men in tears. Why were they in tears? Because they had just returned home to find their entire city destroyed. All their children were gone. All the wives had been taken. Though the text tells us what happened, keep in mind, David had no clue what had happened to the missing people. Therefore this verse tells us that they wept until they had no more power to weep. They cried hard, because they did not know what to do.

“Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.” (1 Samuel 30:6).

David is sitting there. The people have turned against him. He had lost his family. What does he do? David goes and finds strength in the Lord. Wow! Have you ever been hurt? Has something ever caused you to wonder what was happening? Has anything ever devastated you? David found strength in the Lord. He sought the Lord. He was revived in the Lord.

David asked the Lord whether he would find his family and the rest of the captives. The Lord answers that he would so David just goes. Think about this. He did not know where to go, he just knew he had to go somewhere. Him and the 600 men start marching. They march and march until 200 of the men can go no further. David understands and allows them to stay with the supplies. Just a little bit farther and David finds one lone Egyptian from whom David finds his answers. One battle later and David has destroyed this army and retrieved everything which was lost and then some.

Now rewind. Imagine if David had never found strength in the Lord. Imagine if the story ended that David and his men wept until they had no more strength. What a sad testimony and story that would be! Yet David found strength in the Lord, and that changed everything.

Once again, it is okay to cry. It is okay to be shocked. It is okay to not know what to do. However, if you stay in that funk and do not move on, it is not okay. Find strength in the Lord. Have Him restore you. Have Him give you the strength to finish the race.

1st Samuel 29

THE GRACE OF GOD.

I am so thankful for God’s grace; for the way that he gives us what we don’t deserve, often in ways that are TOTALLY INEXPLICABLE. Today’s story is a perfect example of this kind of INEXPLICABLE GRACE. Let’s rewind a bit so we can set the scene…

Back in chapter 27 we saw David, driven by fear, make some very poor decisions. As a result of these decisions he is living in deceit; he is plundering surrounding nations, while communicating to the Philistines that he is killing Israelites. In chapter 28 we see this bring David into a real crisis. The Philistines are planning a massive assault on the kingdom of Israel, and they want David and his men right there in the battle with them. What will David do? Will he come clean, or will he actually fight against his own countrymen?

It as at this point in our story that God graciously intervenes… David had put himself into this situation, and really it was his responsibility to get out of it. God was in no way obligated to bail David out, yet because He is gracious, that is EXACTLY what He did. As we read on, we see David actually acting upset about the Philistines sending him home. CRAZY! In spite of all of this, God extends His grace and gives David a chance to get out of the mess he is in. We will see tomorrow that this didn’t exempt David from dealing with the consequences of this bad decision. God is actually going to use ANOTHER crisis resulting from this mess to bring David to a point of decision. It is a time of real testing and trying in David’s life; God is making Him into a king.

Today, REJOICE IN THE GRACE OF GOD! If it were not for the amazing grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we would all be in a HEAP of trouble. Praise God for His grace that has INEXPLICABLY intervened in our lives, saving us from the consequences of our decisions. But don’t stop there! Allow God’s grace to TEACH you, and to EQUIP you to live the life that God has called you to live. That same inexplicable grace can keep us from GETTING INTO the bad situations of we allow it… LIVE BY THE GRACE OF GOD!

1st Samuel 28

Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, and was dreadfully afraid because of the words of Samuel. And there was no strength in him, for he had eaten no food all day or all night.

(1Sa 28:20)

Saul’s response here is intriguing… Samuel (in his eternal spiritual form) doesn’t say anything new to Saul, yet Saul reacts as if this news is devastating and unexpected. This tells me that Saul really didn’t believe that God was going to take the kingdom, Saul really didn’t believe that God was going to judge him; Saul had deceived himself.

When Saul ignored the warnings, the rebukes, the judgments pronounced against him and continued to act as if everything was fine, he deceived himself. God wasn’t fooled, David wasn’t fooled; ultimately it was Saul the deceiver who had been deceived. This is the way it is with deception. We ignore the warnings, the admonitions, and the rebukes of others… We cover up, we act like all is ok, and in the end we are the ONLY ONES who are fooled. This has been my story on many occasions in the past. I covered something up, and tried to deceive; but in the end, I was the only one that lost. DECEPTION NEVER GETS US ANYWHERE… it just makes matters worse. Look with me again at Saul’s response, when he is made to come face to face with his own self-deception.

• He fell on the ground
• He became DREADFULLY AFRAID
• He had no strength left in him

The mighty Saul is reduced to a helpless heap of a mess, all because he LIED TO HIMSELF. What about you, are you lying to yourself? Is there sin in your own life that you are ignoring, telling yourself that it doesn’t really matter? Don’t let yourself be like Saul, realize the gravity of your sin BEFORE judgment day comes. We have a choice: we can acknowledge our sin now, and cast ourselves upon the mercy of the Lord; or, we can continue to cover it up, and face God’s judgment in the end. I pray that each one of you would come clean with Jesus and experience His mercy and grace! My friends, DON’T DECEIVE YOURSELVES!

1st Samuel 27

There has never been a perfect man, nor will there ever be. It is the SON OF GOD alone that lived a sinless life; all others that have walked this earth have had various failings of one sort or another. In our chapter today we see 3 of the flaws in the life of David, a man who is described for us as a “man after God’s own heart”. I am so glad that the Lord included these events in the account of the life of David, because they help us to see that being a man after God’s own heart doesn’t equal perfection. It is about FOCUS and DIRECTION. David was following after God, and allowing his heart to be fashioned into the image of God. During this process David made some mistakes along the way.

We can learn from these 3 mistakes in today’s account, so let’s look at them one at a time:

1. David began to doubt God’s deliverance. (27:1) Until now, we have seen David show an INCREDIBLE confidence in the Lord, and HIS ability to deliver David from ALL of the attacks against him. Something happens here, and David seems to forget all that the Lord had done, saying “Saul will surely kill me”. Fear is an emotion, and we cannot let it control us. We must deal with our fear by putting our FAITH in the Lord… rather than being controlled by our emotions, we submit them to God, and trust Him in spite of how we feel.
2. David dwelt in the land of the enemy. (27:1, 5-7) Rather than submitting these fears to God, and choosing to exercise faith, David ran into the territory of his REAL enemies. Fear can drive us to do FOOLISH things. If we let it control us, then we are libel to do things that are not only unwise, but are DOWNRIGHT IRRATIONAL.
3. David deceived others. (27:10-12) Another product of David’s fear was DISHONESTY and DECEPTION. When we are trusting in the Lord, and allowing Him to control our lives, we will have no problem telling the truth. When we are Honest, we are in the Light, and have PROTECTION from the Lord. Now that David was driven and ruled by fear, his natural reaction was to be dishonest. Think about it, if you are afraid of the consequences of a choice you have made, isn’t it a natural reaction to cover it up? On the other hand, if you trust that the Lord will see you through, you have no problem telling the truth.

The main point here is this: David allowed his fears to take his eyes off of the Lord, and it got him into a terrible mess. The solution to dealing with these kinds of fears can be found in DAVID’S OWN WRITINGS!

A psalm of David.

The LORD is my light and my salvation—so why should I be afraid? The LORD is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? When evil people come to devour me, when my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident. The one thing I ask of the LORD—the thing I seek most—is to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, delighting in the LORD's perfections and meditating in His Temple. For He will conceal me there when troubles come; He will hide me in His sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock. Then I will hold my head high above my enemies who surround me. At His sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy, singing and praising the LORD with music. Hear me as I pray, O LORD. Be merciful and answer me! My heart has heard You say, "Come and talk with Me." And my heart responds, "LORD, I am coming." Do not turn Your back on me. Do not reject Your servant in anger. You have always been my helper. Don't leave me now; don't abandon me, O God of my salvation! Even if my father and mother abandon me, the LORD will hold me close. Teach me how to live, O LORD. Lead me along the right path, for my enemies are waiting for me. Do not let me fall into their hands. For they accuse me of things I've never done; with every breath they threaten me with violence. Yet I am confident I will see the LORD's goodness while I am here in the land of the living. Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.

(Psa 27:1-14)

Meditate on the words of this psalm, and allow the Lord to show you why we NEVER need to allow fear to control us!

1st Samuel 26

"Here is your spear, O king," David replied. "Let one of your young men come over and get it. The LORD gives His own reward for doing good and for being loyal, and I refused to kill you even when the LORD placed you in my power, for you are the LORD's anointed one. Now may the LORD value my life, even as I have valued yours today. May He rescue me from all my troubles." And Saul said to David, "Blessings on you, my son David. You will do many heroic deeds, and you will surely succeed." Then David went away, and Saul returned home.

(1Sa 26:22-25)

Again David finds himself confronted with the opportunity to slay Saul, and again he makes the right choice. Saul gives a lame apology, and says he loves David and will no longer try and kill him. David does the wise thing, rather than trust his life into Saul’s hands; he continues to trust the Lord.

David realizes that it is God who is in control. It is God that blesses loyalty, and right choices; and it is God that punishes the wicked when they are about their own schemes. David does not pronounce judgment on Saul, but instead confronts him with reality. He basically says, “If this is of your own flesh, you will have to answer for that before God”. David’s life is governed by a simple principle. I WILL HONOR THE LORD IN ALL THAT I DO.

This is the lifestyle that God wants us all to have. To love the Lord with all my heart, to love my neighbor as myself; even when that neighbor is a lunatic king trying to take my life! It really comes down to one basic question: DO YOU TRUST GOD? Do you really trust Him? How much will it take for you to stop trusting and start relying on yourself?

The Lord was testing David’s faith to make him stronger. He was making this shepherd boy into a king… and it was not an easy process. The Lord is using the trials in your life to make you stronger. He is continually testing you, and with each passed test you become stronger. “The trying of your faith produces patience…” that’s what Paul told us. It’s never EASY, but the solution is clear and simple. TRUST JESUS. We have the answer to every question. He has never let you down, and He never will… KEEP TRUSTING HIM.

Why Are There Three New Devos!?!?

Hey friends,
Hector and I are going to be away at a conference fr the first part of this week, and we probably won't have internet access. So, I posted the devo's for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. You can tell which one is which by looking at the titles.

1st Samuel 25 (Wednesday)

So it was, in the morning, when the wine had gone from Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became like a stone. Then it happened, after about ten days, that the LORD struck Nabal, and he died. So when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, "Blessed be the LORD, who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and has kept His servant from evil! For the LORD has returned the wickedness of Nabal on his own head." And David sent and proposed to Abigail, to take her as his wife.

(1Sa 25:37-39)

Nabal… What a name! It literally means senseless fool, and that is exactly what Nabal turns out to be. Can you imagine of your parents named you senseless fool?! Something tells me this is a name he acquired as his life went on; a label of sorts. His blockheaded behavior got him labeled as just that, a blockhead (Another way you can translate Nabal).

God brings Nabal across David’s path to teach him yet another lesson, and confirm the attitude David had taken in his dealings with Saul. David does a great thing for Nabal, and the blockhead responds with, “I don’t know you from Adam, get outta my face”! This gets David boiling, and he is about to boil over, spilling his rage all over the blockhead and his homeboys, putting an end to their existence. David feels justified in this; Nabal has definitely wronged him, and David has every right to be mad. There is only one problem… what does the Lord want David to do?

The Lord sends Abigail, the poor wife of the blockhead, and she intercedes for her husband. She asks David to spare his life, saying “he’s a blockhead; he always does stuff like this”. Her wisest counsel comes towards the end of her speech. To summarize, she basically says this; “One day, you will come into the kingdom God has for you, and you will know that it is HIS work. Do you really want to unnecessarily soil your hands with this man’s blood? Do you want that to weigh on your conscience? Let the Lord avenge you.” This is wonderful counsel, and it affirms the stance David had taken with Saul. The Lord was his defense, and he did not need to take things into his own hands.

The Lord did avenge David; the very next morning the blockhead became a deadhead. (Not the 70’s variety, the actually dead kind.) Once again, God had shown David that HE WAS IN CONTROL. So what about you? What will you do when people wrong you? When they mistreat you? How will you respond when someone repays a good dead with an evil one? Will you take matters into your own hands? I pray that you will trust the Lord… He will take care of it!

1st Samuel 24 (Tuesday)

Then the men of David said to him, "This is the day of which the LORD said to you, 'Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it seems good to you.' " And David arose and secretly cut off a corner of Saul's robe. Now it happened afterward that David's heart troubled him because he had cut Saul's robe. And he said to his men, "The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the LORD's anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD."

(1Sa 24:4-6)

WOW… That’s about all I can say; Wow. David is given an opportunity to destroy the guy who has made his life miserable, the guy who has had him on the run for all this time. Instead of killing him, all he does is cut off the corner of his robe, just a little token to prove what he could have done. To me it is a move that shows incredible restraint and self control… yet David is convicted in his heart. Why? Why does David react this way? Why does he feel guilty about what he has done?

He says, “The Lord forbid”. He basically says, for the Lord’s sake I should never have done this thing. In the Hebrew language we get the idea that David is saying, “God wants holy behavior, and what I have just done is profane”. David gives us two reasons for why he considered his actions profane:

· Saul was his master: David still saw himself as a servant to the king, and he refused to exalt himself.

· Saul had been anointed by the Lord: David recognized that God could remove Saul from the picture completely, WITHOUT his help.

David had made his decision based on circumstances rather than taking the situation to the Lord. For this, he was convicted.

As a “man after God’s own heart” David provides us a great picture of what God wants. He wants us to seek out HIS heart, and to make our decisions based on what HE wants. Our hearts should be given to Him, and our wills should be fully submitted to Him. Are you willing to die to your fleshly desires, and trust the Lord? David provides us a challenging picture… will we take things into our own hands or leave them with the Lord? I pray we will all make the right choice, and not begin to journey down the path that Saul took; the path of selfish ambition.

1st Samuel 23 (Monday)

One day news came to David that the Philistines were at Keilah stealing grain from the threshing floors. David asked the LORD, "Should I go and attack them?" "Yes, go and save Keilah," the LORD told him. But David's men said, "We're afraid even here in Judah. We certainly don't want to go to Keilah to fight the whole Philistine army!" So David asked the LORD again, and again the LORD replied, "Go down to Keilah, for I will help you conquer the Philistines." So David and his men went to Keilah. They slaughtered the Philistines and took all their livestock and rescued the people of Keilah.

(1Sa 23:1-5)

Discover his hiding places, and come back when you are sure. Then I'll go with you. And if he is in the area at all, I'll track him down, even if I have to search every hiding place in Judah!"

(1Sa 23:23)

Look at the contrast between both of these men. The one thing they have in common is commitment, but all similarities end there. David is COMMITTED to doing the Lord’s will… Saul is committed to destroying David. David’s commitment guaranteed success, Saul’s commitment guaranteed failure.

When David went to do something, he first sought the Lord. David was committed to honoring the Lord and accomplishing His will. He hears that the Philistines are ripping off the people of Keilah, and he isn’t happy about. But rather than just “serving up some sweet justice”, David takes the matter to the Lord. The Lord says, “Save these people, I hate this kind of oppression, you have MY HELP”. This is all that David needed to hear, The Lord was on his side. David and His men WRECK the philistines… the result can only be described as a slaughter. It was complete and total victory, won only because they were doing the will of the Lord.

Saul was another story. The Lord had already told him that the kingdom was no longer his; but he was fighting with ALL his might to retain it. Saul not only fails to seek the Lord, he KNOWS he is fighting against the Lord! He says, “I’ll hunt him till he’s dead; if I have to turn over every stone I’ll find him, David will die”. It is so sad to see this. Saul has given himself over to the lust of his flesh. He cares about nothing more than destroying David. Anointed, called, gifted; the Lord had given him all he needed to be a great king. Yet we see him here looking anything but Godly. He is blinded by rage, his own sin and pride has caused him to lose sight of all that matters.

David and Saul were called by the same God, and equipped by the same Spirit. The difference in their behavior has nothing to do with privilege or opportunity. It has everything to do with choices. David chose to honor the Lord, Saul chose to seek his own selfish desires. It is really that simple.

My friends, where do you stand today? Called of God, gifted, equipped to do His work… what choices will you make? Will you be a David or a Saul? The choice is yours!!!

1 Smauel 22

And the king said to Doeg, You turn and fall on the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned and fell on the priests. And on that day he killed eighty-five persons who wore a linen ephod. (1 Samuel 22:18).

This is a very sad verse. Here we see the priest of the Lord killed because of the rage of Saul. I do believe some clarification is needed as to why the Lord would allow His priests to die. So often people wonder, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” Let us investigate as to why this might have happened:

People have a free will. Saul was free to make his sinful decision. He would slay a house of men, those wearing the linen ephod. This was such an abominable thing that even his servants would not slay the priests of the Lord. Saul had a chance to rethink his decision. Maybe the stand by his servants was the Lord giving Him a second chance to think about what he was doing. However, Saul willed to sin so Saul found a way to sin. Be careful! Sometimes we all walk down a path of sin. God will give us grace and allow circumstances to give us a second opportunity to rethink the decision. If you are bent in your mind on sinning, God will respect your free will.

David lied. Remember when David had been in the temple searching for help. He lied to the priests. He said he was about Saul’s business on an urgent matter. How were the priests supposed to know he was running from Saul? Perhaps this is a duel lesson for us to reconsider, “Is it ever okay to lie?” Maybe it is a lesson to teach us that our sins affect other people. This, of course, is very true. These priests may have been dying because David, in his fear, lied to the priests putting them in this precarious situation. Therefore rethink your actions. Maybe the sin you are about to commit will hurt someone else later on? It is highly possible.

Ultimately, the true reason for the death of these priests is because God told us it would happen. These men were of the family of Eli. Read 1 Samuel 2:31, “Behold, the days come when I will cut off your arm and the arm of your father's house, so that no old man shall be in your house.” Eli’s family were to be cut off because of the sin they had committed in the temple. They were to be cut off before they even grew old. This was all fulfilled in this chapter. That one man who had escaped, Abiathar, was no doubt very young here, as to fulfill the prophecy. He escaped to David in this chapter, but in fulfillment to the prophecy, would later be kicked out of the priesthood by Solomon, David’s son. This is found in 1 Kings 2:26-27. The priests were slain because of the sin they had committed and their father had committed before the Lord. Yes, a madman of a king played a part. Yes, the lie of a prince played a part. However, they had no one to blame but themselves for the wicked and perverse behavior they displayed in the Lord’s house.

1 Samuel 21

And David arose and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath. (1 Samuel 21:10).

And he changed his behavior before them, and pretended himself to be mad in their hands, and marked on the doors of the gate and let his spittle fall down on his beard. (1 Samuel 21:13)

David was on the run. He had a small force with him of faithful followers. He had just left because of Jonathan’s signal and had found refuge in a temple. He had lied to the priest about being about Saul’s business. After he had gotten a brief rest we find him heading toward Gath, a Philistine city.

David was called a man after God’s own heart. Truly he was the greatest king Israel ever had, however, he was not without his flaws. We remember how Abraham, the great man of faith, ran to Egypt multiple times for protection and refuge. David writes in the Psalms, “Jehovah of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.” (Psalm 46:7). We see David finding refuge in his enemies rather than in the Lord.

Human behavior is a curious thing. I find that if I am not trusting in Jesus than I am trusting in something of this world to get me through the trial. David ran to Gath, but in reality, he was running to his own devices for refuge. If I am not running toward Jesus I am running to my own devices. My own devices are fueled by the flesh, and the flesh always leads to sin. Therefore, like David, if I am not running to Jesus I am running to my enemy.

David had to resort to more of his own devices in fear of the leader of Gath. They immediately recognized him and David figured the only way to keep safe is to act like a madman. Oh the things we will resort to when we do not follow the Lord. Here is the future king of Israel, the man who defeated Goliath, acting crazy in fear of his enemy. Quite a different person than the person we see before.

The wonderful thing is, even though David was living in fear, God was going to keep his promise. David’s sin did not compromise his kingship, because God is faithful even when we are not. Gang, I know all of you want to follow Jesus. I also know that we all suffer with falling to our own devices for refuge. The good thing is, God keeps His promise. Our salvation is safe in His hands. He will not let us go because He has promised salvation to those who believe! Truly God works all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

1 Samuel 20

“And Saul threw a spear at him (Jonathan) to strike him, and by this Jonathan knew that his father was determined to kill David.” 1 Samuel 20:33

Jonathan is doing everything he can to protect David. At the same time he is trying to stay optimistic that his father would come around and accept David back into the kingdom. It finally comes to a climax when Jonathan and Saul are sitting at a feast. David’s chair is empty. Saul notices this and figures that David must be unclean for one reason or another, and therefore not allowed to sit for the feast. When Saul asks Jonathan where his good buddy David is, Jonathan tells him that he had gone down to be with his family. Saul in his anger thrusts a spear at Jonathan!

Sin is a plague. It grows. It takes over. It consumes you. Saul had been completely consumed by his pride. We saw his weakness earlier in his life, and now we see him totally given over to it. Compare this with the sin of David. David would sleep with another man’s wife. David would end up killing that man. David would be found out before God. All these sins were treacherous. There is something to be said however about David’s heart. When he was brought before his own sin, he crumbled. He was heart broken. He said that he had sinned against the Lord God and Him only. He realized how sin had taken hold of his life, and was repentant.

Gang, we all are battling against sin. James and Paul tell us we war against our flesh. It is a constant battle. When you fall, turn to Jesus. Take the repercussion for your actions and turn to Jesus. Do not allow sin to grow in you and consume you. Saul let pride go unchallenged and now he was throwing spears at his own son. If there is sin going unchallenged in your life, it will come back to haunt you. Deal with it now. Love covers a multitude of sins, and God is love. He will restore you.

1 Samuel 19

And he went there to Naioth in Ramah. And the Spirit of God was on him also, and going on he went and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah. (1 Sam. 19:23).

David is being pursued by Saul. Saul is not looking to teach David a lesson, or to punish David, Saul is looking to kill him. All of this is due to jealousy. We saw at the beginning of Saul’s career that his self-image was very important to him. This was a sin that went unresolved, and now it has turned Saul into a murderous mad man. Take a look at God’s divine protection for David.

David is very much like Jonathan. He entered the battle against Goliath of the mind set, “If God is for me who can stand against me?” David’s battle with Saul would prove to be much tougher. This would be more personal. This was an enemy he could not kill. In fact, David recognized him as the king of Israel chosen by God, and therefore still sought to serve him! Saul begins this chapter by being talked into not killing David. Think about if you are David. You do not know how this guy is going to react. You do not know if at any moment he will turn on you, which Saul ends up doing. David had to trust that God was protecting not only the entire journey, but his every step. This was a very tricky battle. David was going to do what was right before God rather than what was the easier way out.

Do you find yourself having an option at times? You could do what God wants you to do. This would involve a long journey where to not follow Jesus would result in a perilous fall. You feel as if you make one wrong move it is over, so you have to prayerfully consider every step. The other option is to just do what you want to do, and not worry about obtaining whatever it was the Lord was leading you towards. I feel we all struggle with this choice. Remember, God is going to protect you. Look at how He protected David every step:

A Godly Friend (19:1-7)
A Loving Wife (19:9-17)
The Holy Spirit (19:18-24)

God will protect you. Trust in Him. If Jesus is leading you down the more difficult path, know that He will get you through it.

1 Samuel 18

“Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul” (1 Samuel 18:1).

We have already been able to look into the life of Jonathan. Jonathan is one of the most selfless people in the Bible. He had no interest in his own well being, but was always taking chances with his life for the sake of others. We have already read about how Jonathan and his armor bearer took out an entire Philistine army. His mind set as simple; if God is for me, who can stand against me? Now we see David coming on to the scene. As we watch David become more and more popular amongst the people, we are going to see Saul become more and more hostile against David. There was no reason for Saul to become hostile. He was the king. He had his day in the spotlight. He had his victories. Now there was a new king chosen by God who would take his place in time. In reality, the guy who should have been angry was Jonathan. He was the next king lined up. He was always being the good guy. Despite this, we see Jonathan, once again taking the selfless position by understanding that David is called to be King. Jonathan instead vows to protect David and gives up his own royal armor in honor of his friend. Wow.

Friendship is an interesting thing. I had many friends in between the ages of 13-17. Some of those friends I do not see around anymore because they moved or went to college, etc. Others I do not see because they have fallen away from the Lord. Those who I continue to see, or be in fellowship with though they have left, is because they are still following God. I have made so many friends simply because we had a love for Jesus in common.

Gang, invite Jesus into your friendships. If your friendship is focused around just having a good time, then when the good times are through those friends will not be there for you. You will end up relying on them and they will end up letting you down. Like any form of relationship, friendship is filled with expectations and when someone falls short of those expectations then you find yourself discouraged and let down. However when you are keeping both eyes on Jesus, you persevere even when friendship lets you down. You will find yourself going the extra mile for your friends. You will find yourself less concerned about how they view you, and more concerned about serving them. Think about Jonathan’s friendship with David. It would end up causing him to have to sneak David out of the kingdom. It would cause a tear between him and his own father. It would cause his dad to attack him! Jonathan did these things for a man who would take away his own position on a throne. Jonathan was truly selfless and an excellent example for all of us to follow.

1 Samuel 17

And David said to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of Jehovah of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Jehovah will deliver you into my hand today, and I will strike you and take your head from you and give the bodies of the army of the Philistines to the birds of the air today, and to the wild beasts of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this multitude shall know that Jehovah does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is Jehovah's, and He will give you into our hands.
(1Sa 17:45-47)

This is perhaps the most well known story in the Bible. The world loves this story because the world loves the underdog. David was battling against Goliath, the 9 foot plus giant who defied Israel. David was a youth. David had no armor. In fact, David did not even have a sword. Yet David realized something and that is, David had the living God on his side and therefore he knew he would be saved.

When the world looks at this story they want to make it about the insurmountable odds David overcame. I am sure you have heard of sports announcers describing an event as a David and Goliath type of match. Just recently the Golden State Warriors (worst team in playoffs) beat the Dallas Mavericks (The number 1 seed) in the NBA playoffs. After the game the Golden State Warriors wore shirts that said, “We believe.”

It is all about belief. The world will say it is about believing in yourself. They will tell you it is about being confident in you own capabilities. As illustrated by David, it is all about believing in God. David did not need the armor of Saul. David did not need a sword. Interesting enough, David did not need a sling or 5 smooth stones. All David needed was God. Why? Because our God is the living the God, and He can do as He pleases and He can very easily win the battle.

We battle everyday. James says that we war against our own members, against desires for pleasures. Romans 7 tells us all about the war against flesh and spirit. I do not know where you are in life, but perhaps the flesh is looking more and more like a Goliath in your life. Perhaps it is looking more and more insurmountable each day. Perhaps your flesh mocks your weaknesses, especially when you are reading your Bible or are at church. We all have a war happening, but remember, God wins every battle. Rely on Him. Trust in Him. Do not put on this world’s armor or grab this world’s weaponry. Simply be given away to Jesus, and allow Him to win the battle. Our God is alive, and He is very much for us!

1 Samuel 16

“But Jehovah said to Samuel, Do not look on his face, nor on his height, because I have refused him. For He does not see as man sees. For man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Sam 16).

Saul has been a complete disaster. As Tommy shared, from day 1 he was focused upon nobody but himself. Therefore God is calling a new king of Israel. Let us look at the different descriptions between him and Saul.

Saul was mighty and powerful – 1 Sam 9:1
David was Young and most likely scrawny (he did not fit into Saul’s armor)
Saul was the most handsome Jew around
2. David was ruddy (of a red complexion) and bright eyed (Implying youthful and innocent) though admittingly good looking.
3. Saul had the highest shoulders and was the biggest Israelite around.
3. David had a heart after God’s own heart.

From day one things were different between Saul and David. David was longing for the Lord, and Saul was longing for the attention of men. This forces me to ask, Am I like Samuel? Do I sometimes walk into a situation and forget to ask the Lord for His perfect advice? If it were Samuel’s decision he would have chosen the first son of Jesse he saw. However, God had a specific plan. God looks upon the heart, and that is what really matters most. The only way to know you are staying on the right path is to know you are following Jesus. There will come times where you will have to make decisions, and these decisions affect the course of the day, week, month, year, and sometimes life! How do we know what is the right choice? How do we continue pressing on in confidence that we have chosen the better way? The only way is to stay focused on Jesus, who is a discerner of hearts. He knows the heart and motive behind every action we do.

1 Samuel

But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.

(1Sa 15:9)

Was it not clear? Was there something confusing about the command? Was there something that Saul didn’t understand?

I think it was crystal clear and Saul understood perfectly. The Lord told Saul to UTTERLY DESTROY the Amalekites and ALL that belonged to them. Saul kind of obeyed, he attacked the Amalekites and all that was despised and worthless he destroyed. BUT, all that was good in Saul’s eyes, they kept. Agag was left alive, along with livestock, and probably various other “treasures”.

Maybe you read that and think, “it’s not so bad; Saul pretty much did what he was supposed to. He just left out some of the small stuff, and took some things that he could use”. Sometimes that’s how we live. We kind of do what God calls us to, leaving out some of the “minor issues”, and taking some stuff for ourselves along the way. We think somehow because we are doing more than the next man God will be “pleased”.

I can remember cutting corners and only doing SOME of a job I was asked to when growing up. You know, the whole throw stuff under the bed or shut it in the closest deal. There are to problems with this kind of obedience: The job God wanted done isn’t really done, and now I’m guilty of covering up the part I left off. Failure to obey, coupled with lying about my obedience… always a disastrous combination.

The situation for Saul does end messy. His sin finds him out, and he is told the kingdom will be ripped out of his hands and given to a better man… that better man is David. The point to this story is clear: God wants COMPLETE OBEDIENCE… Anything short of that is DISOBEDIENCE. So where do you stand today? Have you hidden away some stuff you know you shouldn’t have, or covered up a job you didn’t finish? If so I suggest you deal with it now. If you ignore it, you can be sure it will find you out. If you don’t believe me, just ask Saul.

1 Samuel 14

Then Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, "Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the LORD will work for us. For nothing restrains the LORD from saving by many or by few."

(1Sa 14:6)

Nothing restrains the Lord. We say we believe that, but how many of us live like we believe that? How many of us look at the faith of Jonathan here and say, “I would do that”? (I’m not saying we should kill uncircumcised people, or anyone for that matter.) Most of us are afraid to even share the gospel with someone! We all have faith on some level or another, faith in the grace of God to save, faith in His faithfulness on our behalf. Yet, I know that my faith in that regard is much different than the faith Jonathan exercised here.

Jesus told His disciples that if they had “faith the size of a mustard seed” they could move a mountain. That’s the kind of faith Jonathan has here. It seems that the Lord just put this idea on his heart or into his mind, and he just decided to go for it. God hadn’t commanded him to do it; it was just something that Jonathan believed God could do if He wanted to. He says, “What do we have to lose”? If God doesn’t want us to do it, then its okay, we will be alright… If he does then a mighty victory has been won. He was making himself available to the Lord in a very real way.

The book of 1^st Corinthians makes mention of the “gift of faith”. It seems to me that this gift is a miraculous endowment of faith that is temporary, given to do a certain great work for the Lord. Throughout history we have seen men accomplish incredible things when God “granted” this gift for a season of their ministry. It was “acts of faith” that sparked many of the revivals we have seen throughout history, even the revival that brought about the movement our church is a part of. Some people refer to these acts of faith as VENTURES IN FAITH. In Webster’s 1828 dictionary, he says this about a VENTURE – it is the risking of something upon an event which cannot be foreseen with tolerable certainty. Risk, chance, uncertainty… things we typically don’t like. It seems though, that they are things that God often uses. Not “foolish” risks, ones that are uncalled for… but Spirit Prompted risks… times when we think, as outside of “conventional wisdom” as it may seem, God is just calling us to go for it.

Maybe the Lord is putting something on your heart… maybe it is something big, something some may call impossible. (Not superhero things like flying… don’t try that kind of stuff… spiritual things.)Maybe he is giving you the faith to do it… maybe you just need to step out and give it a shot. I’ll never forget what one of my Bible College teachers told me about “ventures of faith”. He said, “It’s a whole lot easier to change the direction of a moving car than one that’s standing still”. Take a step of faith; what do you have to lose?

1 Samuel 13

But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you."

(1Sa 13:14)

I love this verse. I know that many of you know it well, and realize that God was referring to David here. It gives youu a glimpse into what God is looking for in the men and women that He uses.

It tells us that the Lord had sought… he had searched out and looked hard to find a certain kind of man. This man that He was searching for was one who was ready to be a commander over the Lord’s people, a man who would be like the Lord as he fulfilled that duty. God is still seeking and searching for men like this today… We are told elsewhere in the scriptures that the eyes of the Lord are going to and fro throughout the earth, looking for men whose hearts are perfect towards Him.

What the Lord found was a man with a HEART LIKE HIS. His heart reflected the heart of God. It broke for the things God’s heart broke for. It was overjoyed by the things that brought joy to the Lord’s heart. It beat to the rhythms of love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness just like the Lord’s did. The Lord found this man in a singing shepherd, a young boy who spent much of his time alone with the sheep, singing to God and meditating on Him.

How does one get a heart like the Lord’s? I think the answer is in the verse. God had chosen a man that was AFTER His own heart. I think we can read this to mean that he not only had a heart like God’s, but that he was chasing after God’s heart. David wanted to know the heart of God, He wanted his heart to be shaped and molded to look just like the Lord’s. David was a man who PURSUED GOD. He wanted to be like the Lord, He meditated on His word day and night, He talked to Him when he rose, and when he laid down. The Lord was everything to David, and David began looking more and more like the Lord.

You want to be a man or woman with a heart like the Lord? Be a man or woman who is chasing after God’s heart!

1 Samuel 12

And all the people said to Samuel, "Pray for your servants to the LORD your God, that we may not die; for we have added to all our sins the evil of asking a king for ourselves." Then Samuel said to the people, "Do not fear. You have done all this wickedness; yet do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. And do not turn aside; for then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing. For the LORD will not forsake His people, for His great name's sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you His people.

(1Sa 12:19-22)

I love verse 22. What a powerful truth, THE LORD WILL NOT FORSAKE HIS PEOPLE. We falter, we fall, we fail… yet the Lord will not forsake us. Why not? If I were in God’s shoes I would have given up on these people long ago, letting them face the full weight of their decisions, writing them of as hopeless causes. Praise God He does not do that! I am no different than these people, I have sold God out so many times, and added to my sins this same sin; allowing something else to rule me than the LORD.

Again I ask you, why doesn’t God forsake his wayward sons and daughters? The verses here tell us that it is for “His great name’s sake”. The world knew that Israel was a nation born because of a miraculous work of God. They had seen and heard all of the great things God had done, driving out nations before the children of Israel, and establishing them in the land. If he abandoned them now, the word on the street would sound something like, “maybe YHWH wasn’t so powerful after all, Israel rose and fell just like everybody else…” Even when they went into captivity later on in their existence, God always left a remnant. God is forever faithful because He wants the world to know who He is, and what He is like.

So when we find ourselves in a place where we have sinned against the Lord, and our hearts are broken, and we feel as if God could never love us again, let us take heart. The Lord speaking through Samuel says, “My children DO NOT BE AFRAID”. His love for us has not changed; He still takes pleasure in calling us His children. His love never changes; it is the same day in and out. Our response (as laid out in verse 20) should be:

• Acknowledge that we have sinned
• Don’t let that sin turn us out of the way we should go… confess and repent
• Serve the Lord with all of our heart

Outside of the Lord, we have nothing but emptiness. His arms are open; we need to remember that. So, no matter where you may find yourself today, THE LORD HAS NOT FORSAKEN YOU. I pray each one of us would find ourselves resolved to follow the Lord wherever He leads, and serve Him with gladness, knowing his love is UNCONDITIONAL.

1 Samuel 11

Saul at his best

This chapter is definitely a high point in the life of Saul. In it we see him:

• Filled with the Spirit (the spirit came upon him)
• Led by the Spirit
• Leading God’s people to victory
• Refusing to use the opportunity for his own selfish reasons
• Giving God the glory

This chapter shows the potential that Saul had as a man submitted to the Lord! No selfish motivation, no promotion of his own agenda, just a man responding to the call of God; a man submitting to the leading of the Spirit. By simply allowing Faith and Humility to govern his life, rather than the Pride and Unbelief that will later define him, Saul was used by the LORD to turn a potentially devastating situation for Israel into a cause for great celebration and praise.

I love it… God takes these evil men and totally turns the tables on them… reminding ALL of the surrounding people that the GOD OF ISRAEL was to be feared, and greatly to be praised. The Lord longs to do this kind of work on a regular basis. He loves to bring justice, to redeem desperate situations and gain the maximum amount of glory. He loves to do it through men and women like you and me. He uses the weak things of the world, the foolish things, the base things… ordinary men and women doing extraordinary things by the power of an amazing God.

This story is bitter-sweet, because in it we see glimpses of what Saul could have been, but the shadow of what Saul actually became looms large in the distance. When we see this victory, it makes the coming failures so much harder to swallow. Saul had one great victory… the Lord wanted to give him many. Saul was used by the Lord in a mighty way… the Lord wanted to make that a regular occurrence. Maybe you have experienced a victory or two in your life. Maybe you have seen the Spirit come upon you and do something extraordinary, something you could never take credit for. That is wonderful if it is the case… but what about today? What about tomorrow? What about next week, next month, next year? Paul tells us to “Be being filled” with the Spirit, a constant day to day reality. He tells us to WALK in the Spirit, to LIVE in the Spirit, to be LED by the Spirit, and to be MOVED by the Spirit. So what about today? Are you making the victories sweeter as you walk with Jesus, or are they turning bitter because your relationship with Him is “history”? Think about it…

1 Samuel 10

Then the Spirit of the LORD will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man.

(1Sa 10:6)

So it was, when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, that God gave him another heart; and all those signs came to pass that day.

(1Sa 10:9)

It is interesting and worthwhile to note these verses as we begin this study of the life of Saul. I pointed out yesterday that Saul was the “people’s choice” and that he was to be self serving and self promoting. Today we see that this was not something God FORCED upon Saul. In fact, we see that rather than setting Saul up to fail, God had given him what was necessary to succeed.

To prepare Saul for the incredible responsibility of being king, the Lord promised to CHANGE HIM. We see in verse 6 that he was going to be changed into another man, and in verse 9 we see him get a new heart. The lord basically transformed Saul at the very core of who he was, giving him the heart he would need to face the challenges before him. Saul had everything he needed in the Lord, and the Lord was on Saul’s side… but right from the beginning Saul began to make the wrong choices.

It is the day of Saul’s inauguration, and where is Saul??? He is hiding in the gear! Why you might ask? There are two interpretations of why:

1. He was scared.
2. He was pretending to be scared so he could “make an entrance”.

The question of which of these two opinions is right is really beside the point… the outcome is still the same. Saul’s own pride was keeping him from being where he wanted to be. If he felt unprepared and was scared he didn’t trust the Lord and the Lord’s call on his life. If he was really trying to make an entrance then he was turning an event that was all about the Lord into something that was all about him. Whatever the motivation, Saul succeeded in turning the attention away from the Lord and to himself.

God has called you. God has equipped you. What are you going to do? Will you allow pride or unbelief to draw the attention of others away from the Lord onto yourself? Or will you trust Jesus and “walk worthy of your calling”?

1 Samuel 9

The search for Israel’s king has begun… and the prime candidate doesn’t even know he’s in the running! Saul was out on an errand for his father, trying to find some lost livestock. As the search continued over a span of several days, Saul decides to throw in the towel saying, “The donkeys are one thing, if we don’t return soon my father will worry that WE are lost.” The servant makes a suggestion to try one last thing before returning home. He knows of a man of God that just might be able to help. This man of God is not new to us, he is none other than Samuel, and he has something completely different than Saul’s donkeys on his mind.

Remember what Hector taught you yesterday about the difference between a Theocracy and a Monarchy. Israel wanted to be like their neighbors, they wanted a king just like everybody else. Because they continued to ask, the Lord is preparing to give them a king like everyone else… a selfish, self-serving king, who cares about nothing more than establishing a massive dynasty and increasing his personal treasure room. Saul is a representative of the “people’s choice”. He is tall, dark, handsome, and strong as an ox… from the outside he looks like a GREAT LEADER for Israel. The Lord has spoken to Samuel and told him that Saul is the one… The one that God has chosen to give the people just so they can see what THAT kind of king will do for them. Later on in our studies we are going to see that the Lord doesn’t see the way that we see. Instead, he looks on the heart. God knew what was in Saul’s heart, and it wasn’t pretty. Over the next several days we will see some of this ugly pride start seeping out, showing up in the decisions Saul makes.

As I look at these chapters here in 1 Samuel, there is something that really troubles me. These people thought that they knew what was best for them; they really thought a king was what they needed. They begged and begged for it and the Lord gave them what they wanted… but in the process they lost what they really needed. The reason I say it is troubling is because we can do the same thing. We can convince ourselves what we need and start begging for it… and perhaps the Lord will give it to us. The problem is that the thing we so badly WANTED might end up keeping us from the thing we really NEED. The Lord knows what is best for us, and He has promised to take care of us… why don’t we trust Him? So the next you catch yourself crying for the things of the world, stop and remember Israel… do you really want God to give what you want? Don’t reach for the “people’s choice”, settle for nothing less than the Lord’s best!

1 Samuel 8

"And we shall be, also we, like all the nations, so that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles" (1 Sam 8:20).

Israel wants a king. They want a king so that they might be like the other nations. They want a king to serve them and lead them into battle. The problem is, they already had that. They had God, who was willing to do all these things for them. They had what we call a Theocracy, (God-lead) government. They wanted a monarchy (Manlead or manarchy). Let us look at the problems with a Theocracy.

1. Theocracy forces you to abide by God's laws
2. Theocracy means you have to walk in faith
3. Theocracy means you cannot do whatever you want to do

Now let us look at the positives:

1. They had a King who was all-knowing
2. They had a King who would serve them
3. They had a King who would love them

Compare with Monarchy:

1. Monarchy is man lead, which inevitably means the king will do what is best for him rather than his people
2. Monarchy is lead by an imperfect selfish individual
3. Monarchy trusts in the wisdom of man

Positives:

1. You are like the rest of the world...if that is really a positive
2. You have your strength in something you can see

Israel is startiing to become just like everybody else. This is the goal of Satan. He wants to make Christians and chosen people of God to look like everybody else. It always starts in subtle ways, but it grows. Think about your walk and what may make it look like the rest of the world. There is a word for this and it is called compromise. Now think of your life and how it can contrast the rest of the world. There is a word for this and it is purity. When you live pure, you live 100% one thing. To have pure orange juice is to have nothing but oranges in your cup. To live purely is to be white as snow. It is to have this tremendous contrast between you and the world. Have contrast in your life. Live purely for Jesus. Refrain from being like everybody else.

This is a big issue so remember to help eachother. Pray for eachother through out this week. When you see a brother or sister start to compromise their pure relationship with Jesus, challenge them. As Youth following God, let us help each other through prayer.

1 Samuel 7

"And the sons of Israel said to Samuel, Do not cease from crying to Jehovah our God for us, so that He will save us out of the hand of the Philistines" 1 Sam 7:8.

The book of Job is a wonderful book which gives us loads of insight on spiritual warfare. In that book it helps clarify a false belief. Job was tested not because he was doing what was wrong, but because he was following the Lord. This is true spiritual warfare. Yet in this chapter of 1 Samuel we read that because Israel put away their false gods and cried out to God that He drove out the Philistines. How does it work? When we follow God are we then tested or saved? If we follow God are we blessed or are we forced to sacrifice? Suggestions... (Hit comment box)

I like what Chuck Smith tells us, 'If you have not drawn closer to God today than you were yesterday, you have backslidden.' The Lord chastens those He loves. He desires to see you draw closer to Him. It is amazing what the Lord will do to drive this point home. If He knows your desire in your life is to draw closer to Him he will take away all the rest. This is what happened to Job. However, if you are a backslidden or lost soul, His desire is simply to restore you.

Israel was backslidden. They needed to turn away from their idols. Fortunately, the last judge and first prophet, Samuel, had led them toward the Lord. The had given up all the idols and worshipped the one true God. Still, that one foe still stood in their way, the Philistines. Time after time they had come to this place. They were having to once again put their faith in something. Well, their gods were gone. They had tried to bring out the ark before but that did not work. They were left to one resort, "...DO NOT CEASE TO CRYING TO THE LORD OUR GOD FOR US..." And the Lord did not disappoint them, but instead took care of the Philistines and gave them a mighty victory.

You guys want to draw close to the Lord. Consequently, God is going to take you to this place like Job, where He will take away those things you do not need. Think about it...do any of you guys have a Philistine in your life. Do any of you have this one enemy, sin, trial you cannot get over. Do what Israel did, give it all away until all you have is Christ. Then you too will be forced to do one thing, cry out to the Lord without ceasing. I realize my life needs to be at this place, yet more often than not I am complaining when the Lord sends trials into my life. I find myself saying, "The Lord gives, now why in the world is He taking away!" Instead I need to pause and cry out to the Lord. When I am focused on Jesus I find the Lord always gives me the desires of my heart. If you too need help conquering that one foe, cry God and allow Him to be your mighty victory.

Jars of Clay's Song "Silence":
Take...Take till there's nothing...Nothing to turn to...Nothing when you get through. Won't you break...Scattered pieces of all I've been...Bowing to all I've been...Running to. Where are you?

1 Sam 6

The Philistines immediately sense a problem. They had defeated Israel in battle, but they could not cope with this. This Ark had to be sent back. Fortunately for them had some priests who had studied and were familer with Jewish law. Mixing it with their own law, the Philistines put together a "Trespass Offering," or what they thought was a tresspass offering. Finally, like most worldly people, they wanted to test if this was really from the Lord or not. Sure, they knew it was from God when the disasters were happeneing , but now that they had ceased the rumor begin to arise that this is all just coincidence. Is not that just like the world?!!!

They send the cows off with the cart and before long the cart finds its way to the city, Beth Shemesh. The Levites there look into the ark and remove the offerings. Nevertheless, they fiddled around with the ark, which was a big NO NO in Jewish Law. The Lord punishes them by killing 50,070 men. We then read:

"The Philistines have brought back the ark of the Lord; come down and take it up to you."

There are two ways to look at this. Either nobody wants the Ark because it keeps on killing everybody or nobody wants the Ark because they do not know the law. Interesting that whenever one is faced with something Holy, and they are needing dwelling in the Word, they want that something to leave. I remember numerous times when I am talking about something I shouldn't be and my parents walked into the room. In my heart, I wanted my parents to leave so I could continue talking about what I want. The city of Beth Shemesh did not know the law of the Lord neither were they interested in learning it. They had priests, yet these priests did not share with the people the laws of God! Also consider, there is a reason these people dwelled so close to the Philistines. I would not be shocked if they were dabbling into Dagan worship themselves. Finally, instead of change their ways, they found their solution in getting rid of the accountability.

The Lord has placed people in my life who I love because when I hang out with them they point me to Jesus. When I am living or talking about something I should not be, living a little too close to the rest of the world, often times I want these people somewhere else, rather than change my ways. Fortunately they are faithful to speak into my life and the Lord is faithful to speak to my heart. I challenge you, do not live like the men of Beth Shemesh. Be correctable. Get away from the enemies border. Finally, when holiness enters your camp be mallible that it might transform you instead of being hard and sending it away.

1 Sam 5

1 Samuel 5

"And when they arose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the earth before the ark of Jehovah. And the head of Dagon, and both the palms of his hands, were cut off upon the threshold. Only the stump of Dagon was left to him" (1 Samuel 5:4).

The Philistines have captured the ark of the Lord. They realized the story behind this ark. They knew that it was of great worth to Israel. They knew that Israel bothered to carry this around during its conquering of Canaan. They knew that when they crossed the Jordan, it dried up for the ark. They knew these things and confidently placed it next to Dagon, their god, in order to signify that they had conquered.

Of course, the Lord would not have it. The next morning Dagon could be seen lying face down before the ark of the covenant. The Philistines thought this a mere coincidence so simply stood Dagon up and right back into place. If you have a god in your life and you got to stand him up, there is a problem. Again Dagon is seen face down before the ark, except this time his head and palms have disconnected making him impossible to repair. Oh Dagon...

The ark continues to make its circuit of destruction around Philistia. Finally, they send it back to Israel. I want you to notice something, that the ark of God did not just work against the Philistines but it also fought against Israel just one chapter ago! This thing is waging war against everyone. Why? Is not Israel God's chosen people? Therefore it would make sense that it would fight against the Philistines right?

Remember when the people of Ninevah heard the words of the Lord and God spared the entire city. The Ark of the Covenant, is holy, a word here which means, "Able to be used of God." Both Israel and the Philistines were living unholy lives. I believe that if the Philistines were living lives for God, the ark would of found a rather comfortable dwelling place for the time being. However, the ark had no home, because Israel was just as rotten as the Philistines.

Do you want to be Holy? Do you want to be used of the Lord? Do you want His holy presence entering into your life? I know I do. The problem is I have this flesh, which wars against holiness. Live holy. Sacrifice what you have to to live a holy life. You can always tell when somebody is not living for Jesus, because the moment Jesus enters the scene their false gods begin to lie down on their face. Suddenly I am faced with this decision everyday; either allow Jesus to do a work and cleanse my heart from everything I have been running to, bowing to, or get rid of Jesus.

1 Sam 4

1 Samuel 4

"And when the people had come to the camp, the elders of Israel said, Why has Jehovah beaten us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of Jehovah out of Shiloh to us, so that when it comes among us it may save us out of the hand of our enemies."

The Ark of the Covenant has quite a story behind it. The Lord designs it and it is given to Israel to carry the Ten Commandments, the Manna from Heaven, and Aaron's rod which had blossomed. The Ten Commandments signifies the La of the Lord. It shows us God's guidelines between right and wrong. The Manna represented God's provision of how he would always take care of Israel. Finally, the rod shows us of God's sovereignty, how he had chosen Aaron to be leader of Israel through His sovereign nature. This was a complete picture of the Lord! Here is His law, which we fall short of. His Manna, which is Jesus whom He has given to us for salvation. Last His sovereign will for our lives.

Naturally Israel saw this item as the greatest symbol of God's glory that they had. They thought it out to be like a magic trick. If they pulled out "God's Box" then they will be okay. God must love "His box." It is "His box." He would not let "His Box" fall into enemy hands, he kept stuff in there. Well, this reasoning was incorrect. Israel had been living a life of sin. They did not know the Word of God and therefore did not know the Lord. God did not love "His Box," God loved Israel. In fact, all three things in the ark represented God's love for them and His involvement in their lives.

I feel like we can get like Israel. We start labeling things as things God loves rather than just recognizing that God wants us. Ever wanted something badly from the Lord? Ever earnestly ask Him something in prayer. During days like that I try to be extra good. I think that my works will somehow merrit God's favor. Hmm think again. There is nothing in this world that is more important to Jesus than us. He came to die for us, not for a building. He came to save us, not a method. He is incredibly in love with us, not His Box, whatever this may be. Gang, check your hearts. Make sure you are living for Jesus for no other reason but to live for Jesus. Do not try to use Jesus as a means to get something. Do not fight against Jesus like He is this Almighty killjoy who keeps on getting in the way of your fun. Simply live for Him and allow Him to take care of the rest.

1 Sam 3

1 Samuel 3

“And the child Samuel served Jehovah before Eli. And the Word of Jehovah was rare in those days. There was no open vision.” (1 Samuel 3:1).

Israel was in a fine state. They had a temple. They had priests. They had sacrifices. Yet they did not have the Word of the Lord. In fact, verse 7 tells us that Samuel did not know who Jehovah LORD was! This is the boy who had served all his days in the temple, and he did not even know who he was serving.

“And Jehovah called again, Samuel! And Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, Here am I, for you called me. And he answered, I did not call, my son. Go back, lie down.” (1 Sam 3:6).

The Lord had an amazing ministry planned out for Samuel. I am sure it was far beyond what Samuel had asked or even thought of. It begins in the temple, where the ark is, when he is still a boy. There was one thing that needed to take place before the ministry began. The Lord and Samuel had to meet.

What a brilliant picture for us. Here we are, and we can be caught up in loads of ministry. We can be helping at all the events, cooking for people, setting up chairs, and cleaning bathrooms. We can be preparing teachings, doing blogs, and serving communion. We can be doing all these things, but if we do not spend time with the Lord, and get to know Him, we can be doing it all for naught. I once heard it said that a pastor had been faithfully leading his flock for over a decade. Despite putting loads of effort into it and always making sure everything was perfect, the congregation began to drop and people were falling away from the Lord. When asking another pastor about this, the other pastor merely replied, “When was the last time you had personal time with the Lord?” The first pastor stood perplexed. Every time he had gone to sit down and to spend time with the Lord, it had quickly become a time to prepare a lesson or help out with something else. He quickly realized that his entire ministry had looked more like Martha and less like Mary.

Gang, spend time with just you and the Lord for no other reason but to know Him more. Do not any time, even this blog time, to get in the way or take the place of just you and Jesus time. Who knows what the Lord wants to tell you personally!!! Maybe, like Samuel, He is just waiting for that opportunity where no one is around. Maybe He is just waiting for you to stop doing church activities, and to simply come to Him. Maybe God is waiting to tell you something, I suggest your answer be, “Speak, for your servant hears.”